A meal planner where the shopping list writes itself
Pick the week's meals from drop-downs; the list is grouped by aisle, quantities added up, with a rough cost against your food budget.
Plan the week, and the shopping list writes itself
Pick a dinner for each day from your own meal book. The shopping list is already written: grouped by aisle, each ingredient once, quantities added up across meals, with an approximate cost against your weekly food budget. Print it, or use it on your phone in the shop.
Get the meal planner on Etsy (£3.59)
How to meal plan, in five steps
- Start from what needs using up. Check the fridge before you plan, not after you shop.
- Plan dinners only, at first. Seven decisions a week is enough to change the shop.
- Keep a list of meals your household actually eats. Planning from a short, proven list is quicker than looking for new recipes every week.
- Shop once, from the list. Extras such as milk and bread go on the same list.
- Check in on Sunday. What was cooked as planned, what was thrown away, what went on takeaways. Change one thing.
UK Meal Planner on Etsy (£3.59)The UK budget spreadsheet
An organising tool, not dietary or medical advice. Ingredient prices are rough examples. The household and figures in the images are made up. Built with AI tools and checked by us.
Questions
How does the shopping list write itself?
Each meal in your Meal Book has its ingredients listed once, with a quantity, unit and aisle. When you pick the week's meals, the Shopping List adds up the quantities of every ingredient you need, lists each one once, and groups them by aisle in the order you set. Use the same name and unit for the same ingredient so they add up.
Does it work in Google Sheets?
Yes. It is a standard .xlsx file with no macros and no newer-only functions, so the automatic shopping list works in Excel 2010 onwards, Google Sheets (File, Import, Upload) and Apple Numbers.
Are there meals in it already?
Yes: 16 UK family meals to start, such as spaghetti bolognese, fish pie, veggie chilli, roast chicken and chicken curry, each with ingredients and rough prices. Rename them, change them or add your own, up to 80.
Can I track the food budget?
Yes. Set a weekly food budget; the planner shows the approximate cost of the planned meals plus extras before you shop, and a Sunday log records what you actually spent, takeaways and food thrown away.
Is this dietary advice?
No. It is an organising tool. For allergies, special diets or health conditions, talk to your GP or a registered dietitian. The reference tab summarises Food Standards Agency storage guidance and the NHS Eatwell Guide.