Still awaiting the birth of my baby (I am overdue), it is increasingly a challenge to go grocery shopping. Thank goodness I have wonderful friends and neighbors who offer to go for me.

This forces me to know EXACTLY what groceries I need for the upcoming week. I don't want anyone to have to make repeat trips to the store so I've been honing my meal planning and grocery shopping skills as best I can.

What I've discovered is, I only have to cook 3 times a week, providing that I make enough quantity, for 6 weeknight dinners.

Once I realized that organized meal planning only required me to come up with 3 meal ideas, I now actually ENJOY trying new recipes and experimenting on the weekend. I never thought cooking could actually become fun!

Try it out! Sit down with a pen and paper on a Sunday afternoon or whenever works best for you and find pick 3 recipes for the upcoming week.

Look through each of the recipes and list ALL ingredients you may need and create your grocery list.

I really feel strongly about the importance of a well-planned grocery list to eliminate having to go to the store more than once a week. The lines, crowds, and pre-dinner stress can be a HUGE waste of time.

If you know how to use a computer, you can also use a grocery list program that is one of my favorites. It is easy to use and takes some of the "shlep" out of the chore. You can download it at http://www.best-organizing-products-superstore.com/aislebyaisle.html.

Rebekah Slatkin is a professional organizer dedicated to getting people organized through hands-on decluttering sessions, teleconferencing, coaching, and her website http://www.best-organizing-products-superstore.com.

Visit http://www.best-organizing-products-superstore.com and subscribe to Organewz, her ezine dedicated to organized living and get organizing tips and downloads- free.