Create smart grocery lists that save money, reduce waste, and streamline your shopping
I want to optimize my grocery shopping to save money and reduce food waste. My household size is [HOUSEHOLD_SIZE:select:just me,2 people,3-4 people,5 or more people]. My weekly grocery budget is [BUDGET:select:under $50,50-100,100-150,150-200,200 plus,flexible]. Dietary preferences or restrictions: [DIETARY?] (such as vegetarian, gluten-free, allergies, etc.) Meals I typically need to prepare: [MEALS_NEEDED:select:all meals at home,mostly dinners,lunches and dinners,just dinners and some snacks,meal prep for the week]. My biggest grocery shopping problems: [PROBLEMS:select:spending too much,food going to waste,forgetting items,impulse purchases,not having ingredients for meals,shopping takes too long]. Stores I shop at: [STORES?] Meals or recipes I want to make this week: [PLANNED_MEALS?] Create an optimized grocery list for me organized by store section to minimize backtracking. Include strategies for saving money on this trip, suggest ingredient swaps to reduce cost or waste, identify items to buy in bulk versus fresh, include approximate costs if possible, and provide tips specific to my shopping problems. If I provided planned meals, make sure the list covers all needed ingredients.
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Get Early AccessGrocery shopping without a plan costs you money. The average household throws away 30% of the food it buys, and impulse purchases add up faster than you think. A smarter list fixes both problems before you walk into the store.
It builds a grocery list organized by store section so you are not backtracking from produce to dairy to produce again. You tell it your [HOUSEHOLD_SIZE], [BUDGET], and [DIETARY] needs, along with what meals you are planning. It generates a list with cost estimates, bulk-buy recommendations, and ingredient swaps that cut waste without sacrificing your meals.
The real value is in the details. It flags ingredients that serve double duty across multiple recipes. It suggests cheaper alternatives when a recipe calls for something expensive you will only use once. And it catches the items you always forget, like cooking oil or aluminum foil, that send you back to the store mid-week.
If you are working on a tighter budget, pair this with the Monthly Budget Builder to set your grocery target based on your full financial picture. Open it in the Dock Editor to keep a running list you update each week. For subscription costs eating into your food budget, the Subscription Audit can find money you did not know you were spending.
Copy this template into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or the Dock Editor to get started.
Select your [HOUSEHOLD_SIZE] and [BUDGET] range. Be realistic about what you actually spend, not what you wish you spent. The AI tailors portion sizes and store-brand suggestions based on these numbers.
List the recipes or meals you want to make in [PLANNED_MEALS]. Even a rough idea like 'pasta twice, chicken once, leftovers' gives the AI enough to build a complete ingredients list and spot overlap between dishes.
Pick your [PROBLEMS] honestly. If food waste is your issue, the list will prioritize fresh items by when you will use them. If impulse buying is the problem, you will get strategies for sticking to the list in-store.
Feeding 3-4 people on $100-150 per week takes planning. Set [HOUSEHOLD_SIZE] to '3-4 people' and [BUDGET] to your range. The optimizer suggests bulk staples, cheaper protein swaps, and meals that stretch across multiple dinners.
Select 'meal prep for the week' under [MEALS_NEEDED] and list your planned recipes. The AI consolidates ingredients across all meals so you buy exactly what you need and nothing sits unused in the fridge.
Cooking for one means half your produce goes bad before you use it. The optimizer suggests portion-appropriate quantities and ingredients that work across multiple solo meals throughout the week.
Gluten-free, dairy-free, or allergy-safe shopping adds complexity to every trip. List your [DIETARY_RESTRICTIONS] and the optimizer flags safe substitutes, cross-contamination risks on shared production lines, and which store brands actually meet your requirements versus just marketing claims.
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