How to Use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Meal Plan and Save on Groceries

I’ve been experimenting with how to use artificial intelligence (AI) to meal plan and save on groceries and wanted to share my results with you. This post was created with prompts using AI.

I’m not tech savvy so if I can do it, you can too! It is a very easy way to put Artificial Intelligence to work to save us time and money.

For my shopping list and simple meal plan, I used an AI site called Perplexity, and I used the free version. When I tried this in Chat GPT and Gemini, I was not getting the results from the specific grocery flyers near me, but it worked great in Perplexity so I recommend you give this a try. Go to: https://www.perplexity.ai/

It’s very easy and you can customize it for any dietary restrictions and preferences.

I am going to use this weeks online grocery flyer from Albertson’s Market here in Southern California but any grocery store with an online weekly sales flyer should work.

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Meal Plan Using AI to Save Money and Time

#1 Open Perpelxity.AI in a browser

#2 Go to the weekly sales flyer of your favorite grocery store. Here is mine from my local Albertsons: https://coupons.albertsons.com/emju-weeklyad

Be sure to put in your zip code so the ad is specific to you.

Here is the prompt I used in Perplexity:

Based on the weekly Albertson’s ad here; https://coupons.albertsons.com/emju-weeklyad make me an easy meal plan for 7 days featuring what is on sale

Here are the results:

Here is a 7-day meal plan featuring items on sale in the Albertsons weekly ad:

Monday/Day 1

Breakfast: Eggs and turkey bacon

Lunch: Chicken Caesar salad using rotisserie chicken

Dinner: Beef tacos with ground beef and taco kit

Tuesday/Day 2

Breakfast: Oatmeal with fresh berries

Lunch – Tuna salad sandwich on wheat bread

Dinner: Grilled salmon with roasted potatoes and asparagus

Wednesday/Day 3

Breakfast: Yogurt parfait with granola and fruit

Lunch: Turkey and cheese sandwich

Dinner: Spaghetti and meatballs using ground beef and pasta sauce

Thursday/Day 4

Breakfast: Breakfast burrito with eggs, cheese, salsa

Lunch: Chicken Caesar wrap using rotisserie chicken

Dinner: Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans

Friday/Day 5

Breakfast: Bagels with cream cheese

Lunch: Chef salad with deli meats and cheese

Dinner: Pizza night using take-and-bake pizza

Saturday/Day 6

Breakfast: Pancakes or waffles with syrup

Lunch: Deli sandwiches or wraps

Grilled chicken with corn on the cob and baked potatoes

Sunday/Day 7

Breakfast: French toast casserole with fruit

Lunch: Leftovers

Dinner: Pot roast with carrots, onions, and potatoes

“This meal plan utilizes sale items like eggs, bread, meats, produce, dairy, and convenience items. It provides a variety of easy meals while taking advantage of the weekly deals.”

You will see that it is not the most comprehensive meal plan you can find, but I think it is an excellent place to get started. You can continue to modify your prompts and even add different stores if you shop at multiple stores.

Here is my follow-up prompt:

“make me a shopping list for these meals and give me a cost estimate to feed a family of four”

Here is a shopping list for the 7-day meal plan featuring sale items from Albertsons, along with a cost estimate to feed a family of four: You can see that the prices are in round numbers but you can always refer back to the ad you used to get specific sale prices.

Eggs (2 dozen) – $4
Berries (2 lbs) – $6
Lettuce (2 heads) – $4
Tomatoes (4) – $2
Onions (2) – $1
Potatoes (5 lbs) – $3
Carrots (1 lb) – $1
Asparagus (1 bunch) – $3
Green beans (1 lb) – $2
Corn on the cob (8 ears) – $3

Meat:

Rotisserie chicken (2) – $12
Ground beef (2 lbs) – $8
Salmon fillets (1 lb) – $8
Turkey bacon (1 lb) – $5
Deli turkey (1 lb) – $6
Deli ham (1 lb) – $5
Beef roast (3 lbs) – $15

Dairy:

Milk (1 gallon) – $3
Yogurt (32 oz) – $4
Cheese (1 lb) – $4
Cream cheese (8 oz) – $2

Pantry:

Bread (2 loaves) – $4
Pasta (1 lb) – $1
Pasta sauce (2 jars) – $4
Taco kit – $2
Granola (12 oz) – $3
Bagels (6 pack) – $3
Take-and-bake pizza – $6

Total Estimated Cost: $135

This shopping list covers all the ingredients needed for the 7-day meal plan utilizing sale items like eggs, berries, milk, rotisserie chicken, ground beef, salmon, and various produce. The total estimated cost to feed a family of four for the week is around $135. Prices may vary based on your location and specific store.

Here are other prompts to try:

What are some quick and easy recipes using the items on sale this week?

Can you suggest a vegetarian meal plan based on the Albertson’s ad?

Are there any special deals on proteins like chicken or beef this week?

What are some budget-friendly meal ideas using the items on sale?

Can you provide a meal plan that includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner using the weekly ad?

I know AI is a controversial topic. It has affected me personally because it has taken away a great deal of my website traffic and the ability for my readers to find me but I know it is here to stay.

What do you think? Will you give this a try? Do you think it will help save you time and money? I welcome your ideas as we help each other. If you have a good prompt or other suggestions, I will add them when I update this post.

Please share this post with anyone who might find this useful. My goal always is to help us all to save time and money.

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How to Use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Meal Plan and Save on Groceries

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