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I came up with a solution that not only solves this problem, but saves time and money. It's called the Perpetual Meal Calendar (PMC). There are several variations available on the Internet. Mine started as a simple fix and evolved into a time and money masterpiece. Here's how it works:
1. Sit down with your family and come up with a list of your favorite dishes. Aim for 31, but depending on how picky your broad is, it may be fewer. Nothing is off limits. We have "breakfast" and "lunch" dinners included on our PMC. I just try to work in some yogurt, fruit, or veggies to balance out the meal. If it makes your pickiest eater happy one time a month, it's worth it. Also, if every one is involved, they will buy into the program and it will be successful. 
2. Don't forget dessert. I like to make a desert a week. One dessert is usually good for a couple of meals. I try to impress upon my kids that sweets are a special treat, not something they have to have after every meal. So, 4-8 desserts are plenty, depending on the size of your sweet tooth.
4. Calendar it. Take a blank sheet of paper and draw 6 lines down and 3 lines across. This will give you 4 weeks with 7 days. Fill in the dinners. If you want to optimize your savings, try to make dishes that overlap. For example, you have pot roast on Sunday and use the left overs for BBQ beef sandwiches on Tuesday.
3. Create a spreadsheet. Go through your list of meals and create a spreadsheet of all the items you will need to make each meal. Don't repeat ingredients. (i.e. If you use sour cream for tacos and again in your hamburger mac casserole, don't list it twice.) I am a bit type-A, so I sorted my ingredients into categories, like dairy, dry goods, meat, produce, and frozen foods.
4. Don't forget your staples. Add your staples to your spreadsheet. Milk, bread, yogurt, fruits, veggies, laundry detergent, diapers...you get the idea.
5. Put it to use. When you're ready to go shopping, put an "X" in the column next to the ingredients you need for that week of meals. Sort your spreadsheet to show the "X" items and there you have it~ your shopping list, beautifully printed and categorized. No more forgetting staple items or ingredients. Just don't save your sorted list, and your master list will be ready the next time you need to go to the grocery store.
The PMC can save money and get your budget down to a science. I don't know about you, but the grocery bill is the only "variable" expenditure in our budget. Since using the PMC, we have cut $50 to $100 off our grocery bill each week (and, I recently became a stay at home mom!) If you want to maximize the PMC, chart your expenditures for the first month or two. After returning from the grocery, take your receipts and input the costs of your items. (Don't forget to leave a column for your "X".) Next time you prepare your list, you will be able to compare what you spent in the past to weekly specials and approximate (pretty darn accurately) how much you will spend on your next trip.
Now, I'm not suggesting you eat the same things month after month. Every 3 months or so, I switch up the PMC to add variety. I love trying new recipes, so I continually tweak the PMC to meet my social or culinary demands. The possibilities are endless. And, you don't have to be structured to the point that if you schedule Taco Tuesday and accidentally fix them on Monday you ruin your fiesta.
I print out a copy of our PMC and hang it on our bulletin board for the entire family to see. Now, the only time I get asked "What's for dinner?" is when my husband, wife, partner, baby daddy hasn't looked at the calendar. Here's what my PMC looks like. You'll notice that I have chores listed at the top, but I'll get to that time saver in another blog. Right now, I have some grocery shopping to do....
