Menu planning is something that I do on a regular basis and would highly recommend to others. By doing so, I believe it is a money saver because it eliminates frequent trips to the grocery store and you have meals planned so there is no need to run through the fast food drive-up or call for pizza delivery. (Yes, we do order pizza on occasion…because it’s something we enjoy.) Menu planning also makes life a tad easier and organized at dinner time.
Everyone has different ways of planning. Some plan a more structured menu on a weekly basis and plan out three meals a day. Some may have favorite meals that they make over and over again and keep those items on hand. And some plan several dinner meals and choose the item they are in the mood for. I lean toward doing the latter, but it should be based on your family and what works for you. Having a plan is what matters…this will save you lots of time & money each year.
How I go about planning a menu:
On paper, I first list all of the calendar dates for as long as I’m planning for. I generally plan meals from pay day to pay day, which is a 2 week time frame. When I write these dates down, I also list anything that we have going on that night. I generally do not make specific plans for breakfast , lunch, or snacks unless there is reason to, such as having a lunch/play date with a friend, people in from out of town, etc. If we have something going on at night, I write that down with a time so that I know if I need to do a quick/simple dinner or if we have time for a more involved/bigger dinner. If I’m going to be out for whatever reason up till close to dinner time, I will also write that down so that I know if I need to make something easy or already have something prepared. Once I have this done, I then go through the list and figure out how many easy/simple meals I need and how many more involved meals I can do…along with any extra items I may need to make.
Next, I’ll take inventory of my cupboards, freezer and fridge to see what I already have and think of meal possibilities. If you need help in this area, you can always check out www.allrecipes.com and do an ingredient search and get some ideas. I write down what meals I am planning to make and then start a grocery list by writing down all of the remaining items I might need. As you are going through your cupboards, freezer and fridge, you may also want to check out staple items to see what you need. I skip that step by keeping a running list on the side of my fridge so that when I do pull something out of my cupboard, and I know it’s the last of that item or getting low, I will write it down.
After doing that, I will then look through the grocery ads, see what is on sale and also which coupons I have to match up with sales. I plan the rest of my menu based on the good sales and coupons. I add whatever I need to finish out my menu to the grocery list…all while making sure I stay within my grocery budget. Being I don’t plan in the more structured way of 3 meals a day, I do need to make sure that I have enough items on hand for breakfast, lunches and snacks. I also put some of my grocery budget aside in case I do need an added visit to the store for bread, milk, fresh veggies and/or to stock up on great grocery deals.
Do you plan your meals? What works for your family? Do you plan meals based on sales or what your family is in the mood for? Feel free to share! :)
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