Looking to save time and money? Meal Plan!
If you feel like life is crazy each evening and you spend too much time fretting about dinner options I would highly recommend meal planning.
In a past post I shared 5 reasons to meal plan, so today’s post will focus more on the “hows” than the “whys”.
Meal planning is simply choosing meals to eat over the course of the week.
When someone talks about meal planning they usually focus on dinner because it is the meal when most of the family is home, and it tends to be the biggest meal of the day. You can also meal plan breakfast and lunch. For the purpose of this post we are going to stick with dinner.
Consult Your Calendar
When meal planning it is important to have your calendar close at hand. First, determine how many meals you will need to plan for in the coming week. For example, if you are going to meet your friends for pizza one night and you are also going to your sister’s house another evening then you only need to plan 5 meals. While looking over the week also note any evening events or activities. A crock pot meal might be best if there is a night when everyone is coming and going at different times. If you have to eat an early, simple dinner one evening perhaps soup and sandwiches make sense. A quick glance at your calendar will help you with your first steps for the week’s meal plan.
Choose the Meals
Now that you know how many meals you need and what types of meals might be best you can begin to choose meals for the week. Thankfully, with the help of the internet, we have access to endless recipes. You can search for recipes there or if you love your cookbooks, pull out some of those and add recipes to your plan for the week.
One helpful tip is to begin building a master list of meal ideas. If you find a meal your family loves, add it to the list. Before you know it you will have a large list of meal ideas that you can quickly refer to when planning each week. This list could be stored in various forms including a list on the side of your fridge, a binder or a notes/list app on your phone. Remember to include links to websites (or reference a cook book) if it’s a recipe in which you need to remember detailed instructions.
More Easy Ideas
- Assign a theme to each night of the week: Taco Tuesdays or Italian each Thursday or maybe Soup Saturdays.
- Don’t over-complicate things: A simple meal is a great choice any night of the week. Check out a few of our simple meal favorites!
- Have some basic, quick options in your pantry: Keep a small supply of pastas and soups for those nights when things don’t go as planned.
Meal planning doesn’t have to be an overwhelming process you dread each week. In fact, I know that the more you do it, the easier it will be each week. You’ll find that things will be a little less busy and a little less crazy when you have a plan in place.
Happy Meal Planning!
What about you? Do you meal plan? Do you have a favorite go-to meal?
Until next time,
Charissa
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Meal planning makes my life so much easier! I feel lost without doing it fir the week!
Yes, Sam, I also feel turned upside down when I don’t meal plan.
I always meal plan! For a long time we lived 30 min from the grocery store so it was a necessity. Now it keeps me on track both financially and timewise. Great tips!
Once you start meal planning and see the benefits, it’s hard to not do it.
I feel like one thing that really helps me with meal planning is ordering groceries ahead online, whether for delivery or pick-up. It helps me think through what I will really need. I love Peapod!
Ordering online is a great way to stay focused and only order what you need (not what you see staring at you at the end of aisle)!
It’s definitely important to check your calendar before you meal plan! I’ve always wanted to make a spreadsheet of my meals, but don’t know how.
Hey, Brenda! I’m certainly not an expert on spreadsheets, but I think creating one would be a good idea. I would just search for “spreadsheet tutorials” on YouTube and see what you find.
Meal planning for president! This saves me so much time!
Yes, Tineke, such a time-saver! 🙂
Yes! Meal planning has made a world of difference in our budget and my sanity. Great tips!
Thanks, Emily!
We started meal planning several years ago and it saves so much time and money! We have our favorite meals, meals that are good for busy nights, and I always watch for new ideas.
Yay, Jenny! Yes, it is a time and money saver. Love that you are always on the look out for new ideas! 🙂
I’m really trying to do a better job of meal planning. I’m hoping ti will help us all be healthier.
The more you do it the easier it becomes, Rachel!
I’ve been trying to meal plan this year and it does make life easier but you have to be prepared. 🙂 Thanks for sharing these tips!
You are welcome, Sally!