We used to be like a lot of other folks, trying to figure out what to have for meals based on what was in the house. As a result, buying at the grocery store was always a haphazard affair. In addition, there is time and stress in trying to figure out meals and then considering if you have enough time to get the meal cooked. When you add in time commitments like karate and ballet for the kids, as well as church, it becomes easier to grab fast food rather than plan a balanced meal.
About a year ago we said enough with the choosing and cooking a meal on the fly. We instead decided to start planning meals, with the exception of weekday lunches. Weekday lunches would consist mainly of leftovers and/or sandwiches, so there didn’t need to be any planning involved there. A microwave was the most complex cooking apparatus needed and the kids can use it just fine. This helps a lot. It means most weeks we’re only planning 16 meals. Breakfast isn’t that difficult because there are a few combinations that my family likes and we can repeat those. Therefore, dinner has the most variation, especially for the Saturday, when we have the most time to prepare. Because of planning meals out for the week, we know in advance what needs to be cooked. That also means we know about when to get started with everything, which results in a more consistent meal time. It also means we reduce fast food meals to when something happens and we just don’t have time or when we choose to get a fast food meal as a treat. Here’s an example of this week’s meal plan:
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Sunday, July 01, 2012
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Monday, July 02, 2012
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Tuesday, July 03, 2012
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Wednesday, July 04, 2012
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Thursday, July 05, 2012
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Friday, July 06, 2012
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Saturday, July 07, 2012
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We know at a glance what we’re having. Also, since we have the meals planned out, it means we can write out a shopping list before heading to the grocery store. This saves money because it reduces impulse buys. It also reduces the time you spend in the grocery store. In our case, I know the layout of the grocery stores we shop very, very well. I have actually spent time learning the layout. Why? Quite simply, because I can organize my grocery list in the order I encounter the items at a particular grocery store. Again, this saves time. However, I did it not so much for the time savings, but because if I am treating grocery shopping like a game, where I’m trying to cross items off my list as quickly as possible, I don’t linger and make the impulse buy. It’s more than just being able to justify buying something that’s not on my list. It’s a simple of matter that I don’t even consider anything that’s not on my list. And finally, we save time because we don’t have to keep going back to the grocery store. We make two trips a week and we’re good. If we weren’t a family of six, I’m sure we could get away with one trip. However, milk, juice, and eggs don’t make it a week.
All in all, here are the benefits we see from menu planning:
- Eliminates the stress of trying to figure out what to cook.
- Reduces cost grocery shopping because a shopping list is easier to write out.
- Reduces time grocery shopping because we’re following a list.
- We’re able to plan out meals and ensure a reasonable balance for meals.
- We’re able to reduce fast food meals to when things just go haywire or when we choose to eat out. This is both more healthy and saves money.
- We’re able to have a more consistent meal time.
If you aren’t sitting down and planning your meals, I hope you consider it. It helps a lot. It will take a bit to find your happy medium as far as time intervals are considered. Some plan two weeks, even a month out. We tried that, and we even tried to shorten the interval to twice a week to coincide with grocery store trips. For my family, once a week seems best. We still need to make two trips to the grocery store, but that second trip is faster and cheaper overall.
Good idea, though if you don’t like a set menu, it becomes a pain. We don’t typically plan meals, though there are a limited set of items the kids eat, and I tend to buy the same things to handle those. I do try to get one new thing every week or two and try it to see if they kids enjoy it.