We are a one income family & my husband gets paid once a month. Needless to say, we have a tight grocery budget. One of the ways I've recently incorported frugality into our life, is to menu plan. I sit down once a week and plan what we will eat for dinner. Sometimes I even plan 2-3 weeks at a time. I look at the grocery store ad to see what's on sale, then go to my freezer & pantry to see what in there, & this time of year, I look at what's fresh from my CSA, my garden or at the farm market. Once I know what's on sale and what I have on hand, I start making a list of what I'll need for each meal. So, what does my menu look like? Here's a sample:
(I started this week on Tuesday with an easy meal, because I was out of town for the holiday.)
T ~ grilled cheese & tomato soup with applesauce
W ~ black bean chili w/ gluten free cornbread & fruit
> peach** cobbler for dessert <
R ~ grilled chicken & asparagus* & pears**
F ~ spinach* lasagna & salad* w/ pears**
Sa ~ country sweet chicken pizza w/ broccoli & onions
Su ~ hamburgers*** & macaroni salad w/ peaches**
M ~ cajun rubbed pork chops*** w/ roasted potatoes & onions &
applesauce.
I actually did another week & a half, but I figured you'd get the picture.
What do the * represent?
* = something from the CSA
** = something I preserved last year
*** = meat that I purchased in bulk straight from a farmer. (We buy 1/2 a pig & 1/4 beefalo ~ another way to save money.)
So, that is my menu planning strategy. I hang my completed menu on the fridge so I can readily see it. I just use a spiral notebook, but there are some worksheets that may help you plan easily. They can be found here. I also try to take out the meat I'm using to thaw in the fridge once I get things planned. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment & I'll try to answer your inquiry. Happy Meal Planning!
Hi Michele!
ReplyDeleteI menu plan... although a bit differently. I do a two-week cycle. I see what I've got in my pantry / freezer, see what's on sale, then make a list of two week's worth of meals. I usually don't list side dishes (I just make sure I've got a variety of stuff in the pantry / vegetables to make side dishes from) and I also don't necessarily assign a particular meal to a particular day. I then make a grocery list according to the meals I've picked out and go grocery shopping every 2 weeks. I hang my list on the fridge and then work from it each day. I usually have a couple of simple/quick meals on it so that as each day comes, I can pick something off the list that works for that day.
I also use a computer program called master chef - where I've input all my recipes. So then I just pick out what recipes I want to make in the next 2 weeks and it makes my shopping list for me.
Meal planning has definitely saved us money and time!! I honestly wouldn't be able to operate without doing it!
Have a great day!!
Steph