With school starting back this week, it’s a good time to get your family back on a regular routine and part of that routine can be meal planning. Meal planning is super simple to do and, in my opinion, reduces stress and saves you money. You don’t have to think about what to make for dinner because you have the week already planned out. It’s pretty easy to think of meals your family enjoys, plan out a few of them, and make a grocery pickup order with everything you’ll need to cook those meals. The hard part? Actually doing it! It can be tempting to pick up a pizza, order takeout, or hit the drive-thru. Our family has been meal planning for years, so I’m going to give you a sneak peak into this frugal teacher’s process for planning out meals each week. Here’s what I do:
Step 1: I use the chalkboard in my kitchen to cross off any days during the week that I know for sure we’ll be gone or have something going on. The image above is actually a real photo of my family’s meal plan for this week. You’ll notice on Sunday it says “dinner at church” because I knew we had my dad’s retirement party Sunday night at Bethel Baptist Church, and I wouldn’t be cooking.
Step 2: I use meals on a rotation so I pick 5 (yes only 5!) meals that I think my family will like and are appropriate for the season (not many people enjoy chili in the middle of the summer, if you know what I mean). Don’t try to plan out 7 meals - that can be overwhelming and some of the items you buy might end up going bad before you get a chance to cook them.
Step 3: I write those 5 meals on the chalkboard in my kitchen so I never have to hear “What’s for dinner?” because everyone knows to check the chalkboard. My family and I take turns cooking so everyone knows the plan and which night to cook. There's even a group text about who is cooking what, which night, where the meal will be, who all will be there, and what time. Not trying to brag, but we definitely have this down to a science.
Step 4: I make a grocery pickup order right on my phone with everything I’ll need and pick a day/time to pick up my order that works with my very busy schedule. I rarely, if ever, actually go into the grocery store to shop. It takes too much time and it can be tempting to buy things that I don’t need. I’d rather do a grocery pickup order so I can stick to my budget, pull into a parking spot, and have my groceries loaded right into my vehicle. So easy!
Step 5: I cook the meals on their day as planned (or whenever it's my turn) while also trying to remember that life happens and sometimes you have to be flexible. I also always set aside one night toward the end of the week as a designated "leftovers" night.
That’s it! I am able to stick to my grocery budget because the app I use to make my grocery pickup order keeps a running subtotal as I add items to my virtual cart. I cook the meals on the day I planned them but also give myself grace if something changes. I mentioned that I use meals on a rotating basis. We tend to eat the same things as a family so this week’s meals will be used again in a few weeks. I’m not opposed to trying new recipes and often do but I also like to keep things as simple and stress-free as possible. Since I know the meals my family likes, this also allows me to stock up on the ingredients I use often when they’re on sale. Combining meal planning with keeping a well-stocked pantry can really help you save money. I hope you give it a try!
Comments