The biggest money saving tool I have in my grocery spending endeavors is my trusty meal planning sheet. So, I thought I’d talk about that all important item for a bit.
You can make your own meal plan calendar, simply using any programs, like excel or msn publisher. I use the printable forms from OrganizedHome.com. They are simple to print out and easy for me to use.
The next thing you need to decide is if you want to print out a weekly menu or a monthly one. I personally use the monthly menu. That way I can keep track of what I made the previous weeks so I don’t make a certain meal too often. (I get too many family complaints that way.)
It is really up to your preference. If you do weekly menus – keep them. That way you can get a collection of 8-20 weeks. Put them in a three ring binder. Then you can just grab a week out and you already know what you need to shop for. All the planning as already been done.
This is also really great when the same meat item goes on sale. For instance, if ground beef was on sale that week, and you had meals planned around it – the next time ground beef goes on sale, you know which menu to grab. Just make a note on the top of your paper.
I sit down with my menu and the weekly specials. From there I start to plan everything out. Find the meats on sale and build the main dishes around them. Then use the veggies and plan out side dishes and so forth. I always leave a night for leftovers. I also write in if we have an activity that night, so I know if the meal is a quick and easy one or if I have time to cook.
Then, the menu goes on the fridge. If my kids ask “what’s for dinner?” I say, “look at the fridge.” Ok, they still ask like every night, but you get the point.
