For the last several months I have been Meal Planning. I shop bi-weekly when my husband gets paid and our budget for a family of 4 is $300. I have been spending considerably less money lately however because I have been using Coupons and also Price Matching. Here is a link to a Facebook group that I am an Administrator of - The Coupon Tiger savings group, as well as a link to a fellow Blogger Lillian.. This website has it ALL - weekly price match ups for your local grocery stores and big box stores in Canada.
The Coupon Tiger
Coupon Tiger Savings Blog
I find that when I plan the meals that our family eats; not only do I save time, but I save MONEY as well. Who couldn't use a few extra bucks in their pocket during these tough economic times. I know I sure can!! Meal Planning helps me eliminate the "impulse buys" when wandering around a grocery or department store. Budgeting before hand and bringing ONLY the money in CASH that I need. No credit or debit cards allowed :)
Here are some tips and tricks for the first time meal planner.
Find a Menu/Meal Planner template that works for you and your family. Here are some links to a few that I have found on the web:
Meal Plan - Example 1
Meal Plan - Example 2
Meal Plan - Example 3
Grocery List Template
Make a list of everything you like to cook or everything you have eaten in the last month. This will give you a start on your list of meals and you can add to it when you find new things.
Your meal planners can be reused from month to month or week to week. You can make three months worth of planners and then rotate them throughout the year. Or, at the end of the month or week, file the planner away until the next year. Then, you can bring it out a year later and have something to work from. I like this method, because then I can incorporate seasonal foods and my menus for July are distinctly different from the ones for December.
Plan to use left-overs. You can vary the sides or the appearance, but left-overs save time and money. For example, BBQ chicken on Wednesday can become BBQ chicken pizza on Friday. Or Meatballs can be used for Sweet and Sour and then later in the week for Subs. You can serve Lemon Chicken twice, but the second time, serve it with potatoes instead of rice.
Add recipes that you want to try to your planner. I am constantly printing or tearing out pages of new recipes, but if I don't put them on my meal planner, I never make them.
Put your menu planner where you will see it. Save it on your desktop or print it out and put it on the fridge or the inside of a cupboard.
Be flexible. If you order pizza, move the planned meal to the first week of the next month. If you don't feel like making Hamburgers, switch them with another night. The purpose of a meal planner is to make the dinner decision time less agonizing and to help you with your grocery shopping. You don't have to eat all of your planned meals in ORDER. Be spontaneous.
Create a recipe file. When you create your planner, spend some time collecting the recipes or write down the page numbers. That way you don’t spend all of your prep time searching for that fabulous recipe.
Involve your family. Ask for suggestions from your family for meals they want to eat for the month. There may be fewer complaints if they know they had a say in a few of the meals.
The Coupon Tiger
Coupon Tiger Savings Blog
I find that when I plan the meals that our family eats; not only do I save time, but I save MONEY as well. Who couldn't use a few extra bucks in their pocket during these tough economic times. I know I sure can!! Meal Planning helps me eliminate the "impulse buys" when wandering around a grocery or department store. Budgeting before hand and bringing ONLY the money in CASH that I need. No credit or debit cards allowed :)
Here are some tips and tricks for the first time meal planner.
Find a Menu/Meal Planner template that works for you and your family. Here are some links to a few that I have found on the web:
Meal Plan - Example 1
Meal Plan - Example 2
Meal Plan - Example 3
Grocery List Template
Make a list of everything you like to cook or everything you have eaten in the last month. This will give you a start on your list of meals and you can add to it when you find new things.
Your meal planners can be reused from month to month or week to week. You can make three months worth of planners and then rotate them throughout the year. Or, at the end of the month or week, file the planner away until the next year. Then, you can bring it out a year later and have something to work from. I like this method, because then I can incorporate seasonal foods and my menus for July are distinctly different from the ones for December.
Plan to use left-overs. You can vary the sides or the appearance, but left-overs save time and money. For example, BBQ chicken on Wednesday can become BBQ chicken pizza on Friday. Or Meatballs can be used for Sweet and Sour and then later in the week for Subs. You can serve Lemon Chicken twice, but the second time, serve it with potatoes instead of rice.
Add recipes that you want to try to your planner. I am constantly printing or tearing out pages of new recipes, but if I don't put them on my meal planner, I never make them.
Put your menu planner where you will see it. Save it on your desktop or print it out and put it on the fridge or the inside of a cupboard.
Be flexible. If you order pizza, move the planned meal to the first week of the next month. If you don't feel like making Hamburgers, switch them with another night. The purpose of a meal planner is to make the dinner decision time less agonizing and to help you with your grocery shopping. You don't have to eat all of your planned meals in ORDER. Be spontaneous.
Create a recipe file. When you create your planner, spend some time collecting the recipes or write down the page numbers. That way you don’t spend all of your prep time searching for that fabulous recipe.
Involve your family. Ask for suggestions from your family for meals they want to eat for the month. There may be fewer complaints if they know they had a say in a few of the meals.
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