If the ideas you see below (scroll down to see them all) inspire you - and I hope they do - I urge you to take the Healthy Meal Planning Challenge yourself, which is part of the 52 Weeks to an Organized Home Challenge. There are lots of ways to plan for this daily task, cooking and eating, and none of them are right or wrong, it just depends what works best for you. It may not be quite that harsh when it comes to meal planning, but if you don't plan what you'll eat with your family each day you will either not eat as well as you could, or it will take you way too much time to prepare meals each day. Well, the short answer is that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Yes, it is an expense up front, but if you take the time to count the cost, and then save up for what is a better deal in bulk, you will be pleasantly surprised by how it eases the grocery budget.You may be wondering why its even important to plan meals. Our family does choose to buy several items in bulk because it cuts down on cost tremendously. How to Create a 30 Day Master Meal Plan įREE Weekly Grocery Master List Buying in Bulk However, once you get your meal rotation and master grocery list in place, most of the work is done, and can be recycled and over and over each month.įollow the posts below to put together your own monthly plan: It also takes quite a bit of time up front. To meal plan and shop once a month takes a bit of patience and self-control. When we had 4 children, I started shopping once a month, and continued that practice for several years. Now, let’s talk about specific strategies for meal planning and grocery shopping… Monthly Meal Planning and Shopping Learn your style, and stick to it – because you will be more likely to stick to it! And if something you are doing isn’t working, know that you can change it! Gather your resources, and make it as fun as possible! ( That’s me giving you permission to go out and buy a super special glitter pen and notepad!) What’s your menu planning and shopping style?ĭo you like shopping every week? Do you like to meal plan from one certain cookbook? Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Learn more about I did it and how it saved me money: What cookbooks or online resources do you need?Īre you on a special diet? Do you like to use Pinterest? What are your favorite cookbooks? Do you like to plan digitally? Maybe you’re more of a pen and paper kind of gal. Something I did when prices started going up in 2021 due to supply chain issues and inflation was to create a Price List on Google Sheets. READ > How to Afford to Feed a Large Family Do you have specialty items you won’t compromise on? What items are you willing to compromise on? Know your bounds, know your passions, and know how to navigate a budget. You don’t have to have your budget worked out to the nth degree, but you should have a ballpark, and a good understanding of how it divides out between produce, canned goods, meat, and other items. What We Should Learn from How Homemakers Used to Meal Plan I’d also highly recommend you check out the following post – There are a few things you need to solidify before you dive into making a menu and shopping list. Let’s get to planning those meals, shall we? Meal Planning Basics The portions, recipes, and printables are geared toward big families, but even small families will find things that work for them too! There are tons of suggestions, ideas, printables, and tips for feeding your family on this page. It’s a one of these sizes will fit YOU menu plan. This page isn’t a one-size fits all menu plan. So, I’ve had to learn to revel in the aspects of meal planning I enjoy, and find creative ways to tolerate (and even learn to love!) the aspects I don’t enjoy as much. I have little people – they need to eat – the end. The thing about having a large family is that someone ALWAYS wants to eat, and meal planning is a fact of life I cannot escape. Conversely, I hate taking the time to plan, I hate shopping, and I hate cleaning up the mess I make in the kitchen. I love finding new recipes, I love trying new things, and I love eating. Meal planning is one of those homemaking things I have a love/hate relationship with.
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