Meal Planning Made Easy!
If there’s one thing you can do to help save money on your grocery bill, it’s meal planning! And I think most of us start out with great intentions! We want to save money, we want to eat more healthy meals, we want to simplify our lives. And then somehow, somewhere, the wheels fall off and we find ourselves careening through the Chick-Fil-A drive thru more often than we’d like! I’ve got five simple tips to help you meal plan in a way that’s easy and effective, and that will help you stick to the plan!
First things first, you’ll want to grab my Meal Planning Made Easy guide, full of printables to help you make the most of your meal plan!
#1
Have a calendar for your meal plan that is accessible to everyone! My husband does a lot of the cooking these days, but we always sit down and make the meal plan together! My Meal Planning Made Easy printables include both a monthly and a weekly calendar, and even if you don’t want to stick to the exact schedule, you’ll be able to easily reference what meals are left on your plan!
#2
I personally think that this might be the MOST helpful tip of all! Have categories for your meal plan! Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, Freezer Friday, Brinner (breakfast for dinner, my personal favorite!), Crockpot Night…the possibilities are ENDLESS! And just choosing a meal for the category you’re trying to fill is far easier and faster!
#3
When making your meal plan, stick to at LEAST 80% family favorites! Especially if you are trying to save money! The most expensive food is the food you buy and don’t eat! Make 1, maybe 2, new meals a week, but for the most part, stick to things your family loves. The Meal Planning Made Easy printables include a sheet Family Favorites, which makes it so simple to just plug in winning recipes to your plan!
#4
Freezer meals are where it’s at, y’all! I know it may sound daunting, but if you can take a few hours one weekend to bust out some freezer meals, future you will be SO HAPPY on that night where everything has gone off the rails and you just need a quick dinner! I like to call these parachute meals, because they’re life-savers! Use the Freezer Meal sheet in the Meal Planning guide to keep track of what you’ve got tucked away for a rainy day!
#5
Last but not least (and I may get a lot of hate for this one!), forget about trying to coupon and shop the sales, for now! Not forever, just while you are building the habit of meal planning! Choose what meals you really WANT, not what’s on sale or what you think you can toss together. Once you’ve gotten in the habit of meal planning (and sticking to it!), go ahead and venture back into the world of shopping the sales and store hopping!