Meal Planning 101

 There are all kinds of articles which say you should meal plan. That you should plan, make a list, and THEN go to the store so that way you are prepared and focused and do not grab those 8 boxes of delicious looking cookies, brownies, and cakes. There are tips that you should have a budget in mind and not just go hog wild.

I feel as if I have scoured the internet trying to go about the best possible way to save money for our family of 4. It seems as though it's getting harder and harder with prices continuing to rise.

I'm going to let you know what I've tried and what I think I have found works for my family.

First things first. I do have a budget. I have a certain amount each month that I need to stick to. The key is to figure out about how much each week you will use and divvy it up.

Early on in our marriage(almost 16 years ago 😱) it was just the two of us and it was easier to figure out what we wanted to eat, how much paper towels and toilet paper we used, etc. I shopped weekly. Things have had to be tweaked since having children. Early on, trying to figure out how much formula, diapers, pacifiers, and clothes to buy and how often. I remember being so excited when my children were potty trained because it meant I had an extra $25 or so to spend on food and not diapers! Oh the things that excite you as a parent.

The kids are now 7 and 9 and are bottomless pits. If I ate as much as them, I'd probably be 300 pounds with a round tire around my belly 🤣. They are always wanting to snack. Not only do they consume truck loads of food but they use toilet paper and paper towels so much you'd think they just got done tp-ing a house! 

I don't want to imagine how much they'll eat when they are teenagers!

Needless to say I've had to adjust my shopping style several times. In order to save money I went from weekly shopping to monthly shopping. This does require an initial amount of time at the beginning of each month, but it was nice having the entire month planned out and just taking 1 day to get all the groceries. This method could work for you, so read on!

Let's discuss a few pointers on monthly grocery shopping.

    1. The month before you start your monthly grocery shopping, take note of how much you use. Things like toilet paper, paper towels, toothpaste, dish soap/dishwashing tabs, body wash, shampoo, contact solution, deodorant. Track how much milk or other juices you drink a week. How's much cereal gets consumed? How much of each protein do you typically eat. How much wine bottles do you go through a month? 😊 This sounds like a lot but having an idea of the consumption amount will save you in the long run. Imagine spending all of your monthly budget and running out of something in the middle of the month. You'd hear a lot of belly-aching. Our family, for instance, will drink about a gallon of milk a week(give or take). I can buy toilet paper and paper towels in bulk at Costco and it will last us 2 or 3 months.

    2. You need to take the week before the beginning of the next month and print out a blank calendar to write your meals on. Think realistically how many times you will cook each week. Will you eat leftovers? Will you order out? For us, I typically cook dinner 4x a week. Weekends are my off days and we usually order food or I make super easy, basic meals(think bean and cheese burritos or frozen meals from Trader Joe's). My family will only eat leftovers from certain meals(I know, weirdos) so if I'm making a meal I know they won't eat again, I half the recipe so it's all gone that night and nothing is wasted.

    3. Having a go to meal list is very helpful. Take one evening and write down all the meals you and your family enjoy so that you can scan the list and pick and choose what to make in the upcoming month.

Here's my current list:

Meals

Yogurt marinated

Chicken & couscous

Halloumi Cheese and couscous

Miso butter Steaks

Chickpea curry w/ brown rice

Chicken & rice casserole

sloppy joes

cabbage rolls

Chow mein

chili w/ cornbread

Pizza

3 cheese Quiche

Veg. fried rice

Chicken & Jasmine rice

Steak & potatoes

Chicken enchilada skillet

Ground turkey burritos

spaghetti

Caldo

Sausage and Pasta skillet

Parmesan crusted Tilapia

Saucy Peppery chicken

One pot Italian chicken

Lemony Risotto

Stromboli

Sour cream enchiladas

Bean & cheese burritos

Fish & Mac

Nachos

Vegetable soup

Tostadas

Chicken & wild rice soup

Calabrian shrimp & Orzo

Orange glazed Turkey meatballs

Navajo Tacos

Salsa Verde chicken

Chicken Fettucine Alfredo

Crockpot chicken & gravy

Cod w/ avocado cream sauce

If I try a new recipe and everyone enjoys it, I add it to the list!

    4. Ok,  you've got your monthly calendar filled out, now what? Now you look at each week on your meal calendar and write down what ingredients you need for those meals. Don't forget to check and see what you already have too! I usually split the list into non-perishable type food that I will buy at the beginning of the month all at once, for the whole month. Then I have a "week 1", "week 2", "week 3", lists for produce to buy each week. Yes, you still have to get produce each week unless you have found a magical way to keep all the produce fresh for a month. 😉 The more you shop like this, the more you know what your "staple" foods or ingredients are that you need to have readily available in your pantry!

    5. Using grocery apps that add up your cost is very helpful and keeps you on track. The one I ended up using all the time was "Out of Milk". You can type in the cost of something and have lists for each store if you'd like and at the bottom it adds it all up so you know ahead of time what, roughly, you will be spending.

I switched from weekly to monthly grocery shopping about 2 years ago. It seemed to work well for a while. However, I had to switch it up again. I found that sometimes when I would go to look at what I was making that day for dinner, that I didn't feel like eating it. I guess at the time I made the list it sounded good, but for one reason or other, along the way, my taste preferences that week weren't the same. I also found that because of this, food would go to waste because I made something else and then forgot about that meal.

This way of shopping can still work for you though! If it sounds good to only grocery shop once a month and not have to wrack your brain every night trying to figure out what to make, then give it a shot! Many have also found that they do save money doing this.

Ok, so what do I do now you ask? Well, for the past 3 months or so I have been meal planning for the first 2 weeks of the month and then weekly shopping the last two. Again, you have to be flexible and see what works for you and your family. I follow the basic guidelines for monthly shopping but just for the first 2 weeks. That way, if the family is craving a certain meal, I can plan it! I have actually saved money or been right on budget these past three months so I'd say it's working so far! Also, I view grocery shopping alone as mini vacations so adding a couple more shopping trips in was exciting!

In some of my upcoming posts, I will share with you what I'm making per week and link the recipes for you to make as well. So if any recipes in my Meals list appeal to you, stay tuned! Maybe I'll even post the cost of the shopping trips or meals...  that sounds a bit ambitious as I sit here typing at 11pm at night but if you don't know already, I'll just wing it and see what happens as I go!

Have any questions? Did I forget to mention a super important tidbit of information and you are sitting here racking your brain trying to figure it out?! Let me know in the comments!

~Bee