Do any of you do a weekly menu plan? Do you find that it works for you? I've been fighting against doing it because I like to be spontaneous and creative when it come to dinner every night, but I think it would help us save money if we did.
I thought I'd try it for the first time this week, starting today. As I was planning last night for our shopping trip today, I asked Keith what he would want me to make for the week. He started listing different meals, but I had to stop him. He was asking for lobster dinners on our hamburger budget.
Early today we hit the grocery store. Keith was with me, so it didn't quite go as well as it could have, but we spent about $30 less this week than we normally do. It was definitely an improvement. Hopefully as we get more into it, we will be saving more and buying less.
So, our first weekly meal plan:
Monday: Sweet and sour pork and stir fried veggies
Tuesday: Chicken roll-ups
Wednesday: Beef Stroganoff
Thursday: Chicken Tamale Pie
Friday: Homemade Pizza
Saturday: Japanese Curry
Sunday: Meatloaf and roasted potatoes
We'll see how it goes!
4 comments:
To make it even easier, I split the week into different "themes." Monday is family favorites, Tuesday is pasta or Italian, Wednesday is meatless, Thursday is Mexican, Friday is homemade pizza, Saturday is leftovers or clean out the fridge meals, Sunday is something in the crockpot or something special. It was hard at first, but we try to go meatless two to three times a week. It makes the budget run a lot easier. This way, you also never run the risk of making pasta three times in a week then get sick of it. Don't forget to plan lunches (even if they are leftovers) and breakfasts. Doing so will help to keep your diet balanced with plenty of plant-based foods. :)
Keeping a menu is so tough for us but I've been trying to do better too! I posted about an awesome grocery shopping list that helps me so much!
ps. I love that we both have homemade pizza on Friday! :)
http://mrandmrsmclean.blogspot.ca/2014/01/grocery-shopping.html
I plan meals out for a week's worth of time mostly because I hate having to make multiple trips to the store. I made a chart for the fridge that I can write the menu of the week on. I like that because I know what we have supplies for, but if I'm not in the mood for a particular meal I have planned for the night then I can rearrange. I know a lot of people that will plan their meals around the sales at grocery stores. I'm not that organized yet...
I desperately need to meal plan and usually make it through Tuesday before I give up. Sigh. Jiao
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