Meal planning is really just a matter of planning what you'll eat for dinner ahead of time. You can plan your meals a few days in advance, a week in advance or even a month in advance. It may sound challenging at first, but it's really not that difficult.
Meal planning has many benefits, including saving time, money and helping you eat better. In today's economy, the money you save makes meal planning well worth the time and energy you put into it.
Here are some ideas to help you get started with meal planning:
First, create a notebook or recipe book with all of your family's favorite recipes in it. This will be a lifesaver when you're stumped and can't think of anything to cook for dinner.
The next step is to review your grocery store flier for sale items. The goal is to plan your meals around food that is on sale that week. You can also stock up on items that your family uses frequently or for meals you expect to make in the next few weeks. If your grocery store doesn't mail out a weekly ad, check online. Many stores post their sale ads on their website, and many have printable ads and shopping lists.
Check your family's schedule for events or activities before you plan your meals for the week. You might need to plan simple meals for busy nights, or even plan for leftover nights if it's a really busy week. The good news is that since you are meal planning, you'll actually have leftovers when you need them!
One of the greatest benefits of meal planning is that you waste less food. Your next step is to see what food you already have in your refrigerator and pantry. You'll want to use up any food that's old or close to expiration as soon as possible. You also want to make sure you only buy the food that you plan on eating in the next week. This will make sure that you don't waste any food, and it will also save you money since you know exactly what you have to buy (and nothing more).
By now, you should have a pretty good idea of what you'll be eating for the next week, based on what food the grocery store has on sale and what you already have on hand in your fridge and pantry. You also know what your family has planned for the week, so you know what nights you'll be cooking and what nights you'll need leftovers (or you may want to take the night off and order a pizza). Regardless, it's time to take all of this information and write out your meals for the week. You should also create a grocery list for the items that you don't have on hand.
All you have left to do at this point is to do the grocery shopping, post your menu on the fridge for all to see, and create your meals each day. The rest of your week should go much more smoothly now that you don't have to worry about "what's for dinner" at the end of each day. See how easy meal planning can be? - 20607
Meal planning has many benefits, including saving time, money and helping you eat better. In today's economy, the money you save makes meal planning well worth the time and energy you put into it.
Here are some ideas to help you get started with meal planning:
First, create a notebook or recipe book with all of your family's favorite recipes in it. This will be a lifesaver when you're stumped and can't think of anything to cook for dinner.
The next step is to review your grocery store flier for sale items. The goal is to plan your meals around food that is on sale that week. You can also stock up on items that your family uses frequently or for meals you expect to make in the next few weeks. If your grocery store doesn't mail out a weekly ad, check online. Many stores post their sale ads on their website, and many have printable ads and shopping lists.
Check your family's schedule for events or activities before you plan your meals for the week. You might need to plan simple meals for busy nights, or even plan for leftover nights if it's a really busy week. The good news is that since you are meal planning, you'll actually have leftovers when you need them!
One of the greatest benefits of meal planning is that you waste less food. Your next step is to see what food you already have in your refrigerator and pantry. You'll want to use up any food that's old or close to expiration as soon as possible. You also want to make sure you only buy the food that you plan on eating in the next week. This will make sure that you don't waste any food, and it will also save you money since you know exactly what you have to buy (and nothing more).
By now, you should have a pretty good idea of what you'll be eating for the next week, based on what food the grocery store has on sale and what you already have on hand in your fridge and pantry. You also know what your family has planned for the week, so you know what nights you'll be cooking and what nights you'll need leftovers (or you may want to take the night off and order a pizza). Regardless, it's time to take all of this information and write out your meals for the week. You should also create a grocery list for the items that you don't have on hand.
All you have left to do at this point is to do the grocery shopping, post your menu on the fridge for all to see, and create your meals each day. The rest of your week should go much more smoothly now that you don't have to worry about "what's for dinner" at the end of each day. See how easy meal planning can be? - 20607
About the Author:
Visit My Weekly Menu Planner to learn how to save money with meal planning and for menu planning forms, worksheets, and other tips.
No comments:
Post a Comment