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This is an update of an older post. I still haven’t really got the habit down of meal planning so I’m adding some new ideas because organization is one of my big goals for 2015 so I need to get started doing this.
I’m trying to start menu planning. I need to cut back on grocery spending. It’s one of the only things that we regularly spend money on that we can cut back on to save some money. So I’m trying to find a menu planning system I like so I can make grocery lists for exactly what we need and then I will move on to learning to use coupons to their fullest. There are a bunch of different meal planning ideas out there. What I’m looking for is one that doesn’t involve me having to do a lot of writing. I don’t have the ability to write due to my disability. Also I want something I can get my daughter involved in. Here are a few I’m going to maybe try:
1. meal planning magnets I really like this one and if I have the time I might make them.
2. Meal planning printables This is really cute and the printables are free. Which is always good. I will probably end up doing this one
3. menu board I really love that the cards have the ingredients needed right on the back so you have them right there when you are making your grocery list. Also her board is really adorable.
All three of these ideas are good ones. I’m going to try them one at a time and see which one works for me.
Here are some great meal planning tips here.
Does anyone have any meal planning ideas that work for them? We’ve always been a just fix whatever we have type of family but now that money saving is such a big priority I think planning, grocery lists and coupons are going to have to be our new way of life.
Jennifer Pritchard says
Love the images you use! Very cool!
Jennifer Pritchard recently posted…Resistance Band Exercises – Will You Join the Resistance?
Tea says
Love all the ideas…especially Menu Board-it looks great!
Lauren Stauffer says
I love meal planning! I go a little crazy each month and enjoy it to the fullest, I am sure thirty years from now I won’t enjoy it as much but for now I take pride in my meal planning skills.
Betsy Mitchell says
I tried meal planning but I’m just not organized enough. I learned if I can do week by week, I do pretty well but anything longer than that makes me go crazy. I’m going to use these ideas to help me get started again.
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linda says
great post! so many great tips!
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Karissa says
Thank You Linda!
Andi says
Great resource! We don’t meal plan, but it is just my hubby and I, it all depends on what happens at work that day!
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Angela says
I love the idea of the magnets. That way the kids can pick what they want on what days.
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Angelic Sinova says
My family had a menu board (it was a dry erase board with the days of the week on it) and that helped us for about two weeks. Then we forgot about the board lol. I think we’re going to start it back up again because it really make dinner and cooking go by smoother <3
Angie Scheie says
I’m also always trying to meal plan and be more organized. 2015 right? We can do it!!
Natalie says
Whenever I go to the store, I always, always, always make a list of ingredients I need before I step foot in there. Otherwise, I end up buying all sorts of stuff I don’t need, and we don’t have enough meals for the week. We started budgeting for food and doing the food planning about six months ago, and it’s been great so far.
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Winter White says
You always have the BEST idea’s! I was just saying that I needed to start planning my meals because I spend way to much eating out. I’m def going to pin some of these and try them.
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Karissa says
Thank you!
Nancy says
I need to get back into meal planning! It was so helpful for us.
Michelle Snow says
This is cool. I have never seen such inventive and creative ideas for meal planning. I may just have to try this.
Jess. says
I love menu planning and have talked about it a few times on my blog (I will leave links to the posts below). There are so many good ideas out there and I think taking the bits and pieces that work for you and your family from each and coming up with your own system is what works best. I do a monthly meal plan and try to do one major grocery shop a month and then run to the store for produce/dairy mid month. (I got very off track with that system this month) It saves us money when I am not running to the store all the time. Each Sunday, I take out my monthly meal list and choose menus to fill in a weekly meal planning sheet I am using. I take our schedule, planned leftovers, variety etc into consideration. Good Luck!
Monthly Meal/Grocery Planning
https://cupcakesandcoffee.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/monthly-grocery-planning/
Here is what I keep in my pantry to make meal plan/prep easy
https://cupcakesandcoffee.wordpress.com/2013/02/10/keeping-a-healthy-pantry/
Tips for eating healthy on a budget
https://cupcakesandcoffee.wordpress.com/2014/10/01/eating-healthy-on-a-budget/
Shipra says
Love the magnets! I need to make those. I have 2 huge week-length calendar where we usually write with a dry-erase marker the menu for the week. It usually works really well. 🙂
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Shipra says
Like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Dry-erase-Magnetic-Calendar-Light-Rose/dp/B009SETQVI
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Stefany says
This is so great. I have such great intentions to meal plan and never do it. This will help.
Katie Matthews says
This would be so useful for when my boyfriend is cooking as he never has a clue when he stands at the fridge. He is useless at putting flavours together and knowing what goes with what. I normally just put stuff together on the night depending on what meat we need to eat (which is decided by the use by date – lol!)
Katie <3
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Myrabev says
These are cool ideas, I meal plan a lot more now that I am back to cooking all my meals than having take-aways or eating out.
Brenda says
Those are some creative ideas! I never plan meals anymore, just no time.
Breanna says
Your ideas are always so fantastic! I love planning my meals but I have yet to make something cute to write down what we are having weekly!
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Breanna says
Your ideas are always so fantastic! I love meal planning it saves so much time. But I have yet to make something to display our weekly menu on in the kitchen!
Breanna recently posted…Subsidy shades are too cool & touched my heart.
Erin says
Love it! I couldn’t live without meal planning, lol. I need to know whats going on with food or I get all antsy 😉
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Megan @ All That Glitters says
I love printables! Pinning so i remember to print them all!
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