Menu Planning Tips

Nothing is more important for controlling your grocery spending than getting together a great menu plan. I have been doing this for several months and I am a firm believer.

Here are the reasons I am so passionate about it:

1. Saves time. Investing half an hour of your time per week into making a written plan will save you days of impuls buys and takeout food.
2. Saves stress. The pressure to provide a delicious and nutritious array of meals can be overwhelming. Having to go no further than your refrigerator door to find out "what's for dinner" will make your day a whole lot brighter.
3. Saves money. Planning your meals ahead of time allows you to build your grocery list based on a plan and only buy the things you need for the coming week. And when you have everything on hand, you won't be tempted to run out for that $15 specialty pizza!

So, maybe I have you convinced of the benefits to menu planning. The question remains, how do you get started?

Here are some of my best menu planning tips:

1. Plan all meals and snacks. Use a sheet such as the one I have posted HERE (free to download). Having planned options saves time, worry, and money.
2. Stick to the plan. For yoru menu plan to work, you need to use it. It may be a challenge to get used to it at first, but once you've worked out the kinks, you'll be glad that you followed through with it. Keep it posted in a central location so that it is always at hand.
3. Make your menu work for you. You should not be trying to impress anyone with your menu plan. Be realistic about what your family will eat and how much they will eat. This is not the time to make big changes.
4. Take advantage of menu planning resources. The internet is full of great resources devoted to helping you feed your family well. Two sites that provide free menus complete with grocery lists are Menus 4 Moms and Women's Day Magazine. Some great recipe sites are Cooks.com, Recipezaar, and AllRecipes.com. Check out Hillbilly Housewife for great frugal recipes and cooking tips, along with some sample menus. Or you could check out OrgJunkie.com for weekly menu plans from hundreds of participants.

So, now you are ready to get started with menu planning. I think you will find that you love how much it helps to streamline your week.

Do you have any other menu planning tips? Leave me a comment!

Just getting started? Check out our best tips HERE.

Check out Tipster Tuesday at BeCentsible.

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