Meal planning is often connected to budgeting and saving money these days.
That is partially why I started doing it several years ago. I also just hate throwing out food that I could have eaten had I planned a little better.
The times I have gone to the grocery without a plan, I tend to wander, think I need more food than I do, and spend more than I need to spend. All while wasting more time than I would like.
Today, I’m going to walk through my meal-planning process for the week. While it may seem in-depth, I only spend about 30-45 minutes on the planning part.
Not only do I spend less time shopping at the grocery store, but I spend less time thinking about what to make throughout the week.
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Look at your schedule
Whatever your planning system looks like – a paper planner, a phone calendar, a wall calendar, etc. – look at it to see if there are any events you need to plan for.
Some things to consider:
Are you going out to eat? – if you know you will be meeting a friend or going over to a family member’s house for dinner, that’s one less meal for the week.
Do you have events scheduled that you’ll need to make a quick meal around? I will sometimes get frozen meals for situations where I know I’ll have a tight window of time between work and going out to an event. Another option is preparing a meal ahead of time.
Do you have any potlucks or meal trains? I have a potluck with my Bible study every couple of weeks, so instead of making a typical dinner, I make something for a crowd. The same goes for meal trains – everyone I know seems to be having a baby right now, so I plan for meals I can deliver and make for dinner.
Build meals around what you already have
What is already in your kitchen?
I realized a couple of years back that I was never using all those cans of beans I was saving for “just in case”.
So, I decided to start planning meals around them and trying to keep my pantry shelves somewhat less stuffed.
While I have my favorite food blogs I usually go to for recipes, I will occasionally search Pinterest for recipes for a particular ingredient that I want to use up.
Determine what to make for the week
Figure out what recipes you want to make
I use a shopping list with a week listed out so I can write in my recipes during my meal planning time.
I try to get recipes that use similar ingredients. For example, If I need to get chicken for one recipe, I’ll try to find another that uses chicken for more variety. I get bored of the same dishes so I like to mix it up.
Determine what ingredients you need
I have all my recipes up on my computer and go to my kitchen to determine what ingredients I still need.
This sometimes feels like a hassle, but it’s a good time to think through everything I need and where I need to go before I head out to the grocery.
Make a list
Finally, I make my list. This is where I figure out what I need to get at each grocery store.
I love Aldi, so I get most of my stuff there. Then I fill in the gaps with a visit to a bigger grocery store.
Focus at the grocery store
A list helps keep focused on what you need at the grocery.
Whenever I’ve gone to the grocery without knowing what I need (whether it’s a list or a few things I know I need to pick up) I get sidetracked and always end up buying more than I need.
A list also keeps my time spent in the grocery at a minimum.
Find Your system
I’ve developed this system over a few years. For me, this system helps me eat healthier and spend less money!
Maybe this exact system won’t work for you, but I hope it helps you find one that does!
