Meal Planning Day 3: 14-Day Menu

We are halfway through Meal Planning Week and today we are bringing everything together that we have learned so far!! Monday we learned about the importance of starting with a simple kitchen inventory. And yesterday we covered how to use store ads and coupons to save money when planning our meals. Aside from shopping your pantry & choosing your meals by what is on sale, planning a menu for your family is a fantastic way to save on groceries! Think about it - - - when was the last time you went into the store for just one or two things and didn't add anything else to your cart?! It's nearly impossible as we meander through the store, not to grab a few more things we just must have. So, the less times you actually go to the store, the fewer unplanned for items you will purchase. And with practice and a little discipline you will learn to make a list and stick to it (more on that tomorrow).

 

 Love this Family Menu Board??

Click {here} for a BONUS Craft Tutorial!!

 

- - - In a nutshell this is how I plan our meals - - -

First - Plan to use what is already at home
Second - Buy sale items that can be used for more than one meal
Third - Eat leftovers for lunch and on "Mom's Night Off" every Saturday

Today's Goal: Plan a 14-day menu for your family
Printable Worksheet: 14-Day Menu Planner
Time: 30-60 minutes

After printing the 14-day menu planner, grab your kitchen inventory & store comparison worksheets. Right away, cross off any meals that your family will not be home. Also, add any special meals that you will need to prepare (holidays, company, gifts, potlucks, etc) to the "other" section at the bottom of the second page.

Next, by looking at your inventory list as many meals as you can come up with using items that you already have at home, using up any leftovers and fresh items first. Did you buy groceries for a meal that you didn't make - add that to the list. Missing just one or two things for something else - add that too. Need more inspiration? My Fridge Food is an awesome website where you can select items you have at home and it will generate recipes for you based on those items! Allrecipes also allows you to search recipes based on ingredients.

Once your have exhausted your pantry list, start planning meals based on what items are on sale at the stores you have chosen to shop at and the coupons that you have. Here is another opportunity for you to save even more money - - - if there is a really good deal on an item you eat often, buy what you can afford ahead of time and keep it for future menus. On Friday, we are talking about freezer meals - - - keep your eyes open for a few great family recipes, plus a list of things that freeze well and what don't.

Finally, as you are planning your meals try to think about how you can reuse your leftovers in a creative way. For example, if you already have chicken breast on the list - why not buy a larger package of it, cook it all early in the week and use the leftovers in different ways throughout the rest of the week (enchiladas, casseroles, soups, salads). Another technique that I have heard of is to have a leftover day - Mom gets the night off - grab all the leftovers you can find in the fridge at the end of the week and serve dinner potluck style.

I hope you were inspired today! You can find my own family's menu for the next two weeks: HERE. Thanks for reading and I'll see you all here tomorrow when all our planning gets practical with a trip to the grocery store!

 

Don't Forget to enter the

Coupon Giveaway

going on this week!!!

Meal Planning Day 1: Kitchen Inventory
Meal Planning Day 2: Ads & Coupons
Tomorrow: Shopping & Following a Budget