Menu Planning

                                                     
There are several different types of menu planning, and many ways of going about it. I hope to discuss what works best for our family, and also what works for others.  First off I will list what levels of Meal Planning.

• Monthly Planning- This would be planning a whole months worth of meals. To be honest I have felt a bit overwhelmed by Monthly planning. 
• Bi-weekly planning- That would be planning two weeks worth of meals. Because of our pay period, and finances this does not work with us. 
• Weekly Planning- Planning a weeks worth of meals.  This works the best for us. 

There are some people that make certain foods for certain days. This probably would work for those that are really busy...that way you know what your having. For instance some would do Spaghetti Wednesday, or Taco Tuesday.  We really do not like to do it that way, because we do not always want that food on the day it comes. So what I do is that I ask my family what meals they would like for the week. I involve my whole family in the meal planning. My kids love being able to help pick meals. Plus I think it really helps them eat what you put on the table, if they know they helped choose it. So then I make the grocery list by my list of food for the week. That way we have all the ingredients for all the food, for the week. The only thing that we really buy during the week is milk, bread(if I don't make it), and the occasional ingredient that I might of forgotten. 

Then during the week I get out my list of food for the week and we choose from what I listed. There are some that never vary from their list. I am not like that.. I do believe with all my heart that menu planning saves money. I have done it both ways. When J and I first started going grocery shopping, we just kinda threw stuff in the cart. We learned that it was costing us way to much money. So I started planning our weekly menu. This worked great. I always adapt our menu to our grocery budget. Which sometimes is higher, sometimes is lower.

Our budget always fluctuates from time to time....so I always try to maximize our menu. I will more often then not buy a whole chicken or a roast...Then I will make two meals out of one. For instance:

Whole Chicken- Chicken dinner, and then a chicken casserole

Roast- Roast potatoes/carrots in the crock pot, beef and noodles

That saves us money in the long run, and stretches our meals. I rely heavily on my crock pot a lot of times. This can be a time saver for busy moms. Put your food in the crock pot and let it cook while your gone. Come home to a nice smelling dinner, and a house. You can also freeze meals which also helps. Menu planning, crock pots, freezing always help save time and money. So in this busy school year, lets think about menu planning. If you have anymore questions then please ask away. I will always try to answer your questions as best as I can.