Simplifying Meal planning

This week we will work on making meal planning work for us.

Meal planning doesn’t have to be a chore. You can make it easy or more complex as you want. I want to show you the tricks and explain that it doesn’t have to break the bank.

5 Simple Rules

1. Know your work/activity schedule and plan according

2. Keep the meals 30 mins or less

3. Use meals with the same ingredients

4. Have 2 days for either leftovers or going out

5. STICK TO THE PLAN

I will use my family’s meal plan as a visual so you can know how to plan yours.

I will work with a grocery budget of $150

STEP 1 Work and Activity Schedule

Monday - late night

Tuesday - off by 4:30

Wednesday - church

Thursday - off by 4:30

Friday - late night

Saturday-

Sunday- church/home group

So Monday and Friday’s meals need to be quick. Crockpot meals are a great way to have dinner ready and you can relax when you get home.

Wednesday and Saturday - will be my 2 free nights (either leftover/eat out)

Sunday - We have Home Group - I need to know what I am bringing for that meal

Now that I have a better idea for my meals, I can go hunting for meals on Pinterest.

STEP 2-4 these will work together

All prices will be off my Walmart app (Okc prices)

Monday: Low Carb Instant Pot Chicken Salsa Queso Soup w/garlic bread

(I will put it in the crockpot) Ingredients to buy - Boneless Chicken Thighs (5lbs $13), Queso Fresco (10oz $4), Monterey Jack shredded cheese (8oz. $2.50)

Tuesday: Hamburger w/tots

Ingredients to buy: Hamburger buns ($1.50)

Wednesday: Eat at the church

Thursday: Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas with green chili

Ingredients to buy: Small Flour tortillas (20 for $2.00)

Friday: Crockpot Sausage and Peppers w/tortillas

Ingredients to buy: 2lbs Italian Sausage links ($5.00), frozen pepper/onion mix ($3.00)

Saturday: Lunch: sandwiches/ leftovers

Dinner: Chicken Spaghetti ( I like this meal because I can make it a day ahead if we decide to do something)

Sunday: Lunch: Eat Out

Dinner: Lasagna (home group)

So far, my grocery bill is $30.00

Now add what you need for breakfast and lunches and household goods. I will need to keep this around $50.00

Last, I have $50.00 for staples - anything that is on sale that we use all the time. So meat, canned goods, laundry detergent, etc. Know what you already have. I try to keep 5 of each family member’s personal hygiene product, 8 of each canned goods, couple of boxes of each style of pasta. My point is you don’t need to hoard.

What about splurging? Instead of $50.00 on staples, you can spend it on fun stuff. My son and his friend will be here this week, so I got a box of snacks and drinks for the boys.

5. Stick to the plan.

Remember, this is a guide. Be flexible.

Example: If a friend asks me to do something for them on Tuesday and it puts me in a pinch time-wise, I can always switch my Tuesday & Thursday meals, or Tuesday, I can grab something to go and make a meal for lunch on Sunday.

Or say a friend asked me to dinner. I would go and then that day's meal I’ll do on the out-to-eat day.

I want you to see you can still have a life, but you are more cautious.

Say you can only spend $100 weekly on going out. For a family of 4, it works out, and we can go out twice (a sit-down restaurant and a fast food meal). But if you go out with friends and choose a less expensive place, you can afford 3x that week. Remember, you can recommend the spot and choose the meals you can afford.

Don’t get discouraged. This took me several years to tweak and develop for my family. Please take this as advice and tweak it to your family’s life. We are all different, so what works for one might work for you.

My goal is to show you it can be done and manage your grocery bill during these tighter times. Things will settle down, but in the meantime, we need to watch how we spend our money.