Don’t think you have time to plan dinner tonight? Think again! People who are successful at meal planning have a set day and time for the planning. You can even do it while you’re waiting for your kids in the carpool line. Seriously, follow these tips and you’ll never have to answer your husband’s “What’s for dinner” with an “I don’t know what do you want” again.
Do what you are good at
If you have a small list of meals that your family likes and enjoys, include them in your plan first, then try to stretch your capabilities. Look for recipes from friends that you and your family liked and try those first – after all they were well greeted when your friend made them. Next look to the cookbooks, internet cooking sites and brand label websites for recipes.
Plot your family favorites
Create a “month” page and plot in your family favorites; then plot in recipes from friends; then add sales recipes and cooking expert recipes. When you plan your month, look at things going on in your household on a regular basis – such as kid’s practices and games, ballet lessons, etc. If you all get home late on Wed’s don’t plan on making a pot roast that will take hours – plan on sloppy Joe’s or pizza. Post your “month” menu on your frig or carry in your day planner for easy reference. Look at your month during your scheduled day/time and see if you want to add or change anything. Nothing is written in stone – your plan needs to be flexible to fit with your lifestyle and your family.
Delegate
Give your spouse and kids a night to choose and cook a full meal. If you all like it – add it to your meal list for a regular family meal. No reason you are in this alone! And you’ll have one planned night off from cooking.
Look for sales
Look at the weekly grocery flyer and look for sales — plan a meal around those items before you go shopping. Look at your pantry and frig before you go shopping too to see what you already have and what you need to fill in. If the sale items aren’t on your month menu, freeze them for the next month.
Coupons
Once you know what you are cooking, and once you know the ingredients, visit coupon sites to download brand name coupons for the items you will need – save money on the items you will purchase anyway because now you know what you will need for the month.
