Food: Weekly Meal Menu Planning

Anthony and I just recently reworked out budget.  We are usually pretty good about sticking to what we budget for certain things, except for when it comes to eating!  I always seem to go over the grocery budget when I go to the store (part of the problem was craving certain junk when I was pregnant), and we somehow manage to eat out more than we allot for as well.

With the new budget, my biggest goal is to lower our grocery bill.  I have been pretty successful thanks to a few things.  1. We have changed the way we eat, so all of the junk that I used to buy doesn't even make it into the cart.  2. I finally started couponing again since we have gotten settled into a routine with Jace.  3. I have been meal planning and actually sticking to the plan. 4. We have no choice. :)

When we first got married I would plan our meals for the week and just roughly jot down what I needed from the store and when I thought we might eat it.  However, throughout the week life happened and we found ourselves not wanting what was planned or just eating out because it was more convenient.  Since Jace has been here I've learned that planning meals to eat at home is more convenient than trying to get everyone together to go out to eat (not to mention alot cheaper!)

I always buy 4 newspapers on Sunday with the coupon ad inserts.  Now I'm no crazy coupon lady but I do try to save a few dollars here and there.  Once I have my coupons clipped and sorted in my binder I sit down and try to think of what I want to make for lunch and dinner that week.  I sort through the sale flyers for my favorite stores just to see what is on sale and what I can couple with my coupons.  I always ask Anthony if there is anything special he'd like to have, but he is usually content with pretty much anything I cook.  Not only do I have to plan dinners for Anthony and I throughout the week, but I also plan lunches.  Anthony comes home for lunch each day to get a break from work for an hour, and Jace and I enjoy the company.  We eat different meals from week to week, but I recycle our favorites every other week.

 
 Since we are trying to eat better I always include fresh veggies as sides.  We have also stopped eating bread with our meals.  Anytime we have rice or pasta I make sure it is whole wheat, just to include a healthier choice.  As I mentioned in my weight loss post, we don't deprive ourselves, we are just trying to eat healthier foods in place of any "junk" we used to eat.  So far it is working out great!

I plan my weeks starting on Sunday and and end up on Saturday of the coming weekend.  I plan a lunch and dinner for each day, making exceptions on three days: Wednesday and Saturday nights I don't cook because we eat at Anthony's mom's on Wednesday before church and we usually grill out at my parent's on Saturday night.  Sunday's lunch always varies since we eat at church.  One week I might have to make the main dish, the next I may just have to make a dessert, etc.  I always draw out a "rough draft" menu to help in writing the grocery list.

Once I have the meals planned out, I study each day's meals and start making my grocery list.  I look at each meal individually and write down everything I will need to make that particular meal.  While doing this I shop my pantry to make sure I don't buy extra of anything.  Once I've done this for each meal I go through my coupons, picking out the ones I know I'm going to use and setting them aside.  By going to the store with my list and coupons prepared, not to mention my grocery allowance from the budget, the risk of overspending is very unlikely. 

Here are what our meals usually consist of.  For lunch we usually have something simple like a grilled tuna wrap, deli sandwich, or grilled chicken salad.  If we are having something like pork chops the night before, we may have leftovers and make pork chop sandwiches.  We usually eat raw veggies or fruit as a side, and that pretty much does it for lunch during the week.  As far as dinner goes we always have one meat and then two or three veggies as sides.  A few of our favorite dinners are fried chicken (may not be the healthiest, but we are in the south people), turkey burgers, and BBQ pork chops. 

Once I have my list and everything ready to go, I always write down the weekly meals on our menu board  so I can remember what we are having that week and so Anthony can see without always having to ask me.  I used to just write the menu down on the dry erase board on our fridge, but I have since made an affordable menu board to stick to the fridge so I can have the dry erase board for other notes!  I'll have a tutorial up soon on how to make your own!

This routine of weekly meal menu planning has helped out so much with keeping us within the budget.  Since I've been planning meals this way we have only eaten out twice: once for our anniversary and once on a Saturday because we weren't at home!  Hopefully some of you found this information helpful.  

Are you a meal planner?  What are some of your family's favorite meals?

-Megan