Meal planning can be overwhelming but once you master it you will save time and money. I’ve been meal planning for years and found a lot of tips and tricks along the way.
The few times I’ve skipped meal planning I’ve been shocked how much more stress I had and how much more money I spent on food. It’s a good reminder of how much it helps.
When I was first married my husband and I didn’t make a lot of money. He was finishing his degree and I was doing just a little freelance work.
We needed to keep food costs down but still wanted to eat healthy food. I was raised eating a pretty natural diet and a lot of food from scratch.
One of the best ways I found to save money was to meal plan. Food waste is such a big problem in this country and it’s not only bad for the environment but it’s really bad for our budgets. It’s like throwing money away each month.
Another benefit to meal planning is it can often prevent you from eating out as much. You don’t have to try and find ingredients for a meal last minute, you know what you have and can make.
Getting Started With Meal Planning
There are many ways to meal plan. It may take you a bit of trial and error to find what works best for your family. First, ask yourself these questions.
- How often do you want to shop for groceries?
- Which meals will be planning for, breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner?
- Do you want to just have a number of meals planned or have them planned for set days?
- Where do you want to keep the plan?
I grocery shop once a month, so I meal plan once a month. I also only plan dinners because we do simple lunches. I use my meal planning printables and keep them on a clipboard until I grocery shop and then move the meal plan to my household binder.
Figuring these details is key and will help you make meal planning more successful for you and your family.
How to Meal Plan
Once you’ve asked yourself the questions above it’s time to start the actual meal planning. It can seem overwhelming at first but once you get into the habit it becomes quicker and easier.
There are many methods for meal planning but this is the one that I find help save the most time and money. You may need to change it up a bit to fit your family but it’s a good starting point.
1. Start With What You Have
Check what food you already have on hand. Write down what you want to use. An easy way to do this is by keeping inventory lists. This is the best way to save money and prevent food waste. You’d be amazed at how many meals you can make with what you already have.
2. Check Sale Ads and Coupons
Check sale ads and coupons. Make a list of the sale items you think you may want to use. Also, check cash-back check apps like Ibotta for deals you want to use.
3. Decide What Meals You Want to Make
Look at the ingredients you have on hand and sale items you want to get. What meals can you make from these things? After you have those meals down decide what others you want that month.
Be sure to look at your schedule as well. Stick to easy meals on busy days and limit how many new things you try if your schedule is busy.
4. Keep Track of Ingredients
As you write down meals be sure to write down the ingredients you will need and quantities on your shopping list. If you see that you only need half a package of chicken for a meal you know to come up with a second meal for the rest or make a note to freeze the rest for your next meal plan.
5. Organize It
Now it’s time to make sure everything is ready for grocery shopping. I like to take my meal plan with me so I can make changes in the store if I find good deals. I put the meal plan, shopping list, and my coupons on a clipboard that I take with me to the store.
Once I’m done the shopping I keep the meal plan in my household binder or on the fridge. Make sure it’s somewhere you remember and will use it.
Also, as you use the meal plan keep track of meals you enjoy. This list makes it easier to meal plan in the future.
Free Meal Planning eBook
Additional Resources
- Meal Planning Printable Pack– This printable pack includes everything you need to meal plan; a shopping list, meal planning sheet, inventory lists, and more.
- Eat At Home Meal Plans– If you don’t like making your own meal plans this service may be for you. They do all the work for you. Each month you get access to four separate meal plans (Traditional, Slow Cooker, No Flour, No Sugar and Wholesome Traditional), grocery lists, and recipes. *Sign up before January 11th to save 30% with coupon code JANUARY
- Once a Month Grocery Shopping Guide– This is my FREE complete guide to how to grocery shop only once a month.
- Money Saving Worksheets– Learn how one family spends less than $200 a month eating organic food.
Jamie
I usually shop weekly…I am wondering how you do your produce if you shop monthly? I have trouble keeping things good just week to week….I am guessing you eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies if you are eating healthy, real foods.
Lisa Sharp
I will cover this a bit more later on but I buy things that last different amounts of time and eat the things that go bad first, I also frozen produce. I do buy lettuce and sometimes a few other things, throughout the month if I need to. But I only do any real grocery shopping once a month.
Katey V.
I was wondering the same thing about produce. I’m so bad about eating logically. Makes sense to eat the items that go bad first, but those aren’t usually the ones I want! haha
Lisa Sharp
haha that can be a problem but a lot of produce can be frozen, at least for smoothies. I will share more about this soon. 🙂
laura
I think shopping on a budget is important and preparing meals, and planning your meals is important as well. It takes some work, but well worth it. Good read.
Lisa Sharp
I agree, thank you!
Mags
I envy the organized! I’ve been meaning to start meal planning for a while. Thanks for the inspiration.
Amanda @ The Refurbished Home
This is something my family really needs to work on. Great tips, thanks for sharing!
Breanna
This is a great post! I often feel like I spend so much money on groceries. I need to get into couponing!
Carissa
When we meal plan, it’s nice to know I figured out what we’re eating ahead of time but I hate having to sit down to figure out all out – and I only do one week at a time!
Micaela @MindfulMomma
I’m terrible at meal planning. My trick is to buy lots of healthy ingredients – and then I just wing it. It would be less stressful if I actually planned more. 🙂
Sarah
I love the idea of doubling up and freezing! Twice the meals for the same amount of effort!
Sara
I need to get back to meal planning. It makes such a difference in my budget and heathy eating. Thanks for the tips!
Leigh (@greenforu)
I have to grocery shop twice a week I am jealous that you are able to shop less frequently. I try and plan in my head 7 dinners but I do not stick to specific days of the week expect for Fridays…. we always have homemade pizza on Friday night.
Lori Popkewitz Alper
So many great tips Lisa. When it comes to meal planning I’m a terrible planner! I head to the store multiple times each week because I forget something! I need to get my head in the meal planning game.
Organic Baby University
You are right! This is BY FAR the most important thing to do to save money while going organic and safe with food. I have cut my costs by 40% by meal planning and sticking to it.
Ariana
These are great tips! I wish I could get away with grocery shopping once a month. My boyfriend and I eat too much! Haha. I’ve been slacking a bit lately, but I’m usually pretty good with meal planning and find we rarely waste any food. The more we have in the apartment the more we tend to eat, so I find it less expensive if we split the shopping trips up into once each week!