Guess what? I am working on my first book to be released in early 2010! I really want to include some of your stories, so over the next three days I will post one question on certain topics. If your story gets picked it will be included in my book!
So… tell me your story!
Tell me your story of how meal planning has made a difference in your life, whether it’s been in your home, your finances, or just feeling more confident in the kitchen.
You can answer in the comments below, or feel free to email me your story to kelly (at) faithfulprovisions (dot) com.
Wow, that’s incredible . . . I can’t wait to get your book!
It helps me in so many ways- I’m not walking through the grocery store buying random things since I have my list and matching coupons all with me. We’re never wondering what we will have for dinner, not to mention it has saved us so much. Sure it’s easy to stop and get a burger on the way home, but when you’ve already bought something and have it all planned out I’d rather cook and save that money.
I have 5 children, so a schedule is everything to me. Meal Planning helps in so many ways. One, I only have to make one trip to the grocery store, which saves on unecessary trips, as well as unecessary purchases. Two, I can prepare ahead of time (nights that we have sports, I can throw it in a crock pot, I can have fresh meat thawing all day, etc.). Before I started meal planning, we had a lot of thrown-together-at-the-last-minute dinners, ie – pizza. 3. My family loves the new variety of meals that we have. With just a little planning and prep time on Sunday, we leat much less out of a box, and much more of fresh, nutritious foods.
We still have our pizza nights, but now that I plan ahead and pick up ingredients at the start of the week, we now make our own fresh pizzas 🙂
I work for the state so I only get paid once a month and therefore buy groceries for the month. I plan meals that will be healthy but also be plentiful for left overs through out the week at work or for dinner. I also have staples such as yogurt, eggs, & cheese. Warehouse type grocery stores are extremely helpful with staples as long as you check the expiration date.
I used to spend SO much at the grocery store, like $150 a week, and it still wasn’t enough to get us through the whole week. And it’s just me and my husband!
I would walk around, usually hungry, and pick out whatever looked good or i wanted.
I bought way too much stuff and didn’t use it, resulting in a lot of waste.
I don’t even want to try to think about the amount of money I basically threw away.
Menu planning helped me big time.
Before I go grocery shopping, I plan out a menu for the week, and make my list from there.
I was really finding it hard to make my money last, also running to the store all the time sucked.
When I know ahead of time what I’m cooking for the day, that means one less thing on my mind. I have a 3 month old, so I have a lot on my mind! Having just this bit of organization really makes a difference.
I love having a menu planned out. I do mine a month at a time for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It has really helped since both of our kids are now in school and we all have to be up and out the door around the same time. Even my husband can look at the breakfast menu and get it started if he’s up and around before me. So helpful!
Honestly, I don’t know what people do without menus and having to worry all the time about what to make.
For me, meal planning is very important. As a working mother, I need to have a plan. When I do not have a plan we end up eating out. I usually do my meal planning on the weekend for the following week. I take inventory of what I have on hand. Then I will take that information and begin creating meals for the week. After that, I ask my husband and 2 children what they would like to eat that week. This past weekend, I asked my 13 year old what she wanted for supper this week. She gave me a list of ideas…one being spaghetti with meatballs (her favorite). My 17 year old was not home so I sent him a text message and asked what he wanted for supper this week. His response was that he did not care but he did not want spaghetti! Hmmm…what to do so everyone is happy? I planned on cooking spaghetti and meatballs on Saturday night when my 17 year old has plans and will not be eating supper at home!
Another advantage to meal planning is not overspending at the grocery store. Once I have taken inventory of what I have on hand and planned my meals, I make my grocery list then look for coupons. My grocery store list consists of 2 categories, what we “need” for the week and items that we would “want”. Each family member gets to put a “want” item on the list. I have an amount that I want to try to spend for groceries. If I am under that amount, I will buy items from the “want” catergory. This was especially helpful when my children were smaller and went grocery shopping with me! They did not ask for items as we went through the store. They knew if they helped me find the best deals and we were under budget…they got to pick out something special!
With four children, planning is key. I always have plenty of vegetables and meat in the freezer. I always buy organic meat so look for specials and stock up. Use freezer bags to help prevent freezer burn and reuse freezer bags. Ziploc bags are expensive so I mark them for meat only to be reused when I purchase additional meat.
I am able to make items that the family enjoys. I also have an area that I have set aside for my BOGO items, such as noodles, cereals and canned goods. We always eat at places where we have coupons. The Entertainment Book and Restaurant.com has saved us a lot of money. Look for restaurant coupons in the flyers that come in the mail and at online websites. It may take a little extra time to save money, but it is worth it!
My wife attended one of your coupon meetings the other night and mentioned you were writing a book. Your post didn’t mention how you were publishing (either self or via a publisher), but if you’re not aware of self-publishing, you should highly consider it. Lulu.com is the original and is top notch from what I’ve heard. I’ve had friends publish computer programming books with publishers and said they’d much rather have self-published.
Meal planning makes or breaks my week. If I meal plan we eat healthy meals at home and stay on budget. It I don’t then we out more and I end up going to the grocery store more and always spend more. Meal planning allows me and my husband to eat 95% of our meals at home and schedule in our out to eat times. This makes going to the grocery store fun and cooking enjoyable! I am also able to stay on budget and keep us both healthy. When meal planning I look online for recipes, look in books, and ask my husband what he wants for the following week. I also make an inventory of everything that I have and begin my list from the meals I want to make and what I have on hand. I have found that if I stay true to my list at the store then I always spend $30 -$40 less because I am not buying things I do not need! Now I just need to figure in some coupons in and I will be golden! I am so excited about the book!