Why you should menu plan

I was chatting to a friend a few weeks ago and I told her that when things feel like they’re going off track, there’s one thing that I need to do: make a menu plan.

Today, let’s talk about why I do menu planning (I’ve been menu planning for 11 years now), and why you should consider doing so too.

Do you menu plan?

Good reasons to menu plan

  • it saves you daily decision time
  • saves you money when you use up all the food in the freezer and pantry, and stops you buying foods you don’t need
  • no stress about what to cook every night as even if you don’t feel like eating what you put on your menu, you know there’s at least 4 other options to choose from

I play a little game with myself and aim for sticking to the menu plan 4 out of 5 nights. Remember I’m not a perfectionist. Good enough is better than perfect.

How do you start menu planning

Note – please do this before you go to the shops to do your grocery shopping 😉

1. Go to your freezer and cupboards to see what food you have that you need to use up, and make a list.
2. Write out a menu plan for a week (if you do weekly shopping) or longer, using recipes to use up that food. Get creative.
3. Add any items that you need to your weekly shopping list and do your shopping. You may have some pasta and cans of tuna so in order to use them up, you might need a few cans of tomato.
4. Stick the menu plan to your fridge.

Now you don’t have to rack your brain every night wondering what to cook because you have a plan.

Another tip that will save you lots of time is to cook something on a Sunday afternoon. This meal is not for eating that day, but for freezing. I heard a podcast recently (I don’t know how she does it – an Aussie podcast) where the lady said she makes all the lunches for the week on a Sunday afternoon and while she’s doing that, she bakes muffins or bread. Brilliant!

When you have a busy day it’s easy to just defrost the meal and have a healthy supper on the table in minutes.

We went through a stage where we didn’t buy any meat for two months while we finished everything in the freezer and started on the cupboards. You see, we all get into a habit of buying the same groceries every week without checking if we really need it.

If you’re not already menu planning, I’d like to encourage you to at least start. Do so for at least a month, give it a good go and see if it doesn’t save you time and money.

And if you already do menu planning, then your challenge for this week is to only buy perishables and eat from your freezer and cupboards.

Are you menu planning?

Is there anything you’d like to change about your process? Do you have any special tips?

PS Look out on Thursday for how I do my menu planning and some freezer meal ideas

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Comments

  1. I tried menu planning a few weeks ago but I made the mistake of adding 3 new recipes and completely went out budget! Also, our finances recently changed and our grocery budget is less. Any tips on frugal menu planning? Thanks!!

  2. MamaCat says

    I am a huge fan of menu planning and especially cooking meals ahead and freezing them. I have written a blog about the freezer cooking. You have to be organised, plan and make sure you have everything on hand, ready to cook. Suitable pans that go into the oven and freezer, and are washable is my favourite.
    A kitchen whiteboard works wonders in avoiding unnecessary purchases. As you finish something, note it on the whiteboard.

    • Marcia Francois says

      The whiteboard is a great idea.

      We just update the freezer inventory every 2 weeks or so, and I use the list to create meals to use up bits and pieces. For example, a few weeks ago, we had some peas, some carrots, and some pastry, so I did a chicken pie with all of that, and since I’m a finisher, I got such pleasure from using up 3 random ingredients 🙂

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