Do you create a weekly meal plan? Planning a week’s worth of meals is a simple first step toward smarter grocery shopping, but many of us skip it.
Often we’re too busy or overwhelmed to sit down and write a menu. It’s easier to pop into the grocery store after work and grab a few items for that night’s dinner.
Or maybe you call to order pizza for pickup, swing through a drive-through, or pick up ready-made food on the way home. Those options are perfectly fine sometimes — convenience can save the day.
The important thing is not to let takeout become the default. When budgets get tight, it helps to pay closer attention to food spending.
Planning a menu can be as detailed or as simple as you like. For big gatherings I create involved menus, but for regular weeks I keep things straightforward.
I try to make a grocery trip cover two weeks now that my children are grown and no longer at home. When they were younger, getting a full week’s shopping done in one trip was all I could manage.
You can use a printed planner, a computer program, a scrap of paper, or a whiteboard on the fridge. Whatever fits your life.
My method is basic: take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle to make two columns — each column represents a week. Draw horizontal lines to create boxes for each day, and label them with the day initials.
Then fill the boxes with meal ideas. I often cook in larger batches, so many of my dinners cover two nights; on the planner I’ll write the same meal across those two days.
Remember, the menu is a guide to help you buy the right groceries — it’s not a rigid schedule. We rarely stick to the exact day listed for each dish.
For each meal, include a main dish plus a vegetable or fruit. Add dessert if you like treats, and plan lunches if you won’t be eating leftovers.
Some staples I always include are spaghetti and a chicken meal. Those two choices typically cover four nights, sometimes five.
That’s essentially it: a simple plan assembled in five or ten minutes. I often sketch my menu while enjoying morning tea.
If you’re short on time, you could plan during a coffee break or your commute — just don’t plan while driving.
For special events I spend more time detailing the menu. If I expect a busy week and will need family help with dinners, I refine the plan and post it on the fridge so everyone knows the schedule. I’ll write more about those strategies soon.
Update: You can download a free PDF copy of my menu planner from my site.
If you’re interested in the books pictured, they are available for purchase on Amazon.