Hello,
I want to preface this by saying that I have been sick for the past couple of weeks and due to that my blog has suffered! I am on the road to wellness again and thank you for your patience!! On to menu planning....
So, I start with a list of about 20-30 main dish ideas. I have it taped to the inside of my cupboard door and I update it a couple of times a year. These are staple dishes that my family likes. I also have a file on my computer of recipes I want to try, or I may print off a copy and put it in a three ring binder I have.
Once you have your list of staple main dishes it is time to start “assembling” your menu! I print a blank menu from my Microsoft Word program and fill it in with pencil. I leave at least 3-4 nights a month unplanned. There are usually leftovers or a meal that feeds us for two nights instead of one, etc. Then I may put specific side dishes or just put a general “vegetable” or “fruit” label and generally a starch. I try to keep the meal balanced and healthy. I incorporate the best quality ingredients my budget allows.
Then I go to my pantry and freezer and make a list of what I already have. I then start my grocery list! I look at my menu one meal at a time and mentally go through what I will need to prepare it. For example: Baked chicken with cooked carrots and peaches with whip cream for dessert. I will need 3 chicken breast, eggs, milk, bread crumbs, butter, carrots, peaches, and whip cream. I check those ingredients against what I have on my “Pantry” list and add what I don’t have to my grocery list. This may sound time consuming, but it isn’t. After the first couple of months you will know generally what you have and what you don’t. It takes me about 30 minutes to do this exercise and have my grocery list completed.
Next I take my grocery list and split it into two lists. I shop at Costco and Winco, so I put what I get from each store on the appropriate list. Then, I put the price (if I need to I look at last month’s receipts) next to each item, add them all up and put the total at the bottom. I do this so that I can make sure that I am staying within my budget. I do round up numbers ($8.95 to $9.00) this makes it easier to add and I only need a general number to stay within my budget. If I find that I am over, then I will go back and adjust my menu or figure out what I can take off my grocery list. Again, this sounds like a lot of work but it really takes me less than an hour to create my menu, make my grocery list, and be ready to shop!
I have experimented and done three months worth of menus and grocery lists at a time. It worked fairly well, but I still prefer doing it one month at a time. Also, be sure to leave room in your budget for the weekly trips to the grocery store! If you need to get milk, bread, and produce weekly make lists for those trips too. Impulse buying is the #1 budget breaker and stores know it, that’s why they “attack” you with all that yummy stuff as you come in the door! So, make sure you go with a list, go after you have eaten, and if you take the kids with you be sure to include them in the shopping “process”. My kids know we have a “budget” and they are generally satisfied with the answer “it’s not in the budget” or “it’s not on the list”. If it’s something they really want I make sure to put it on the list for next month.
Menu planning and budgeting for your groceries helps to make you aware of what you are spending your money on. It also makes you accountable for what you buy. These are not easy things to do and I encourage you to enlist a “buddy” to support you through the first couple of months. It takes 2-3 months to work all the kinks out. However you budget for your groceries is good, making it a realistic dollar amount and sticking to it will give you the best outcome! Good luck in this adventure of being a good steward of your money!
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