Meal Planning

For the last two weeks we have been writing down our meals for the week.  This is one of the many things we do for our “budget”.  We get cash out for the week on Thursday nights, buy groceries, pay our babysitter and the rest of our weekly cash is for diapers, gas, and eating out.  This is to help us eat out less of course and be mindful of what we spend. So….purpose of this post; meal planning. 

I have always though ahead of what we will eat in the week but writing down has helped tons.  I don't just write down Dinner meals but I also have a list for Breakfast and Lunch.  When Randy is home and not traveling he works from home and eats lunch at home.  As a teacher I bring my lunch so this helps us both.  Actually Randy said he liked looking on the frig and seeing what there was to eat!!

Tips for saving money…

• Of course like I mentioned, write out breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals for the week.  Post them on the frig for you and your spouse to read.  Think about what nights to you are home.  We are always at church on Wednesday nights so it is a nice break in cooking for us.  Plus Wednesday night suppers are reasonable at our church.  Writing out meals also saves you from wasting the fresh veggies and fruits that you forgot were in the frig!
• When figuring out your meals, think about what you have in the freezer! Yes, the freezer.  Dig all the way in the back and see what is there. You might presently surprised! Well, I hope you are, it could be scary too.  I always buy meat on sale even if we don't need it and freeze it.  So there might be a week that I don't need meat at the store and see what I have in the freezer.  As well, pick a week to clean out the freezer and eat what you have. 
• As well as the freezer, check out your pantry.  I am guilty of not checking what we have and buying more of it again.  So eat all of your many bags of rice, pasta, or canned foods for a while.  We enjoy making our own pizza sauce and pasta sauce with canned tomatoes.  I know that is always a staple in our house. 
• Bring your lunch to work.  I love leftovers and look forward to my lunch at work when I have them.  Much better than a sandwich. 
• Baking and Freezing. Just like my many other posts on baking, I love to freeze them for later! This is great for breakfast or snacks! My husband always says there are no snacks. Not true! Plus we get into our cereal rut and a great homemade muffin is a yummy change!
• Coupons Coupons Coupons…I don't even think about heading to the store with out them.  Making sure to look for  the weekly ads as well!!