Organize Your Meals with a Weekly Meal Plan

It's a brand new year and who here wouldn't like to save some money?

A great way to save money everyday is to embrace using a Weekly Meal Plan.

A Weekly Meal Plan will not only save you money but it will also save you time! As if that isn't enough, it will also reduce your stress as you won't be scrambling at the last minute to try to put something on the table. 

Today, I’ll share three great reasons why you should consider creating a Weekly Meal Plan and a few simple steps to help you get started.

1. Save Money

• Plan your menu according to what's on sale

• Plan for recipes that use seasonal ingredients

• Stock your pantry with sale items that you use routinely

• Since you know what you're going to buy, using coupons is easier

• By having a shopping list you will reduce impulse purchases

• Eliminate food waste and use your leftovers promptly

• By being prepared you will eat out less

 2. Save Time

• Stop making extra trips to the grocery store

• Prep ingredients ahead of time (prep salad ingredients, chop vegetables for multiple meals..)

• Having a Master Meal Plan makes weekly planning a breeze

• Double the recipe and freeze one batch for an emergency

• Don't be afraid to use frozen vegetables

• If you have a slow cooker, put it to good use

3. Eat Healthier

• By planning ahead you can develop a healthy and well-balanced meal plan

• You can customize your meals to include more vegetables

• Perhaps you would like to incorporate one meatless meal per week

• Enjoy grains more often - inexpensive and simply delicious

• Your consumption of fast food will decrease

• Have prepped vegetables on hand for snacks

How to get started:

Break into the habit of creating a Weekly Meal Plan easily by starting small and simple. Think, "next week." Six dinners, one trip to the grocery store. Reward yourself with "take out" at the end of the week!

Start slow and steady to build your meal planning skills. If you make it too complicated by trying to plan out breakfast and lunch for the week ahead as well, you may find it too daunting and abandon the whole process all together.

Once you establish a habit of planning your dinners for a week at a time, you can then add in breakfasts and lunches.

Where to start? Check the food flyers from your local newspaper or go online to see what's on sale. This may spur some ideas as to what you should make. If you've been craving something in particular then put that item on the menu. Check your fridge for ingredients that may need to be used before they get past their prime.

Take into consideration how much time your schedule allows to prepare meals. Are there time constraints due to a busy family calendar?

Once your plan is roughed out you can go back and add in your side dishes and salads.

Then, complete your shopping list using your Weekly Meal Plan.

Whether you use pen and paper, a meal planning app, or a dry erase board, recording your plan will help you to follow through. There are many options available to help you get organized. Once you get the hang of it you may want to create a "Master Meal Plan" binder, but for now, keep it simple.

Figuring out a meal plan that works for you will probably take a bit of trial and error. What's important is that you are taking steps in the right direction. The more you pay attention to your household’s eating habits, the better you’ll be able to shape your meal plan to suit your needs. 

It’s your meal plan—do what works for you!