Although it seems like menu planning is much more common around the blogosphere, I often have people react with surprise when they find out that I tend to do my menu planning one month at a time.
In addition to the menu planning one month at a time, I also tend to do one major grocery shopping trip per month, with minor ones for things that we have run out of (produce, milk, bread, eggs) throughout the month.
I do want to point out, however, that I came to monthly menu planning out of necessity, not because I am all that organized. When Eric accepted a promotion at work several years ago, he was moved from being paid every other week to being paid just once a month. So, it became a logical choice to plan our menu a month at a time.
I have had people ask how I manage to menu plan one month at a time, and so I thought that I would share what works for me for menu planning.
1. I look at our previous menu list and see if there are any meals that didn’t get prepared in the previous month. If there any (and there often are), I verify that I still have everything I need to make the meal. I then add it on to the beginning of my list of meals for the next month.
2. I go through previous menu lists for ideas of what we might want to make. I also look through my homemade binder cookbook for ideas of old favorites as well as new things I want to try. (I may also look through recipes I have saved from blogs that I want to try.)
3. Once I have a list of around 30 – 35 meals (figuring that some will be for lunches, we’ll eat out at least once a week, and then also being sure that I’m going to buy things for quick and simple lunches), I need to take inventory of what I need to buy at the store.
4. I enlist Eric to help me as I go through my list and ask him to check for various ingredients in the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. I usually have a good memory about what we have, but have to ask him to verify some things. (For example, I may remember that we have sesame oil, but may ask him how much we have.) While he does this checking for me, I am writing out my grocery list.
5. With my messy grocery list in hand, I put it all into a document on the computer that is organized by areas in the store.
6. Grocery Shopping!
7. After everything is put away, I write up the official menu list.
Options Following #7:
8a. Sometimes, I use this list to plan out what we are eating on specific days one week at a time. I don’t usually plan for the specific days for an entire month at once. For instance, on Sunday, I may look at the master list and write out Monday through Sunday of that next week only. Then, the following Sunday, I plan for the next week (from the master list again).
8b. Sometimes, I don’t take the time to write out when we are eating what. I just post the master list, and I work from it throughout the month. I typically make a notation next to things that I have anything perishable for, so that we will be sure to have those meals earlier in the month. (And, then I can shop for perishable items for other meals later.)
My methods aren’t always perfect, but it seems to work for us. I know that the months when I just go through we no plans, I often make many trips to the store throughout the month, but no big grocery trip. Invariably, I always spend much more on groceries on a month like that (which is a month like this very one!).
I would love to hear your favorite menu planning tips! I’m always looking for ways to streamline what we do!
This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday.
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