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How to Meal Plan effectively and efficiently has to be one of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my life. I never know what to cook! I can look at a whole chicken and have no imagination as to what to do with it.
Meal planning and how to meal plan for my lifestyle has helped me spend less time on worrying what to cook and given me extra time to worry about the food not burning.
I do my grocery shopping every Sunday or if I am feeling extra rebellious every Wednesday when the grocery specials are out. I save time also by collecting all the ads of the local competitor grocery stores to get a price match *pats self on back*
Before going to the grocery store I look through my fridge and pantry and start making my list of what to get to make SURE I do not buy another jar of peanut butter that we do not need. Once I have my list ready I am ready to go grocery shopping! Unless I go to Super Target where I can find both food and clothing all in one convenient location! But if you want to truly save money on your bills, stick to your list.
Now that we are in the 21st century there are tons of “How to Meal Plan” websites and apps that can help you prepare your meals electronically! All Recipes is a nice one and while I have yet to try it the meal planning tools on Food On the Table seem cool. I think the biggest benefit to these tools may be the ability to keep track of what food you already have so that you don’t continue to buy things you already own. They help you plan your meals based on what you own to help save you money. If you are more techy these online approaches to How to Meal Plan may be more your speed.
With all that being said, I can now plan my meals for the week, for a day, or even just plan a last minute meal when you are in a pinch. I recommend weekly planning of your meals to get it all done at the same time and for the biggest savings at the grocery store.