{menu planning: 101}

One of the main questions I get through email, facebook, and on the street {a.k.a. my social circles...when I have time for them} is this:  how do you menu plan?

Along with that...do you really plan for a whole month at a time?  Do you really only shop once a month?  And a few others.

Well, instead of continuing to answer these questions multiple times per year, I'm going to lay out my techniques right here on the ol' blog.  You can all thank my blogger buddy Sarah for recently asking through email.  When I emailed her back, I decided to save the email and use it for this post.

You're welcome.

Here you have it...Menu Planning 101:

1.  Print a blank calendar for the month.
I print all of mine at the beginning of the year and keep them in the back of my home management binder that sits on my kitchen counter every day.  Once my calendar is all filled in, I slide it into the front of my binder so that I can see my menu plan easily at all times.

There are lots of different printable monthly calendars.  Find one that you like.  I'm using this one from The TomKat Studio this year.  This one is another option that I considered.

2.  Grab your personal/work calendar.
Get your personal/work calendar, and put an "X" through any dates that you don't have to cook at all {ex: going to a wedding, out of town, already have plans to eat somewhere else without any responsibility}.

Then, mark any other needed info in an abbreviated fashion. {ex: "no josh" if the hubby won't be home that night, "easy" if you need a quick and easy meal for that evening because of plans/babysitters, "cp" for crock pot if you'll be gone all day, "side dish" if you're going somewhere and have to bring a dish, etc.}

3.  Make a list of the meals you'd like to eat for the month.
On a separate piece of paper or on the computer {I recommend organizing a master list on your computer}, make a list of the meals that you'd like to make for the month.

I keep a running list in excel of the meals that we eat.  I know this is going to sound completely anal, but I categorize them by how often we eat them {once a month, every other month, a couple of times per year}, and I also have lists of types of food {breakfast for dinner, salads for summer, soups for winter}.  This just helps me not have to re-write them every month.  I just highlight the ones that I'm making for the month and plug them into my calendar.

I also try to make a couple of new recipes each month.  Pinterest has become my best friend.

4. Fill in the blanks.
Count your recipes and your blank spaces, and be sure that they are equal.  Then, start filling in the blanks.  I always start with dates that have special instructions because those need to be specific.

After that, I just try to spread out the different kinds of meats/types of meals so that we're not eating chicken or pasta or Mexican food 5 nights in a row.  I also try to put the new recipes between meals that I know we like in case we don't like the newbie.

5. Make your grocery list.
I go right down the line and look through each recipe to see what I need.  I keep a tally of how much of each item I need as I mark my list.

{On a side note, I would highly recommend a printable grocery list that is organized by aisle/product at your store(s) of choice.  Since I shop at two different stores, I print both lists on the same page...one front/one back.  This is also something that I keep 12 of in my home management binder.}

If I need any specific fresh produce for a certain recipe later in the month, I just write it off to the side of my calendar or highlight that recipe in some way.  When I know that Josh is stopping to pick up milk, eggs, and produce, I check my calendar to see what else I need.

6. Shop...alone.
Go shopping!  The alone part is just my recommendation.  I dread taking my kids to the grocery store, but maybe everyone else's kids don't ask for every box of sugar cereal and every box of doughnuts they see.

Anyway, go shopping, and buy everything you need for the month.

7. Use your menu plan.
Honestly, this is one of the hardest parts!  CHECK YOUR MENU PLAN BEFORE YOU GO TO BED AT NIGHT.  Yes, I put that in capital letters.  Yes, it's that important.  Read it again if needed.  If you can't remember, make yourself a note on your bathroom mirror or your pillow or somewhere you'll see before you go to bed.

This is when I know if I need to be thawing meat overnight or if I need my crock pot {which I do my best to put on the counter at night so that I remember to put my meal in at the appropriate time the next day}.  I dread looking at my menu plan at 4:00 p.m. only to discover that I was supposed to put our dinner in the crock pot at 9:00 a.m.  Oops.

8. Be flexible.
If you need to move a meal around, do it.  No biggie!  I do it all the time.  Sometimes things come up, and I swap one meal out for another.

If something comes up and we don't use a particular meal, I always circle it on my calendar.  Then, I can work that one in another time, or add it as a meal option for the following month.

9. Keep breathing.
Hopefully all of this information doesn't completely overwhelm you!  Trust me when I say that it does get easier the more you do it.  I always encourage everyone to start small and work your way up.

I started menu planning for a week at a time, and it just grew from there.  I was up to about 3 week segments when we started budgeting Dave Ramsey style.  We had a chunk of cash at the beginning of the month for our groceries, and it only made sense for me to shop for the month when we had the money.  I made my menu plan, shopped, and then we knew how much money we had for the remainder of the month for everything else.

The grocery store and I are not the best of friends.  I pretty much dread going.  I also used to dread the dinner hour because I never knew what to make.  So, now I only have to go to the store once a month {Josh does almost all of the other quick stopping/shopping.}  I always know what we're having for dinner, and I always have all of the ingredients.

I know some people are completely awesome at flying by the seat of their pants when it comes to dinner.  Not this girl.  It stresses me and overwhelms me.

Feel free to ask any menu planning questions that you might have!  Happy planning!