Since you've already taken inventory of your available supplies and figured out what's on sale, it'd be silly not to use this knowledge when planning your meals.
For example, if boneless skinless chicken is on sale for $1.87/lb, consider making several chicken dishes and/or buying extra chicken for the freezer. Lets also say you have cream of celery soup, and frozen mixed vegetables in your inventory, you might want to make chicken pot pie, so either add pie crust to your list or make sure you have the ingredients to make your own.
If sales are slim, consider making as many meals as possible from your inventory and shop at a store that has everyday low prices for the missing pieces.
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| "Nuts About Oatmeal Muffins" |
- pancakes
- oatmeal
- cereal
- muffins
- egg in a nest
- parfaits
- sandwiches -PB&J or tuna salad w/ pretzels and fruit
- leftovers
 |
| "Healthier Stuffed Peppers" |
- burgers, corn on the cob, watermelon
- brats, cole slaw
- taco salad
- grilled chicken salad
- kabobs
- fajitas
- stuffed peppers
Snacks/Desserts
- sale produce
- veggies w/ dip
- pretzels
- s'mores
- popsicles
After finalizing the menu, it's time to make the list.
Click the following links for the other parts in this series:
part 1: inventory
part 2: check for sales
part 4: make a list
part 5: meal inspiration
part 6: shopping day
How do you pick your meals?
I originally published this post on 10/25/11 @ oneincomefamilyliving.blogspot.com. I revised it and republished it here.
I suck at meal planning but for a few months now and after tryign real hard to stick to budget, my kitchen creativity is improving. This is a real must if you want to save big.
ReplyDeleteI don't meal plan at all and I know I should, but I don't like to plan ahead and then not be in the mood for something the day I planned it.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean. I've had to train myself to get in the mood for whatever is planned, but even still I end up switching meals here and there.
DeleteMy meal planning really sucks. I always go over budget and also the food I buy never seems to last so I always find myself going back to the store for more food. Thanks for your tips!
ReplyDeleteI'm terrible at the planning side of meals...I end up with a random hodge-podge of ingredients and wing it from there. I like your methodology, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI pick by asking my wife what we are eating for dinner.. breakfast and lunch are usually normal ham and cheese and cereal or toast of some kind.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good answer. :)
DeleteI don't do any meal planning, and I never know what to make for dinner because my sweetie and I have extremely different tastes. I do like the idea of making Popsicles as a snack.
ReplyDeleteI'm bad about planning around store sales. I definitely need to begin doing that!
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas for the meals! I usually have some staples in my pantry but I'm really bad at having the rest that I need around.
ReplyDeleteI love meal planning. Mine is a little different because I'm vegan, but some of it is similar. I love it because it does save money to be predictable.
ReplyDeleteWe tried going Paleo for the last two weeks, and as someone who is used to cooking with rice, pasta and bread, it made meal planning (and shopping) so hard!
ReplyDeleteI still can't really get into meal planning. It's like an episode of Chopped every night in my house.
ReplyDeleteI recently just started meal planning for my family it's saved us a bunch of money and me a bunch of headaches lol
ReplyDeleteOh wow! These look so healthy! I love anything with rice so I am definitely trying these!
ReplyDeleteI've looked for the recipe of the 'nuts about oatmeal muffins' pictured above & can't find it on your blog. Can you tell me where I can find it?
ReplyDeleteSorry about that, it's one I meant to put up awhile ago and never did. I'll get the post finished and have it up for you on Tuesday.
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