Trying to plan dinners on a daily basis can make cooking meals a dreaded chore. Not only do you waste time with extra trips to the grocery store but the added costs of gas to get your there, combined with the higher price of prepackaged food, means your spending more money on food than you need to. Using a weekly meal plan means fewer trips to the store and less hassle for you.
Get Help from Your Favorite Cookbooks
Everyone has a spare ten minutes on the weekend to plan meals for the week. Take a few minutes to sit down, go through your favorite cookbooks or online recipe sites and plan a dinner meal for the next seven days. Make one list of each complete meal, including main dish and any side dishes, while making another list of the food items you'll need to pick up for the week's meals.
When choosing your menu for the week plan on cooking meals that fit into that day's schedule. If a child has soccer practice on Wednesday or you usually work late on Thursdays be sure to choose a meal for that day that takes little prep time or that can be prepped ahead of time.
Save Money and Time by Shopping Wisely
Purchasing your food items in bulk not only saves you money but can, over time, lessen your trips to the grocery store. By building up a reserve of frequently used food items you can trim both the length of your grocery list and the fat from your grocery budget.
On the other hand, be mindful of the quantities you buy when purchasing foods with a short shelf life. Sure, that jumbo bag of salad may seem like a deal but if you find yourself throwing out half of it due to spoilage it wasn't much of a savings after all. If you do find you have to buy items that spoil quickly in bigger amounts, cooking meals requiring the same ingredient least twice in a one week to ten day period helps avoid waste.
Waste Not Want Not
A great way to save money on food and make meal planning easier is to save meats not used up during a meal. Chicken, steaks and roasts can be frozen and make wonderful stewing meats at a later date. Reusing leftover meats saves money on your grocery bill and makes planning a dinner for a future date that much easier.
Make a Double Batch
Looking to save time as well as money? Plan to make meals that can be cooked or prepped ahead of time and frozen for later. Divide larger quantities of items such as chicken or pork chops into two meal portions. Make and add a marinade to both portions and freeze one for inclusion in another weekly meal plan. You'll have saved money by buying in bulk and have eliminated most of the prep time for that later meal.
The old saying goes," He who fails to plan, plans to fail." If you feel like you're flunking out of home-ec due to your last minute meals and climbing grocery bill fight back by taking a few minutes to make a weekly meal plan. Cooking meals when you have a plan is easier, cheaper and can even make you love cooking again. - 15275
Get Help from Your Favorite Cookbooks
Everyone has a spare ten minutes on the weekend to plan meals for the week. Take a few minutes to sit down, go through your favorite cookbooks or online recipe sites and plan a dinner meal for the next seven days. Make one list of each complete meal, including main dish and any side dishes, while making another list of the food items you'll need to pick up for the week's meals.
When choosing your menu for the week plan on cooking meals that fit into that day's schedule. If a child has soccer practice on Wednesday or you usually work late on Thursdays be sure to choose a meal for that day that takes little prep time or that can be prepped ahead of time.
Save Money and Time by Shopping Wisely
Purchasing your food items in bulk not only saves you money but can, over time, lessen your trips to the grocery store. By building up a reserve of frequently used food items you can trim both the length of your grocery list and the fat from your grocery budget.
On the other hand, be mindful of the quantities you buy when purchasing foods with a short shelf life. Sure, that jumbo bag of salad may seem like a deal but if you find yourself throwing out half of it due to spoilage it wasn't much of a savings after all. If you do find you have to buy items that spoil quickly in bigger amounts, cooking meals requiring the same ingredient least twice in a one week to ten day period helps avoid waste.
Waste Not Want Not
A great way to save money on food and make meal planning easier is to save meats not used up during a meal. Chicken, steaks and roasts can be frozen and make wonderful stewing meats at a later date. Reusing leftover meats saves money on your grocery bill and makes planning a dinner for a future date that much easier.
Make a Double Batch
Looking to save time as well as money? Plan to make meals that can be cooked or prepped ahead of time and frozen for later. Divide larger quantities of items such as chicken or pork chops into two meal portions. Make and add a marinade to both portions and freeze one for inclusion in another weekly meal plan. You'll have saved money by buying in bulk and have eliminated most of the prep time for that later meal.
The old saying goes," He who fails to plan, plans to fail." If you feel like you're flunking out of home-ec due to your last minute meals and climbing grocery bill fight back by taking a few minutes to make a weekly meal plan. Cooking meals when you have a plan is easier, cheaper and can even make you love cooking again. - 15275
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