Menu Planning 101
Looking for a few tips to help you become more organized and better able to stick to a food budget? Look no further than Menu Planning 101.
Menu planning. Does the thought make you smile or cringe? I haven’t always been a menu planning believer, but I can honestly say, the minute I started actually doing it, my life (and sanity) was changed for the better. I kind of love it now. And I love the peace of mind that comes knowing I won’t have to scramble to figure out what to make for dinner later that week!
Armed with the right strategy, menu planning doesn’t have to take a long time. If stay really focused (er, and not get lost in the abyss of Pinterest), I can have a weekly menu planned in 10-15 minutes.
Below, I am sharing with you a few menu planning tips to ensure that weeknight dinners can come off without a hitch…and you’ll still have your sanity intact.
Sit Down and Plan It Out
- I recommend planning meals for one or two weeks at a time. My preference is two weeks at a time – this way I’m only doing one large grocery shopping trip every two weeks (with a quick trip in between to pick up fresh produce and such). This saves time and money.
- I always plan at least one or two nights of leftovers into our weekly plan. That means for a given week, I’m only planning out 5 or 6 dinners.
- Keep a running list of items you need to pick up at the store. I keep a small white board on the side of my refrigerator where I can quickly jot down ingredients that I’ve used the last of – I glance at that list every time I am doing my menu planning and add those ingredients to my shopping list.
Paper vs Electronic vs app
There are a lot of options these days on how to plan a menu. The old-fashioned pen and paper method may work for you, whereas filling in a simple template on the computer may work for someone else (I’m sharing the menu planning spreadsheet I’ve used for more than a decade below).
There are also tons and tons of apps out there promising to make menu planning a breeze. The one app I’ve used personally and recommend frequently is Prepear. It’s free and very user-friendly.
However you plan your menu, make sure you have an easy way to access it when you are at the store. As in, if you’ve scribbled your grocery list on the back of a receipt, take it with you (or at the very least, snap a photo of it with your phone before you go!).
My Template
Before using Prepear, I was a dedicated, true blue through and through electronic menu planner on my computer faithfully every two weeks. {And I still opt for that some weeks – old habits die hard.}
Menu Planning Example: this is an example of an old menu plan I made for my my family, complete with the meals I planned and the comprehensive grocery list.
Menu Plan Template: here’s a blank template to fill in with your own meals and grocery list. Click on the link and it will download a Microsoft Word document. You can edit it to your liking and save it for future reference.
You can see from the template that I usually only planning out dinners. But you can easily add in breakfast and lunches, too. I’ve also added a little section under the menu planning table that lists treats I want to make during the week since I really only plan an actual dessert for Sunday dinners. I add those “extra treat” ingredients to the second page, and then I know I have them on hand when the craving hits. And trust me, the craving always hits.
I print this document out with the table of meals on one side and the grocery list on the other and I take it with me to the grocery store. When I get home I post it on the side of my fridge so I can see the meals at a glance.
Fluid Menu Planning
If the thought of a super structured menu plan where there’s a meal plugged in religiously every day of the week has you feeling a little anxious, consider doing more of a fluid menu plan.
Here’s how it works:
- Instead of planning a specific meal for Sunday and another one for Monday (and so on), decided how many dinners you need to make that week and write down the meals you want to make in a list rather than adding them to a specific day of the week. Make sure to get the ingredients you need for those meals at the store and then as you go through your week, decide each day which meal you have time for (or are in the mood for!)
Grocery Shopping
My big grocery trip happens once every two weeks. I also plan in a small (i.e. 10 items or less) grocery run for the second week to pick up any fresh foods that I may need.
I don’t plan my menus around coupons or store sales, but you could definitely do that if it fits your style and is something that could help save a few dollars.
Money Back Guarantee
I’ve used the basics of this menu planning method for over a decade, and not only does it make my life easier, but it saves me money because if I didn’t plan out my meals, I’d be at the grocery store every day. And I don’t know about you, but I can’t get in and out of the grocery store without spending at least $30, even if I just went in for bread and milk!
Not only that, but having meals planned out means we aren’t opting for fast food or takeout when there’s no idea what to make for dinner. And that definitely adds up! Cooking at home is much more budget-friendly.
I would love your template! mdoeling@gmail.com! Thanks for all of the great recipes. I have made the vanilla pudding cinnamon rolls several times. So delicious but dangerous. I can’t keep those babies around me for too long!
Thanks for posting this!! Do you mind sending me a copy of your template, I am hoping it makes my life a bit easier!! Thanks again!!
Brittany
britcottle@gmail.com
Please send email me your template! cjrush71@yahoo.com
Thanks so much! This will be so helpful!
I just love your blog! Please send me the template.:) defoote@hotmail.com
This is just what i need, great tips!
Holy smokes it looks like you have alot of requests, but if its not too much i would love a copy too
Thanks
Love your site!
rachellepcooper@gmail.com
Thanks for sharing this, it is very helpful. I am a mom/wife who works full time outside of the home and have been wanting to come up with something like this, and haven’t made the time. Now with your template I can get to planning! I have made many recipes from your site and been very impressed even though I don’t usually comment on each one. It’s great to have a go-to source for great, new recipes. Thanks again! -gina in Salt Lake City
This is great! I’ve been trying to figure out the whole meal planning thing for awhile now and this will help so much!!! I’m going back to work more next week, so I won’t have as much time to run to the store so I can’t wait to do this. Please send me the file! Thank you!
christine.higley@yahoo.com
Christine
Please email the template to me. This is great!
Miranda Bertram
RandaFaith@gmail.com
Thanks for the great tips. You really have your act together. I’d love the template.
Thanks,
Elizabeth
Woman, YOU ARE A GENIUS.
Please e-mail me the documents too.
Thanks.
Bonnie
bonnietufo@gmail.com
I would LOVE it if you could email me the documents. I just tried doing it, changed the margins and landscape and it didn’t work very well (but I am not very good with computer stuff).
Thanks for your great recipes and ideas!
brittney84@gmail.com
Thank you so much for this post and for sharing your talents with us. Consistent menu planning is a habit I want to have, so I’m not stressed out by dinner time. I tried copying the template, but I kept losing Saturday’s column. Please email it to me. Thanks!
heididennert@hotmail.com
Thanks for the help in menu planing. I love the your template. Please send it to me. I have been looking for a good one and yours is awesome!
beckynn@gmail.com
Could you add me to your list the next time you send out the template? Thank you so much! My friend just sent me a link to your blog and I love it!! I have already tried a couple of recipes and they are delicious!
nikkirich22@gmail.com
thank you so much for the information!
Hi Ellen, about your cheesecake question, I’ve found the best way to do this is to cut a circle of parchment paper about 1/2-inch larger in diameter than the sprinform bottom. Place this parchment circle on the bottom of the springform pan and fold and crease it up the edges of the pan. Layer the crust and cheesecake on top of the parchment paper. After it has baked, remove the sides of the springform pan and carefully peel the parchment paper away from the sides of the cheesecake. Loosen the cheesecake away from the bottom of the pan (using a flat spatula or knife) and pulling on the excess parchment, carefully pull the cheesecake off the pan onto a cardboard circle (you can purchase these at Hobby Lobby, Michaels or other craft stores). Trim the parchment close to the cheesecake and wrap the cheesecake in plastic wrap, if desired. I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Think you could slip my addy in the next time you send out the template? I would really appreciate it. So cool! angela40291@gmail.com
Thanks for the tips Melanie! I too am a bit of a nerd when it comes to food. I just love everything about food. Finding a new recipe, grocery shopping, the preparation. Ahhhh, food. Meal planning has traditionally been fun too, though I lost the drive somewhere between weeks 6 and 8 of my most recent pregnancy. (Hard to think about food when you can’t stomach it…) My sweet baby is almost 4 months now, and I am so ready to plan my meals. Thanks for the inspiration!
Hi! I am a weekly meal planner, but I do it on a notepad that turns into a bunch of scribbles. I will give this more organized idea a try!
(I deleted my previous email b/c I do not need you to email me your template. I copied & pasted it)
Great tips! I fall under the “LOVE meal planning” umbrella, although I typically do it a week at a time (but have tons of recipes brewing in my head for the following week).
A year ago at this time I didn’t really plan and I’m not sure how I did it!!
loved this post. I shop once per week and keep to a plan but now I will step it up a notch and use the spreadsheet! It really has saved money and I rarely have to throw spoiled food away.
On another note, and I’m thinking you could answer this…I make an awesome cheescake and I want to bring one to a family as a gift. However, I use a spring form pan and I don’t know what to do about the bottom of the pan. I can’t take it off(I don’t think), and of course I can’t give it away with the cake. What do baker’s do? Do I cut a perfect circle out of parchment or something…maybe that would allow me to remove the bottom? Thanks for any help you can give me.
This was a really good post! I am going to try it! Can you email me a copy of the spreadsheet? my email is jnmason77@msn.com Thanks so mucH! I love your recipes!
Something else I’ve done that helps with the budget- I HATE going to Sam’s Club or Costco even with a list not know ing how much it’s going to cost me- I always spend to much. I created a shopping list in Filemaker (I have a Mac) that gives me the item and the cost and when I make my list, it calculates the total for me so that I have a ballpark idea of how much it will cost me. I say ballpark because it doesn’t account for tax etc. I check my receipts every time I get home and update as needed. This helps me a lot and I may try one with prices at my local grocery store too. Thanks for your blog- I’ve enjoyed your recipes and comments!
thank you! thank you!
oh, looks like this sparked a lot of comments. Sorry to add to the workload but I’d love a copy of the template also. Sullifam@gmail.com. Thanks.
Hi Melanie, could you please email me a copy of your template also? Thanks in advance. I loves your site and visit it daily.
lorimillsaps@cox.net
Melanie, could you please email me a copy of the template as well. Thank You So much 🙂
http://www.andyandjessie@gmail.com
I would also love a copy. I plan my meals weekly but they are no where near as organized as that!
jquest619@yahoo.com
Would you please email me a copy of this template. I would love to give this a try! kcrane1969@yahoo.com
i’ve never left a comment, but you’ve inspired me to plan my meals. can you email me the template? missykiser@gmail.com your blog is fantastic and has revolutionized the way i cook dinner. thank you!!!!
Way to go! I have to hand it to anyone who meal plans! Thanks for the tips! They were much needed! You’ve got some great ideas!
Melanie,
Thank you, thank you, thank you! This is just what I needed to help me accomplish my New Year’s resolution of better meal planning. I used your template and am all set with meals and a shopping list for the next two weeks! It took me a couple of hours tonight, but I’m sure it will go much quicker next time. Thank you again for sharing your wonderful ideas and fabulous recipes!
You are so awesome for posting this. You must have read my mind because my New Year’s resolution was to get better at meal planning! I LOVE your website and your RECIPES! I definitely have the most success with your ideas — last weekend the Divine Breadsticks were a huge hit and my hubby asked for your Easy Chicken Tacos (a staple at our house) ASAP 🙂 Keep up the excellent work!!!!!
I LOVE your blog!! Could you email me a template…..Thank you so much!!
tammieclark2@yahoo.com
Awesome!!
Can you email me a copy as well!!
miloflynn@yahoo.com
Thanks!
Love all your recipes 🙂
I love your idea and would LOVE it if you would think about including your meal plan every couple of weeks! For starters I would love your attachment – jenica@lvcoxmail.com
Thanks for your blog – I read whenever you post!!! JEnica
I don’t have children, and I live alone, but I still need to do something like this because I’m a student. Thank you for this post. I’ve saved the documents on my computer. I will start planning from now on. It will also help me save money. I’m always throwing out food due to spoilage.
I would love a copy of the template, kdamy@hotmail.com, yet again I just love your blog! I love menu planning also, and a lot of your recipes end up in my bi-weekly planning!!!! THANKS SO MUCH!
I need this! I’ve tried and tried again and it never works for me. I’ll try yours now.
jodilrose@yahoo.com
karaliann@gmail.com
this is like an answer to prayers…
thank you.
Can I use your template? I am so not good at making my own and loved how simple it is….. simple is great for me. If you could send me a copy I would love it…. my email is himlej@gmail.com Thanks for this!!!
This is my newest idea too! I plan an entire month in advance, but only for the weekdays. I try to make the week include a day of pork, chicken, and pasta. I shop every week. I peruse the recipe and then make my shopping list. This saves me so much time of dreaming of what I want to cook every night or shopping the grocery store aimlessly. Also, this helps you use the left over ingredients. Have fajitas one night and then the next night have fajita salad.
On your spreadsheet under “treats to make this week” you mentioned granola bars, but I have searched your blog, and no recipe. Are you willing to share? I have been looking for a good recipe for them! Thanks for all you do, my family loves you!
I’d love a copy too, thanks!
jordanmcarthur66@yahoo.com
I LOVE your site! I was actually planning my meals for the week last night and absolutely dreading it! I made my husband sit down with me and do it (he doesn’t cook AT ALL)! I was so happy to see your post today! I will be using it next week, thanks!
I’m a total menu planning nerd as well. You beat me though, I don’t have my own spreadsheet! I am not a lover of the grocery store, so less trips are better for me.
Thank you for sharing. I have been trying to get organized and have had little success. This is going to help so much.
Great tips! I’ve been wanting to do a better job with menu planning, but just haven’t had the motivation. This will get me started. Can you email me a template? rachtaylor83@gmail.com
Thanks!
As usual…fantastic! Could I also have a copy of the planning template? Thank you!
heather.irvine22@gmail.com
You’re the best! 🙂