Planning your menu can be a daunting task, but it undoubtedly saves you money. When you shop with a purpose, you limit impulse buys and only purchase ingredients you know you will eat.
I plan our weekly menu by assigning each night a category. These categories quickly prompt me and speed up my selections. Each week our menu is created from this basic plan:
Saturday Night – Grilling Night
I do all of our grocery shopping on Saturday. Our meat is freshest on this day and Saturdays are perfect for enjoying the grill.
Sunday Night – Crockpot Night
I absolutely love cooking in a crockpot. Somehow it actually feels like someone is doing the cooking for me. Again, our ingredients are still really fresh and the crockpot frees up my Sunday to be with my family and get ready for the week ahead.
Monday Night – Leftover Night
Sunday’s crockpot dinner gets reinvented on Monday night. Roast becomes tacos or sandwiches, chicken becomes quesadillas…
Tuesday Night – Breakfast for Dinner Night
We all enjoy a good breakfast and it’s a great way to save money on your grocery bill.
Wednesday Night – Stove/Oven Night
Pastas and casseroles are enjoyed on Wednesday nights.
Thursday Night – Sandwich Night
Thursday night is “Sandwich” night, but it includes hamburgers, wraps, salads, etc.
Friday Night – Homemade Pizza Night
Pizzas, calzones, pockets – anything bready, warm, and fun!
The first thing I do is note what is on sale at the grocery store and narrow my menu choices based on what’s on sale. As I’m choosing each meal, I try to use common ingredients throughout the week. If we have wraps one night, we’ll have burritos or quesadillas another to use up the extra tortillas. If we have hamburgers one night, we’ll plan to make garlic bread from the extra buns on pasta night. The key is to only buy what we’ll use and to use what we buy!
