This is our menu board.
Just a simple small dry erase board where I can plan our meals for the month, and the groceries needed to make them. It sits on the side of the refrigerator(held up with magnets) next to the stove so we can quickly see what we are having.
It seems we discuss this with most people we know. If you've ever heard me talk about budgeting, or planning meals, or grocery listing, this has probably come up. Before we started doing this I threw so much food in the garbage, and wasted so much money because we didn't eat what we bought. I've been using this planning method for 6 months to a year and we love it!
As you can see I write out each weeks' meals and look at what's in the cabinet to either plan around what's available, or decide what I need to purchase. It works great for us, and there isn't much question as to what we can have. I don't always stick to the plan, and we often move meals to a different day depending on what's going on during the week. Days with a squiggle mean we know we won't be eating at home, whether we have planned a meal out, or a get together. After we've had a meal, I mark through it with a diagonal line. I keep our grocery list under the menu in case I need to go back for fresh ingredients later-such as fish or herbs. I know most people aren't so worried about it, but it has made a real difference in how I shop and prepare.
The more you know...
I spend 30 dollars a week on groceries so I cannot just buy on a whim. Using a menu REALLY makes a huge difference in how much you spend because there is no waste and family can put in their 2-cents about what they'd like.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea!!
Nicole
Oh, it definitely makes a difference! Maybe you can share how you manage to do it on $30/wk for so many...because even I'm not that good! And I'm usually only feeding 2ish people(sometimes I share extras with my parents, and we have potluck at church once a month too). Of course I also buy frozen lunches to take to work.
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