Calendar Meals

Posted on December 22 2006

For most Americans, groceries can be one of the larger expenses in a family’s budget. I see many different strategies used for purchasing groceries on a monthly basis and they all have their validity. I believe some of the more successful families and individuals living on a budget have mastered the art of “Meal Planning”. In my opinion, if you can master the Meal Planning concept you may begin to see your monthly grocery bill greatly reduced.

The Meal Planning concept goes like this: Go out and purchase a calendar. Write down on a separate piece of paper a list of your favorite meals. Try to list as many as possible as this will lay your foundation for future meal planning. Now begin going through your calendar and planning out a months worth of meals while remembering that some days may be the “leftover” day. If you eat out on a regular basis you will need to remember to schedule meals out as well.

Now as you look over your month of meals you can break it down to see what actually you need to purchase at the grocery store. This is very helpful as it will greatly reduce overspending and wastefulness (products expiring before their used in full). This practice of meal planning sounds very complicated and time consuming however once you have established the meal foundation it really simplifies your life. In many circumstances we see that it even relieves the stress of running home and trying to decide “what’s for dinner”.

Another benefit to Meal Planning is that it allows you to make fewer trips to the grocery store and ultimately cuts down on the “Snack Aisle” purchases. This practice really simplifies the grocery shopping experience as well as the budget planning. Remember to keep some flexibility in your calendar as there are those days where something just does not sound good.

Some other advantages to Meal Planning would be: you can plan healthier meals; it’s a great way to really monitor your monthly grocery expense; you have an opportunity to realize what is not being used in your refrigerator; you have the ability to cook what you want and when you want it.

Since my wife took on this challenge months ago I have really enjoyed looking at the schedule and seeing what’s for dinner this week. I would encourage you if you haven’t already tried Meal Planning to take the challenge for a month or two. I believe you will find it greatly rewarding.

-Joe Larson FLCS Certified Credit Counselor