I don’t know about you, but I suffer from major decision fatigue by the end of each day. But if you really think about it, you probably always use the same key meals week after week anyway. Especially when you plan similar meals each week. Looking at it from afar, monthly meal planning does seem boring. You can plan similar meals for the month using a few key ingredients that you buy in bulk to use throughout the whole month.
This is mainly so you can buy in bulk and (attempt) to go to the grocery store less (unless your children are like mine and need fresh bushels of fruit each week). I think it is best to meal plan for the entire month instead of a weekly meal plan. The first step to meal planning is deciding whether to plan weekly or for the whole month. Why you should meal plan for the whole month Before thinking things through in advance, that extra leftover chicken may have remained in the back of my fridge for a few weeks until I begrudgingly threw it away (for shame!). For example: I will cook an entire chicken, plan to use it specifically for two to three meals, then make chicken bone broth with the leftovers. You can think in advance about creative uses for your leftovers, or how you might use one item in several ways throughout the week. Reduce food waste: Another bonus to meal planning is that you end up with less food waste.I don’t even plan particularly healthy meals, but cooking from scratch at home is always healthier than eating out or ordering in. Create habits for a healthy lifestyle: When you plan what you are eating (and actually stick to it), you tend to purchase healthier options, and more importantly, cook at home more often instead of eating out.Sticking to a plan will have you cutting out the extras, eating out less, and buying in bulk to save some serious cash. Save Money on your grocery budget: Meal planning is the best way to save money on groceries, no matter the items you buy.Once you practice, you can save serious time by not having to meal plan each week, not having to waste time thinking about what to cook each evening, and not wasting time with as many trips to the grocery store. The first time you plan out an entire month of meals, it might actually take you longer. Save time: Meal planning takes getting used to.But, come the end of the week, you MUST cook whatever else you planned for that week in order to be successful. You can always swap what you plan to eat on different days. There is not a great way to get through this other than pushing through. On any given day, you might have a craving. This one is the hardest for me to get over. We might want something else to eat on any given day.Planning allows me to eat the kind of foods that I prefer while keeping the budget in check. I do not love clipping coupons or sacrificing quality in order to save money. Meal planning is my favorite way to save money on groceries. This can be scary! When I started budgeting and seeing how much I actually spent on groceries each month, my jaw dropped. We don’t want to know how much we spend on groceries.While I understand this argument, I will argue that it saves time in the long run. This template can help you streamline your grocery shopping process so you can cut trips down to just once or twice a month! Why don’t most people meal plan? This meal planning tool is for anyone who is looking to save time and money, eat healthier, and reduce food waste. You may not even realize how much food you are buying and how much goes to waste.
You must bring awareness to the food items you bring into your home.
If you are interested in a Homestead Life, meal planning is one of the first things I suggest as a great way to move toward intentionality. This downloadable template is a simple-to-use monthly meal planning template to help you on your journey to create a simpler, more intentional life. Jump to: About Meal Planning | Download the Template | How to Use | FAQs There is no need to print or waste paper! You can create the full meal plan on your desktop computer, and then open the shopping list on your mobile device while you are at the grocery store. Meal planning can take precious time away from doing other homemaking tasks, but it doesn’t have to! To make it easier, I created a Google Sheets Meal Planning Template that you can fill in easily and quickly at home. A free digital file with monthly and weekly Google Sheets Meal Planning Templates (updated for 2024!)