Free Meal Planning and Money Saving Tips

Many shy away from the thought of meal planning as it seems to be such an arduous task. The mere thought of meal planning can make others cringe. But why? Meal planning does not have to be a chore, but rather, it's a necessity. By learning the basics of meal planning, you'll be able to design a menu that will work for you. Before you begin, you will need to create your own concept of meal planning, i.e. will you plan meals for yourself, you and a significant other, or do you have a big family? Next, you will need to determine how many days a week will you prepare meals. Once this is determined, the first phase of meal planning is already established.

There are many different approaches to meal planning. Determining which approach works best for you is key. I do not have one solid approach. How I go about planning my meals for the week depends on my schedule, i.e. Realistically, what type of meals will I have time to prepare? With this in mind, I only cook 5 nights a week. Days 6 and 7 are reserved for leftovers, soups, frozen food items, or even take out. Below, I have outlined my 3 main approaches to meal planning.

Option #1: Plan your meals around pre-designed menu plans as found at Menu Planning Central. This is the best option for someone who wants to start on the path of meal planning, and is looking for a variety of pre-made menus and meals to get started. This is especially beneficial for busy families. Having weeks worth of meals already planned out can save you even more precious time to spend with your loved ones.

Option #2:This is my preferred meal planning tip as it continues to prove how cost effective it is. Each week I go through advertising for main grocery store chains. There are two grocery store chains that I use each week. I grab those two advertisements and look for their "deals". This could include deals on chicken, steaks, beef, pasta, etc..Based on the types of food items on sale, I begin to plan my meals. Once I determine which foods I want as a main course for dinner, I either create meals using my own original recipes or go to my favorite websites and type in the search button the main ingredient I want a recipe for. For example, chicken. I will type the word "chicken" and tons of recipes involving chicken pop up. I choose the one that I think will be the least expensive and/or the least time consuming to make. I go down my menu planning list until I have created a menu for the week. In addition to the internet, I also go through my family recipes or ones that I have created.

Option #3:Go to any on-line recipe websites and/or Cookbooks you have on hand and pick main course meals. I usually pick main course meals that will cover 5-6 nights. The remaining nights are designated for leftovers, frozen pizza, treating yourself for take out or whatever your heart desires! Based on which meals you picked, plan on making those meals throughout the week and go to your staple list to pick meals for breakfast, lunch, and snacks.

How to save money is on most of our minds, especially when it comes to groceries. We all have noticed how expensive key items are at the grocery store. There are ways to purchase a whole weeks worth of meals without breaking the bank. You don't even have to resort to eating processed foods, just because there is a 10 for $1 deal. You can purchase healthy items and plenty of veggies as long as you follow a few steps.

There are a few things you can do to save money at the grocery store. By now, you have figured that meal planning is a must. Sticking to a specific grocery list is another. If you walk into a grocery store without a list, you are prone to purchasing things you do not need. As a result, food items will expire. Then down the trash it goes! What a waste of money!

In addition to creating a menu and a grocery list, go through the grocers circulars for deals. Use coupons. MealPlan4Me.com can tell you how to obtain free, printable coupons.

Other ways of saving money include:

Cooking in Bulk
A great way to save money is to cook in bulk. You can always cook meals in bulk and freeze them for later use. For example, you can make an entire casserole dish, eat only one portions worth, and freeze the rest. You can freeze one portion at a time. That way, you can eat the casserole for lunch or dinner at a later time. You don't even have to waste time waiting for the whole casserole to defrost.

Rotating Menu
For another meal planning tip, instead of always creating a new menu for the week, you can start rotating your menus. I would suggest you create 3 months worth of menus and start rotating them. The 3 months worth will give you enough meals so you don't get tired of eating the same thing over and over again. It will give you enough variety, yet, you won't need to spend a lot of time trying to figure out what to make each week.

Buying in Bulk
Another money saving tip is to buy in bulk. If you don't want to buy groceries on a weekly basis, with the exception of fresh fruits and vegetables, then go to a wholesale grocer. Freeze bulk meats, by cans in bulk, rice, pastas, or whatever. This will help you in many ways. Especially if you don't have time to go to the grocery store often. Based on the items in the freezer, you can create your menus.

Creating and maintaining a staple list is key. Your staple list will be a list of items that you will always have on hand. These are items that are a must and may or may not be used in your menu planning. The importance of creating a staple list can not be stressed enough if you are going to be successful in planning and creating meals. Before I create my grocery list, I go through my staple list to ensure these items are fully stocked. Below, you will see a sample of my staple list.

* Milk

* Coffee

* Creamer

* Bagels

* Oatmeal

* Cream Cheese

* Butter

* Granola Bars

* Spaghetti

* Rice

* Chicken Broth

* Tomato Paste

* Flour

* Sugar

* Baking Soda

* Baking Powder

* Extra Virgin Olive Oil

* White and/or Red Wine

* Onions

* Garlic

* Canned Soup

* Bread

* Fruit- 2-3 different kinds (usually apples, oranges, bananas)

Each household will have their own staple items, depending on what you feel are key must have items. If you have children, this list will vary as well. As time goes on, you may wish to add or delete some of the items off of the list.

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This lens has given you the basics of meal planning. You should have an understanding of how to start the process and ways to start saving money. If you are interested in learning more, then check out mealplan4me.com's RSS FEED and receive the latest updates!