Menu Planning/Grocery Store Trips

[5ft Diva]

Okay, BW. You made me think of a new thread to start. You said that you make your menu a month at a time. Tell me your system.

1) When do you have time to do that? (I really would like to know the answer to that - it's not a sarcastic question.)

2) How often do you duplicate meals during the month? Or rather, how often are you able to rotate through before you start duplicating. (This is where I get into trouble.)

3) How often do you do your trips to the grocery store when you plan a month at a time? For instance, do you get all of your non perishables at one time and then just go when you need to weekly to get your produce and stuff, or what? I would like to know more.

Also, if someone else has a great system please share as I would love to hear any and all effective ways to get dinner on the table.

[Meticulous madness]

Oh yes! I second these questions. I have been wanting to start a similar thread for a while now.

Every time I clean out my kitchen pantry, inevitably throwing away many items due to expiration, I get very discouraged seeing how my current system (or lack thereof) is obviously not working for my family.

I would LOVE to hear what everybody does (whether it's daily, weekly, monthly...whatever). From simple ideas to complex systems, PLEASE DO SHARE!

[bookworm]

1) I just have to make time- whether it's not reading one afternoon, not browsing BnS or whatever. Bear in mind, I have slightly more free time than you do, Diva, as my youngest is in school now. It's just something I find time for. It takes about a half hour, I would estimate, and if I'm needed, it's not hard to come back and resume later. That also includes time spent checking to see what we already have in the freezer, pantry and basement.

2) We duplicate a few meals each month, like usually we have two spaghetti nights, because we LOVE it, often two grilled chicken sandwich nights, etc. I try not to duplicate in a two week period, but I figure twice a month isn't bad at all, especially if they like the meal. Some things only happen once a month, if they're more expensive (like lasagne, greek chicken, buying pizza, etc.)

3) I used to make the menu on the day before payday and go two weeks at a time, but I decided to do a whole month of meals at once, then I can watch for too many repeats, etc., but I still buy groceries on payday. (I menu the whole month, but only buy one pay period's food at a time right now)

This is what I do: Some time ago I sat down and brainstormed all the dinner ideas I could think of- what would I order at a restaurant that I can make at home, what are everyone's favorite meals, etc. (I got input from the family for this list, too). I think I opened up a few cookbooks for ideas, too. So I have a comprehensive list stuck in the alley between my fridge and pantry- it's out of sight, but I can pull it out if I need ideas.

I use printshop's calendar program, so then I can make it cute, and I make time toward the end of the month. I don't menu breakfast or lunch- they are basically the same things every day, anyway.

I type in the dinner, and at the same time I jot down the ingredients we are missing for that meal on my shopping list. I noticed my sister was menu-ing the whole meal, where I had only been doing the main course, and I thought that if I wrote out the whole meal, veggies, jello, rolls and all, then I'd be more likely to make the whole meal and not just a pot of spaghetti and nothing else .

I've been seriously considering assigning each child a night to cook each week, then they could choose what meal goes on the menu on their night, but I'm not committed yet... it would be fun for them, and would be good for us to work together side-by-side and one-on-one, but it feels like more work for me at this point, so it hasn't come about.

Hope that helps!! If anyone has a better system, or tweaks this for better results, let me know! I'm always looking for ways to consolidate activities and save time...

[5ft Diva]

This is a great idea, BW. I made a list like yours a while ago and taped it to the inside of my cabinet where my cookbooks are and it is very helpful when I'm feeling like our food is becoming mundane. That makes perfect sense to go shopping on pay day. That way you know you have the money for the food you eat. We, too, suffer from the single dish meal. I hate it when I go to feed my family and realize I hadn't planned out the salad, which is still at the store, and rolls, which are still unmade, because I forgot to write it down. I also notice that if I do cook like this our food goes A LOT further.

One thing that I have tried lately (which is working) is before going to bed I whip out my planner and go over my schedule for the next day. At this time I also write down everything I want to accomplish the next day and prioritize it and the thing I have just added to this routine is making sure I have all ingredients for the next night's dinner. It works really well if I have my menu made out, if not then I'm kind of left feeling discouraged to wake up for the next day.

Thanks for sharing, BW. I really appreciate this. It's nice to know it only takes you a 1/2 hour to come up w/ the menu (I probably should double that time, eh?) I also love the idea that you make your menu on the computer because I can see how it would be nice to go back and see what you had a couple of months ago or what maybe you even had this time last year so you can remember what's in season and when. Okay, I've got to get better at this.

I just have to remind myself that I can't get too excited or antsy to do this as it'll be about 12 weeks before I'm feeling like life is back to normal for me - and even then, it's a new normal so that even takes some adjustments. Thank goodness it'll be summer by then and our schedule can be a little more relaxed as I work through this.

One more question - how long did it take from the time you started doing this to when you could actually say this was your system? I gotta be realistic in what I picture in my head as "succeeding" at this new thing. Does this make sense?

[bookworm]

I'm happy to share!!

To answer your question, I'm not sure... I used to just figure out dinner every day, and we really didn't eat such a wide variety as we do now- mainly because our budget was extremely tight. A few years ago, I used to shop the sales, and I would use what was on sale to make my menu- it wouldn't hurt to start doing that again- but I got to a point where I could only afford to buy bare necessities, and that changed everything.

Once we were financially able to really branch out, it probably took me a good 3-4 months until this system really felt like how I would keep doing things, and then I still made changes. I've only been doing whole meal plans and whole month menus for about 4 months.

You are right, I wouldn't get too crazy too soon, because new babies change everything, but I bet you could put together two months of menus- I would say use your planner so you can plan easier meals (freezer meals, anyone?) on the nights you have Pack Meeting or RS meetings or whatever, so you'll have less to do those evenings, and when DH is out of town, plan a cold cereal night or two and take it easy! That's what I would do, anyway. Good luck, my dear!!

[5ft Diva]

Cool. This is really helpful. Thanks!

P.S. I love the idea of a planned cereal night. How practically perfect!