how far ahead do you plan your menu??? About This Page:

[stefffe]

i am sooo full of questions.....im sorry

how far do you guys plan ahead meals? im wanting to know what is realistic here.....since im trying to only grocery shop the minimum times every month.


thanks....again...for al lthe information. i promise...no more questions today

[PatV]

At first I thought you meant at WDW, as we leave in a week, staying at the Wilderness Cabins (which means packing groceries/ice chest.)

I started a new job several months ago and we've really not gotten into a good grove for meals. My kids are 12 & 17 and we all get home at a different time. I go to the grocery store every weekend, usually Sunday, and buy for the week. Mostly, I try to keep things in the freezer as it seems "planning" doesn't go well. Keeping a calendar on the fridge of all our evening activities has helped slightly, if just knowing when someone is leaving again.

There are some great frozen "family size" dinners at the grocery store, that you can add quick sides with.

I'm looking forward to seeing comments here and learning as well what other busy families are doing...

[Colexis Mom]

I try to plan for the week, but I'm usually at the store at least twice, if not more because we've usually run out of something we need

[jjj6689]

I don't really plan but keep a full pantry. I always for the ingrediants for 1-2 kinds of soup (chili, bean or split pea) 2 cans of our favorite vegetables, and fruits. And we have pork chops, chicken breasts and a 1/2 of beef in the freezer. I always have the basics for a meal. And is I find a new recipe I shop for it.

[EeyoreNeedsLoveToo]

I plan a week at a time -- and each week try to make at least double of one or two things so I have a couple of "easies" in the freezer.

[Tink and co.]

I plan a week ahead of time as well and grocery shop once a week. I make a Costco run once a month for dog food, TP, meat, and other stuff that's cheaper there.

[lukeandbrookesmom]

A week at a time. I tried doing it monthly once so I could only go to the grocery store once a month but that idea bombed. It's too hard to buy fresh items (fruits, veggies, milk, bread, etc.) monthly and have it stay fresh so I'd end up going each week for those things anyway. I do stock up on non-perishable stuff when it's on sale.

[DisneyFanAnn]

DH and I shop once a week and I usually have the meals planned out for the week ahead. Sometimes I'll plan two weeks but I still go shopping each week (typically on Fridays so we don't have to do it on our weekends.) I try to make a meal that either has leftovers so we can have it for lunch or another dinner or make something that I can freeze and have a few meals made ahead of time.

[Nimros]

I plan one week at a time and shop once a week also. And yes, I usually make at least one extra trip back to the store to get milk (we like to have it as fresh as possible.)

My challenge is that I go to at least two different stores to make sure we get the best and/or least expensive items we need. But I do make Friday my shopping day so all the trips are made on one day.

[graygables]

I used to plan a week in advance, but finally just got to where I keep things pretty well stocked and whatever I remember to thaw is what we have. If I forget, we have soup or just EMFH (ever man for himself). Sadly, that's been happening more and more frequently and I've got to get back to planning a menu. I only grocery shop once a week for the most part, when DDs are at dance class is when I do all my errands. I miss the days of cheap gas and close grocery stores!

[Teresa]

We used to try to do it for a month, but that didn't work - too hard to decide what I'll FEEL like making and eating in 3 weeks!
Now, we keep as much stuff on hand as possible, and what ever DH or I decide to defrost is what we have.

[tinker_me_happy]

My biggest downfall when it comes to savings is the meal planning and grocery shopping! I am at the point where I am TIRED of being the one to plan and cook. My 15 year old was doing it for a while and it worked great, but now he doesn't want to plan (but is willing to cook since he gets paid to do it.) I think one of my new year resolutions will be to work on WEEKLY menu plans (will definately HELP with my new better eating/healthier eating new year goals!) DS can still cook!

I think trying to plan out more than a week for menus is fine, but I would still grocery shop once a week. Plan one big shopping a month for the "stock" items and smaller weekly shopping for what you need fresh.

[tinker_me_happy]

OH and I think with that being said: It's time to clean out the pantry!
What's in your closet?

[emtpej]

My DW buys some of our treat / company-type food from DSs PTA fundraiser called Market Day. Most of it is REALLY good! (DW does not like to cook) Another time-saver (not money-saver) that my MIL likes is Schwan's frozen food delivery

[taymaesmom]

Ok this is where I get a bit crazy with the overplanning. Since I started back to work last year and I dont get home till 6pm I like to have things ready to go. I go grocery shopping once every two weeks and what I do is sit down with a notebook and down one side of the paper I write down all the meals I want to make for the next two weeks, entree plus sides/bread etc. Then down the other side I write down all the ingredients I dont already have on hand and that is what I shop for. And since everything is written down when I get home and cant think of what to make I pull out my notebook and see what I shopped for and go from there. I usually plan 2-3 complicated meals, several average meals, and many easy quick we-have-dance-practice-in-an-hour meals. It has worked well for me and I dont feel as overwhelmed when I get home. Plus when I am planning meals I can flip back through the pages of my notebook and see what we had for meals months in the past for those different ideas. I do still run to the store once a week for fresh fruit and milk when needed but not as often as I had previously.