Two weeks ago I decided there HAD to be a better way. I was getting really tired of the nightly
1. I sit down (usually with Max) on Sunday night and make a list of 5 meals for the week. Easy meals... nothing too crazy or even new. Just 5 meals that we would normally eat (5 minutes)
2. I write the menu on the wall above the stove for all to see (2 minutes)
3. I make a shopping list that includes everything we need to make these meals plus the other normal things we need each week like bread and milk and fruit... and cheese, haha (10 minutes)
4. I go shopping on Monday and buy ALL the food for the week.
With less than 20 minutes of preparation, I have planned dinner for the week and avoided the nightly "what's for dinner"
So what was on the menu last week??
Monday-

Tuesday-

Wednesday- we went out for dinner (very rare for us!)
Thursday-

Friday-

Saturday-

Questions??
Why only 5 meals?
- Well, I want to plan for 5 specific meals to allow for things like leftover night or going out to dinner. Also, our weekends are usually very unpredictable and almost always involve BBQs, etc. Plus, some nights you just feel like having toast for dinner...
Aren't these meals kind of boring?
- Well, yes and no. They are just normal, everyday meals that I make pretty regularly. Cooking new or overly complicated recipes seemed to overwhelm me in the menu making step and that, my friends, was not part of the plan. I want to make things EASIER on myself. If this plan continues to work for the next few weeks, I might think of throwing in new things here and there. But let's face it... I am a pretty simple minded kind of cook :)
Does this actually help you save money?
- Yes, I really think it does. I was recently reading a blog where the writer was talking about how much money she spends on groceries for she and her husband ($150-$200 a month) and was in total shock! We spend waaaaaay more than that each week... and we only have one of our kids part-time and the other doesn't even eat food yet!! Of course, this was an American blog where the cost of living is much, MUCH cheaper compared to Australia, but I still felt like every time we go down the to the shop for some bread and apples it ends up costing $50. I am new to this whole "shopping for the entire week" thing, but I do believe it will end up saving us some money and TIME. Now if I could only get my husband to pack his lunch everyday... :)
So what about you? Do you meal plan? Does it help you save money? Do you have any suggestions for easy, simple meals? Is it seriously possible for real people to only spend $200 a month on food??!?!?!!?
And just incase you are looking to start something like this, I will continue to share pictures of our meals via Instagram- user name ourlifedownunda
Happy cooking friends! xoxo