Menu Planning

This is a sub-goal for my larger, all encompassing goal of managing my money. "But Carrie," you might be asking your computer screen, "How does menu planning have any bearing on money management?" You might also be thinking "Why does she think I care?", but I am going to ignore that second thought and run with the first.

Menu planning is a great way to manage your money, save yourself numerous kitchen related headaches, and maybe squeeze some time out of your day when you can sit and relax. And I am down with relaxing - there are days that I'm not sure that I remember what the word relax even means - and so, I am also down with menu planning.

Menu planning is the act of sitting down and planning out what you are going to eat for the coming week. It includes 7 lunches, 7 dinners, X number of fancy breakfasts, snacks and desserts. When I think about it, I start to get a little hivey - I'm not going to lie to you. But before anyone loses their minds over this ... let me assure you that it is no where near as scary as it sounds. In fact, I will do a sample one for you right now:

Monday --
Breakfast: Frosted Mini Wheats with Milk
Lunch: Peanut Butter and Jelly with a tiny salad
Dinner: Sauteed Chicken, rice and frozen green beans
Snacks: Celery and Humus; Corn Chips; Cheetos
Dessert: Christmas Fudge

Ta-Da! One day down and it only took me 5 minutes to think of it all! Now, if I were doing this for real, I would do this again for every day of the week. And be honest with yourself. If you don't write Cheetos down in your snack space, but you know that you will die without them and probably make an emergency midnight run to the gas station to get a bag, then put them on the list. No one has to know.

The next step is to make yourself a shopping list ... and stick to it. If you buy too much food, you will end up throwing it away which is pretty much the same as lighting your money on fire, which is just plain silly. Sticking to your list will save you time in the store, since you'll know what you're looking for, and money on those impulse buys that you think you might need but really don't. And before you make your list, you might want to double check your fridge and pantry to make sure you aren't buying more of what you already have.

I am putting this plan into action on my next shopping trip. I will let you know how it goes ...

Do you use menu planning in your shopping routine? Did you love it right away? Do you hate the idea? Let me know what you think!