Meal planning is such a huge part of home management because people have to eat several times a day and if you aren’t prepared for that, it could cost you way more time and money than it needs to. If you have checked out my previous post, Budgeting for Busy People, and put together a budget, you can now decide how to spend the money that you allocated for food. Here are a few things I have learned in my meal planning journey.
Involve the people you live with
This is going to look different based on whether you life alone, with roommates, or a family. If you live with roommates, a system of switching off making food and sharing the cost of groceries between them can work really well if you get along. This can cut down on the cost of food as well as the work taken in preparing the food. Just make sure that it evens out and is fair for everyone involved, don’t get taken advantage of.
If you are married or have a family this looks a little different. Make sure to include your spouse and kids in plans for every meal to make sure you all have something to eat. And then split up who is cooking what depending on your workloads, schedules, and preferences. When cooking, don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it and definitely involve kids in age appropriate tasks, they will learn valuable skills.
Write down a basic plan
Actually write down your meal plan before going grocery shopping. For breakfasts and lunches you can write down a couple ideas each for the week but for dinners it helps to know what you are eating each day. If you are planning on leftovers or eating out some nights you can note that instead. Don’t forget to include snacks and drinks in your plan. By doing this before going to the store, you can have a faster, easier, and less expensive trip. And when you plan in advance you can limit your grocery shopping to once a week or less.
Rely on simple meals and batch cooking
Its hard to find time to cook elaborate meals all the time while trying to focus on work or classes. Have a few easy, quick meals you can pull from when you need to. Some of our favorites are basic pasta with pre-made sauce, cheese, and spinach, simple ham fried rice, and breakfast-for-dinner. For the bigger meals, we generally make enough to eat again the next day. You can also always make a large batch and then freeze it in individual portions to eat later.
Try a rotating meal plan or theme days
A rotating meal plan is basically just a list of meals that you enjoy that you rotate through every month or two. This takes the decision making out of meal planning each week which can really help make things easier. Another option is to have themed days such as “Meatless Mondays” or “Pasta Fridays”. This gives you a general idea for the kind of food to pick each day which also helps the plan come together fast.
Stay tuned for posts on some of my favorite recipes to include in your meal plans.
Check out the other posts in the Home Management for Busy People Series:
Enjoy the good food ahead of you, it will be worth it.
