Best Meal Planning Tips

Meal planning is a budget friendly way to save money and lessen the amount of time spent procrastinating in the kitchen. When you meal plan, you are less likely to splurge on eating out or make unhealthy food choices.

When I am super busy with work, having my meal plan made out for the day is a lifesaver. I don’t have to worry about what I’m cooking because I’ve already planned and shopped ahead of time.

Here are some of my best meal planning tips:

1. Have a list. Create a go to list of meals or recipes that your family likes. When planning, it’s easier to go down a list when you are in a hurry and look at things you are familiar with instead of researching something new online. And if you have picky eaters like I do, it is much easier knowing things that they will like.
2. Keep staples on hand. When meal planning, you should always have pantry staples on hand. Keep a list handy, and utilize those pantry staples. It helps us avoid preparing something and not having an ingredient.
3. Prep ahead when you can. On days when you are not busy, you can prep ahead of time to make cooking easier. Cut up veggies. Bag and marinate meats. Do things that will simplify your life. If I have to brown ground beef for a meal, I do a lot at one time and separate it into containers or freezer bags for use later. Then when I am making something that requires ground beef, I already have it ready and it cuts down on the time needed to cook. The same goes for chicken, beans, ground sausage, or anything else that can be cooked and prepped beforehand.
4. Meal plan with sales in mind. If you really want to save money with meal planning, then plan your meals around weekly sales at your favorite grocery stores. Most stores have a cycle when it comes to sales. If you know that next week beef will be on sale, then you will plan to have more beef that week. The same goes for certain snacks and veggies. Notice when your store’s cycles are and make a note of it in your planner.
5. Put your list in writing. Keep your list handy. Check it off as you go. Some planners (like ours) have a grocery list included so that you can shop with your list, and then hang it in the kitchen or put it in your planner. By the way, our Weekly Meal Planner is free when you subscribe to our Newsletter.