HOW TO WEEKLY MEAL PLAN
Updated: Oct 4, 2019
Do you struggle to meal plan? Are you trying to tackle more than you can handle? In this post I walk you through the steps on how I weekly meal plan and share the products that I use as well as a few tips to keep you on track with your meals and your budget!
I normally do my weekly meal planning during my Sunday Prep Routine. Make sure that you allow yourself time in your schedule to get grocery shopping done as well for the meals that you plan. Check out my tips below on ways that you can streamline the shopping process and reduce your spending!
STEP 1: CLEAR OUT YOUR FRIDGE
Before I even start thinking of meals for the week I like to clean out my fridge of expired foods and just straighten it out again. It is helpful to start the week off with a tidy space.
STEP 2: TAKE INVENTORY
As you are going through your fridge start taking inventory of 1) things you are out of 2) things you could use up for your meals that week. I have a magnet shopping list on the side of my fridge that I will write down what I notice we are out of as I'm cleaning the fridge and throughout the week. If you don't have a shopping list next to your fridge I would highly encourage you to do so. I have found that I am far more likely to actually purchase the things that we are out of once I write it down on our shopping list. Before I started doing this I would rely on my memory and would end up having to go to the store several times a week because I kept forgetting something, and of course I ended up spending more money because with each time I stepped into the store I would get something that I did not need.
PRO TIP: USE WHAT YOU HAVE FIRST
Shop your fridge, freezer and pantry first before you go to the store. I like to almost play a game and see how many meals I can create just by using up what we already have.
STEP 3: REVIEW YOUR SCHEDULE
Once you have your inventory list you can start thinking of meals. I like to have our magnetic fridge calendar out and review what we have going on that week and then form meals around our schedule. So for example some weeks we host small group at our house so I know that I will need to come up with a meal that will feed several families. If I hadn't looked at my calendar I would have been in trouble had it come group night and I only had enough food for our family and not our friends.
STEP 4: PLAN MEALS FOR EACH DAY
Once I know what we have going on I start looking through my recipe book to find some meals for the week. I like to plan out at least 5 meals for the week as we account for either leftover night, eating out or group night at someone else's house. Now we don't always stick to the meal that I had planned for the specific days like for example if I had a crockpot meal planned by I forget to get it started that morning then I would just swap meals with the next day.
PRO TIP: KEEP YOUR FAVORITE RECIPES IN ONE SPOT
I like to use my Happy Planner recipe book. I love how it is organized by category and the disc binding. I only put recipes in this book that we have tried and loved. It is so much easier to pull out this pick than to scour my Pinterest board and remember where I pinned the recipe.
STEP 5: CREATE YOUR SHOPPING LIST
Once all my meals are picked out I write everything down on my magnet shopping list. If I am shopping in the store I may rewrite it out on a piece of paper so I can cross things off as I shop. I know lots of people also like to keep their lists on their phone.
PRO TIP: TRY GROCERY PICK UP
If you have a hard time sticking to your list when shopping in the store maybe try doing grocery pick up. I know several stores are doing this and some will even deliver it to your house. I have recently used the Walmart grocery pick up lately and I'm really liking it. It saves me time and money as I don't have those impulse buys. Check it out if you need to stick to your budget, Walmart does not have any fee associated with their pick up service. If want $10 off your first order click here!!
I hope you picked up a few tips that you can implement into your weekly meal planning!! Don't forget to check out the products I use below.
PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS:
- WALMART GROCERY PICK UP: $10 OFF FIRST ORDER
