What's for dinner?

Meal planning is something that I have been trying to do for a long time now.  I started out trying to use a whiteboard, then I tried a laminated calendar that I posted on my fridge, then I moved on to trying an app on my iPad to do my meal planing but I ended up forgetting about them all too easily.  I personally needed to have that piece of paper in front of me, that I could carry around with me* and refer to.

So I created my own meal planning calendar. I fill in the dates then write in my meals with a pencil so if something changes I can easily erase it. Sometimes I will fill out the calendar at the beginning of the week, but I typically fill it out right before I need to go grocery shopping.  I'll sit down and think about what is already in the house and what I would need from the store to make a complete meal and then fill in each day with a meal.  I know of people who have planned out entire months at a time but I've found that it works best for me to plan out 10-14 days at a time.

My planning calendar

Granted there are days that I don't follow my plan or I forget to plan for a few days. For example, Thursday was supposed to be Beef & Rice, but the hubby needed to help out a friend that night so the girls and I ended up having Silly Supper (which is my fun way of saying we're having cereal) instead.  So I just adjust the calendar and move things around.  The planning has definitely helped me save time and money. When you have meals planned out you're less likely to get home, look at your cupboards and just decide, "maybe we should go out for dinner?"

Do you plan out your meals? 

If you don't, I challenge you to try it. Even just start by planning out the next couple of days.  I think you will feel more of a relief when it comes to meal time.  So what are you having for dinner?

* I have a folder that goes with me daily.  It includes my meal plan calendar, my grocery list, my to do list, and now my blogging calendar.  All of which I'm sure will make an appearance sometime on the blog.  If you don't know this about me already, you will soon find out that I love making lists, checklists, calendars, etc. I'm sure a few people would agree that I can go a little overboard with my lists.