What do you do to plan your menus?

Here's what I want to do (but am really open to any suggestions):

I thought I would list all the different meals my family knows and loves. Maybe put them in different categories like, beef, chicken, pork, mexican, italian, casseroles, barbecue, etc. Then go through every week and plan according to what we have in the house and what can be bought on sale at our grocery store. I like to try new recipes, too. So maybe once a week or every two weeks, I could add something new.

I haven't decided really how I would like to organize this. So if you guys have any suggestions or examples of what you do, I would love to hear(read) them! Thanks!

I do something similar...I just go through the cupboards and figure out what I can make with what I have. Allrecipes.com has an ingredient search, so that helps sometimes....helps use stuff I have PLUS I get to try something new. I make something new probably 3 times a week. I buy meat when it's on a short dated clearance and usually stock up on what they have on that. Then there are certain meals that I ALWAYS make sure I have the stuff to make....homemade pizza, grilled cheese & tomato soup, etc. HTH!

I generally sit down with the store ad on Sunday and plan for the week, including treats. Then my husband is home and can have input if he likes. Also, if have a new recipe I want to try, I can add the ingredients to my grocery list right then and there. otherwise I never make new stuff cause I don't have the ingredients.
i used to have a list of all the menu items we liked taped to the fridge - so that when I open the fridge and think "what's for dinner" I see the list. My husband got tired of the same things all the time though, so I don't do that any more. He likes when I try new recipes, so I generally try to once a week.

I plan my meals on Sunday so when I shop on Monday I know what to buy. I made a list of everything my family likes and plan it out and write it on a calander in my home notebook and also put one on the fridge. I keep the calanders for a full yr to help give ideas and if I put one on the fridge I do not hear "What's for dinner as often. We also have new recipe night a couple of times a month and if the majority of us like it we add that to the mix. I also only plan dinners since breakfasts and lunches (if anyone is home ) are fend for yourselves meals.

I just figure out what I'm in the mood for, for the week. I sometimes ask the kids if they have any special requests. Dh never cares! LOL!

I like to make a lot of different things and I like to try new recipes too.

Every morning I whip up my menu for the day.
Depending on what I have - chicken, beef, pork, steak, etc...
After that, the side dishes come quickly.

__________________
You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Gandhi

I buy the marked down meat alot too.That helps me out and saves A LOT!As soon as you get home toss it in the freezer and it stays good for months.

The ladies have gave you great ideas.The only thing I can see that I can add is I take inventory of my freezer and have a list and mark things off as I use them and add things on there when I got grocery shopping.

Good luck with this.Let us know what you end up doing please?

__________________
*Wife to Rick since (14 years)*
~Mom to 2 boys Dakota 13 & Ryan 8~
__________________________________



~Month~Budget~Spent~
February~400.00~380.35
March~400.00~419.65
April~400.00~395.94
May~400.00~391.53
June~375.00~373.13
July~375.00~365.62
August~365.00~363.24
September~355.00~292.74
October~345.00~

I normally look through the sales ads on Sunday to see what items are on sale, I try to work w/those as much as possible. Then I check our pantry to see what I can use to cook with and finally I try to match coupons w/the sale items, if possible. I try to pick out 1 new recipe every 2 weeks to try out. I also tend to look for meat on sale, I've heard it's best to go earlier in the morning to find those before they are all gone.

I typically work from the sale adds on Sunday as well. Then, I will plan my weeks menu based on what I have and what is on sale!
I also have a computer program which I can input my favorite recipies and down load new ones. Then, it will automatically create a shopping list of the ingrediants I will need. This has helped me a lot because if I am going to make a meal with more than a few ingrediants then I never remember to buy everything unless it is written down for me. The program saves me a lot of time and keeps me a bit more organized. If I put more effort into the program then I could create weekly, monthly, or even a yearly menu if I wanted!

It is also nice for planing parties because I can look up what recipies I used at my son's last Birthday party and reuse those for other parties and such as well.

Jellylou! What is that program and where can I find it???