I read on this board awhile ago that some of you are organized enough to make a monthly menu (in Excel?) which includes all of the ingredients you will need to purchase from the store? Does anyone know what I am talking about? I have so many recipies all over my computer and I would like a quick an easy way to organize them to create weekly menus and shopping lists. Any suggestions? TIA

I do a monthly menu...all by hand...I don't have a computer program...I not much of a computer person....right now I'm waiting on my dauther she is at callbacks for a play audition and I need something to take my mind off of her. Anyway there is a program called meals.com its a web site... you might want to look at it.... you can put in your own or uses theirs. I think it prints out the grocery list along with the menu. I have seen it...yet I'm more of the paper and pencil type person. I have menus for 6 months and I just change them....add things where I need to. I have basic list for each one and then I add the things that I'm out of and need to get. I hope this helps.

Blessings,
Karen

I also just write one out by hand. I look through the cupboards, pantry, and freezer to see what I have and then I sit down and try to figure out what we will be eating for atleast the next week. I usually write the menu down on one piece of paper and start a grocery list on the other. Then I go to the store once for that week and get everything I need to make my menu for the week. That way I save money by only going to the store once a week( all those little trips add up, I always end up with more in the cart!) and save money by not having to go out becuase I don't know what to make. Every morning I look at the menu and see if I need to take any meat out or I do it the night before. I just posted our menu for the next 2 weeks in the Kitchen Chatter section. Hopefully some people will post theirs and then everyone can have some more ideas!=)

Just wondering if you have your 6 months of menus on your computer. I would love to see those! My biggest challenge is thinking of something to cook!

I do a two week menu, but I don't buy based on my menu, I make my menu based on what I have bought on sale or already have on hand. I just write mine on a calendar.

On cindysporch.net they have a monthly planner and a grocery list you can download and print out. It has been very helpful for me!

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Blessings, Susan

Wow a one month menu, I would not be able to think that far ahead on what my family would want to eat. I normally just go by what is on sale at the grocery store.. When the weekly circular comes out I get online and look at what they have on sale, make my menu from there, and list out what I need to get when I go to the grocery.. helps us, and my family still gets what they like to eat!

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Tara, wife to Jason, mama to Jayden 12/23/06 PG with #2 EDD 8/3/08 ~ non vaxing, co sleeping, cding, bfing,AP family.

I use E-Meals.com for my weekly menus, costs $5 a month and each new week they give me a weekly menu(mon-sun) with the grocery list(broken down into food catagories for easy shopping) and estimated cost of grocery's, they have different "menus" to choose from like Low fat menu, ww points menu, low carb. Check it out at

http://e-mealz.com/

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Patience with others is love. Patience with self is hope. Patience with God is faith.- Adel Bestravos

But if from there, you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 4:29

Behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes

I use Cook N from www.dvo.com. I got the program free with my laptop and it's wonderful! I pay $9.95 for a new cookbook download every month and you can choose from books like Taste of Home, Pilsbury, Betty Crocker and more.

You can add you own recipes which is super easy and the category and search features are terrific! You can plan weekly and monthly and yearly if you wanted too! It even has a printable shopping list that takes the list from your chosen recipes and prints it on a list. It also tells you how many you need so if you only need a tsp. you don't buy a 10 lb. bag!

I highly recommend and no you don't have to join the $9.95 club, I do just to have the chose of more cookbooks.

You can also download recipes master master cook and master meals!

A+ program!

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~ Jessica