Great !! Thank you

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Marie - SAHM of DS Benjamin (april 2004) and DD Rose (march 2006).

I've been doing this for a few months now and it has really helped for us to save $$ as well as not rushing around and grabbing unhealthy food.

I've been sticking to a menu for about 6 months now. I plan at least one crock pot meal each week on our busiest day. I also make soup once a week with extra chicken(or other meat) prepared on a previous day. Yes, I make dh grill at least once a week. We have a pizza night and a meatless dinner. The other two nights are open to fit sales or our schedule. I may buy a convenience meal(boxed dinner) or we may have enough to have leftover night. I try to stick with this plan to ensure variety during the week. I check out cookbooks from the library and try new recipes a couple of times a month.

I don't plan lunch or snacks. I just make sure there is plenty of bread and peanut butter. LOL!

We just started menu planning again after a long break. This was actually my DHs idea from when he was on a diet, but we started back in January after a bit of a spending bender in Dec. We get paid every 2 wks, so we do plan two weeks at a time & shop for everything we need for that period. This works out well b/c I've usually already put the calendar on the fridge with all the nights we won't be at home (or where DH is on his own). So we know which nights that we don't need a full meal. We don't always stick to the exact meal on the exact day, but usually do. One problem I've found with the 2wk plan is that many of the fresh items don't make it 2wks. I think we're going to start picking those up on a weekly basis. We usually do just dinner. I work at home so I usually have sandwiches or leftovers, DH takes leftovers.

I have been getting a little bored with our menus.. so I'm hoping to find some good new ideas here. I like the idea of a master menu of all the meals we like, we had not thought of that.

This is my first month to plan a menu for the entire month. I think it's going to be great. I hope I can make it a habit.

I think that is a great idea! I've been trying to do this for the past few months however I can't get past the part of picking what to eat. I know it sounds like such a simple task as I fix dinner every night but when it comes time to sit down and designate a meal for a night, I draw a blank. I feel like I'm fixing the same thing all the time. Any suggestions?

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Holly Drake
Wife to William
Mom to Brittany
Step-mom to Elizabeth

I just did this this past week and it was great. I also belong to a cooking co-op with my moms group and we save money on meals. our dinners average about $4-$7 a meal (serving of 4) depending on the meat chosen. It is the best thing since sliced bread! =)

I have been menu planning for years and one thing I have to say is that I have good months and bad months. Throw in a holiday like Easter and it throws off my food budget and planning as well. The best advice I can give would be 3 things:

1) Invest in an extra freezer---this will save you money sooner then later

2) I try to use at least one large piece of meat a week so it will be used for
2 dinners ex: roast chicken (on sale) and crock pot chicken noodle soup
later in the week

3) You have to plan ahead for breakfast and lunch too or else it will mean
extra trips to the store and you will be tempted to pick up extra items
that are not in the menu plan or in the budget.

I hope theses tips help---I really enjoy reading everyone's posts and I can't wait to get more tips to help my improve my frugal living.