How to Menu Plan Weekly
I have been menu planning for several years now. It began out of necessity and having a strict budget and now I do so because it’s a habit and part of my weekly routine. I like to know what we are having for dinner every week. It helps me to plan ahead and make a budget as well as take out the necessary frozen items to thaw.
Menu planning doesn’t have to be hard to elaborate or fancy. Below I will share how my family does menu planning as well as a sample of a week’s plan. It’s simple but gets the job done.
How to Menu Plan Weekly:
- Purchase a planner- or, use one you already have. I have several planners that I use. I have a specific one for menu planning. It was $10 at Aldi. There are so many different kinds of planners. It doesn’t have to be fancy. You just need a calendar and space to make a list. THIS planner is super cute and inexpensive.
- Make a list of your family’s favorite meals- let’s face it, we all eat the same things and rotate them each month. I keep a list of our favorite dinners and soups. There are about 20 dinners and 10 soups. I allow for a new dish every few weeks as well.
- Know your budget- before even sitting down to plan out a menu, know how much money you have to spend. This will help you to not go overboard when planning.
- Plan your menu- I do my planning from Friday to Thursday. I shop on Friday mornings since we are off from school. I sit down every Wednesday to plan my menu and make my grocery list. I can add to it until I shop for the groceries. As you plan, look at your list you made above of dinner ideas. Try a new dish from your favorite cookbook.
- Make a list- I use categories as I plan my menu: produce, dairy, meat, frozen, miscellaneous (all non-food items and dog food), and dry. This helps me to see what we eat the most of and categorizes the items to make shopping easier.
- Tips- I like to make soup in the fall and winter months. I usually plan a huge pot of soup and make it on Sundays. It cooks in my slow cooker while we are at church and we eat on it for several days. I serve soup with crusty bread and salad. I also like to do themed nights each week: Taco Tuesday (can be any kind of Mexican food), Asian dishes like fried rice, and Italian night like alfredo. I also add in a breakfast for dinner night once a week as well as a pizza night every two weeks. About once every two weeks we also have a fend for yourself night or a “clean out the fridge” night.
- Shop- even before the covid-19 crisis, I ordered my groceries online and picked them up. Find a local grocery store and either shop or order your groceries online. I have to order my groceries on Thursdays so I can pick up on Fridays. Bring your list if you shop at the store and cross off items as you put them in your cart.
Sample Menu:
- Friday- chicken spaghetti and salad
- Saturday- salisbury steaks with gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans with bacon
- Sunday- chicken noodle soup, crusty bread, salad
- Monday- leftovers
- Tuesday- BBQ chicken, balsamic brussel sprouts, and cheesy potatoes
- Wednesday- beef and cheese quesadillas
- Thursday- leftovers
When I do my weekly menu planning, I only plan for dinners because we have the same things for breakfast and lunch each day. We eat egg roll-ups (scrambled eggs with cheese in a tortilla) or cereal for breakfast and sandwiches or ramen (my youngest is obsessed with ramen) for lunch. My husband and I (he is still working from home) will eat leftovers for lunch or make omelettes or subs.
Planning out a menu can be simple but useful. Knowing what you need from the store and preparing for the week is part of homemaking. It’s actually very enjoyable for me. It can feel like a burden at first but after doing this for so many years, it comes naturally and is part of my weekly routine. However you choose to plan out your meals, I hope you can glean something from my suggestions above. I always enjoy learning how others do things in their homes.
