A Little Planning Saves A Lot of Money

I would venture to say most money-saving techniques fail when we do not have the proper planning.  I hate to plan things.  I like effortless, mindless ideas that don't backfire if I've had a rough day or a crazy schedule.  That is why I plan my meals for the entire month.  One night, I sit down before writing out my shopping list, print out a calendar and write down every meal I plan to make that month.  I'll admit, I don't always follow the plan.  Last minute things come up or I forget to pull something out to thaw in time and the whole menu gets rearranged, but I at least know what to buy and make for the rest of the month with very little thought required on a day to day basis.

The menu calendar that I have created is a PowerPoint file (download it here: Menu Calendar).  Not only do I write down what I plan to serve for the month, but I also note when my husband gets paid and what day I plan to do my grocery shopping so I can plan out my cash-only strategy accordingly.  You could probably use a dry-erase calendar or regular yearly calendar instead of print-outs, but I like to use the computer since that is where my electronic shopping and price lists are stored.

Your method may change depending on when paychecks come in.  Some people are paid every two weeks, in which case a consistent four week menu may be best, whereas my husband is paid on the 1st and 15th of every month so a monthly menu fits our lives.  This leads to some months requiring more meals than others, but as long as I budget high for the large months I can rejoice on months like February when I get to throw a lot of money in our can.

From here, I ask my husband if he has any requests for dishes for the upcoming month, then I start filling it out.  The use of the menu gives me a visual that ensures variety so we are never bored with our meals.  Most meals will appear two or three times a month (since that is the quantity I tend to make batches in and freeze them).  Once you have your menu filled out, it will make compiling your grocery list much easier and you know you won't be over-purchasing.

Once I have finished my shopping and I start on my Once-A-Month Cooking, I just pull out the calendar and mark things off as they are prepared and frozen, then I post the calendar on the side of my refrigerator.  By spending a couple hours at the beginning of each month, I save many more hours later that would be filled with agonizing over what to prepare for dinner that night.  It makes my money-saving techniques last-minute-schedule-change-proof.

Tomorrow, I will help you start your calendar with an easy-to-freeze meal:  Homemade Tomato Soup.

More from the Once-A-Month Cooking series:
Freezing Sauces, Soups, and Stews
Freezing Casseroles, Pastas, and More
Freezing Piecemeal