Do any of you make menus?

my2monkeyboys wrote: I'm thinking it will help me take out meat (from the freezer) in time for dinner, make us less likely to eat out so much, etc. Do any of you make menus for the week?

grapfruit replied: I tried that once...I wasn't good at keeping w/it. But I think it's a good idea. You can even get everyone involved w/the "planning". It did make grocery shopping easier...

sparkys2boys replied: I don't per say make a menue for the week.. but I do plan our meals every night for the next day. It makes us eat out less and does help with having the things that I need on hand.

hoosier momma replied: I do make a menu for the week. I don't always assign each dinner to a specific day, but I do decide what I will be cooking all week. This helps me tremendously with the making a grocery list and doing the shopping. It also helps with laying meat out the night before. I work all day, so I have to know in advance what I will be making for dinner the next night. I think we eat out less when I have a plan for the week. Also, I think I spend less at the store because I only buy what is on my list, instead of a little bit of everything. That way things don't go bad before I can get them used up.

TheOaf66 replied: we keep a list of the dinners we have food for and then just pick one every day, hopefully we can stick by it more and not eat out so much

mom2my2cuties replied: I do. And I include all aspects of the meal. Soup/Salad, Entree, Bread and dessert It makes it a lot easier on us. Although I will say, right now, with me jetsetting back and forth across the country, it's just easier some nights to grab McDonalds. And some nights I'm just lazy

coasterqueen replied: I used to, but then my system would get messed up when we decided that particular night we didn't want what was on the list. Now I just look in the freezer every Sunday and pick out several things and set them in the fridge to thaw. Then that way we can choose whatever looks good that night. Not sure if this made sense or not.

cameragirl21 replied: good God, Tish, you are such a Virgo!

my2monkeyboys replied: The only problem that I may have is that my DH doesn't know his work schedule until that day, or sometimes the day before. A lot of times if I've cooked it goes to waste bc Ron doesn't get home before, say, 10 that night (and he won't eat after 8 bc it bothers his stomach), and he really doesn't like leftovers too much. We just eat out a lot bc I hate to cook and then half the food go to waste if he's not there. Or he'll end up home when he was expecting to be out, and I hadn't taken anything out to cook bc I was expecting him not to be there. When he's at work I usually fix Will and myself some soup with cheese sandwiches, frozen meats (like a tray of turkey and then I'll heat up veggies with it), something like that. The kind of food Ron hates, basically. LOL
So, any ideas on how to incorporate meal planning into a life like this?

Cece00 replied: Usually before I go shopping, I go through my recipes and pick out like 4-6 things I'd like to make and buy all ingredients. Then I buy easy stuff that we cook a lot- stuff to make meatloaf, spaghetti, baked chicken, pork chops, etc...and then I buy a few ready made meals...I dont set any meal to any particular day, because I never know what I'll be in the mood for, but at least I know I have the stuff to make whatever meal I could want for the next week or two.

mom2my2cuties replied:
Oh you should see my LISTS!!! I love my lists


But at least we all eat well most of the time

PrairieMom replied: I do. Monday night. Then I go to walmart Tuesday.

Our Lil' Family replied:

3_call_me_mama replied: I do. We shop once a month adn make a menu based on that or vice versa.. Sometimes I make a menu adn then shop.. depends on teh sales. We go out weekly or so for things like bread if we run out or fresh fruits and veggies but other than that once a month adn stick to the menu.. You'd be amazed at how much further your money goes

mummy2girls replied: yes i do .. i plan for the dayhome and then supper as well.. that way i know what to buy for that week and such...alot less stressful than opening fridge/freezer and saying i wonder whats for dinner...LOL

Calimama replied: I make a list of the meals I want to make and then buy what I need for it. I dont plan out each day but I know what my options are.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Sometimes. I did this week. It really does help. It helps when I go to the grocery store because I know what to buy and don't have to go back right away. I also love having things ready when DH gets home. And like you said, it reminds me to take something out of the freezer on time.

I'm making a roast right now that I had planned. It was so easy to just stick it in the oven and know it will be ready in an hour. I hate doing things last minute...we eat better this way!

ZandersMama replied: never! but I should, i'm always in the fridge at 4:30 wondering what to have for supper

luvmykids replied: Not necessarily a menu but I try to go to the store with about four meals in mind....I try to get double duty out of a lot of them. If I make meatloaf I make a batch of meatballs at the same time, if I cook a chicken I plan on two meals, etc so I don't have to do as much work.

luvmykids replied:
I try to start some of my dinner prep right after breakfast, that way I do the most work when I have the most energy plus my meat has time to thaw (usually LOL). For bigger cuts I take them out on Sunday and just cook them whenever they're thawed.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: Absolutely. I don't really have time to fool around with the three kids hanging off my pants everytime i want to do something other than entertain them... and with the kids around from daycare... well, I HAVE to have a lunch menu anyways...with snacks included... so might as well have the menu for dinner too. It's just easier...and I have my routines set. Since I usually double or triple cook, it's not that big a deal if one night we decide to change it up... we just pull out a pre-cooked dinner and heat it up to eat.

It really helped with the grocery bill too. Believe it or not, we only spend about 450$ a month on food for me, dh, and 5 kids.

(Course, I make lots of stuff from scratch too... so that could be where the costs are cut. )