Monthly Meal Planning

About the time my daughter turned one, I found it very difficult to do my usual weekly grocery shopping with her.  I started doing some research (on Pinterest :) ) about monthly meal planning.  I was a little worried because I had recently dived into the world of couponing and I didn't know if I would be able to take advantage of the good deals if I was only really grocery shopping once a month.  Over the past year, I have developed my own system which has allowed me to do one big shopping trip a month, but still take advantage of good deals with I see them.

To start the planning process, I created a document where I plan out twelve meals for the month.  We don't eat at home every night and it seemed like this was the average number of meals I was cooking in a month.

Monthly Meal Plan

I use various sources to help me choose what meals to prepare for the month - my recipe box, recipe binder, my family's favorite meals, and of course suggestions from my husband.  I write down the meals on my meal planning sheet and on a piece of notebook paper, record everything I am going to need to prepare that meal.  After I have chosen my meals, I take all the ingredients on the notebook paper and compose a grocery list comparing that list to what I already have in my pantry and freezer.  If there are items that I have to buy fresh  the week that I am going to cook the meal, I write that item on my monthly meal planning sheet.  All other items get recorded on this template on my computer:

Grocery List

Once the list is printed, I go through my coupon binder and highlight anything I have coupons for.  These coupons I place in an envelope which I paper clip to my grocery list when I head to the store.  After shopping and putting all my groceries away, I have to update my pantry and freezer lists so I know exactly what I have at all times.  I keep these lists on dry erase boards on the side of my refrigerator right above our weekly meal plan board.  This way I can easily adjust the amounts or erase items when I use them.

I still go to the grocery store once a week, but I can usually pick up what I need in about 15 minutes which makes it much easier to have my daughter with me.  I look at what items are listed on my meal planning sheet that I need to purchase, what items I may need for lunches, and what is on sale that week.

It does take me about 2 hours to plan my big shopping trip, but overall it makes life much easier.  I know what I will be cooking for dinner that night and it allows me to save money by purchasing items in bulk because I know that I will use the ingredients before they go bad.  It is well worth the time and I hope you can figure out a system that works for you.