Meal-Planning: A Great ROI

Every Thursday night, my husband gives me this sad look. I know what he's thinking. After dinner, it's the dreaded weekly meal-planning. We sit down with my meal planner and write out what we are going to eat for the next week; making a shopping list as we go. I go food shopping by myself and typically do all the cooking but as for the planning, I'm a terrible wife and make him provide input.

Yes it takes time but when we can spend the next seven days not thinking about what to eat or having to run to the store, we agree that dreaded night is a great return on our investment. Once you do this for a few weeks, you may find certain items become regulars so the planning goes even faster. You can also save the plans and reuse them every few weeks. Personally, I love trying new recipes all the time.

1. To get started, grab a notebook or meal planning pad
2. Take note of any perishable ingredients you have on hand
3. Grab recipe books or log into Pinterest
4. Write down any meals or snacks you know you'll be eating out, if applicable
5. Find recipes you like (and that use up ingredients you need to use) for meals and snacks and write them in for each day (I make my shopping list as I go)

That's it. You have your meals planned out and are ready to make one trip to the store. People who meal plan often find they spend less money, eat healthier and save time overall.

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