I'm constantly learning how to simplify, plan ahead, and save money. I've read several other mom's methods for meal planning and turned it into my own. Remember, it doesn't work unless it works for you. Take ideas from others and then adapt them to fit what you need.
Right before (or sometimes right after) we get paid (which is once a month), I figure out how many dinners I will need to make over the course of the next month. That way I have a more realistic idea of what to budget for. I have a simple yellow note pad that on one page I write "Meals for the Month" and number down the page how many I will need.
After figuring out how many meals I need, I take stock of what I already have in my kitchen. On another page in my notepad I write "What I Have". I literally open the freezer, fridge, and cabinets to find the main food items that I have and will not need to purchse that month. This also gives me a visual of what I have that could go with other things. As I have ideas of meals that I could make using what I already have, I go back to the "Meals for the Month" page and jot them down.
On the next page in my notebook I write "What I Need". This is my grocery list and after deciding what meals I want to make I write down the things that I will need to make these meals that I don't already have. I try to write down numbers of items as I think of them that way I won't be confused once I get to the grocery store and won't buy more than I need for that month. For instance, this month I want to make deer burgers along with quinoa burgers so I needed to make sure I had enough buns for both meals.
If I can't think of many meals off the top of my head, I will use a couple sources of inspiration. I have a notebook where I've put recipes that I've cut out of magazines. I've organized it according to types of foods. This comes in really handy when I need some good ideas. It's also nice because if I cook something that we like, I can make notes on the page and have the recipe to go back to. Pinterest is the same way. Sometimes I get a really good magazine like Cooking Light or Better Homes and Gardens and I use that as my source of meal ideas for the month. I also use www.allrecipes.com a lot as well as other blogs that have real moms making real meals. I try to stick to 1 or 2 sources for the month so I don't get overwhelmed with inspiration. :)
Once I have my list of meals, each week on Sunday I look at my list and try to spread out the types of meals we have over the week. For example we have a bean based meal, a red meat meal, a chicken meal, and a soup meal about every week. This keeps me from making pasta and veggies every night and starving my man of meat dishes. I also think about what we have going on that week and on busy evenings plan to have something easy or in the crockpot. I try to make meat last by cooking it in a casserole, chili, or soup.
Hope this helps! It's really helped me over the past several months to stick to a grocery budget and know exactly what I'm going to cook when.
