Why I plan a menu. And The Menu.

Last night we were celebrating a friend's birthday party. I was talking to another friend's husband and somehow we got on the subject of budgets. Which for those of you who don't know, Chris and I are taking Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey and are loving it. I fought taking it for a couple of years, but now wish we had taken it earlier. Anyway, he asked about our food budget and how we keep it cheap, etc. I mentioned the menu and he looked at me like I was nuts (and sometimes I feel that way, but it works. We're saving money). He said he often comes home, the couple goes to the grocery store to get dinner for the evening, and then of course they head back home to eat it. I was in awe. I shouldn't be though. I have tons of friends who make regular stops at the grocery store after work to get last minute things for dinner. That can't be fun or easy on the pocket! Last minute trips to the store increase spending and impulse buying. On that note, let me tell you why we plan a menu.

Money: Chris and I have a lower budget for food, and we chose it that way. We also enjoy eating well, so we have to stretch what we have. We are saving about $50 a month by menu planning/ budgeting on groceries. That's $600 a year! And I might add, I am not a big coupon person. I tend to get frustrated with them. Some ways the menu saves money are:

• We don't have any last minute pizza runs because we don't want to figure out what's for dinner.
• We make ONE trip, so we save on gas.
• I have time to compare store ads, and then make my menu based on what we have at home and what's on sale at the store.
• We shop at more than one store (they are all next to another so it is easy for us) to find the best deals.
• We don't waste food. We use it. For example, we have soup every couple of weeks to get rid of veggies that may be going bad. And when we do waste food I get irritated. That's throwing away money!
• You can also buy fruits and veggies that are in season, therefore, cheaper! :)
• We also pay for groceries in cash. And honestly, this is the secret. More on that later.

Time: When I leave practice at 6, all I want to do is go home. And so I do. There is no last minute grocery stop to pick-up bread for dinner, or take-out. It's all done in one trip. There's no extra time spent at the store.There is also no extra time spent rummaging through the pantry trying to find stuff to cook.

Nutrition: A common problem with people on budgets is that they begin to buy cheaper foods to make their money go farther, which usually means that that person buys food that is not as healthy. In our case, it's my goal to not let this happen. I'm trying to make sure Chris and I eat healthier, which the menu helps with. When I plan, I make sure we have veggies, fruit, and grains with dinner. Our fruit and veggie intake has increased since we began, which is awesome.  I also make sure we have at least 1 or 2 vegetarian meals a week, 1 fish, and 1  pork. I don't cook red meat unless we get it for free from someone (like the deer meat we have). I can look at the entire week as a whole and make sure Chris and I are getting the appropriate nutrition our bodies need.

Organization: Since I don't get home until 6:30ish, Chris is in charge of cooking. With the menu, he is able to have a hassle free evening. He usually doesn't help with the menu because he doesn't enjoy it, and that's fine with me. He cooks what's on the menu and it makes our lives so much easier. Obviously some husbands wouldn't like this, but Chris seems to. It also keeps our pantry organized because we are slowly cleaning out all the "junk" from those impulse buying grocery days!

So, that's why we plan a menu! It takes about 5 minutes total once you get the hang of it. The "I don't have time excuse," doesn't fly with this one. :)

Here's the menu I like to use because it forces me to keep track of the meats: http://www.personal-nutrition-guide.com/support-files/weekly_dinner_planner.pdf

Our menu for this week:

Sunday: Leftovers/ Snacky foods
Monday: Whole Grains and Bean soup mix, bread from the freezer, random veggies to throw into the soup
Tuesday: Pizza, Salad
Wednesday: Tilapia, Brown Rice, Italian Veggies, fruit
Thursday: Chicken Quesdaillas (chicken from the freezer), Salsa, and fruit
Friday: Chicken Paninis (same chicken), Green Peas, Fruit
Saturday: Deer Steaks, Green Beans, Sweet Potato Fries