Frugal Living 101: Menu Plans to Save Money

There are a lot of ways to save money, but one of the quickest ways to show savings is on your grocery bill. A very effective way to save money on groceries is to use weekly menu planning.

With menu planning, you decide in advance what you and your family will be eating for the week. You can plan breakfasts, lunches, dinners, or any combination of them. You can have planned nights out (if your budget allows), as well as planned leftover nights (nights where you use leftovers in a creative way).

Start by creating a menu plan template. You can also find one online. This will include space for seven days, three meals a day (plus snacks if you like). Make it simple. You could create this quickly in Word using the Table menu, or you could use Excel. You could also simply draw one out on paper. It's up to you.

Next, gather your recipes and meal ideas. What do you and your family like to eat? What do you like to cook? What would you like to try? Consider your schedule and how much time you really have for food preparation. A full seven-course meal is probably out of reach for most busy households. Also consider any special dietary needs of your family.

You'll want variety, so it's good to have at least 14 meal ideas. This gives you a two week rotation of meals. You can add more if you like.

Now simply decide what days you want to fix what meals. Put them in your menu template. If you work late on Wednesdays, make sure you have a quick and easy meal that day. If you've got more time on Saturdays, put that big dinner on that day. Be realistic and practical about your time constraints.

Once you have your menu together, you can build a shopping list based on the menu. Knowing what you are fixing for the next week or two saves guess work on what to buy in the grocery store, and can keep you from making those impulse purchases that cost so much money.

Stay tuned for more articles on frugal living, including making a grocery price book for savings, and some ways to save on utility bills.