Monthly Meal Planning--Step 4: 5 Tips to get you Through the Month
Welcome to the final installment of the Monthly Meal Planning series! If you've missed the rest of the series, find it here:
My final post is about how we get through a month without grocery shopping. I have a couple of secrets that make it possible.
Secret #1--Plan, Plan, Plan
Planning is all it takes, really. Planning ahead, keeping track of what you have, carefully selecting meals that go with the seasons, all of it works together to get you through a month of no grocery shopping!
I do a lot of planning when I make my menu (step 2 of this series), and make sure I always have some staples in the pantry or freezer to whip up a quick supper if I happen to run out of something. I also am careful to keep track of special occasions that I might need to bring a dessert for.
I have an inventory of what I keep in my freezer and my pantry so I know how much I have when I go to make my list. The more you plan, the better prepared you are in my mind. I know not everyone is a planner, but it really does help when it comes to meal PLANNING! :)
Secret #2--Buy in Bulk
Having to run to the store because you suddenly ran out of something is the enemy of monthly meal planning. To combat this, be prepared!
We have a Sam's Club membership, which I've mentioned, and buying our paper and cleaning products in bulk saves us money each month. The membership easily has paid for itself.
Secret #3--The Deep Freeze
We freeze a lot of things. Like, a lot. I think I'm going to do a post about some things I have in the freezer, sometime, but I'll try to explain some things here.
First, I do a lot of work in the summer to get produce from our garden in the freezer. This includes: zucchini, green beans, applesauce, chopped onions, chopped green peppers, and chopped tomatoes. When I buy onions at the store, I try to chopped them up and put them in freezer bags right away. It saves so much time when you go to make supper!
I make large batches of marinara sauce to put in quart-sized bags to freeze. I also make large batches of homemade refried beans that I freeze by serving size.Josh and I have green smoothies almost every day that I keep frozen. These smoothies are packed full of fruits and vegetables! I make up 15 or so bags each month to use.
Having all of these side dishes and ingredients help when I go to make supper. It's so nice to be able to pull out already chopped onions or tomatoes to add to soups and sauces.
Secret #4--Mid Month Milk Trip
Ok, ok so we DO have to swing by the store once a month for milk and usually bananas or some other kind of produce. You can definitely allow yourself some flexibility--if you forget something or run out of something, go ahead and pick it up!
Secret #5--It takes time and flexibility
It took me several months (maybe 3 or 4) to learn exactly how much we ate, what we needed more of, how quickly we went through things, etc. Give yourself some time for research and development! Your menu, your list, and your plan for the month might need to be tweaked, and that's normal. It takes time.
Here are some things I paid attention to in our monthly meal planning early on:
-Our use of paper products (toilet paper, paper towels)
-How quickly did we go through a gallon of milk
-How long does 1 loaf of bread last us (Josh eats a sandwich every day for lunch during the summer, but not the winter-- I made note of the change)
-How quickly does produce get eaten/what were some produce that lasted the longest (ex: apples last way longer than bananas)
-How long do our leftovers last us and how many full meals do I need to make each week (usually about 3-4)
Taking note of these things will help you plan more effectively on your next shopping trip and throughout the coming months.
One last thing--you might find that you have kind of an ebb and flow sort of situation happening. Some months you might be a little lighter (months like February because it's shorter, or maybe summer months because your garden is producing and you don't need to buy certain produce) and some months might be way heavier (like December with all of the Christmas gatherings or months with birthday/anniversary parties). We've found this to be normal, and our grocery budget still ends up averaging out!
I hope these secrets help you with your meal planning! As always, I would absolutely LOVE to hear from you about how it's going! Let me know here on the blog, on Instagram (@graceandpeacelettering), use my hashtag #graceandpeaceblog, or follow along on Facebook (Grace & Peace Hand Lettering). Let me know if you try any of these steps or if you have any questions!
grace & peace
Mairin
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