Meal planning is something I highly recommend. Not only does it save money, lessens the unnecessary stops to the grocery store, but it also makes our life much easier!
Today, I'd love to share with you how to meal plan for the week.
I'm going to give you a system that will ensure you are saving money AND eating well.
While there are various ways to meal plan, what I'm showing you today, has been my tried and true system for the last 18 years.
Regardless of how you may tweak my system to work for your family, the bottom line is, you have to have a plan. Whether rigid or loose, a plan will save you hours of time and hundreds of dollars each year!
Here are the steps on how to meal plan for the week:
Step 1: Take Inventory
Scour the cupboards, the fridge, and the freezer for food items you already have. Use the items that you find as a starting point for your menu. Make a list of meal possibilities from what you find.
Maybe you have some pork chops that you picked up on sale, and you have some vegetables from last weeks shopping trip, and perhaps you always have rice on hand. Right there you could have a meal of BBQ pork chops, rice and vegetables!
By using what you already have, you will instantly start seeing savings on your weekly grocery bill!
As you are going through your pantry, fridge and freezer, mark down any staple items you need to buy more of. If you find you are low on milk, eggs or flour, for example, add these to your grocery list.
I like to jot down all my ideas on a small piece of paper titled 'meals' and on the other side I title it 'grocery list' to put down everything I need to buy. (I like to have my meal ideas with me when I shop because sometimes I'll forget why I'm buying something or it helps me remember to buy an item that I may have forgotten to write on my grocery list.)
Check out The Meal Planner! I created the printable Meal planner to help make meal planning and saving money easy! The PDF includes:
18 pages
Monthly, Weekly + Daily meal planning worksheets
Meal brainstorming worksheets
Food inventory worksheets
Grocery lists
Price matching worksheet
Party Planning worksheet
Step 2: Look through the sale flyers
Quickly look through your flyers with the Flipp app to see what deals your local stores have. Jot down on your shopping list, the things that are a great deal and you know your family will eat or use.
If you coupon, now is the time to pull out your coupons to see which coupons will make the sales a great deal. For example, maybe this week No Frills has toilet paper on sale and you also have a coupon. This makes it a no brainer purchase!
I do most of my shopping at Real Canadian Superstore as I find they usually have the best overall prices. Occasionally, I'll pop over to a different grocery store if I see they have great deals on some things we will use. I don't like to shop at a lot of stores each week because I find that I will end up spending more than I intended. 😉
When I find a great deal on something we use regularly, I'll stock up as much as I can. This saves tons of money.
I try to build up a small stockpile of ingredients to work with when planning our meals so that some weeks I only have to buy the basics like milk and fresh vegetables!
Step 3: Finish planning your menu
Once you have taken inventory at home and determined which sales you want to take advantage of, write out your meals with your findings.
At this time in my life I do not plan our breakfasts and lunches.
I only plan for five dinners including side dishes, leaving one night open for leftovers and another for dinner out or a quick bowl of soup.
I also don't give each meal a specific night to be made since I like to cook for what I'm in the mood for that particular day. I try to have at least one chicken dish, a beef dish, and a pasta dish.
For breakfast, I like to have fruit, cereals, eggs, bread and the ingredients for basic pancakes or French toast on hand. I'll occasionally buy bacon but that's usually only if it's in a dinner recipe I'm using.
Lunches are almost always dinner leftovers from the night before. We rarely let food go to waste!
When you're first starting out with meal planning, you may want to plan all three daily meals, as you don't want to forget anything at the store. The less trips to the grocery store, the more money and time you'll save!
Step 4: Make a final grocery list.
Now is the time when I go over my list to see if I've forgotten any pantry staples, milk or items needed for a recipe. I'll also put all the items into categories according to the store layout. Produce, meats, dairy, canned goods, personal supplies...etc.
Make a list and check it twice!
Step 5: Go shopping!
I recommend going at a time of day when the store is not very crowded and you can take a time to compare prices or mark-downs. I try my best to get to the grocery store before 10:00am on Monday mornings. This is what works for me and I also find the shelves are well stocked on a Monday.
I've found that when the store is busy I'm more likely to hurry, therefore, I spend more money or forget something I've written down on my list.
You may also want to have a grocery budget and bring cash only. Using cash only forces you to stay within your chosen budget. We tend to get a lot of the same stuff each week so I know that I usually spend $125 each week, give or take.
Other useful meal planning tips:
I like to create simple meals that do not call for a lot of ingredients as this saves on time as well as cash since I'll most likely always have those ingredients on hand. (soy sauce, spices, etc...)
As you are preparing a meal, you may want to double it to put one in the freezer. It's always nice to have meals in the freezer you can pull out when you don't feel like cooking! I do this all the time with Spaghetti sauce and taco meat.
There you have it! That is how to meal plan for the week.
Do you meal plan? If so, what kind of meal planning system works for you? (monthly meal plans, weekly plans, loose plans, etc.)
One aspect of frugal living, is the desire to become less wasteful. To live a more sustainable life. We can do this by making intentional purchases with thoughts to the future.
It's no secret that the kitchen can create huge amounts of waste. However, it's possible to reduce the amount of waste we see by adding some thoughtful zero-waste kitchen products to our inventory.
While this post outlines zero-waste kitchen products from Amazon, I recommend you shop local first, if possible. Even so, Amazon is a great choice if you don’t have local options or if you just don’t want to spend too much money right away. There are reasons why Amazon is popular - It's easy and offers affordable price points.
If you are ready for a more sustainable kitchen, here are some excellent zero-waste kitchen products that I recommend:
Reusable Grocery Bags
One of the easiest ways to start with this more sustainable lifestyle is to stop buying plastic grocery bags from the grocery store. Instead use reusable grocery bags! There are so many to choose from, but I like these fun ones that can be folded up nicely to fit in my purse.
Speaking of cooler bags, I have a couple of insulated grocery bags that I use all the time in the warmer months. I use them for bringing home frozen items from the grocery store and I use them for our beach picnics.
Reusable Produce Bags
Instead of using plastic bags to put your produce in, use a reusable produce bag like these ones from Amazon.
Or, if you want to go one step further, cotton reusable produce bags don't contain any plastic, so they are biodegradable.
Glass Jars
Having an assortment of glass jars on hand is ideal for food storage. They are great for shopping for bulk food if you have access to bulk stores where you can bring your own containers. (Bulk Barn in Canada offers this.)
Because they are clear, it's also easy to see the contents of the jar so you know when something needs to be restocked.
I prefer to use the empty jars that I get from various food items from the grocery store. (Think pickle jars, pasta sauce jars, etc.) But on some occasions you may need to purchase glass jars. Take a look at garage sales, in thrift stores or ask relatives for extras. I find them expensive on Amazon.
Stainless Steel Straws
Stainless steel straws are must-haves in my kitchen. They get used all the time!
These stainless steel straws on Amazon come with 12 straws in 4 different shapes and sizes. It also includes 2 cleaning brushes which are a must for cleaning your reusable straws.
These reusable straws also come with a travel bag so you can take a straw or two with you wherever you go! Perfect for eating out at restaurants.
If you have kids, you may want to purchase silicone straws instead. While we insist our kids sit to eat and drink, it's inevitable that our youngest will eventually feel the need to get up and do a dance or something. (LOL). I feel much safer with them using soft silicone straws.
They are ideal because you can easily see the contents so you know what needs to be eaten. Another reason is that you can reheat your food right in the same container.
Beeswax Food Wraps
Beeswax food wraps are a natural and sustainable alternative to plastic wrap. They are eco-friendly and biodegradable because they are made with cotton, beeswax, jojoba oil and tree resin.
You can wrap any type of food with beeswax wrap or use it to place over bowls. Use it the same way as you would use plastic wrap or tin foil.
Silicone Food Bags
Silicone food bags are a great way to eliminate even more single use plastics from your kitchen.
The Stasher brand is the number one seller, however there are other brands on Amazon with good ratings as well!
You can use these silicone bags in the freezer, dishwasher and the microwave, making them so versatile.
Glass Spray Bottles
Investing in glass spray bottles for your kitchen is a smart idea if you like to make your own cleaning supplies. They even work well for watering your kitchen plants!
This four pack of glass bottles is perfect for scattering around the house in places where they are most commonly used.
Reusable cloth Towels
Are you still using paper towels? Make the simple switch to reusable cloth towels with a set of E-Cloths! They are fantastic zero-waste kitchen products!
Clean virtually anything with only water! They are very absorbent, making mess clean up simple. They also easily trap dust, dirt and grime.
Silicone Baking Mat
Instead of using parchment paper that you throw away after one use, give silicone baking mats a try! I'm still loving and using mine that I got years ago!
Silicone mats also reduce the need for cooking sprays and grease.
Silicone is very durable and therefore a great long-lasting alternative to baking or roasting with parchment paper.
There you have it! 10 zero-waste kitchen products that you're sure to love. How many of these items do you already use?
Love shopping online at Well.ca? Here are the Well.ca Sales of the Week! Well.ca is my favourite place to buy vitamins/supplements and natural products when I can't find what I'm looking for locally. Enjoy free shipping on orders of $35 or more.
Making your very first order? Use the coupon code WELL10 to save $10 off your purchase of $40 or more!
Fruit flies can be so annoying, can't they? It seems they are impossible to avoid and eliminate. If you find your home filled with pesky fruit flies, I have a tried and true technique to get rid of them. It's so simple and requires only two easy to find ingredients. Here's how to catch fruit flies at home:
Next, fill a bowl with apple cider vinegar and add a few drops of dish soap.
Bam! That's all you need to catch fruit flies! Soon you'll be seeing those pesky things floating in your concoction.
The fruit flies are attracted to the sweetness of the apple cider vinegar. The soap reduces the surface tension of the liquid, causing the fruit flies to sink and drown when they land on it.
By placing a jar or two in areas where you notice a lot of flies, you'll soon be seeing a lot less fruit flies in your home. Whew!
Check the traps regularly and empty them when they start to accumulate fruit flies. Rinse out the traps and replace the apple cider vinegar and dish soap as needed.
Here's how you can prevent fruit flies:
Wash all produce when you get home from the store.
Refrigerate promptly the produce that belongs in the fridge.
Freeze or toss overripe produce.
Clean up any spills promptly.
Keep your kitchen sink and drain clean.
Regularly empty and clean your garbage cans.
With these simple tips, not only will you know how to catch fruit flies, you'll know how to prevent them from showing up in the first place.
How have you dealt with fruit flies? Tell us in the comments below!
My intent is to highlight, what I think, are the best grocery deals at major grocery stores across Western Canada. The deals might use coupons or they might use cash-back apps or even earn you PC Optimum points as well.
I will be taking the deals that are found in my BC flyers. Your deals in Western Canada may vary slightly from province to province due to availability.
I really hope that you enjoy this! If you know of any great deals, please let me know in the comments below!
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