The Benefits of a Meal Plan
The benefits of a meal plan include peace of mind, saving money on food, and saving you time from deciding what to cook day in and day out. Meal planning also prevents unexpected trips to the store.
Meal plans give you comfort because they take out the guesswork about what’s for dinner. There’s no more guessing whether or not you have all the ingredients you need to make what you want to prepare. Your meal plan eliminates the need to make a beeline to the grocery store to search aimlessly for an idea because you already know what to fix. All you have to do is cook. How simple is that?
A Monkey Wrench Is Thrown
Unfortunately, there are times when a monkey wrench gets thrown our way. The good news is that your meal plan can overcome the monkey wrench. Whether it’s a late day at the office, or an unexpected event come up the kids forgot to tell you about, you can change your plan. If it’s Monday and you need to change your meal to the pizza you had planned for Thursdday, then swap those meals if it simplifies your life. You budgeted for that pizza, so it doesn’t really change anything. Your meal plan is not set in stone. Thinking ahead to include super quick and easy meals for chaotic days…
If you skip a day in your meal plan, carry that day to the next week and save yourself a little cash on the grocery run. Another alternative, which became one of my favorites, was freezing soup or chili in quart size freezer bags. They lay flat, and are great for single servings. Prepping as individual serving sizes allows you to prepare the exact amount you need when the time comes.
Meals on your plan don’t have to be complicated, and they don’t have to be made from scratch. For a long time, I wouldn’t buy already prepeared items because I had the idea that they were too expensive. Then I realized that buying them was still cheaper than eating out. Frozen prepared meals come in different serving sizes and can be the perfect solution to hectic evenings. If your family doesn’t always eat together because of schedules, individual frozen meals are a great choice. Homemade meals stored in the freezer can be heated in the oven or microwave for a quick meal. Swap real potatoes for instant on those days when you just need something fast.
Benefits of a Meal Plan
Did you know that American’s waste nearly 40% of the food they buy? I just made that number up, but it probably isn’t far off. Think about how often you throw out vegetables that went bad before you got around to eating them, or how many leftovers you threw away because you weren’t in the mood to repeat the meal and forgot to freeze them. Buying groceries you need to meet your meal plan will help reduce waste. Having good intentions doesn’t save food that wasn’t used before going bad. Buying exactly the food you need, and eating at home saves you money.
Save yourself time, money and effort by planning your meals in advance!
Like this article? Simplify your life using the Lazy-Girl Guide to Life tips on how to run your household, manage your money and feed your family.