9 Reasons to Make A Weekly Meal Plan

Every weekend I spend a little time pouring through cookbooks and recipes online that I've bookmarked from other Foodie blogs. From those sources I devise a weekly meal plan schedule. There are a few good reasons why setting aside a little time each week is beneficial:

• Save money by preparing a grocery list based strictly on the ingredients require for dinner preparation.
• Save money by clipping or printing coupons for items on the grocery list
• Save time by knowing exactly what's for dinner on those busy weeknights of work and commuting, kids and their school, sports (etc), and homework.
• This makes life a little more stress free for the same reason.
• You don't have to eat the same damned thing every week. We got bored of Taco Tuesday real fast.
• Try new recipes by planning special grocery or schedule requirements in advance.
• Save even more money by preventing waste by planning meals based on groceries that may be expiring soon.

There are certainly more reasons that I discovered after routinely using a weekly meal pan for a few weeks. For example, I planned recipes better portioned to suit my family's needs rather than just winging it every night only to end up discovering undesirable leftovers that had been pushed to the back of the fridge. I think I was throwing away as much food in a week then as the family consumes in an entire week now.

Another cost and time saving measure I discovered was buying certain items in bulk, such as meat, and freezing it in portions. Every two to three weeks I have a very short grocery list because I have most of the grocery items I need for recipes already in stock. So, my weekly grocery budget goes to restocking fresh fruits and veg, maybe lunch meat - the usual staples.

My Weekly Meal Plan for July 18-24

Monday: Chicken w/ Mushrooms and Swiss (casserole)
Tuesday: Turkey Burgers w/ Steak Fries and Steamed Broccoli
Wednesday: Chicken & Peppers on Sesame Rice
Thursday: Artichoke & Broccoli Casserole w/ Mushroom Sauce
Friday: 3 Cheese Manicotti
Saturday: Saturday is always Pizza day!
Sunday: Leftover round up

This week, I've used The Big Book of Casseroles: 250 Recipes for Serious Comfort Food [Paperback] as my primary source for recipes. We'll see how it goes!

Do you create a weekly menu plan? What tips or tricks do you know that help save time, money, and work?