BeeCharmer’s Buzz

I have been grasping at straws this week on subjects to write about. I read an entry by one of my Blog buddies about being overwhelmed. I totally “get” being overwhelmed. It happens to me about every 28 days. Lots of little things wriggle into my mind, then maybe a big thing or two, homework is due and the laundry is piling up, then the hormones hit- Whammy! The world is against me. I will never get to the bottom of my “honeydew” list. The kids are ingrates. X plans his life around making mine hell. There’s no food in the house. We are all going to starve before I have time to shop. I’m pretty sure my mother hates me and the dogs are obeidance school nightmares. Aaaauuuuuugggggghhhhhhh! Where’s the xanax? 

 Through budgeting I found a great stress reducer for busy mamas. I know meal planning isn’t a new concept, many mothers have used this technique to stretch the food budget. To me it’s all new. If I needed something at the store I just went and got it and probably a few more items I didn’t really need. I might have ended up at the  grocery store 3-4 times a week. I did some research on how to stretch my moderate food allowance and found many sites advocating weekly meal planning. I gave it a try. Here’s the first week, not a particularly health conscious week, but the first week all the same.

I know this is big, sloppy and out of proportion.  I just wanted it readable on one scroll. I’ve learned to be a little more legible when I do this. BTW, Honey wrote that on the bottom after she found out I saved over $100 on groceries that month. The menu planning worksheet is available at http://www.betterbudgeting.com/freeworksheets/menuplanner.htm

The first thing I did was grab a cup of coffee and put Melissa on the CD player. Then I listed every conceivable family friendly dish I knew how to make. It surprised me how few items are in regular rotation. I pride myself on being a very versatile cook. So I added a few that I knew would be iffie with BB, figuring he needs to expand his palate I picked pairs out of the list that had similar staple ingredients and listed what could be done ahead of time. I also listed what needed to be done for that night’s dinner so the kiddos could help out. After that I listed all the ingredients I would need to make all the meals seperately. Then combined the lists in the quantities I needed  for the whole plan. I checked off the things I knew were already in the house and then off to the grocery store. I actually started with two weeks worth of menu plans and did two weeks worth of shopping all at once. Time saver and stress reducer. I hate grocery shopping. The only things I needed from the store after that were some fresh fruit, milk and bread. I had Honey pick those up on the way home from work.

I know this is getting long… hang in there. Now after a few months I have a good rotation and ready made shopping lists. The kiddos say they love knowing what is for dinner all week. I am not rushed thinking of what to make every night. The plan is on the fridge so everyone knows what they can do to help out. The chopping and browning are done all at once for most of the week. There are good leftovers in the fridge for lunches and I save 75-100 bucks a month that goes to Honey and I getting a night out every once in a while.

Menu planning is a winner in my book.