The Four Meal Planners

Meal planning, while it takes some time and a little effort, can be one of the biggest time-savers for a busy wife, mom and homemaker. I'll admit, I don't do it as often as I'd like, but when I do, I find myself less stressed because I don't have to figure out meals at the last minute. I also use foo dmore economically and efficiently because I have a specific plan for how to use each item in the fridge, freezer and pantry. Often I have to arearrange my meal plan, but usually that results in the meals lasting more days than I'd anticipated (for example, Hubby and I might decide one night that popcorn and some fruit is enough for supper, so the chicken stir-fry I had planned can get scooted to the end of the week, extending my meal plan another day).

There are a variety of ways to meal plan. I'll give you a few ideas, and then tell you what I do and why. Maybe you're already a pro meal-planner. If so, you're doing way better than I am: way to go! But keep reading anyway; maybe I can provide some ideas and hints for you, too.

Meal Planner #1: The "What looks good?" Shopper
This person goes to the grocery store without a set plan--maybe without a shopping list--and buys whatever food looks good and what they feel like eating. Later, they'll make meals out of what ends up in their fridge.

This is the most expensive way to shop: without a plan or list. If you have an unlimited grocery budget, and if this sounds like you and it works for you, great! Do what works best for you and your family. But with just a little planning, you could save money at the grocery store and have a game plan for future meals--both great things.

Meal Planner #2: The Coupon-Clipper
This person buys groceries based on what they can get 50 cents off, two-for-one, or free with purchase of ___. While this person might end up spending less money than their fellow shoppers, they'll probably end up with a cart of food that's not easily made into a week's worth of meals.

A knack for couponing is best when combined with some planning. Use coupons for the items you normally buy anyway--that's the best way to save money.

Meal Planner #3: The Cookbook-Peruser
This person sits down with a stack of cookbooks each week, picks out recipes they want to try, and then makes a shopping list based on the ingredients they'll need to make those recipes. While this is a wise method of planning, it can end up being expensive depending on what ingredients a recipe calls for. However, for someone who likes having clear directions to follow when cooking, or who doesn't have a lot of experience cooking, this method can be very helpful and time-saving.

Meal Planner #4: The List-Maker
This person writes out their grocery list first, filling it with basic ingredients that can be used for a variety of recipes. Then they figure out what meals can be made with the food they buy, and write a meal plan with those meals. This can be the cheapest way to shop, but it can be tricky to figure out meals based on what's in the fridge and pantry.

I'm most like Meal Planner #4, with a little bit of the others thrown in. I have a "recipe repertoire" of about 40 dishes (covering all 3 meals) that I can make with some basic ingredients. I get those basics every time I shop, and I can make quite a variety of things with the food I try to keep handy. I also don't buy much at all of pre-packed foods--I buy more ingredients than ready-to-eat items. To give you an idea, here's what a "typical" grocery list for me might look like:

• milk
• eggs
• butter
• cheese
• potatoes
• carrots
• celery
• lettuce
• tomatoes
• frozen broccoli
• frozen green beans
• bananas
• peaches
• apples
• grapes
• flour
• cocoa
• brown sugar
• baking soda
• spaghetti
• macaroni noodles
• canned tomatoes
• tomato sauce
• 2 cans tuna
• 10 lbs frozen chicken quarters
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 4 lbs tilapia fillets
• coffee
• tea
• rice
• salsa
• barbecue sauce
• ice cream

I don't always buy all these things, because some things only need to be bought once a month or less. Things that last us quite a while are, for example, honey, spices, onions, tea, coffee, cocoa, vanilla, etc. Right now people keep giving us fresh produce and herbs from their gardens, which is great because I've been able to buy less plus I'm getting things I don't normally buy, like fresh parsley and basil.

My point is, with the things I do buy and usually have on hand I can create a lot of different meals. I have a mental list of what I can make and looking at my grocery list I know what meals can come out of it. This is the easiest way for me to keep to a budget, because I don't have to buy fancy ingredients for new recipes, and I can spend about the same every shopping trip because I get basically the same things each time. That's not to say I don't ever use my cookbooks, but I use them more as reference books. If I want to make something specific, I'll look up a recipe for it so I know how to make it.

This is what works with me. I realize everyone has a different lifestyle, budget, and eating preferences, so what works with me might not work with you. But I hope I've given you some ideas that will be useful and might help you save some money.

What kind of meal-planner are you? What method works best for you and your cooking style?

Our Valentine's Weekend (and Why I Love At-Home Dates)

We were thinking of going to a hotel (in town, literally just down the road) for Valentine's Day this year.  We planned to go Friday-Sunday this last weekend.

Friday morning Joshua looked at me and asked, "Would you rather just stay home?"  That sounded great to me (and more frugal!), so he called the hotel and cancelled.

We had a wonderful weekend together.  Thursday, for Valentine's Day, I made an apple pie and calzones for supper (SO yummy), and we exchanged gifts. Joshua bought me a beautiful necklace, and took me out for supper on Friday as well.  I decorated a mug with "sixteen things I love about you"--the list covered the whole mug.  He loved it. :)

Saturday we slept in, cooked and ate a lot of good food, watched movies, and just relaxed.  I had a sub for work for my two hours so we didn't even leave the house all day.  That doesn't happen often!

Why do I love staying home instead of going out for dates?  Or going on a little getaway like we'd planned?

-I don't have to pack.  That was so nice!
-We can cook and eat whatever food we feel like making (instead of hotel continental breakfasts and restaurants).
-We sleep in our own bed.  That doesn't need any explanation.
-We're totally alone, versus being in public...ahem.  Again, no explanation needed...
-If we have a dinner-and-a-movie date, we can eat dinner on our couch and watch whatever movie we want, thanks to Netflix, and not choose from what's at the theater.
-We save on gas.
-Overall, it's cheaper!
-I don't have to put on makeup, or change out of pajamas (we stayed in our PJ's for a long time on Saturday...don't judge!).
-We're in the comfort and familiarity of our own home, instead of being in a hotel.
-At home, we can decide between baking something together, playing a favorite game, watching our latest favorite TV show (Joshua's working through "24")...or whatever ;)  There are more options for activities at home than at a hotel.  And they don't cost anything (or at least not much!).
-Did I mention the privacy?  And the inexpensivity?  (That is now a word.)

My favorite thing about staying home for dates is that because we're relaxed and in our most familiar environment, we're more likely to talk about important things, because we're not discussing things like "What channel should we pick out of the five million on this TV?" or "What time do we have to get up so we don't miss the continental breakfast?" or "How do you set this alarm clock?" or "Did you bring my pajamas?"

There are a lot of good reasons to go out for a date, or get away for a weekend.  But since we don't have kids yet, it's really easy to find time to be alone, and being home is nice.  We're both home-bodies, and I'm really okay with that!  I think it's SO important to keep dating even now that we're married.  It's essential for the health of our relationship to spend intentional time together, focusing specifically on each other.  We plan to keep up the dating habit for our whole marriage, even after we start having children!


What are your favorite things to do for an at-home date?  What do you like about staying home with your spouse?

Linking with: Exceptionalistic, The Alabaster Jar, The Better Mom, What Joy is Mine, Raising Arrows, lowercase letters  , Countrified Hicks, To Love, Honor, and Vacuum

The To-Do List that Will Change Your Life

Are you ready?  Here it is:

To-Do Today

1) Love God.

2) Love others.

3) Love yourself.

That's it.  Really.  It's that simple.

Not convinced?  Jesus put it another way:

"Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together.  One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 'Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?'  Jesus replied: '"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself."  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.'" Matthew 22:34-40

Have you ever seen the acronym for the word "JOY"?
Jesus
Others
You
It is a little corny, but it's true.

When we have our priorities in the right order--in this order--good things will happen.  GREAT things will happen.  When God is first in our lives, everything else will fall into place.

How does this play out in our everyday lives?
My prayer every morning is, "God, let me honor and glorify you today, in everything I say, do and think."  Putting God first means doing everything for him.  It means making him the most important person in our lives.
Then comes everyone else.
And "everyone else" has to be prioritized, too.  If you're married, this means your husband (or wife) should come first after God.  Not your boss, your coworkers, your friends, your teachers, or your parents.  Your husband.  If you're a mother (or father), your children are next, after your spouse.  Then your family, friends, and everyone else.
Then you.  This doesn't mean that you neglect yourself entirely for the sake of other people.  I'm not suggesting or condoning that at all.  Of course you need to eat, bathe, and rest--and take time to do things for yourself.  Notice Jesus didn't say, "Love your neighbor just like you love God."  He wants all that love for himself. :)  No, he said "Love your neighbor as yourself."  Jesus doesn't want us to hate ourselves!  In fact, in Ephesians Paul wrote, "In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.  He who loves his wife loves himself.  After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church..." (Ephesians 5:28-29).
We are to love everyone else just as much as we love ourselves: taking time for them, doing things for them, taking care of them, treating them with love, kindness and respect.

This will play out differently in each person's life.  My usual morning routine is, make breakfast for my husband, have devotions with him and pray together, and after he goes to work I do my writing and blogging for the day.

I don't keep this to-do list perfectly, of course.  I struggle every day with putting God first.  It's easy to remember that my husband needs clean clothes, good food, and time with me, but God doesn't have the same physical presence...so he's easier to forget, unfortunately.  But that's no excuse on my part.

The wonderful thing about all this is, God will and does bless us when we put him first.  And even when we fail, he still loves us, blesses us, and forgives us far more than we could ever ask or imagine.


Linking up with these lovely ladies today:
New Life Steward; Women Living Well; To Love, Honor and Vacuum; Deep Roots at Home; A Wise Woman Builds Her Home; Raising Homemakers; The Houtz House Party