Menu Plan Monday--Frugal Menu Planning

One of the greatest benefits of menu planning is the amount of money it can save you. Groceries is usually the second largest expense for the common household, second only to the house payment or rent. So, there is lots of opportunity in this area of the family budget. Menu planning can save you money because you are not running to the store at the last minute. As we all know when you go in for one thing, you come out with ten. Also, because you are planning each meal, you are not purchasing ingredients that you don't need, and that will end up sitting on your shelf or getting thrown out as wasted money. Over the next few weeks, I will share various ideas of how to best use your menu planning to maximize your savings.

*if you have any specific questions or concerns regarding frugal menu planning, please feel free to ask.

My first tip for frugal menu planning, is to first use what you have. So often we will go out and spend a fortune at the store, when we already have plenty of meals in our freezer and pantry. On the day that you make your menu plans, do a full inventory of what you have on hand, and plan meals using these ingredients first. You may have noticed that every Tuesday we have leftovers for lunch. That is because this is my menu planning day. So, we use up our leftovers, I clean out the refrigerator and freezer, and that allows me to see what I have left and what needs to be used up. This not only allows food not to go to waste (wasted food is wasted money) but also allows me to minimize the things I need to purchase at the store. Sometimes if it is a really tight payday, I will challenge myself to make a full week or two weeks menu with only what I have on hand. When I do this, I usually only have to buy milk, eggs, butter, flour, and sugar. Talk about savings!!

Here is my weeks menu:
*note--I am going out of town this weekend, and as you can see from my weekend menu, my family likes me to get all the quick fix, unhealthy, convenience meals I don't normally purchase for while I am gone. Good thing I saved money on my normal menu by using what I had on hand!!


Monday:
breakfast~yogurt with granola
lunch~minestrone
dinner~ham and cheddar bake (using leftover Easter ham)

Tuesday:
breakfast~oatmeal
lunch~leftovers
dinner~chicken cordon bleu, green beans, red potatoes, beer bread

Wednesday:
breakfast~strawberry muffins
lunch~picnic of sandwiches, pretzels, apples and dip
dinner~steak, baked potatoes, carrots, cornbread

Thursday:
breakfast~scones
lunch~southwest salad
dinner~pasta with diced tomatoes and fresh parmesan

Friday:
breakfast~pop tarts
lunch~chili dogs
dinner~pizza

Saturday:
breakfast~blueberry waffles
lunch~ham omelets
dinner~mac n cheese with sausage

Sunday:
breakfast~cereal
lunch~go out
dinner~steak tacos (using leftover steak from Wed)


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