Menus Aren’t Just for Restaurants

January 25, 2008 By Tisha (Kulak) Tolar

It’s been said the first rule of thumb when grocery grocery aisle shopping is to never go when you are hungry. I completely understand why that is the first rule of shopping. Truth is, I do it all of the time. Mainly because by the time I make it to the store, there is nothing left to eat in the house. Being hungry in a grocery store is absolutely my downfall and really does lead to overspending. Your stomach gurgles as you browse the long aisles of snacks, deli meats, and frozen pizzas and you tend to lose focus, quickly deviating from the list you created. Well, if you were lucky enough to remember to actually bring a list with you, being hungry increases the likelihood the list will be forgotten, making you more susceptible to impulse buying. Impulse buying can dramatically increase the total of your bill at the end of your spree.Sometimes even creating a shopping list is difficult. If you don’t make a habit of jotting down items you discover you are running low on as soon as the discovery is made, chances are you will never have an accurate list of what you need. One good tips for conquering both issues and saving money is to plan a menu. Schools do it. Restaurants do it. You can do it too. Start by listing as many meal ideas as you can think of. Use another sheet of paper to create a calendar. I use four week increments. List all 7 days of the week and insert a meal idea into each day. Take time to think about what happens on a particular day. For instance, on Thursday we have a scout meeting so I make sure Thursday’s meal idea is simple and easy to make. When you have settled on a meal for each day of the week, list on the calendar all the ingredients in takes to make the meal. Don’t forget to include snacks, deserts, and the like. I personally only have a dinner calendar but adding breakfast and lunch only makes it easier.

Each time you prepare a list for the grocery store, make sure you have all the ingredients for the upcoming week’s meals. You can also organize your coupons based on your calendar. It may help reduce the time spent sorting them and encourage you to use coupons more consistently. Another advantage is you will gain a better perspective on how much you actually spend on groceries each time. You have a better idea of what to expect expense-wise.

Be creative with your meal calendar. Just because you are planning ahead doesn’t mean you need to fall into a rut. Sit with your family and come up with some fun theme nights. Everyone will feel involved and quality time with the family just gets better!