6 Meal Planning Tips

Meal planning can seem overwhelming if you’ve never done it before, but once you make it a habit it can save you both time and money. Here are six tips to make meal planning a breeze.

Add meal planning to your weekly schedule

Set aside time each week for meal planning and make it part of your weekly routine. If you typically grocery shop on Mondays, plan to spend 15 minutes meal planning on Sunday or Monday before you head out to the grocery store.

Use our Meal Planning Tool

Use our Meal Planning Tool to brainstorm what you’re going to eat for breakfast, lunch, supper, and snacks for each day of the week. The meals and snacks you pick don’t have to be complicated. Plan two or three breakfast options that you can alternate between throughout the week. Enjoy sandwiches and leftovers for lunch and pick your favorite recipes for dinner. If you get stuck and are looking to try something new, visit our blog for plenty of healthy and budget-friendly meal ideas.

Talk to friends and family for ideas

Getting input from everyone in your household is an easy way to get ideas and involve everyone in the meal planning process. You can also ask your friends and family for their go-to meal ideas in person or on social media.

Incorporate theme nights

To make meal planning easier, dedicate one or two meals a week to a specific theme. For example, every Monday supper could be pasta-themed, or every Friday dinner could be make your own pizza night. Incorporating theme nights makes meal planning easier because you already know what type of meal to plan for that night but you’re also still adding variety.

Use food items you already have

As you plan your weekly meals, look in your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry to see what you have on hand. Try to plan meals that use up items that are close to spoiling to prevent them from being wasted.

Plan meals around what’s on sale

Don’t forget to look at your local grocery store flyers for items on sale. Planning your meals around items that are on sale will help to reduce your weekly grocery bill.