April 2, 2014

One of the keys to managing food costs?  Meal planning!

This has been perhaps one of the harder things I have had to discipline myself to do.  First, it does take some time and effort, and second, it goes against that "what I am feeling like eating right now is..." mentality.

When planning my meals, there are a few things I take into consideration. What do I have available to me, right now in my house, what is in my refrigerator that is going to go bad soon,  what is in season, and what is on sale locally.  What I DON'T do is decide what I am hungry for, make a meal plan, and then go out and buy those things. I base it on what is available and on sale. This tends to go against our "I want what I want, when I want it" mentality, but it is a necessary discipline in order to menus cost effective and bellies full of nourishing foods.

I generally get out of bed early on Sunday mornings and scan adds for my favorite places to shop on the internet (I don't get a Sunday paper... I used to for coupons, but I use so few processed foods, it doesn't pay me most of the time, and I can usually get the few coupons I want from someone else).  I start off going over the weekly adds from Target, Aldi's, and my local Giant, Weis, and ShurFine markets.  This way, I know what the loss leader items are.  I then plan my meals based on what I have and what I know I can buy cheaply... and then I go grocery shopping.

For those of you not familiar with the loss leader term, these are the cheapest items they are advertising, often at a loss to themselves, to bring you into the store.  These are some of the best buys you will get at the store.  Certain items you can count on being cyclical... like, I know for a fact before St. Patrick's Day, I am going to be able to get corned beef and fresh cabbage very inexpensively. I currently have 3 corned beef briskets in my freezer (1 for each quarter of the year... my annual supply... at $1.69 a lb) plus I have 4 heads of cabbage (29¢ a lb) in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap to keep them longer.  They will last for 2 months or more in the fridge this way.  Before Easter, I am going to find great deals on hams, sweet potatoes, and fresh asparagus.  Turkeys before Thanksgiving, shrimp before New Years Day... you can plan for the year!

There are tons of free menu planners you can print out on line for your personal use, or you can quickly create a personalized version using excel.

Do you plan meals on a regular basis?

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it"  Hebrews 12:11 NIV.