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I have always done meal planning. Long before it was popular, I made weekly meal plans and corresponding grocery lists. As a matter of fact, my mom also does meal planning and I picked up the habit from her. For a long time I just thought that’s what adults did. Now I realize I need to thank her for modelling this amazing money saving and organizational skill! Thanks Mom!

This is what my meal planning routine looks like after years of tweaking and perfecting.

Step 1. Inventory

On Wednesday I do a quick inventory of what we have on hand to use up. I check the deep freeze because we buy meat in bulk, divide it into serving sizes and individually freeze these packages. So I will do a quick tally. Eg. We have 3 packages of ground beef, 2 packages of pork chops,  2 chicken breasts etc. I check the fridge for items that need to be used up and list that too. Eg. we may have some leftover corn tortillas from last week’s breakfast burrito prep. Finally a quick check of the pantry may reveal that we have a can of tuna, tomatoes or chickpeas that never got used as planned.

Step 2. Plan meals

I sit down and go through our recipe collection and ask Alex for her input as she does the cooking too. We find recipes that include these items we want to use up as much as possible. Eg. that can of chickpeas could be hummus for lunch. The chicken and tortillas may get used for chicken fajitas. Because we meal prep, we will plan ideas for breakfast, lunch and supper. I then draw up the week’s meal plan taking into account schedules. How many packed lunches do we need? Do we have plans for dinner out? Finally, I make a list of those dishes we plan to meal prep on the weekend.

Step 3. Make a grocery list 

Thursday is when most of the flyer and app deals come out so I make the grocery list that day. I check the deals at our favorite produce discount place (H & W) and add fresh fruits and veggies that will be on sale. I look to see if there’s a coupon for Bulk Barn and add the pantry items that need topping up like coconut palm sugar and gluten free flour. I also consult the master list that we post. If someone uses the last of something, they add it to this list. We use an app called Google Keep Notes so that we can all access and update it in real time.

I break my list into sections. One for each place I regularly go to buy groceries.

Step 4. Grocery shop

If I’m pressed for time that week I may online order my groceries Thursday night for pick up on Friday. I like this option because it’s a huge time saver and because it tallies my order as it goes so I know exactly how much I’m spending. Alternatively, I will go pick up groceries on Friday.  I like to do it before the weekend. It’s less busy, and that sets us up for time to meal prep on the weekend. Also, I hate eating up my weekend with grocery shopping!

When I look at this I realize it seems like a lot of work. However, I think it saves us a ton of money and time. We keep a strict grocery budget much more easily with this method. We don’t have to run out and buy odds and ends everyday. We have less food waste because we plan to use leftovers. We don’t spend time standing in the grocery store pondering what to make. We rarely eat out because “there’s nothing to eat at home.” Most importantly, we eat healthier because we plan ahead and don’t resort to packaged convenience food.

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