Perfectly Practical #35- Menu Planning

Y'all see what we are eating at Chez Moppins every week because I set out my menu plan and am held accountable by the other folks over at Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday.

Menu planning was a revelation to me although my mother did it for years (much like many details about my mother, I neither realized nor appreciated them growing up but sure do now.)

Let me break it down for you why I like menu planning:

• You don't get that Oh-My-Gosh-Hubby-Will-Be-Home-in-30-Minutes-What-Am-I-Fixing-For-Supper Panic
• You save money since you are only buying what you need for the plan
• You can account for activities ahead of time and plan for simpler meals when you will be pressed for time
• Everybody in the house can see what they are having for supper (no more "What's for Supper?")
• Lessens stress because you have a plan
• Also saves money by planning around what you already have on hand

How do you get started?  

Everyone goes about meal planning a little differently depending on their culinary prowess, time constraints, and nutritional needs.  

So here are a few ways to get started:

1.  Designate certain nights for certain meals (i.e. Meatless Monday, Soup & Sandwich Night, Ethnic Food Night, Leftover Buffet Night, Pizza Night, etc.)  That's probably the easiest place to start.

2.  Look at what's on sale in the weekly circular and plan around those items.

3.  Look in your freezer/cupboard and see what delights you can create using those ingredients.

4.  List your family's favorite meals then plan a month at a time using that list as a guide.

For those of you that already menu plan, how/why do you do it?