Smart menu planning can save you thousands of dollars.
If you google the term “world’s toughest question” you’ll come across a panoply of potential candidates:
- What is the meaning of life?
- What is the secret of happiness?
- How can I get rich quickly?
- Why does the line you’re in always move the slowest?
- Why are there Interstate highways in Hawaii?
Still, I think none of them compare to this one: What’s for dinner? Especially when you find yourself hopelessly cornered in the kitchen at suppertime by a bunch of hungry kids and you’re stuck looking at an empty pantry.
Of course, the way most folks get out of that jam is by running to the local fast food joint. Unfortunately, those trips to the local burger joint, taco stand and sit-down restaurants can drive up your food expenses.
How much so? Well, in my case, I take the family out to eat about three times per month. As a matter of fact, on average, we’re spending $150 per week on that luxury which, for a four-person family, comes out to $7800 annually. That’s a little more than $28 per person, per meal. Yikes!
In contrast, our household spent $18,997 on groceries in 2018, which is roughly $5.07 per person per meal, after accounting for the meals not eaten at home. So for us, eating out is almost six times more expensive than dining at home.
That’s why feeding the family at home is one of the easiest and most effective ways to cut monthly expenses. Best of all, you can turbocharge those savings with smart menu planning!
So, What’s for Dinner?
Now, whenever my kids ask me what’s for dinner, I’ve always got an answer because I sit down twice per month and create a 14-day daily dinner menu. I then post the menu on the refrigerator. For example, here was one of our most recent 14-day menus:
Sunday: Spaghetti
Monday: Chicken & stuffing
Tuesday: Meat loaf
Wednesday: White lightning chili
Thursday: Beef Stroganoff
Friday: (Dine out)
Saturday: (Leftovers)
Sunday: Shrimp Scampi & linguini
Monday: Sesame chicken
Tuesday: Tacos
Wednesday: Pork chops
Thursday: Beef stew
Friday: Macaroni and cheese
Saturday: (Leftovers)
In my house, everybody gets to contribute to the menu. The kids get two selections each, and the remaining spots are then filled in by the Honeybee and me. That way everybody has at least two of their favorite dishes to look forward every 14 days.
Smart Menu Planning
As you can see, creating a two-week dinner menu not only provides a daily riposte to the what’s-for-dinner conundrum, it also makes you a more efficient grocery shopper — with respect to both time and money.
Every other week, I spend a little over an hour or so creating my menu and then using the bill of fare to assemble the grocery list.
However, for those who are willing to invest a little more time in exchange for even greater grocery bill savings, try searching the Internet and your local newspaper for coupons first. Then build your menu based upon any specials you may come across.
More Smart Menu Planning Tips
Here are a few other tips to consider when creating your menu:
1. Longer is NOT better. Stretching your menu out to cover the grocery shopping duties for, say, an entire month, can be tricky if only because making meals that require fresh vegetables and other perishable ingredients becomes problematic. Then again, it can be done as long as you’re comfortable cooking lots of dishes with items that come exclusively from the freezer and/or pantry.
2. Don’t forget the pantry and freezer staples. We always keep our freezer and pantry stocked with staples and easy-to-prepare entrees and side dishes. These are handy on those days when you’re running short on time, or are otherwise unable to get to the grocer — so don’t forget them when pulling together your grocery list.
3. Learn to love leftovers. I recently wrote about how my family currently saves $1400 each year because we love eating leftovers. With that in mind, for every “off” day you include on your menu for dining out, make sure you also include one for leftover night.
4. Stay flexible. Who says the menu plan can’t be changed in midstream? In my house, I can’t remember the last time we got through a two-week menu period without swapping at least two nights around to meet changing circumstances.
The Bottom Line
Faithfully maintaining a two-week dinner menu is one of the very best methods for keeping your food bill under control. Smart menu planning not only eliminates those expensive last-minute fast-food runs and quick trips to the grocer, it also frees up cash for the other important things in life.
Best of all, you’ll never have to worry about looking like a dummy ever again.
Well, at least not in the kitchen.
Photo Credit: Didricks
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