I Can Save You Money.

 Its 5:30 PM on a Thursday night. You have no idea what to make for dinner. Time ticks by as you busily rush around doing the other thousand tasks you have to do today. Suddenly its 6:30. Sports are over and your husband is home, everybody is hungry and you're exhausted. Your fridge is empty and you have no idea what to make for dinner. 

Is this a familiar scenario for you? It was in my house (my house with my husband) and let me tell you, it was rough. Grocery shopping was so hard, I never knew what to get, or even how to shop. I would buy things like spinach and lettuce and cabbage, wanting to do something fun, but never having the time, energy, or creative freedom by the time dinner came around. So I am going to tell you how to become more efficient with your grocery shopping, eliminate decision fatigue, and inspire you to use your head of lettuce before it goes bad!!! 

I meal plan. 

Now before you roll your eyes and click off, wait and listen because I promise you, this will help you save money!!! 

I used to make a bunch of trips to the store to pick up random items for dinner, if I had had a random idea in the middle of the day and didn't have the ingredients. I would also run out of things we needed daily, like bread and lunch meat for Billy's lunches. Now, I always have what we need, and our dinners are delicious and creative. 

First, you will need time. The first time I meal planned, it took me all morning to figure out what I was doing. You will also need a Pinterest board, a pen, a few sheets of paper, and coffee. 

I love to scroll through Pinterest for meal ideas. I got lots of cookbooks and recipes from our friends and family at the wedding, so I always check them, too! I save the dinners (or any meal of the day) that looks fun, easy, and delicious on my Pinterest board, so I can always go back and reference them. On one sheet of paper, I have the days of the week. I write down the food there. Example:

Monday: Baked Potato Soup

Tuesday: Parmesan Chicken Pasta

Wednesday: Lemon Garlic Chicken

On another sheet, I write down all the ingredients that I don't already have. I already have things like spices, potatoes, and pasta noodles. I need to purchase things like chicken, and parmesan. Knowing that I am going to be making a lot of dishes with chicken this week, I made sure to get lots of chicken. I never buy ingredients I don't have a plan for, and since I already know what I am making, I can buy enough so that I will have all of the ingredients I need, and eliminate trips to the store. P.S. Sundays are always leftovers. It helps us plan our date nights as well! 

I also already have a plan for dinners, so in the mornings, I can either throw it in the crockpot, or that evening, I don't have to decide what we are making for dinner. Plus, my husband is always excited to look at the meal plan for the week in complete excitement as his favorite dishes approach! We always do a fun dinner, like street tacos, or home made calzones on Fridays. It makes the week more fun, and we always end it with a celebration. 

I know this blog has been a little different from my regular blogs, and next weeks will be too! I felt really compelled to write these blogs, they have been at the forefront of my mind these past few weeks. I hope that this helps even just one person. I love you guys and I miss everybody back home! Have a great week and I'll talk to you in my next blog! <3