Trying to plan dinners on a daily basis can make cooking meals a dreaded chore. Not only do you waste time with extra trips to the grocery store but the added costs of gas to get your there, combined with the higher price of prepackaged food, means your spending more money on food than you need to. Using a weekly meal plan means fewer trips to the store and less hassle for you.



Cookbooks to the Rescue

No matter how busy your lifestyle is you can find the time to draw up a weekly meal plan. It only takes about 10 to 15 minutes and enlisting the help of your favorite cookbooks makes the task even easier. Make a chart with each day of the week on it and choose a suitable menu for each day, including any side dishes or desserts. With seven meals chosen you'll now create that week's grocery list so you can pick up the foods you'll need for your weekly meal plan, plus any extra staples you're running low on.

To make meals as simple as possible during your busiest days of the week ensure you are cooking meals that require little prep time or that can be prepped the night before as a time saving measure. Stews that can be prepared the night before and refrigerated overnight are a great choice for nights your child has swimming class. Just take your crock pot's inner dish from the fridge to the base unit in the morning, turn it on low and your meal is ready when you are.

Buying in Bulk: It's Good for the Budget

Whenever possible buy food items you're likely to use frequently in bulk. Items such as meats, dried pastas, and spices are cheaper when purchased in larger quantities and, over the long run, can mean fewer trips to the grocery store once you build up a good reserve of food staples.

By contrast items that spoil quickly should be purchased in quantities just large enough to tie you over to your next trip to the grocery store. Buying a large bag of celery may seem like a deal but only if you don't end up throwing two thirds of it away because it spoiled before you could use it all. If you find that you do need to buy items with a shorter shelf life in larger quantities try and plan at least two meals within the next 10 days that require that particular food item.

Waste Not Want Not

A great cost cutting measure when planning your meals is to choose dishes that will intentionally leave you with leftovers. While some may think buying a large roast for only two people is wasteful that leftover meat can be frozen and used again as stewing meat in a latter meal. Look for roasts or larger portions of meat when they come on sale and plan your weekly meals with the intent of revisiting these handy leftovers.

Double the Batch for Half the Work

Another fabulous way to cut down on meal choice and prep is to make double batches of dishes that can be frozen and enjoyed later. Many soups, sauces and pasta dishes such as lasagna will freeze well for short periods of time. Marinating meat for dinner? Make a double batch-one for that day's meal and another one to freeze immediately and pull out another day. Your frozen batch will marinate while thawing and be ready for the grill or oven the next time you include that meal in your weekly planner with no prep time required.

The old saying goes," He who fails to plan, plans to fail." If you feel like you're flunking out of home-ec due to your last minute meals and climbing grocery bill fight back by taking a few minutes to make a weekly meal plan. Cooking meals when you have a plan is easier, cheaper and can even make you love cooking again.