POLL: Who here plans a menu for the week?

RyanDanielle5101

I have always planned meals for the week:). I go to the store every weekend with a list in hand. I cook almost every night and I don't like running to the store for a few items after work. I'd rather get home and get to my workout!! Plus both of my kids always have some type of sports practice and dinner and dishes need to be done by 6 on those days!

grapenutSF

I create a weekly menu for dinners. We get a CSA (veggie box from local farm) that has LOTS of veggies, so if I don't plan properly, it's easy for some of that to go to waste. Also helps me be efficient buying groceries and unstressed in the evenings (no "What should we eat?" when everyone's hungry).

Amber393

i always menu plan, two weeks at a time based on stuff I have in the cupboard and pantry and items on sale at the grocery. I get only what I need on my list and nothing else. It saves time and money!

atsteele

Not me.

I like to go where my mood takes me given certain boundaries that keep me heading in the right direction.
If I plan lean chicken on a day when I am in the mood for broiled salmon, guess what?

I go with the salmon.

Same here. I don't like confining myself to whatever the plan might be. But I have tried planning my day and that works... sometimes. hehe

mkmacf

Every pay day, we plan our suppers for two weeks. It is more of a budgeting thing, but it helps with tracking as well because I know what I can eat before supper and stay under calories.

SeaSiren1

I use the pantry principle for breakfast and lunches and plan dinners a week in advance for shopping purposes. It also helps to keep food from spoiling as I cook with fresh produce most of the time.

MzMiller1215

I've been doing that for over three years now. It saves us a lot of money and takes the anxiety out of trying to figure out what to cook when I get home from work each day.

TamsinEllis

I don't plan my meals, dinner I eat whatever's easy to throw together and cook since generally by the evening I just want to crawl into bead and sleep, lunches I tend to have salads or salad wraps but never know what I'm putting in there till the last minute just keep lots of yummy stuff in the fridge so I always have options (although I have had baked beans/spaghetti -tinned- and soups for lunch when I want warming up). And breakfast is probably my most 'planned' meal since I'll always have a protein shake, but if I have food as well it will be anything from peanut butter, Marmite and hot homemade rolls to a salad or fish on crackers. So I do kind of plan it since I know roughly when I'll be eating but I always had the options to vary my meals if what I've been eating for the past few days suddenly is about as appealing to me as dirt.

Kimbie500

We plan dinners only, then buy what we need based on the menu and what's in season...it saves us a ton of money and keeps us on track. For breakfast we tend to keep to the same foods for ease of schedule and lunches are leftovers or salads...

^^^^ This. I've done this for years. It's so nice to just grab a leftover out of the fridge for lunch and head out to work. Plus, I'm never on my way home wondering WHAT ON EARTH I'm going to cook. Simplifies my life greatly!

stylistchik

Yep. I write out a menu and use it do do my grocery shopping. I hang the week's menu on the fridge and my hubby still asks "what's for dinner" or "what are we doing with _____?" lol

missdaisy79

I do. It's the only way we can control our spending. I don't do it for health purposes as such, more a monetary management thing, but it helps me keep an eye on what we're putting together to eat.