If you've been following me long, you know I love to plan ahead. From long-term goals to our finances and everything in between, I like to have a written plan in place to keep us on track. The same goes for our meals and grocery shopping, and I want to help YOU find a new and creative way for your budget to bring you success!

We used to spend far too much time wandering around the supermarket throwing piles of random food in the cart. Most of it was junk food because, let's face it, we were young and our metabolisms liked us back then (granted, we're only 29 years old, but a lot changes in a few short years!). Once I began reading and following Dave Ramsey, I learned meal planning was a huge part of successful budgeting, and I'm here to say this is 100 percent true.

Once you're used to it, meal planning can only take about 10 minutes of your time and save you so much more — both time and money. So, whether you're a family of two or 10, if you're looking for a way to cut back costs in an area, try this for a week or two and see if it works for you! Download my helpful guide at the bottom of the page.

This 5-Step Guide to Meal Planning has some great tips, which directly reflect our meal planning process. See below.

1. Create a Grocery Budget

Ideally, meal planning would be part of your monthly budget. If you don't currently have a monthly budget, I suggest using EveryDollar. It's a great tool (available on a desktop and mobile app) that makes you budget every single dollar before you have it. That way, you tell your money where to go before it tells you where it's gone. Or — if you're more of a tangible record-keeper — use a budget planner, like the one I offer that you can personalize!

Part of budgeting includes setting aside money for groceries. Once you have that amount set, on to the next step!

2. Determine the Number of Meals on Your Menu and Find Recipes

Next, you'll want to determine the number of meals on your menu. We plan our meals one week at a time and, in addition to nightly dinners, plan our breakfasts and lunches. Now, this absolutely does NOT mean we cook every single meal. Who has time for that?

My breakfasts usually consist of something I can quickly grab on the go, like a granola bar or muffin. On weekends, however, we'll plan something more hearty, like French toast or omelets. Same goes for dinner. We cook three to four times per week and eat left-overs or something simple the other nights.

*Be sure to check your calendar for prior dinner arrangements.

After you've determined the number of meals, gather others to help you decide what you'll eat. To make it a little easier (and more fun!), create themed nights that help guide you! For example, Monday is seafood night for us; Tuesday is 'pork or poultry'; Wednesday is Mexican night; and, Thursday is Italian night. We don't always stick to this idea, but when we're having trouble thinking of what to make, we run with it. We like to search Pinterest, Food Network and the Pioneer Woman's website for easy and nutritious meals. Then, write it down [like in the meal-planning pages of your personalized planner ;)]:


I also suggest displaying it somewhere visible for others to see. It's fun to look forward to what's coming! I use a dry erase display I made for our refrigerator:

3. Make Your List and Go Shopping!

It's important to list all the ingredients you'll need for the meals you intend on preparing — down to the seasonings. Once you have a list of items you'll need, it's VERY helpful to organize it by department: produce, deli, meat/seafood, condiments, bakery, refrigerated, etc. You get the idea.

Then, be sure to shop in your own kitchen and pantry and mark off what you already have. After that, it's off to the grocery store!

You will be amazed at how quickly you'll go through the supermarket — and how focused you'll be. The more disciplined you are and determined you are to stick to your budget, the more you will find yourself ignoring those impulse buys you used to make.



It might sound a little overwhelming if you've never meal planned before, but once you decide to make it part of your monthly routine, it will be quick and seamless. Just be sure to plan for a few nights out and don't be too hard on yourself if it's not something you feel like you can stick with right away. It took a lot of trial and error for us to find a method that worked for us, but we were determined to meet our money goals and knew we could if we implemented this practice. We took a three-month hiatus from meal planning when our little one was born and picked it back up after we established a routine. Give yourself lots of grace and be flexible.

I invite you to download my two-week meal planning sheet below, and let me know in the comments if you have any questions or suggestions! (*Side note: Next year's meal planning pages will consist of fold-out, perforated, itemized grocery lists! Eeeeek I can hardly wait!)