Do you meal plan for the week?

[Harriettheoriginalspy]

I am spending so much on food these days (DP comes over half the week/bubbling but has specific dietary needs so self caters) that I want to start meal planning...

Do you do this and how much do you spend? Please give me an insight into your typical week!

Yes. It cut our food spending in half. So easy to pick up a few 'bits and bobs' on your way round which add up so quickly.

For 2 adults we spend on average £40-50 per week at Aldi for everything including toilet roll, cleaner etc.

I always meal plan. Currently spend £80ish a week for 2 adults and 3dc.

I've just started to. I do an online shop every Sunday and budget for £40. I've found I'm able to do this if I plan out what I am going to cook for the following week

I do it- simply because I hate getting in from work and thinking what to make. Decision already made.

Yep, every week I sit down on Saturday morning and make a 7 day plan for lunch and dinners and the shopping list for it. Shop in sains and probably average about £100/week for family of 4. We LOVE food and probably buy more than we should.

Yes I plan every week. With six of us with busy schedules it would be a nightmare if I didn't. I spend approximately £120 on food.

I don't plan the meals, but I do bulk buy meat/fish. So I always have something in the freezer that I can use to cook with what fresh vegs etc. I have in the fridge, if I'm stuck or had particular request from my dc with specific dietary needs.

We do but for three days not the week. Works better for us that way. We seem to waste less than a week's worth.

Yes every week. I’m so disorganised that if I didn’t and just ordered/picked up random items we’d never have all the items required to make a meal

It really does make life SO much easier. Takes the thought out of dinner every night because you just do it all at once when you do your meal plan.

I do, I have done since last March to to keep me out of the shops. I get one delivery a week. 2 adults and 2 preteens (who eat adult sized meals), I spend £130-£140 a week, £100-£110 is probably food.

Yes, I sit down and do it all on Friday for food shopping delivery on Saturday. We keep a stock of breakfast items, dh and plan a few days of lunches (other days we’d eat dinner leftovers) and then every dinner is planned. I have a rotating list of favourite meals and then try a few new ones or do a few easy meals each week (think ready made lasagna, green veg and salad, etc). Our shopping costs about £180 a week but that’s for 4 of us, including lunches for dc, snacks, alcohol, random other household things. We almost never top up during the week or eat out (obviously at the moment). If it’s just two of you, would of course be cheaper!

Yes. I have one of those magnetic boards on the fridge where you can write things in each day. I have a choice of two or three different meals for each day to mix it up a bit. If I didn't do this I'd be eating M&S ready meals every day.

Yes because I do online shopping. It’s not terribly cheap because I supplement with nice cheese and shellfish deliveries.

No. Well, not before I go.
I look at what is there, on the day I do my shop, what the dates are on the meat (or fish or whatever), and go from there.

No point in thinking "Ooh, I'll have chops on Friday" then getting to the supermarket and finding there are no chops with a long enough date. I look at what looks nice, what is on offer, what the dates are, and go from there.

It doesn't cost more - in fact, potentially less, as you can take advantage of any offers.

I do a family shop in Aldi each week (4 adults on average) for under £50.

Yes, I always have. I wouldn’t know where to start with the shopping otherwise. I can’t just look at a selection of ingredients in the fridge and cupboards and decide what to put together to make a meal that day. DH and I take it in turns to cook, so on Fridays we decide what to cook for the week and I write the ingredients on the shopping list.

I plan for the month, we usually have one/two chicken days, two fish days, a veggie day, one red meat and roast on a Sunday.
I do cook separate meals for some of the kids in some evenings as the younger two are fussier. We do spend a lot on food, but I waste very, very little.

We have just started using gousto so that’s four days sorted. I just buy ingredients in for three meals every week then.