Aibu to think all meal planning is for "budgets" what do you eat if you're not on a really tight budget?

[hardhatonforthis]

I think we are stuck in a rut. I don't want to eat beans or parsnips every night?
Don't like hello fresh.
Shop at ocado because it suits us for a variety of reasons.

What are you eating this week?

Not sure exactly what you're asking to be honest but I meal plan because I will then do an online shop for the week and it saves me going to the supermarket. We're not on a tight budget but I don't like to eat crap - most things are made from scratch.

Buy a recipe book?

Takeaway tonight
Home made curry last night
I’ve got meatballs in the freezer for tomorrow
Dh is making chilli on Friday
Saturday I’ve got some salmon, bought at booths yesterday
Sunday dh is doing roast beef and all the trimmings
Meal planning is not just for people on budgets, it’s for organised people

I don't understand either but I meal plan so I know what to buy and don't have to give any headspace during the week to decide what to cook. How do you do your shopping if you don't know what you're going to eat or do you shop every day/

Are you trying to say that all the examples you've seen of meal planning, are all aimed at people on a tight budget?

I meal plan and don't do it to a budget. I do it to reduce food waste.

Meal plan to reduce food waste, nothing to do with budgets!

I meal plan so I know what to buy, the money it saves is just an added bonus!

What is the relevance of beans and parsnips?

I think meal planning is about organization more than anything else. You don't want to buy random things then not have what you need for a meal.

Meal planning is so that you can buy stuff appropriate to the meals you want to make. Otherwise you end up buying (probably the same) stuff and then staring at it going "What can I do with these..." and eventually binning stuff you never used.

Ask someone who cooks for fun, for a recommendation of a recipe book or two. I'll give you a couple for starters - Jerusalem by Ottolenghi (regional ethnic) and Bish Bash Bosh by Firth/Theasby (Brit veggie).

Eat what you like if you can afford to!

I meal plan because I have two children with asd who both need to know what's coming up. I don't like wasting resources, so it makes sense/helps my household members if we meal plan.

I buy recipe books, look after bbc food, look at food bloggers for new ideas. Its easy to get stuck in a bit of a rut if you’re only ever cooking the same things in rotation. I also really like Rukmini Iyer’s Roasting Tin books (quick roasting tin and green roasting tin) as im not a natural cook so I like one dish meals where you can chuck everything in together.

I meal plan to avoid food waste rather than save money

Meal planning is just to avoid waste surely. Just look up family recipes; BBC good food is great for basic stuff.

I buy the Sainsburys Christmas magazine just so I can have a free food-based calendar that I only use for meal planning. If we miss a planned meal due to busyness or going out with friends, I make it anyway and freeze so I can have a night off. I meal plan because it makes my shopping faster with a cranky toddler. I am also doing Veganuary so it has made that much easier. BBCGoodFood is lovely for ideas.

I go to the supermarket after work and just buy whatever I fancy that day.

I meal plan to make sure I have no food waste.

Kind of meal plan, use my iPad notes to list ideas for 4 meals a week ( that DH is home for ) eg cottage pie, roast chicken, curry, risotto and then for my 3 meals I rotate baked potatoes, a ready meal 'treat' and something like fish fingers! The 4 nights he's home I take more acre because I have more time. I plan so we dont waste food

It wouldn’t matter how much it cost at the till but I still meal plan and list every ingredient to buy to make the meals cos if I didn’t I’d end up buying the same stuff every week and/or a load of random stuff no of which completely make a meal

I am another that shops most days for whatever I fancy for dinner that night. Yesterday we all had a Tesco finest ready meal curry with naan bread... it was actually really nice! Tonight we are having a roast. Tomorrow we’ll probably have stuffed red peppers (stuffed with veg couscous and topped with cheese) and small roast potatoes. All kinds of stuff. I do have a lot of oven chip days too because I can’t be bothered...!

I meal plan to save money, save time, and to make sure there's no wastage, plus it means that if something needs defrosting for the next day I remember to get it out of the freezer the night before; so more reasons than just monetary. I would make a list of meals you enjoy, and ones which might not be your favourite but you're more than happy to eat, and then fit them in on days which work. For example, if you like chili con carne and prefer it done in the slow cooker, plan it for a day when you have time to prep it and pop it in before work or whatever. Weekends I usually do our favourite meals so we aren't as tempted to get takeaways.

I'm not on a strict budget but need to meal plan to make sure we've got stuff in and I'm not traipsing to the supermarket every night. I really like the Simply Cook recipe boxes, I'd say we have loved most that we have tried.

I also meal plan to have relevant ingredients in the weekly shop and meals organised around a hectic schedule (some nights I need meals ready as we get in, or at 2 or even 3 different times, other nights I have time to cook and we’ll all eat together).

I spend a lot on food - organic, interesting ingredients, artisan shops, and convenience options.

But I also buy certain things in bulk and lots from places like Lidl etc. Helping my decent budget stretch further. And will batch cook when I can to have options in the freezer when I need them.

I meal plan so I buy what I need, have less waste and so I don’t have to shop 4 times a week.
This week we are having
spatchcock piri piri chicken
Beef casserole
Roast lamb
Salmon
Cottage pie
Bacon and leek risotto
And one night eating out.

We’re not on a budget, never mind a strict one. We meal plan to reduce food wastage, to minimise stress and hassle, and to make the best use of our money.

What do we eat? Lots of things...we enjoy cooking and we enjoy lots of different cuisines. Yesterday we had beef rendang with rice and Pak Choi fried in butter with garlic, chilli, fish sauce and soy sauce.

I’m not actually sure what you’re asking? Are you looking for new things to try, to get some inspiration?