Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

In thinking that meal planning can’t be out of the ordinary?

361 replies

Fono · 21/11/2022 11:30

I’ve always operated a system within my household where I will sit down every Sunday morning and plan all of our meals (lunch and dinner) for the following week and then formulate my shopping list based on everything we need specifically for those meals. This means we have minimal wastage at the end of any given week, prevents over-buying and everyone knows exactly what we are eating and when.

I have a board in our kitchen where I’ll write up the meals for the week and recently every time I’ve had a visitor to the house I’m met with the same shocked reaction about meal planning, like it’s a completely foreign concept.

I’d never previously thought that I did anything out of the ordinary and I’d assumed most households did this? If not, I’m genuinely interested to know what other families do? Imo given the cost of living crisis, meal planning is more important than ever!

OP posts:
pimlicoanna · 25/11/2022 09:50

I've never done this. I don't think any of my family or friends do either

MasterBeth · 25/11/2022 09:50

Incredible! 14 pages to say "everyone's different, thinks a bit differently about things and so does things diferently".

I never understand why people are so adamant about everything. Meal planning isn't inherently good or bad. Do what suits you.

BosaNova · 25/11/2022 09:57

MasterBeth · 25/11/2022 09:50

Incredible! 14 pages to say "everyone's different, thinks a bit differently about things and so does things diferently".

I never understand why people are so adamant about everything. Meal planning isn't inherently good or bad. Do what suits you.

Exactly 🤷🏻

I think most of us non planners though were wuite rightfully offended here in parts😂

WeepingSomnambulist · 25/11/2022 09:57

NoNameNowAgain · 24/11/2022 21:44

Yes, I was wondering about people going through six or seven recipes and calculating the number of onions of each colour before making their weekly shopping list.
I suppose if you cook quite a wide range of international recipes then, even if you know them off by heart, using up all the special ingredients gets complicated.

I'm not a great natural cook but I also really dont like having the same thing often, so I cook from recipes most days.
Obvisouly I have learned the favourites by heart and made some changes we like but I look up recipes every week to find new things to make and then meal plan and shop for them.

Q2C4 · 26/11/2022 09:11

@BosaNova yes there is definitely a whiff of the meal planners considering themselves morally superior in some posts! Like the one suggesting meal planning was a basic necessity 🤣

BosaNova · 26/11/2022 09:15

Q2C4 · 26/11/2022 09:11

@BosaNova yes there is definitely a whiff of the meal planners considering themselves morally superior in some posts! Like the one suggesting meal planning was a basic necessity 🤣

Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That brings the bare necessities of life
😁

Tbh i take more umbrage with eating just rubbish with no proper flsvours and wasting a lot😁

Christmasbellsagio · 28/12/2022 03:11

We just had it last night. Delicious!

NoNameNowAgain · 28/12/2022 06:15

Christmasbellsagio · 28/12/2022 03:11

We just had it last night. Delicious!

What?

Christmasbellsagio · 28/12/2022 07:35

NoNameNowAgain · 28/12/2022 06:15

What?

Apologies, I could have sworn I was posting on the breakfast for dinner thread

NameInUseAlreadyAgain · 28/12/2022 07:57

Fono · 21/11/2022 11:30

I’ve always operated a system within my household where I will sit down every Sunday morning and plan all of our meals (lunch and dinner) for the following week and then formulate my shopping list based on everything we need specifically for those meals. This means we have minimal wastage at the end of any given week, prevents over-buying and everyone knows exactly what we are eating and when.

I have a board in our kitchen where I’ll write up the meals for the week and recently every time I’ve had a visitor to the house I’m met with the same shocked reaction about meal planning, like it’s a completely foreign concept.

I’d never previously thought that I did anything out of the ordinary and I’d assumed most households did this? If not, I’m genuinely interested to know what other families do? Imo given the cost of living crisis, meal planning is more important than ever!

We started this during lockdown 1.0 and it’s changed my life. We plan the meals as a family so all get a day and we only buy what’s needed at the shops. I love getting home from work and knowing I have the food in. We sometimes swap days around if we don’t fancy what’s on the list but no food wastage. Saved us a fortune on last minute shops.

Blueink · 30/06/2023 01:09

Not like this, no.

Shop weekly, but flexible as depends on what’s available and importantly (especially now) prices.

Buy enough for the week, but with no set idea of what will be eaten when as prefer to be flexible with what to prepare/eat on the day.

Requires little thought and have no excess or waste doing it this way.

Your level of meal planning would be too time consuming and rigid for me, but it’s working for you so that’s all that matters.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page