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Original poster

do you do a mealplan for the week ahead??

48 replies

shellybelly · 19/03/2006 16:13

I don't but am seriously thinking of doing so, get slightly fed up at having to think what to cook for tea each day (I do have a slow cooker which I love and use), was wondering if anyone did it and found it easier this way. And if I do mealplan it means that I can get all ingredients in my weekly shop

OP posts:
cece · 19/03/2006 16:19

Not at the moment, but used to and seriously considering doing it again.

It means you have all ingredients as required. No need to think it up on day and you spend less money. Just requires a bit of extra effort....

mrsgee · 19/03/2006 16:28

i do but am constantly changing it trying to fit in everyone!!just in the middle of doing one that revolves around weight watchers,both dh and i trying to loose weight

NomDePlume · 19/03/2006 16:30

No but I'll have to when we move. At the mo we live 2 minutes drive from a big tesco, so it's all too easy to leave it to the last minute. When we move we'll be that bit further away through city traffic and so I'll have to be more organised.

Twiglett · 19/03/2006 16:32

no .. how's it work .. do you plan day by day or just do a list of meals for the week

I'm too last-minute with what we fancy to plan I think ..

Angeliz · 19/03/2006 16:43

Vaguely in my head.

If i buy say mince and diced beef in my weekly shop then one or two nights we'll have chilli and casserole.
I always have the best of intentions but life gets in the way!

purplemonkeydishwasher · 19/03/2006 16:43

We pick 7 meals for the week. NOthing specific for each day though.
Then at least I have certain possibilities for each day.
I find we save money this way too. Otherwise we tend to nip out and pick something up.

hermykne · 19/03/2006 17:06

i do it and then forget
buts its a good idea esp for saving on food waste and the shopping bill is normal, not a bit of this and oh i might use that...

BettySpaghetti · 19/03/2006 17:14

Before the weekly shop we come up with 6 meals ( 1 night is takeaway night!) including one meal that we can eat at different times due to DDs swimming lessons and my pilates on the same night.

It avoids the daily standing in front of an open fridge/cupboard thinking "what shall I cook tonight?". It also means you stand a good chance of having all the ingredients for a meal and you don't end up with stuff going off as you haven't used it.

noddyholder · 19/03/2006 17:15

I stopped meal planning for a while and my shopping doubled in price.I went back to it this week and only spent 41 for three of us and 3 cats washing stuff everything really Had been spending 80 plus on crap It really works

expatinscotland · 19/03/2006 17:16

No, b/c I change my mind about what I want to eat a lot.

CarolinaMoon · 19/03/2006 17:20

I plan about a day ahead in my head. The freezer is stocked with meat and I have a repertoire of things I make with each type of meat - e.g. beef mince = cottage pie, bolognese, moussaka etc. I've also got stuff like chicken casserole frozen in ice cube-sized bits for ds for "emergency meals".

We waste a fair bit of veg this way though, as I buy prob more than we'll actually be able to eat before it's gone limp.

Am hoping to get organised enough to do weekly planning, but I think I'd get a bit bored eating meals planned that far in advance. And I'd hate that "Wednesday night is lasagne night" kind of thing.

iota · 19/03/2006 17:21

I like standing in front of my fridge, deciding what to cook.

or even if I can be bothered to cook Grin

Radley · 19/03/2006 17:21

I would love 2 do thiss but with dh's shits and him being a funny eater it's near impossible

Aero · 19/03/2006 17:24

Yes. I just think up six or seven meals the night before I do my weekly shop and write down any ingredients I'll need on my shopping list. Saves money and that 'standing in front of the fridge not knowing what to cook' feeling which used to annoy me every night! My shopping bill can be up to £30 less than what I was spending each week!

cece · 19/03/2006 17:28

I used to do specific meals for specific days. For example days I work may be a bought pie that can just be popped in the oven. Days I don't work something from scratch like a casserole...

Used to stick on fridge door....

Would use plan to write a very detailed (anal) list under sub-headings like freezer, chilled, fruit and veg, groceries.

Would take me ages to write list but would whizz around Tesco in double quick time, spend less money and also have required ingredients for each meal.

I sadly would put date it was to be eaten next to fresh items on my list, so that it was Ok to eat on the day required! Grin

I won't even go into my system for packing the bags at the checkout.....

alittlebitshy · 19/03/2006 18:26

I started doing this just under a year ago, and except for when dh takes us shopping in the car and he sees all sorts of "bargains", (grr) I deffo save money on shopping.

I tend to do a week, or maybe two, in advance - scribble down on paper and write the shopping list according to what i have and what i need for the week. Occasionally it changes if i stupidly forget to defrost meat or something, but it works, and i find we're eating a more varied diet because I have increased my repetoire by experimenting (an awful lot of my newer thngs come from the wonderfaul ladies on here:)).

I think dh secretly thinks i'm being a bit anal, but Blush i enjoy the planning and the smug feeling that i know what we're having, so no panics!!!

Tinker · 19/03/2006 18:28

"I would love 2 do thiss but with dh's shits..." Grin

alittlebitshy · 19/03/2006 18:29

lol i meant to comment on that too. v good typo!!

Lucycat · 19/03/2006 18:34

I didn't realise it was a typo Blush, I thought oh poor Radley's dh and his medical problem..... very Blush now!!

alittlebitshy · 19/03/2006 18:35

oh pants... now i'm not sure. first off i thought, ooh medical condition, poor thing, then i thought naaaah, typo. now i feel allBlush.

put me out my misery!!!!!!!!!

alittlebitshy · 19/03/2006 18:44

i've killed a thread. fab! (:()

Surfermum · 19/03/2006 19:02

I gave in to domesticity and started meal planning after Christmas and I have to say it's one of the best moves I've ever made. I sat down one day and wrote out a list of 5 weeks of meals, something different every day. Every Sunday I have a look at what's coming up for the next fortnight and make a list of what I'm going to need. If it's loads I do an on-line order, but if it isn't much I pop to the supermarket when dd's at pre-school. I also now have a monthly trip to Lidls for certain things.

I've definitely found it easier and wish I had done it a long time ago.

Yorkiegirl · 19/03/2006 19:03

I meal plan on a 4 week rotation. Saves loads of money as you only buy exactly what you need. Plus it saves me time as I don't have to think about what to cook, I just look at the planner the night before and get what I need out of the freezer.

Original poster
shellybelly · 19/03/2006 19:06

can you give us an insight into your menu surfermum Grin am definitely going to do this now, no excuse especially as i've given up work to say at home and look after dd

OP posts:
Original poster
shellybelly · 19/03/2006 19:07

gosh you sound so organised and i'm not Blush

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