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Original poster

Meal planning ARGH

37 replies

nutcracker · 16/08/2006 21:26

I am just not meant to be this type of person, you know the ones that meal plan, have folders for bills and are generally organised, I'm jutst not OK.

Ok feel slightly better after that rant, but honestly, isn't meal planning borrrrrrrrrring ??

OP posts:
TheLadyVanishes · 17/08/2006 09:31

well i keep saying i'm going to do it but have yet to get round to it wish i could be that organised (and i bet it only takes 10mins to do)

yawningmonster · 17/08/2006 09:37

boring? I love pouring over the recipes and deciding what to have...maybe Im just weird

lazycow · 17/08/2006 09:43

Oh I hate it too but dh has done a lot of it . It is worth it though as when we work form a menu plan for the week it life is much calmer and less stressful

We now have 4 weeks of menus (typed up - anal or what) with a list of ingredients needed for each week. We have started rotating the lists so we don't need to do a new one very week. I think once we have 10 menu lists we will just pick one each week and go with that - That should provide enough variety.

We also order online and dh found a great new function on the Tesco site where you can import a list of ingredients (We we have ready typed for each menu) and it will search for them. He was really pleased and said the shopping for the food list took 5 mins on the Tesco site, then another 5-10 mins for the rest of the household stuff and the shopping was done.

TheLadyVanishes · 17/08/2006 10:00

lazycow do you where you get get mealplanners ie with the day of the week on etc or do you do your own

CountessDracula · 17/08/2006 10:06

You actually have lists? OMG that is hilarious!

I just go round the supermarket and plan as I go. It's not that hard!

Enid · 17/08/2006 10:09

it is hard if you have a 6 year old a 3 year ol dand a baby believe me

never thought I would enjoy beiung anal but by jove it makes life easier

oliveoil · 17/08/2006 10:09

I look in the fridge and cupboards and see what is missing, or jot down things through the week, ie ketchup or teabags etc.

We ALWAYS need wipes and nappies and kitchen roll so gravitate there automatically.

Veg is what is on offer or in season or looks good. No meal planning but we always make in bulk and freeze for when I work.

I am very anal on bills however and do have them all in folders.

TheLadyVanishes · 17/08/2006 10:14

i'm sure mealplanning was discussed months ago and someone posted a link to a menu well a blank one, does this ring any bells with anyone. I do really want to try this and it will spare me tearing my hair out in the morning thinking about what to do for lunch/dinner

CountTo10 · 17/08/2006 10:17

I've tried the whole meal planning thing but then I forget to take the stuff out of the freezer to defrost and remember as I'm sat in traffic on the way to work so we end up with something thrown together from winter hill once babbie is in bed!!!!
Tesco.com is king though!!!!

oliveoil · 17/08/2006 10:19

Can I recommend Good Housekeeping magazine? I got it for my MIL as a subscription and they do a food section whereby you cook a meal and part of it does for another meal iyswim.

Wilbur · 17/08/2006 10:22

Inspired by the promise of money-saving, I started meal planning a few months ago and it's been v good. Yes, it's bit dull doing the thinking and online order on a Sunday night when I would rather be watching tv, but I reckon i am saving about £40 a week or more by not just wandering round a supermarket and buying thing I like the look of. Plus I am getting quicker at choosing things and working out what leftovers can be used up in other dishes etc. Have got a goodhousekeeping cook book that is great for ideas for both fancy and cheap meals. Our food bill was astronomical (to feed dh and I, au pair, plus three children) and now it's just mildly enormous.

lazycow · 17/08/2006 10:32

Theladyvanishes - We just do our own using one cook book a week and mix in a few of our own recepies

EG WEEK 1
1 Garden casserole (P251)& Baked potato

2 Asparagus risotto (p120)

3 Fettucine in vegetable sauce (P206)

4 Potato, stilton and onion pie (P255)

5 Quorn pie, or lamb chop, chips and peas

6 Spinach lasagne (make double and freeze half)

7 - whatever

We do a mixture of our own recepies and cookbooks with one day free for dh to use up the leftover ingredients which he does so much better than me .

We order on Weds usually and get the delivery on Friday. On the weeks we are too busy to get this sorted in time I find the whole weeks spirals out of control with me or Dh constantly in the supermarket buying that night's dinner - Also it costs load more.

We also only plan our evening meal but I tend to do batch cooking for ds's lunches at the childminder every couple of weeks and then freeze so that tends to be easy.

When we have lunch together ds and me or ds,dh and me we just do something quick/simple like sandwiches/omelettes etc.

We do have to plan/co-ordinate our evening meals because ds and I both work and who cooks the meal depends on who is home in time which can vary a lot so it can get to be a nightmare when dh cooks and uses something I was planning to use for the next day or vica versa. Also shopping is difficult if there isn't someone clearly in charge of it as duplicates get bought etc so we do this to try and cut down on that.

This way the list is on the fridge so we both know what is for dinner. We do sometimes swap days and decide we would prefer to eat what is planned for Tuesday on Weds etc but over the week we know what is being cooked and that the ingredients are in the cupboard/fridge.

CountessDracula · 17/08/2006 10:35

Surely though as you go round the supermarket you just think "I'll have stir fry one night and Fish and salad one night" etc and then buy the constituent parts? I suppose as dd eats at nurser at lunchtime 4 days a week and dh and I at work, I don't have so much planning to do.

I do write things we run out of on a list on the fridge so I don't forget them.

CountTo10 · 17/08/2006 10:40

I try and do it that way - plus I prefer to eat what I fancy that day!!

lazycow · 17/08/2006 10:45

Ah countesdracula - if only

Dh is vegetarian so that can complicate matters somewhat for me. Also last week he was working from home two days so did the evening cooking, on the other two days he got home well after ds was in bed so I had to cook our evening meal at 6pm for ds and me and leave something for dh. One day I was home all day but dh was back by 6pm so he cooked again.

This schedule was just last week and will be different next week.

One person doing the shopping/planning is difficult if you are both cooking and who cooks depends on the week's work schedule which varies on a weekly basis. This way we both know what is happening - also I really hate all the food planning so doing it all at once takes the hassle out of food shopping for me.

I do appreciate though that for many families it is probably not necessary to be quite so anal

CountessDracula · 17/08/2006 10:47

tbh in the week we generally eat salad so it's easy, either of us can prepare it.

CountTo10 · 17/08/2006 10:51

Ahh lazycow, see I just don't have that problem, my other half can't cook how ever much I try and teach him so when I'm not cooking, I'm assisting so its all done to suit me!!!!!!

Bugsy2 · 17/08/2006 10:58

Its funny how we all work. I am really organised & file all my bills, tax returns etc etc, but I never do meal planning.
I work on the basis that if I always have the basics in stock (pasta, rice, potatoes & onions) then I can just add different things to them and make a meal. I only look at a recipe book for dinner parties! Day to day, I make my own recipes up as I go along! (Poor children will probably be scarred for life.)

janeite · 17/08/2006 11:05

Have tried meal planning and it made life so much easier - but I lapsed; need to sort my act out again. I also find that if I can get myself organised on a Sunday to cook something ready for Monday, and then work a day in advance, that I feel a lot less stressed on getting home from work and starting cooking.

Eg - on Sunday, cook a veggie lasagne for Monday. On Monday, whilst lasagne is cooking, prepare vege curry to have on Tuesday etc etc.

Really need to get this planned ready for back to school.

CountessDracula · 17/08/2006 11:05

I file my bills in the shredder

Why do you keep bills?

Ikeep last 6 months bank statement and last bill for other things

lazycow · 17/08/2006 11:11

see count210 sometimes having a dh who can't cook has it's advantages - life can be simpler and we are in control

Bugsy2 - Not at all that is by far the best way to cook - I just can't do it as I know cooking is good and we should have fresh food but I will avoid it whenever I can - hence the sharing it with dh and and not being very good at the 'what's in the cupboard' type cooking unlike dh who is very good at it.

CountessDracula · 17/08/2006 11:13

(my FIL has every bill he has ever received. He even has his electricity bills from when they lived in Kuala Lumpur in the 1950s ffs)

CountTo10 · 17/08/2006 11:27

I have a rather attractive tin for dumping daily bills in and then once amth if I can be bothered I file them - I keep everything for a year and then shred it. Not sure where I came up with the whole 12mths thing but it keeps me calm. I used to keep everything from here and eternity but the counselling and shock treatment got me over it!!!

Bugsy2 · 17/08/2006 11:28

CD, Some bills I have to keep for 7 years as I was self-employed until April of this year! Very tedious. I keep all other bills for 2 years & then ditch. I find it useful sometimes to go back & see how much I paid for gas/elec or car insurance etc.

Enid · 17/08/2006 11:55