My grandma always knew what she was making every night for dinner. It was generally the same meat and potatoes but she knew. She only went to the store once a week and bought all the items she needed. This is meal planning at it’s easiest. She knew what she was having, made a list and went to the store.
I don’t enjoy having the same meal every day of the week but I only like to shop once a week. Every time I go to the store, especially without a list, I overspend a little. The stores know this and plan out ways to get you to spend more every time you step in the store. Meal planning is a great way to avoid extra trips to the store. Meal planning can also have these health benefits.
- Control. Meal planning gives you advance control of what you eat and what goes into every meal.
- Balance. Meal planning helps you see if you are eating the balance of foods you want. If I don’t meal plan, it’s a lot easier to say we’ll just have the processed food in the freezer AGAIN.
- Impulse Control. When you have a grocery list and know what you need to buy, you walk around the store empowered to just buy the things you need. If you buy one or two items not on the list, you have still done a lot better then going to the store without a list at all.
Don’t make meal planning complicated or expensive. Look in your pantry and plan around the things you already have. If you like to try new recipes, try to find other meals that include the same ingredients. Good luck with your meal plan in March.
If you click on this post, you can print out my free March menu plan calendar.
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