You’ve learned that planning your weekly menu will save you both time and money. However, you’ve run into a few problems lately. You’re working later than expected some days and dinner doesn’t get started on time like you’d like. You have extra errands to run after work and the kids have a special science project that requires a stop at the library. Now, your meal plan is in serious jeopardy.
Dinner was all planned for tonight. That is, if you had been home on time, as planned. You would have slid that Lemon Baked Fish into the oven and dinner would have been on the table at 5:30 just like you planned. But, instead, you are rushing through the fast food drive-thru for something to feed your hungry family. You know it’s not going to be nutritious, but your plan has failed and you were not prepared.
It’s difficult planning your meals in advance, but you know how being prepared helps both with your time and your budget. Now, consider all those plans disrupted by one or two little glitches in the day. Of course, you’ll have days that don’t go perfectly as planned… who doesn’t? That’s why a back-up plan for your meals is a definite plus.
If your weekly menu plan fails because of an interrupted schedule, you need a quick-reference recipe finder. This is something that would give you a “grab ‘n’ go” meal idea for a night that didn’t quite allow enough time for your wonderful meal plans. When things start falling apart during the day and you just know you’ll never be on time to put your roast in the oven, your mind starts to go astray right along with your day and your meal plan. The more rushed you feel, the more likely you are to drive through the fast food place and then your meal, and your budget, really suffers. Time to regroup. Let’s try these three steps to create a back-up plan.
FIRST STEP: Gather seven of your favorite really fast and really easy recipes. The recipes that require very few ingredients are the best. They should be nutritious and delicious so that when you serve them, you won’t feel like you’re sacrificing. They’re typically a one dish meal that you throw together and your family asks for again and again. You know you’ve got a few of these types of recipes rolling around in your head, so just quickly jot them down. Write these seven quick and easy meals on individual note cards.
SECOND STEP: You need to put these seven recipes in a handy spot in the kitchen. You can tape an envelope to the back of a cupboard door and slip them inside. Another option is sticking the recipes to a bulletin board. Where ever you put them, just be sure they are easily accessible so that you can call on your family to start some of the meal preparation when you’re running late.
THIRD STEP: A grocery list that is specifically made for your new back-up recipe plan is essential for this method to work. This is a list that you keep in your purse or car. You will create this by first writing your seven recipes down, then list the ingredients needed next to each recipe title. Be sure to simplify the list by eliminating the items that you have on hand all the time, like salt, pepper, butter, etc. When you pick the list out of your purse, you’ll choose your recipe, then go quickly through the grocery store picking out just the ingredients you need. When you get home, just pull your recipe out of the envelope, and dinner will be ready in no time. You won’t have to stop and think when you start down the grocery store aisles. The decisions have already been made, courtesy of your back-up plan.
If you’re thinking “But it took so much effort just to create one menu plan and now I’ve got to create another one?” you’re half right. Of course, it takes time to create a menu plan, but it saves a lot more time down the road. A back-up plan not only saves time, but money. There will always be disruptions to your best-laid plans. When you prepare yourself for those disruptions, you can move a bit more smoothly along a solution. No more frazzled stops at the drive-thru to pick up a high fat, low nutrition, big money, dinner for your family.
So, who needs a back-up plan? We all do. Won’t it be great to look at your watch when you’re running behind for dinner and think, “oops… Plan B” instead of “EEEEK! Now What”? You’ll enjoy your drive home, you’ll enjoy your time with the family, and you’ll enjoy your own favorite meals… even if they are Plan B!
One simple Frugal Lifestyle Tip is to plan your family’s meals a week or more at a time. Shopping with your new plan, whether you have two incomes or a One Income Budget, is your family’s first step to financial stability.