Monthly Menu Planning....

I've been asked by several people how I go about shopping for a whole month!  It's really easy- takes a little time and thought- but so worth it when it saves you money in the long run.

I start each month by labeling a blank calendar with meals for every night of the week- yes, that's 7 nights a week.  Then, I add up how many proteins, veggies, starch, etc. it is for the month.

For example: Here's my menu for August:

When I make a menu for the month, I pick things that we love to eat every month!  Meatloaf is a favorite as well as Sweet and Sour chicken.  I also try and pick several crockpot recipes- because we all need those for busy nights.  I then tally up how many chicken breast that is, meat- either beef or ground turkey, veggies, rice, etc.

I will then make a grocery list from this menu.  I tend to buy frozen chicken breast cutlets- they are thinner and less expensive than breasts.  Also, if a meal calls for shredded chicken- I have that separate in baggies.  I will buy usually every other month a whole chicken.  I boil it and pick it clean.   Then, I divide that meat into baggies- I can usually get 4-5 meals of shredded chicken off of a whole chicken.  It's not a ton of meat per meal, but it's enough to usually use for any recipe.

I then compare my list to what I already have on hand.  Sometimes, I have meals leftover from the previous month- which is great!  I can just add that to the next month- and know I already have that on hand.

We don't eat everything on here for one month.  Usually, we'll go out to eat some- but for the most part, we eat on this menu.  Once we finish a meal from here- I scratch it off.  This way I have 30 meals for the month and don't have to follow this menu to the exact day.

I still have to buy perishable items throughout the month- like milk, bread, and eggs.  But, for the most part I only go maybe 2-3 times after my big shopping event.  This has really saved Luke and I over 100 bucks a month on our grocery budget.  It's really worth it!

I usually have our favorite recipes memorized- because I've made them so much!  However, if it's a pinterest recipe- I always write it or print it out- and attach it to my menu. 


Hope that helps explain how to do monthly shopping!