Planning

This is what you call poor planning...

I've needed a new towel bar in my bathroom for months now. Every time I found myself on or near the bathroom accessories aisle in Walmart, I'd realize that I had forgotten again to measure the wall. Last time I was on the bathroom accessories aisle, I just went ahead and bought one. Poor planning...

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This is what you call good planning... I started menu planning a few months ago. I use this picture frame and some templates that I printed from off the Internet (one for each month of the year). I write on the glass of the frame with dry erase markers. At the end of the week, I just wipe off the marker and start all over again. Menu planning helps me on SO many levels.

Level 1: I always know what I need to buy from the grocery store, and it helps me avoid mid-week grocery store runs.

Level 2: It really helps me with staying within my grocery budget.

Level 3: Every time someone comes up to me and asks, "What's for dinner?" all I have to do is point to the menu...

This week though, I had a lightbulb moment. I asked each person in my family what their favorite dinner is. And just like that, BOOM, 5 meals worth of menu planning for the week = DONE!

Last night, we had Avery's favorite dinner, chicken parmesan. Tonight, we will be dining on Samuel's favorite dinner, make-your-own pizzas. Tuesday night, we shall feast on one of my favorite meals, chicken and mashed potatoes. Wednesday night, we will have soft tacos because Hector realized shortly after requesting Chinese food that no one would really eat his favorite meal (sesame chicken). Soft tacos was his runner up. Thursday night, well, that's Isaac's night, as well as the night that we have Samuel's Cub Scout meeting at our house. So, we shall all be dining on Spaghetti O's, canned raviolis and Beefaroni that night. Yummy... can't wait!

What's on the menu at your home this week?