Meal Planning

I've been searching for ways to organize my life and make things a little easier, all the while trying to stay on budget. I notice week after week that we spend a lot on groceries but don't actually use it all, resulting in us throwing more stuff out than I'd like. I decided that I'd try my hand at meal planning and I have to say, I will probably be making this a regular thing.


My Naturopath suggested Rachel Ray's magazine "Every Day" so I subscribed to it about a year ago. I got an online deal where I get 3 years for only $3.00/year. That is cheaper than one issue. She does have some great looking recipes that I'm anxious to try. I spent a little time browsing through my recipe binders and the Every Day magazines. I made up a document where I can list out the meals by day along with the groceries needed by department. If you want, I am happy to email it out. I finally got a great menu put together and was so excited to try this whole organized dinner thing out. Since we had family in town and decided to go out to dinner one night, the meal plan didn't work 100% as planned. I do think this is going to save us money in the long run, and help me feel a little more organized... so I'm anxious to try it again.

I would love to hear how this works for you since I'm such a newbie to it...

Do you meal plan?

How has it helped out your family?

Do you have any wonderful recipes that frequent your dinner table?