I am a mom on a mission to stay organized. It is a constant battle and sometimes I fail miserably but I keep trying nonetheless. The summer months are a hard time for me to stay organized. I’m lucky if I finish a cup of coffee before it turns cold or even get a chance to flip through the grocery fliers. I’m lucky that my parents know the deal-eeo and text me if there is a really good sale on something. When I am not failing at being organized I stick to making a weekly meal plan and make my grocery list from there. A few months back I made myself printables and decided I needed to share them since they have been so useful.
When I sit down I fill out the meal plan sheet first and then make my grocery list as I go. Even though there are days of the week on the printable I don’t always go by that. Things come up or plans change but at least I have 7 days worth of meals planned out. If we end up eating out or with family I just shift a meal to the next week’s list. Meal planning has done two amazing things for my family and I. It has allowed us to save quite a bit of money since I am only making one or two trips to the store instead of a daily trip. I am not tempted to buy things I don’t need as often or to purchase things that are not on my list. The lists have also made making dinner a more enjoyable task. I hate nights when nobody can agree or even think of something to eat. The end result is usually ordering out which again is more expensive. Budget-friendly is the name of the game so I can have more money for crafts and DIY projects!
When I designed the grocery list printable I had sections of the store in mind. I hate going down my list only to realize I forgot something at the opposite end of the store and especially when I have all four kids in tow. By separating the list into sections it eliminates the zig-zag store shopping.
At first meal planning can take a bit of time but the process truly saves time and headache in the long run. Lots of my friends always ask how I do it. I try to find a quite bit of time while my babies are napping and pull up my food board on pinterest, get out my recipe box and ask my husband for any requests. Hope this helps you stay or get organized!
