Meal planning. I feel like it is way more controversial than it should be! Some people love it and others hate it! It seems like there isn’t any middle ground.
I am one of the people who LOVES to meal plan. It saves me a ton of money every single month, and it helps me to prepare much healthier meals for my family!
I couldn’t imagine not meal planning and I’m going to tell you exactly why I think it is SO important.
1. Meal planning changes how I look at food.
When I go into a new cycle (I do 10 day cycles when it comes to grocery shopping), I map out exactly what I want to prepare for those 10 days. I buy only the ingredients that I need to make those exact meals, and I stick to it!
By making healthy and budget friendly decisions for our meals ahead of time, I’m not tempted by junk food when the time comes to eat.
Instead of thinking about the food in my house as a constant temptation or nuisance that I have to use up, I look at it as a tool to help keep my family healthy.
Everything that is purchased has a purpose, and because of that, it is used to its utmost potential.
2. I don’t waste food anymore!
Before I meal planned, I used to buy whatever produce and meal looked good at the store.
By the end of the week, I had a refrigerator full of unused food that was going bad! Produce and meat wouldn’t be used because I wouldn’t have all of the ingredients needed to turn it into a meal.
After starting to meal plan about 4 years ago, I don’t waste food. When it’s time for me to grocery shop again, our refrigerator is empty! Not because I had to throw out the food, but because we ate it all in healthy meals!
3. My cooking abilities have improved.
When I wasn’t meal planning, eating out was a HUGE temptation. When you aren’t actively cooking every single day, you don’t build the skillset!
Now that I’m meal planning, I am cooking everyday! I can make a ton of different things even without referencing recipes now. The phrase “practice makes perfect” really is true!
4. I save a TON of money.
Without meal planning, I would make several “small” trips into the grocery through a week. I would run in just to get cheese to go with the tacos I wanted to make one night, and come out with $30 of ingredients I didn’t intend to get.
While my official weekly grocery trip had a low total, my little trips through the rest of the week really added up. I was blowing a lot of extra money by not having a plan!
5. We don’t eat out nearly as often.
Before I relied on meal planning 3 times a month, we would eat out probably 2 or 3 nights a week.
There is no faster way to waste money and make poor diet choices than eating out. When we do eat out now, it is super intentional and usually only on a date night! No more unhealthy and expensive takeout for us!
6. Healthy meals are the norm.
I meal plan when I’m not hungry. I write out all of the meals that I want our family to eat that week and look up healthy recipes.
By doing this when I’m not hungry or in front of the super yummy looking junk food at the grocery store, I cut out all of the potential junk we would be eating. I plan for healthy meals, so those are the ingredients in our home, so that is what we eat when the time comes!
7. My kids aren’t picky eaters!
I have a 2.5 year old and a 10 month old who will eat almost anything! They have always eaten whatever we were eating for the day, I don’t fix two meals.
If zucchini noodles and meatballs are what is on the meal plan, that is what is on their plates come supper time.
I really think that is why they aren’t picky eaters. Healthy meals are on our plan, and so that is what they eat!
Meal planning has changed our lives for the better!
I know some people can prepare healthy meals and fight the urge to go out without a plan, but I am not one of those people!
The saying “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail” is SO true! Meal planning has enabled my family to eat more healthily and save a lot of money at the same time!
If you want to start meal planning, download my free printable here!
Check out my meal planning routine here!