I wish! I'm really unorganized when it comes to shopping and planning meals. Don't know if I'll ever change at this age. I envy people who can plan ahead, but I'm not one of them.

I used to plan for most of the week, I think. And I always incorporated a new recipe into the plan.

But that was back in the day when I actually cooked. :-)

I cook on Saturdays and Sundays and I plan for leftovers and a couple of meals for most of the week.

With the kids ever changing schedule I don't do that. Maybe for a couple days but not an entire week, never a year.
I would be setting my self up for plenty of disappointment. I do think about what we want to eat ahead of time and pick up items at the gr0cery. If we have to eat those items on a different day than planned , that works for me. We have dd's basketball games again today, we'll be eating lunch out with college son and watching the games 75 miles away.
DH's time frame for his farming is rather unpredictable so that makes meals a little more challenging to plan. I do my best tho. Thank goodness dh doesn't mind reheating.

I do somewhat, but it's not written in stone. I buy things with meals in mind but I don't stick to a Mon - Fri schedule. Sometimes what I plan for on grocery day just doesn't seem so appealing a few days later, so we'll go through what we have and come up with a different meal.
Once every 5 -6 weeks though I don't buy groceries and we live on what is in the freezer, just picking up fresh veggies etc. Used to be I'd end up with a freezer full of mystery food!
A white board above my freezer helps me keep track of what is in there now. I write down everything I put in and erase what I take out. As long as we remember to do this, it really helps me make a grocery list for things we really need and will use up.

I grocery shop once a week. Now that I have a place to buy good fresh meat, I first head to the meat and seafood depts to see what looks interesting, and then fill in with vegs from the produce section.
So, I always have enough for maybe 8-10 meals on hand in the house.
When I make gravy for pasta, I make enough (with enough meat) for 3-4 meals, and this allows for enough on hand for unexpected adult children who stop by in time for dinner during the week :).
I also keep frozen, uncooked shrimp in the freezer...lots of possibilities for meals in a 2lb. bag of shrimp.

So, I just plan on number of meals, not exact nights or which vegs go with which meats, etc.

No, that would involve a list. :)

Moni

Moni....DH keeps asking me, every week, if I have written down my grocery list.
I keep telling him that I think a list is unnecessary...I can walk up and down the aisles and recognize what I am out of, what I need to replenish before running out, and prefer to pick out things that look good, instead of going by a "list" !

Monica and Moni.....you are my kind of people!

Dottie

Lord, no!!!I think DH would drop over dead if I did that! Unless something really sounds good to me during the day, he gets asked what he wants when he comes home from work. Then I go to the freezer and get it out. We have plenty of beef and pork, and usually chicken breasts in the freezers to choose from. I don't enjoy cooking anymore. I also don't like to try new stuff. I buy both fresh and frozen veggies, milk, bread, ect. In fact, I don't go to the grocery store very often anymore. We have a local market called a farm market, but is a small grocery will great meat. They are probably a little more expensive on some things, but for the few things I buy on a weekly basis, they usually beat the big name grocery in sale prices. And I know it's fresh, no matter what I buy there. DS works at a covenience store and will get lunch meat, milk & bread if I run out..

Tami

Shoot--I wish I could be as organized as Mush and susan_on! I can't imagine how much time it must take to plan meals for a whole year.

I plan for meals maybe 3 days in advance. I go to the grocery store every 3 days or so. If I shop for more days than that at a time, I would end up throwing a lot of food out. I never know if there will be time to make dinner when I get home from work or if we are going to have to stop and get something on the way. But I do make a list. I can't keep it all in my head. I wish I were like Monica and Moni but I would be making trips all over the store without one. And making a menu for a week? That would never happen. Besides...who knows if I am going to want ham and beans on March 14th? :)

Yes- even when I was gainfully employed I only shopped once a week. If I did not have a plan then fast food would wind up on the menu and that blows a budget! Now that I am home, I do coupons, sales and all that nonsense. I am going to streamline it so when I do find a job I can keep up. It is more about saving money for us. I don't like to shop so I want to get in, get my stuff and get out. We use Dollar General for the extra stuff like milk. Never have enough milk. I also have a really big freezer so I buy a lot of bulk meat, bread and freeze veggies and stuff.

Trish

That just seems so ... sad.

Maybe she changes her schedule when she sees those beautiful stalks of asparagus at the market and thinks "I can do a scrumptious stir-fry with those tonight!"

Maybe sometimes she does wake up and think, "Breakfast for dinner tonight!"

Does she have kids? Maybe that's why she feels she needs to be super-organized.

But where's the spontaneity? You can be spontaneous grocery shopping and still save money.

And what happens if she gets sick and there's no one else to cook--that ruins her whole darn schedule!

I don't really plan my meals out (no spouse, no hubby, so if I want cereal for supper, no complaints!), but I don't run to the grocery story every day either, and there's usually enough "basics" in the cupboard (pasta, soup, tuna) that I don't waste time thinking about what to do.

But I do like the concept of cooking a big pot of chili, say, and freezing individual containers of it. That's about as forward-thinking as I get in planning meals.

We keep a good supply of meat in the freezer, but I usually only plan meals a day or so in advance. I've tried shopping and planning for a week but it seldom works out and I end up tossing fresh veggies out and putting the meat in the freezer.

Even a day in advance can go awry for us. I had planned on making mac n'cheese with meatloaf last night and bought all the fixins Friday night. Got home and had a message from some friends asking if we wanted to go for pizza after church Saturday night.....will make it for Monday.

Maybe sometimes she does wake up and think, "Breakfast for dinner tonight!"

DH will do this. Sometimes we're just not hungry for a big meal, and just the other night, we had pancakes and scrapple for supper.
It was gooooood.

I used to plan for 2 weeks at a time. It was nice b/c for me making the decision is the hardest part of dinner! But I've fallen off the wagon on that. Lately I'm just getting through a day at a time of our crazy busy schedules. In fact, with yesterday devoted to DD's gymnastics, and the housework and school work and DS's book report on the agenda today... well, dinner is way down the list!

Actually I plan dinner for weeks at a time, but if one of says "let's go out" or "I feel like chili" we do that. I started planning like this when I was wanting to lose some weight and having meals planned was helpful for calorie and nutrient counting. Also, we both work often more than full time and I really like having one less thing to worry about during the week.
I felt that we were getting in a rut and now I'm trying to try a new recipe once a week. I cook large batches of beans, soup, lasagna and other freezer friendly meals and that makes dinner prep much easier too.

I plan about 3 nights of dinner a week, we usually eat out at least once a week, have leftovers or salad/soup the rest. I always have a grocery list... if not I would always be short one or two ingredients.

I am on a sugar free (Stevia is the only sweetener I am supposed to use), yeast free, vinegar free, cheese free diet which is making it very hard to come up with new meal ideas. Mexican dishes (minus the cheese and sour cream) seem to be the best for this diet.

I wonder what she does if she has an extra person or two show up for dinner?

I posted a thread about the lady McMann mentioned on the Money Saving tips forum. I think the lady has a basically good idea, but it does have some flaws. I think a longer term meal plan such as a year would work for me if I tried to plan out only 3 or 4 meals per week at a time. To be be most thrifty and stick with the plan, I would have to be have flexibility . I love to snag bargains when I see them. If I saw that yummy asparagus someone mentioned earlier, I'd buy it and cook it for supper even it meant I had to dump my main meal plan or save it for another night.

On the other hand, a lot more people are keeping 6 months or more worth of groceries in their pantries either as part of their religion, just in case for emergencies or for money saving. If you're going to have huge bags of sugar, flour, or whatever else, it doesn't hurt to have a plan to actually use it without letting it go to waste.

Here is a link that might be useful: Planning Meals for a Year

When I was a kid in school, our next door neighbor was a retired Naval Commander, and his wife had taken cooking lessons when he was away in the service and she kept a detailed record of every meal she had cooked, probably going back 40 years. She was a gourmet cook, and I used to stay with them if my parents had to be out of town for some reason. I bet she was a good cook...but, back then I hated her cooking...too exotic for my plain food tastes, and my mother would always leave something that I could slip home and eat on my own.

No, I don't plan meals...but I might if I ever get back to a kitchen again. I was just thinking how much I would love to have Mrs. Laycock's notebook and cookbooks to look through now.

I'm surprised at the fighting of the concept of some organization! What if someone shows up??? What do YOU do if someone shows up? You either feed them or you don't. Or do you always make an extra 10 portions in case someone shows?

There really isn't that much effort in it when you think about it. People eat about the same 2 dozen or less meals. I've seen several say it's beef, pork or chicken. So you alternate. If you write down what you've eaten for the last two weeks I'd speculate there's some duplication in there.

I used to do some meal planning and it was a great help. But NO, it wasn't a rigorous schedule! And sheesh, if I got sick, decided to go out or if the power went out, then yes, plans changed, but you know you DON'T have to be locked into spaghetti on Monday, Chicken on Tuesday, etc. I always planned for a couple of optional or "hedge" meals.

How I planned was I'd buy the items first. Get the stuff that's on sale and THEN plan things out. Sometimes it's deciding what to have WITH the ribs that can cause stress. And if I didn't feel like cooking, then go to the easy meal of the week or leftovers. Having a frozen pizza in the freezer (guess that's semi-redundant, isn't it?) would eliminate the need to order when I'm tired after a long day. It also made it easier when I was tired. Look at the list of options instead of trying to remember what I have and then decide. Plus if you have some idea of what you want to do, you could cook two meals at once or at least know that you need to thaw that chicken you want for tomorrow.

Another benefit of having a plan or a list of things is you don't forget about the back of the frig/freezer items so easily. Reminds you of leftovers. Less waste, less wasted money. The older I get the more forgetful I become.

If you plan out a week, is it tough to plan two? And if two are planned you make 26 copies and you have a full year planned out. Of course you'll make changes for special occasions but geez, it's not going to throw the whole schedule out the window!

Someone might not show up for a dentist appointment.... so does that mean they shouldn't schedule people? LOL

And I don't like going to the store without a list. First I don't like having to stop for one or two things. You should have staples at home. And I'm not a "shopper" that wanders up and down each and every aisle of the store looking to see if I need something! Or worse, the ones on the cell phone do we need peanut butter? I want to get in and get out of the stores.

I'm starting to get back to a little more meal organization, planning if you wish. Got away from it and miss the convenience.

What if someone shows up??? What do YOU do if someone shows up? You either feed them or you don't. Or do you always make an extra 10 portions in case someone shows? .

Of course not, but I always have a few things in the freezer if any number of people show up(and with adult children, and relatives who know they they are always welcome - it happens). Things like Spaghetti sauce with meat in it(we call it gravy) that can be used in so many quick-cook meals...like spaghetti, ravioli, chicken or veal parmigiana, lasagna.
I always have shrimp in the freezer, so I can make scampi, or in a stir fry.

I daresay, if 20 people showed up tonight for dinner...I could handle it...even though I intend to have hot turkey sandwiches from leftover meat from last week.

Strict pre-planning is great for institutions....not for me.

I used to plan when the kids were still home, but now it is usually just for the weekend. I would plan for a week maybe two in advance. That does not mean you have that meal on a certain day, it means I can fix it sometime during the week if I want. Back then I was just about always home and fixed meals at noon also for my husband, some kids that came home from school and two of my husband's employees. So I needed to know what I should have on hand. I always have a list because I check out the sales and I know what I need to get that is missing from my pantry or whatever. If I don't have a list, I may not remember when I am at the grocery and it would have to wait to be gotten the following week. Now, I don't plan so often as I am not cooking that much. We had 7 of us today for noon meal and I had it planned. I sent leftovers with a couple of them and they were happy to take them with them. I also planned on enough so when supper rolls around, I don't have to worry about what to fix. I think it is a good idea to know a little about what you are going to fix at least for the week or weekend.

Sue

I don't plan every dinner but like many of you I have the ingredients in my pantry and meat or fish in the freezer that would make meals for a month. My favorite meal planning involves making extra so that I can freeze enough for another meal or two. And then if the kids show up we can easily take chili, soup or stew out of the freezer and even give them a container to take home.

Usually I make a list because otherwise I'm afraid I'll forget the one ingredient that I need for that night.

With two teenage boys in the house, I never have leftovers past lunch the next day.
Remember the clothing line Garanimals? That's how I shop. A bunch of meat and a bunch of vegetables that I can mix and match. Anything beyond that is too structured for me. Occasionally we'll be in the mood for something specific and we'll go get what we need. Tonight we are thinking about enchiladas. So we need tortillas and sauce.
YUM :o)

it's just my DH & i and we have to plan meals because of our schedules. i have only time to grocery shop 1 time a week usually. i think shopping more than that is time wasting thou i did hear a news story on being organized and they recommended almost daily stops if you plan ahead then don't want what was on the plan lol. that does sometimes happen to us but i just don't have time for it. we do also have a few stand-bys incase something in our plan changes. ~ liz

I do because I only have 1 day to get groceries so I [plan meals out a week in advance,I get home from dialysis at 5 pm I dont have much time then.

No, I don't even plan which restaurant we're going to!

When my friends came a couple of weeks ago, and I actually thought they had lunch plans already, they didn't.

I just opened the fridge, and pulled out stuff, and looked in the tator bowl, and ended up with chocolate pudding for desert, and stir fried taters and butternut squash. Seasoned with herbs.

It was yummy, and only took me about 30 minutes to get it done.

Moni

I only plan 1-2 days ahead, usually not more. We never know how hungry we are going to be or what sounds good. So glad I don't have a big meal planned for tonight because we are both still stuffed from a big brunch we went to.