Nothin' Fancy Friday: Meal Planning

Since going down to a single income, we have grown accustomed to a fixed amount to spend on groceries each month. I have found that planning meals ahead of time and clipping coupons has made a HUGE difference in the amount of money we spend on food - and we don't waste nearly as much food, if any, as we once did. It also lets everyone know what is for dinner, and allows me to have one less thing to think about that day since the meal is already decided!

Here is my meal calendar - it is dry erase and as the topic of today states, "nothin' fancy."

I usually plan 2 weeks at a time to keep ingredients fresh. I choose my meals first, then compile a grocery list based off of those. Next, I will visit websites to click coupons. These are the sites that I use:

http://www.coupons.com

http://smartsource.com

http://www.redplum.com

I have them bookmarked, so I just click on the icon at the top of my web browser and it takes me to the most current coupons they have. So easy! Select the ones you want, print, and you are on your way!

I'd like to challenge you to try this for one week and see how it goes. It may seem like a lot of work and time, but I think you will actually find it liberating.

Thanks again for following CantClockOut, and have an awesome weekend!