First Step in Meal Planning
Suggestions From Our Members

Take an inventory of what you already have in the pantry and freezer . Many times we need only one or two items to make a full meal because the rest is already in the pantry. We didn't realize what a difference that made until we took a full inventory --- actually counted everything in stock and wrote it down on paper where we could all see it. We cut our normal grocery bill in half for two weeks by creating menus that started with what we already had.

A second benefit has come from our new practice --- less waste. Keeping the inventory in a notebook helps us rotate items that used to hide in the back until the expiration date was long past.
(Many thanks to the Morgan family of Colorado Springs, Colorado)

Start With A List Of Your Family Favorites . I couldn't get suggestions from anyone until I asked each one to just tell me their two most favorite meals (not counting big Holiday meals). Of course we had some repeats, but at least it got other family members thinking about what to plan for the next five days, and what to pick up at the grocery store in order to have the ingredients available.
(Thank You Ginny R. with 4 teenagers in Phoenix, AZ )

Study the whole menu when you go out to eat. We eat out twice a month when we join another family for the evening, and we try to select a different place to go each time. Those menus are wonderful resources for ideas, and a good chance for me to pay attention to what the rest of my family says about entrees they're looking at. In the beginning they made fun of me for bringing out my little notebook and taking notes, but now that they've seen some of the new variety it puts on the table at home, they're more likely to write the notes themselves and bring them to me to add to the collection.
(Thank You Karen in Seattle, WA)

Use The Weekly Grocery Ads to Trigger Your Ideas . Our family likes to pick up more of the loss leader "On Sale" items from the ads and make creative meals with fresh produce in season. Without the ads, none of us natural born city kids would know what was available until we walked into the store. We do seem to get more variety if we make the list before we go.
(Thanks to in "A Member" in Las Vegas, NV )

Next: See Meal Planning Favorite From The Editor.

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