I have this ugly thing to admit. I haven’t been doing very well (at all) with my menu planning. We’ve been doing too many meals that consist of things like sandwiches or convenience foods, as well as too many meals out. Not only is that bad on our budget, it’s just not good for our health either.
Since I’m a person who loves forms and checking off boxes, I sought out a menu planning page that I could use. The problem for me was that I saw something I liked on one thing, but didn’t like something else about it. I bet you run into that problem (in many areas of life) where that same thing happens to you too.
Undeterred from my goal to find a menu planning page that would work best for me, I decided to make my own. While I was doing it, I thought, “Why not share it on my blog in case it’s perfect for someone else too?”
My menu planning sheet has space for each day of the week. You can decide whether you want to put breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in a box or if you’d rather just write in dinners and figure out the rest as you go. (I wish I was more like the former, but I’m distinctively like the latter.)
There is also a space that I knew I needed – things that should get used up that week. Please tell me I’m not the only one that picks up perishable things and then forgets to use them before they go bad. I just hate it when I do that. However, I have also noticed that if I write down the things I want to make sure to use, then I’m more likely to use them.
The last area on the menu planning page is for grocery items that you need to pick up. Although it’s not what I have done, you could probably even cut that part off and use it like a small grocery list. Bonus!
You can download this weekly menu planning page and use it as much as you like for your own personal use. Feel free to share about this free printable download, but be sure to link directly to this post and not to the download itself. (It’s just polite and it makes me happy.)
I’m hoping that this page will be a good tool for me to get more organized (and have less wasted food). And, with any luck, it will be a good help for you too!
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This is PERFECT as Keegan has a homework assignment for scouts that this fits right into! THANKS!!
Excellent! That makes me thrilled to hear. 🙂
Thanks for the download. I love menu forms to try to keep organized. I was sold when I spotted the section for “Foods that Need to be Used.” We have a large family but tend to throw out way too much food. Okay, I give it to the dog but still, we’re not eating it.
Thanks Angie! I really appreciate this. I feel so much more calm and relaxed when I have my meals planned out. It’s just so hard doing it. I plan to get better at it and this form will help a bunch!!!
Thank you I love this plan, I need to make life easier and stressfree and this will definitely help…you’re a genius