This is where you will grab a calendar, get with the family and write down all the stuff you have going on.
One sure way of throwing a wrench in your meal plan is to not paying any mind to what is going on in your life.
If you don’t plan out your meals then you may find yourself not being efficient with what meals would go with the best days depending on what activities you and your family may have going on.
Imagine that you have a one pot meal planned out but halfway through the day you realized you had promised a friend you would go with her after work to paint workshop.
So, grab you a calendar and sit down with the family and map out what is happening over the next week, couple weeks or even a month.
Write it all down.
This includes children’s practices, games, working late, going to birthday parties, attending a wedding, having supper with your in-laws, and on and on…
I would even write down birthdays and anniversaries for those you buy presents for.
By doing this you can add them to your weekly shopping list and not have to worry about forgetting anyone.
So, did you get with the fam and figure out what everybody had going on over the next few weeks?
I just want to make sure that you wrote down everything in your calendar. Even if it seems silly, trust me, life happens and then suddenly you will have that ‘smack your forehead, dangit, how silly can I be’ moment.
Does it seem silly to write down that your son has basketball practice every Monday and Thursday?
Or your daughter stays after school every Wednesday?
Or that your dog goes to the groomer every 3rd Friday?
No! None of these are silly and they are things that will happen.
Write them down!
Well, what about that you want to watch Grey’s Anatomy on Thursday night and double dog dare anyone to interfere?
Write it down. Do you know why?
Because Thursday night will come along and your son already has basketball practice so your time will be limited but guess what? It needs to be super limited so that you can be out of the kitchen in time for Grey’s Anatomy to come on.
It may seem silly but I’m telling ya write it down. Don’t get caught with a 30 minute stovetop meal when you actually should have put on a slow cooker meal to already be done when you get home.
But remember in all this… Life happens. It WILL happen. That’s OK.
If you do forget something then you’ve got yourself covered. Remember those 15 minute backup meals you picked out. This is where they will save the day and the thirty bucks you would spend on fast food.
Keep your calendar in the open so that your family can see it and add to it if something new comes up.
This is where the meals may change but, again, that is OK. It is part of it and you will learn how to adjust to it.
Next, you will figure out what day would be best to do your meal plan and your shopping.
Action Steps to Complete Before You Continue
1. Get a calendar and write in all the activities over the next month at least.
2. Keep the calendar in the open for your family to add to it.
Want the PDF Version?
The Simple Meal Planning Mini Course has been turned into a free PDF you can download to your computer and even print if you want. This PDF also includes space to complete your assignments and take notes.
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