Our job as a homemaker is very busy. Learning how to master meal planning as a homemaker can save you from the overwhelm that comes easily with the busy job of managing a home.
Our lives as homemakers are very busy. Because of that, it can be easy to become overwhelmed with all of our work. One of the best ways to avoid that overwhelm is by meal planning.
Meal planning as a homemaker is a lost art. Not many women do it nowadays. Whether that be because we’ve lost home management skills throughout the generations. Or because many women aren’t really used to cooking from scratch, I don’t know. However, either way, the necessity of meal planning still stands.
I will say, for some, meal planning is more stressful than just winging it. I’ll be honest, that idea is crazy to me. I don’t know how people successfully manage their home without some type of order. Props to them because my home would be an absolute wreck. And even worse, my mind would be an absolute wreck as well. I literally would not be able to function. I think that’s what they call the difference between Type A and B people haha.
But for those of you who are like me and need some type of order in your home, this post is for you. The knowledge needed to manage our homes well used to be passed down among the generations. But that knowledge has been lost amongst our society since it has become less and less common for women to be homemakers.
I’m not sure that our ancestors always planned out their meals. For a lot of history I’m sure they just made do with what they had. However, now that we have so many options in front of us, I think it’s essential to being a good steward of your home, your money, and your food.
The Benefits of Meal Planning as a Homemaker
- It saves money. When you know what you’re making, you know what you need. This keeps you from (1) buying too much, and (2) buying ingredients/foods that you don’t need at all this week.
- It reduces food waste. In turn, buying only what you need makes it so you aren’t spending more than necessary on groceries. This one is HUGE in this economy.
- It keeps you sane. Like I said earlier, for some people, meal planning is more stressful than just coming up with meals with whatever they have on hand. But that’s not how my brain works. I need to be prepared ahead of time. So having a plan for what meals I’m making each day keeps me sane.
My Top Tips for Meal Planning as a Homemaker
– start with the ingredients you already have
Not only do I check to make sure I’m not adding things to my grocery list that I already have. But I also form my recipe selections around those things in my fridge. If I have a lot of tomatoes left over, I’ll make sure to choose a recipe or two that calls for them so they don’t go to waste.
– know your budget
Before you pick out your meals for the week, you should have an idea of what you want/can spend. I’ll talk about how to set budgets for groceries (and in general) another time. But while meal planning, this will help you narrow your options down. If you have a relatively low budget, you’re not going to want to choose five extravagant recipes that call for twenty rare ingredients. After a few months of cooking from scratch, you’ll have a good idea of how many things you can buy each week to stay within your budget.
– plan around the protein
I typically try to have at least three different types of meats each week. Usually at least beef, chicken, and fish or shrimp. Knowing that helps me to narrow down the meals I choose a well. I can look up “beef recipes” on pinterest instead of just looking up “easy dinner recipes.” And that way I don’t accidentally make chicken every night of the week haha.
– double the recipe for leftovers
This is another thing I really like to do. Because it’s just me and my husband, we typically always have at least some leftovers. I love that because then we can either eat them for dinner one night that I want a break from cooking, or I can eat them for lunch throughout the week. A lot of the time, this helps to save money as well since you’ll most likely have some leftover ingredients for each recipe anyway.
– have themed nights
Having themed nights throughout the week is really fun to do. I’m sure kids would love it as well. We usually always have “Taco Tuesday” every Tuesday and have also had “Pizza Fridays” and “Steak Saturdays” as well. That makes it fun, but also makes it easy for you while planning the meals because you already have an idea of what to do those days.
– plan on one or two “fun” recipes
As a new wife, this is something I love doing so that I get more skills and recipes under my belt. But I’m sure it’s a great thing to do no matter how experienced you are. In fact, it may be better later on in your homemaking career so that you continue to find cooking exciting and fun. For these “fun” recipes I mean recipes that call for an unusual ingredient or a cooking skill that you haven’t done much before.
– batch cook/meal prep
This isn’t something I do because I love cooking every day. But it would be a huge time-saver if you work outside the home or have a busy schedule in the evenings. You can take one or two days to prep whole meals to freeze or keep in the refrigerator. Or you could just take some time to prep certain ingredients to save time throughout the week.
Weekly Meal Plans
Each Friday, I’m going to be sharing my meal plan for the following week on here. You can check out last week’s to get a gist of what those plans will look like each week. But for the most part I’ll be sharing links to the recipes I’m using, an downloadable ingredient list, and maybe some tips here and there. I really hope this will be a beneficial resource for you whether you’re a seasoned homemaker and just need new meal ideas, or are a new wife who needs some guidance.
Well, that’s all for today. Stay tuned for even more meal planning content. Let me know if there are any specific topics you want me to talk about when it comes to homemaking, homesteading, Christianity, femininity, or natural wellness. Until next time 🙂