Works For Me Wednesday

I know many people who read this are just going to say Duh! Well, I am hoping there will be at least one, maybe two people who won't have that reaction and will be encouraged to make this a norm in their life. My tip is.............

Menu planning!!!

I have never done this completely. I would usually figure out some stuff we could have for dinner while I was making my grocery list, but that was as far as I got with it. I am officially in week three of menu planning and I can't believe I didn't start it sooner. I started doing a menu when we started our new budget (more on that later). This is what works for me: I figure out all three meals for every day of the week, plus snacks. Then, *Pay attention! This is the important part!* I hang the menu up on the fridge. Normally when I would go grocery shopping, my half done menu would go in the garbage once I got back from the store. Everyday when my husband would ask what was for dinner, I would go digging in the cabinets and freezer trying to remember what I bought. Then two months later I would find that frozen chicken buried in the bottom of the freezer that we should have already eaten.

Menu planning saves time and money. Don't believe me? I'll prove it!

• Anyone who wants to know what is for dinner can look at the list (if they can read).
• You won't have to try to dig through your fridge and pantry to know what you have to eat.
• What you buy at the grocery store won't get wasted because it didn't get eaten in time. 
•  You won't waste money on buying dinner when you already had a meal at home waiting to be cooked.

So if you haven't already, GO MAKE A MENU!!