When I recently asked a group of friends for ideas for thrifty tips, they were almost unanimous in suggesting menu planning.
One man said that his family rotates through a set three-week menu plan. Someone else said that she organises her menus by ingredient, for example, Monday - beef, Tuesday - chicken, Wednesday - pork.
Way back in 2008 I wrote a very detailed post about menu-planning, which I won't repeat here.
Reading that post after four years I was amazed at how organised I was back then. Probably the biggest change between then and now is that I use recipes less now and 'wing it' more. My menu planning these days is more spontaneous because I now have a better understanding of seasonality and flavour combinations (which is a polite way of saying that I've grown lazier).
I often plan what I'll cook as I go around the supermarket aisles, with only a general plan written out beforehand. When I get home I jot down what I intend to make during the week, based on what I have just purchased. I know that is not really menu planning, but it is working for me at the moment.
Do you plan your weekly menus? How do you go about it?
This post is part of my series, Thirty Days of Thrifty Tips.
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