Meal Planning...

This year I am trying to get more organised around the house and my task this month is to make myself a plan for meals and shopping.

It's a simple truth that having a list and planning your shopping and meals saves money. Over the last few months I have been rather fluid with my budget and often end up using money that is not budgeted for food, due to lack of planning on my part.

So whilst I figure out what works for my family I thought I would share some of the resources and sites I will be using to help in my meal planning process:

No. 1 is from the Organized Housewife, one of my go to places for organisation, storage and de-cluttering ideas. In addition to a 'how to' meal plan she has a great range of meal ideas to add to your plan.

No. 2  is the Good Food site, whilst it is not a how to make a meal plan it includes a fabulous range of meal plan ideas grouped by season giving you a really great place to start looking for recipes.

No 3 is PInterest, when I decided that I really need to start getting organised I created a PInterest board for 'Meal Planning' and whenever I find a recipe that I think our family would love, suits our lifestyle, looks delicious and achievable, I pin it. When I need inspiration I head on over to my meal plan board. Make your own meal board and browse the wonderful array of meals and recipes on PInterest for Inspiration.

No 4 Kid Spot, if you have children this is a great place to find kid friendly meal ideas and plans. Let's face, some kids are fussy and if they are anything like my daughter, have a very limited range so no matter how much you love the look of a recipe, if the kids won't eat it, it's no good. You either end up cooking 2 meals or food that is not particularly exciting for yourself. I do envy those parents who have children that eat a variety of food and will try anything.

No. 5 was at The Kitchn which I really like their 15 Tips for Better Weekly Meal Planning as it goes beyond just the how to and meal ideas, but talks about tips for making it work for everyone. Of course, they also have recipes and so much more. 

Next week I will share my finished plan design and hopefully inspire others to get organise around the home.

***Main Image courtesy of  Praisaeng / FreeDigitalPhotos.net