Try This to Save Time and Money for Your Family for One Week!
Plan your meals on Sunday for the week! This task sounds daunting but performing this task for 20 minutes on the weekend can save you hours during the week.
a. On Sunday – Look through your pantry and refrigerator to see what you already have available for the weekly meals. Jot down Sunday through Saturday on a sheet of paper (or use this meal planning template). Write down all of the items that you can use for your meals on a day of the week. My rule of thumb is to plan one main dish and two sides.
b. Purchase the Sunday edition of the newspaper or search your favorite store flyer online. The newspaper should have sales flyers for the local stores for the week and coupon brochures. Go through the store flyers and choose products that are on sale that you can fix for dinner throughout the week. For the items that you choose to purchase from the store – place an asterisk beside it and write down the store where it can be purchased. Next look through the coupon flyers to see if there are any coupons that can be used to purchase any of the items that you selected. This will give you an additional discount on already on sale items. If your paper does not contain coupons, you can use these sites to print available coupons. www.redplum.com ; www.coupons.com; www.smartsource.com
c. Now go shopping and purchase only what’s on your list for the week. This will help save you money as you will not be tempted to buy additional products on impulse that you see in the store.
d. Once you are home and are putting away your groceries, check out these apps to help you save additional money on what you have purchased. www.ibotta.com; www.checkout51.com; www.savingstar.com; All of these apps will pay you back money for items that you buy that are on their list. All you have to do is scan your store receipt and then scan the items that you purchased. Once you reach the minimum balance for a refund, the app will give you choices on how to receive your rebates. I usually choose either PayPal, a check, or a gift card for my refunds.
e. Next post the menu where everyone in the family can see what will be prepared for the week. This will help your family avoid impulse spending or eating out. It will also cut down on the famous question of ‘What’s for dinner?’
f. If trying meal planning for the week sounds overwhelming – try planning only for 2 or 3 days and work your way up to an entire week. The key to success is taking it one step at a time!