Meal Planning

Meal Planning. It's every working homemakers' advice for saving money, facilitating smooth meal times, and expedited shopping. 

I meal plan every week. I write out my shopping list based on the meal plan. However...

my system was ineffective. 

I would have 0 inspiration for 7 nights worth of meals. My husband's response to, "Babe, what do you want dinners this week," is a predictable coin toss between "Whatever," and "I dunno."

I would write out the meals on the grocery list and throw the list away.

I would write out the list on a separate piece of paper and then loose the paper.

I bought a dry erase board. 

My markers were always dried out or the list got wiped away.

(As a teacher, the phenomenon of dried out markers amazed me. At school, I always have a good dry erase pen at the ready.)

I finally got inspiration:

(from Pinterest)

http://clairsfairytale.blogspot.com/2012/01/ultimate-menu-board.html

I made a shopping list. I looked something like this: 

clothes pins, frame, scrapbook paper, little boxes

I went to the store and it all seemed like so much work...ugh. 

Then I stumbled upon these:

My mind said, "What crafty little magnets!" 

And I had an "A-ha!" moment. 

With these magnets, some index cards, a magnetic pen box (!), and the side of my fridge I was set.

I got home and wrote down meal options on 1 1/2-inch strips of index cards, placed them in the box (along with a Sharpie and a few blank cards for ever-expanding options).

Then I planned out a week's worth of meals. 

Now when I am uninspired at shopping time, I can ask my husband to look through the options and create a menu.