Menus?

[Homesteadmom]

Do you make a menu? If so how long do you make it ahead for? I try to make mine for at least 2 weeks at a time. I do sit down & make a whole month with pasta, beans & pork at a time even throwing in my stir fry's too. So I can usually fill out a month's worth of 4 day weeks each month at one time. Then every 2 weeks I can fill in the rest by what I have bought from the store.

 

[mrs.puff]

Once I worked as the cook for a small construction crew out in Idaho. The boss gave me $100 a week to buy food for 4 hungry men and 2 ladies (which included myself). By making a menu for each week, and then buying only the stuff on the menu, I fed the 6 of us, for 5 nights, on about $50, and kept the rest for myself!!! Menus really help.

 

[miss_thenorth]

I make a menu for 14 days. sometimes days do not go as planned so there has to be a little flexibility with the meal plan.But all in all, it works and helps out with grocery shooping, and also stops the kids from bugging for whats for supper. I write it out on a white board.

 

[poppycat]

I make one out for about a week. Then I know what to put on my shopping list. Or if I am short on $$, I inventory my freezer, fridge and pantry and make a menu of as many meals as I can from what I have.

 

[FarmerChick]

I know I should....but I just make a mental note of what might be for dinner for the week.

I look in the freezer and say I have--hamburger meat, chicken, etc.....then glance at the pantry and say, hmm...I got this and that to go with things, and I have taters, salad stuff, etc.......

then I know I have at least 7 meals lined up for potential meals...LOL

not a great system at all. I might say at 9 am we are eating X for dinner, and nope, it doesn't happen. I start cooking whenever.....some meals might make that time frame, others don't.

On Tony's work days, he gets home 6:30-7 so I can make a more involved meal on those days....the other days are a crapshoot.

I know having a true meal plan would save more money,,,,I just can't seem to get there.

 

[keljonma]

When I managed the kitchen of the private school, I had menus made out for 2 months at all times (current month and one month out). This was really important so that we ordered enough food but stayed under budget for the 100 students/staff fed during the week. The person I replaced didn't plan this far in advance and was always over budget. The school was so happy that this "new" method I used kept us under budget by $200 every month, that they gave me a bonus.

With just the two of us, I have a note on the calendar what needs to be used up during the week, but it isn't an "etched in stone" menu.

 

[prairiegirl]

I have used menus in the past. It does help in so many ways. I've gotten away from it, but always have the intention of getting back to it in the back of my mind. It's really helpful to save the menus to go back to for inspiration.

 

[FarmerChick]

ya know it is funny but I don't like menus kinda

I am a basic easy eater. I can do fine with a piece of meat and a giant salad. So simple. I don't require that "set meal" plan.

Tony on the other hand wants a meal. He wants meat, veggie, tater, cornbread then some type of dessert.

I think that is why I don't plan so well. Cause I have no interest in that type of meal????

I am on the fly eater, Tony is more sit down to alot of items. Yea I can sit at the table with soup and sandwich, but Tony doesn't think this is a meal????

So it is kinda a pain cooking for me. I do not get a thrill out of it or anything. I just know after we eat I have to wash up everything...so less is more to me at the table..HA HA HA