Do you MENU?

The point of a menu is to see in advance what you are going to need for the week. this allows you to calculate, almost to the dollar, what you will spend. You can adjust your menu according to the amount of money you have left in the food budget each month. Some buy weekly, some bi-weekly, some monthly. I have never personally been able to do the monthly thing. It is just a bit too far ahead for us. I am usually somewhere in the bi-monthly area!

Here are some "menu" standards that seem simple, but some of this was an "A-HA" moment for me. Do I follow this to the letter? NO. Do I eat out more than I want to? YES.

BREAKFAST
Monday-Cereal
Tuesday-Bread or Toaster Items
Wednesday-Eggs
Thursday-Cereal
Friday-Bread or Toaster Items
Saturday-Eggs or Breakfast with Meat (this is our BIG breakfast day. . .)
Sunday-Pancakes, waffles, etc

LUNCH
Monday-Sandwiches
Tuesday-Burritos or Wraps
Wednesday-Salads (tuna, chicken, ham, or chef)
Thursday-Soup
Friday-Sandwiches
Saturday-Burritos or wraps
Sunday-Leftovers or Eat Out (We usually eat out on Sunday afternoon.)

SUPPER (or DINNER)
Monday-Casserole or Meat Dish
Tuesday- Poultry
Wednesday-Pasta
Thursday-Leftovers
Friday-Fish or Fun (Pizza, Burritos, etc)
Saturday-Ethnic
Sunday-Whatever you kind find after church

So pull out your recipes and use this as a guide. There is no "set" way to do this. Just start with this week.

Sit down and make a list of your family's top 6 recipes. . .