Meal planning, grocery budgets, and feeding our families healthy food has been a hot topic of conversation amongst our friends for the past few months. In response to that and their great ideas, we’ve posted several things to help with meal planning and budgeting, especially on graduate budgets. We love the ideas they shared with us to minimize wasteful spending and food!
I have a set weekly time to do my meal planning, but to be honest, I hate the amount of time it takes to plan. Even though I have a system that arguably works, I still find it cumbersome. Looking up recipes online or in my cookbooks, putting everything together on paper or an excel spreadsheet, transferring that to my smart phone so I don’t have to carry a pen/paper while dealing with a squirmy preschooler at a grocery store….you get the picture. In the UK, we do have the ability to order our groceries online, which I do on a regular basis, but sometimes I like to head out to the shops to pick out my own produce and fruit, instead of having someone else do it.
In the past, I’ve tried several apps or programs to help with meal planning, but admittedly I’ve not stuck with one particular program. I’d work with bits and pieces of various ones, trying to find something that worked for me, where I wouldn’t be spending a load of time planning.
Recently, I stumbled across a company called Plan to Eat, and it has revolutionized the way I am able to plan meals…..and the amazing part? It is so easy. Want all your recipes in one place, online, easily accessible? Done. Rather do meal planning for a month, instead of a week, ensuring less waste? Done. With their drop/drag capability, you can load all your recipes online, plan a menu for the whole month and drag them to the calendar. Need a grocery list? Done. Once you’ve loaded your menu for the week, a grocery list will be created for you, and can be accessed via your smartphone . The menu has the ability to add notes or additional items as well.
There is a 30 day free trial (no credit cards upfront, they want you to subscribe only if YOU want to), and from there it’s $4.95 per month or $40.00 per year. The amount of time I’ve saved has been well worth the money spent.
Check it out – there is much more than what I’ve mentioned above! I hope you enjoy using it as much as I have.
~Mandy
the graduate wife 