meal planning

I was asked to touch on the topic of meal planning in one of the comments a few posts back. I guess I don't really do a lot of traditional meal planning. I would say about 80% of what we buy is staples. I don't make a lot of "recipes", so there is not a ton of planning that I need to do. Not much that we eat requires a ton of ingredients either. We just eat as healthy and as simple as we can. Nothing is very fancy at our house, but that is how we like it.

I would say the biggest thing we do to keep our budget down is avoid the typical kid foods and packaged stuff. Lunchables would be a perfect example. Not only are they terrible for you, they are SO expensive. We don't buy anything, other than granola bars, that come individually packaged. It's just a waste of money.

Instead of individual yogurt cups, we buy a big container and use bowls. And I have about 7 little containers for the kids lunches at school. Applesauce is the same thing. It's so much cheaper this way and there is a lot less garbage.

Individually wrapped string cheese is another good example. A lot of what you are paying for is just plastic. I buy blocks of cheese and cut it into little squares.

I used to buy boxes of individually wrapped oatmeal until I realised how easy it is to make ourself. We buy a big container of whole wheat oats and add anything from apples, raisins, cinnamon, vanilla, nuts and a little brown sugar. The kids love it. It's healthier and we can make triple for the same price.

I think a lot of parents tend to spend way too much money on "kid food". It's just not necessary. And where you save by not getting sucked into the fun packaging, you can afford to feed your kids more healthy choices. I see tons of parents purchasing fruit cups in syrup thinking it's a good choice, but a fresh pineapple or cantaloupe will cost less and give you more fruit. I can easily get either of these two fruits for $1.99 if I watch for sales.

We don't buy things like sugary cereals, cookies or juice boxes. (well, I do get juice boxes for special occasions like camping trips, but not often) These type of foods really add up.

My kids have learned to love things like hard boiled eggs and humus and crackers. And a typical snack around here is pretzels and a raw veggie or a fruit. None of these types of things take any planning at all.

As the kids get older (especially the boys) and Dan is home more for meals, I am sure we will start making bigger, more planned out meals. But for now, homemade soup and sandwiches, chicken and rice, breakfast foods, and spaghetti are big hits at diner time. I try to always have these things on hand and we just eat what we feel like for that day.

I try a new recipe about twice a month and I am asked to bring a dish to pass here and there, but other than that, there is not a ton of meal planning at our house.

Sorry I couldn't be more help. Like I said...we keep things pretty simple around here.
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