Menu planning needs a reality check.
Pitfall #1
Menu planning usually only plans your suppers. It does not plan the other two meals of the day or snacks. I found I was having these really great suppers but not so great lunches (breakfasts are a short and sweet meal in this house). In reality what happened is I ended up eating out more for lunches as I had bought everything I needed for suppers off my grocery list to only realize later I had no "ingredients" for lunches. They were healthy lunches but $6-$10/day adds up really fast. So if this is the case in your life, you may also need to extend your planning to include lunches and possibly breakfast. Oh and don't forget to plan snacks!
Pitfall #2
How in whoever's name are you suppose to know what you are going to want to eat on Friday when it is the Saturday before and you are "planning". My first solution to this was to premake my dinners and freeze them all. Then I could just pull out the one I wanted that morning and it would be ready to throw in the oven when I got home. Sounds great in theory. But there was always at least one meal I was not totally keen on and it kept getting shoved to "tomorrow's supper". So by the end of the week I was eating something that did not enthuse me and well let's just say pizza was ordered in on more than one occasion because of this. So came my next "solve" and I started one week one to make two weeks meals at a time and freeze them. At the end of week #1 I could see what I had left and make 6-7 more dinner dishes and thus was never having to eat something that just did not appeal to me. Really when you are in the mood for steak, chicken just is not going to cut it.
Pitfall #3
Menu planning is a "family affair". Again great sounding in theory but not great in practice. My kids hate everything. If they had their "opinions" heard we would each grilled cheese sandwiches for a week, maybe throw in some fish sticks to liven things up on Thursdays. Ask your husband what he wants and the answer is usually something along the lines of "I dunno" or "whatever". Save yourself some stress and just make what you want.
Pitfall #4
They say menu planning will encourage your husband to participate in dinner making. Not true. Even though all they have to do it take the thawed food or precut up food and put it in the oven or follow a simple reciepe it just is not going to happen. If it does happen let me know cause your husband is a rarity and thus deserves a medal.
So once you understand and figure out ways around these issues that normally have people stop menu planning you can begin with a realistic view and outcome. It is not hard, and if done right it can save you money (just don't go crazy buying snacks and non meal items).
Any other tips? Please fee free to share them in the comment section below.
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