meal planning the easy way

Do you have any routines in your life that are so ingrained that you're totally blown away when you find out everyone else doesn't do it? That's how I feel about meal planning. I've been doing it for about 4 years now, and I nearly shudder when I think back to the times when I didn't. Aimlessly wandering about the grocery store multiple times a week like a lost puppy, darting between the aisles for forgotten ingredients. Oh, the humanity.

If you've never tried meal planning, or tried it and got sick of it and gave up, I'm going to try to convince you to give it a go. There are 3 huge reasons why meal planning is the best thing ever.

1. It saves you money. A LOT of money, actually. No more forgetting needed ingredients and making extra trips to the store, and impulse buying a bunch of junk you don't need while you're there. End cap display of Doritos, I'm looking at you. I talk a lot about couponing and saving money at the grocery store here and here if you're interested in learning more about that topic.
2. It saves you time. I go to the store exactly once a week. The same day, every week. Barring some strange unforeseen circumstance (oh, family is coming in town this weekend, you say?) I don't have to make extra trips to the store to pick up the eggs I forgot, or that one random spice, or whatever.
3. It saves your sanity. We have enough stress in our lives without that panicked feeling at 5:30 that we have NO idea what we're making for dinner. Kids hangry-crying at your feet in the kitchen as you dig through the pantry trying to put these random ingredients together to make something that resembles a meal. There's only so many times you can eat cheerios for dinner before you start to hate yourself.

Convinced yet? I promise it's not that hard to pull off and you'll thank yourself for it a thousand times over. This is how I approach meal planning. Find a way that works for you if this doesn't feel quite right. Run a little "meal planning" search on Pinterest and you'll find a lot of resources to help you.

On Sunday evening (or, if I'm running behind, Monday morning) I bust out my calendar for the week. When I worked full time, I did this all electronically. Now that I'm home full time, I find it more convenient to use a paper calendar posted on the fridge. Just do what works for you.

You'll need something detailed that gives you some space to write. I use the Intentional Home Printables because it breaks each day up into 3 categories: Things I need to do, things I want to do if there's extra time, and what's for dinner.

Here's why that's important. Fill out your commitments for the week first, and then you will realistically see what days you'll have time to prepare a nice meal and what days you'll need to have leftovers or something really fast. My calendar is almost always overflowing Monday - Wednesday, and then starts to taper off towards the weekend. I typically plan quick dinners for Monday - Wednesday and leave the more complicated or time consuming ones for later in the week when I can actually spend the time to enjoy making them. I like to cook. You might not. If you need fast and easy ever night, then go for it! Make it your own.

The one big issue people seem to have with meal planning is that when it comes time to decide what to make for the week, you suddenly get amnesia and have no idea what you even like to eat. Like you couldn't name two meals that you know how to make if your life depended on it. So you head to Pinterest and give up 4 minutes later because you're completely overwhelmed.  I have two strategies to overcome that.

First, keep a list of all of your family's favorite recipes. I know that sounds dumb because people have kept recipe boxes for hundreds of years, but most of us don't take the time anymore to hand write recipe cards out.

I use the Paperless App for iPhone and iPad. It allows you to make a list of anything really, and you select a fun icon for your list (and who doesn't love a good icon), and it's all in one place. I have a list for warm weather dinners and cold weather dinners. Each list holds all of my favorite recipes that fit that season. I may have the details of the recipe typed out, or it might just be a link to something on Pinterest or a blog. Either way, it's there.

Here's where it gets really useful. I also keep my grocery list here in the app, so I can review my recipes, make my grocery list, and keep it all in the same place. And because I'm so list-crazy, I also copy the recipes I want for the week into ANOTHER list called "dinners this week." Once I've settled on what we will eat that week, I transfer those meals onto my calendar so I have it on the wall. The iPad comes with me to the store in case I need to check my meal list for ingredients or something.

My other strategy for coming up with what to make this week is to give each day a theme. You absolutely don't have to be rigid about it, but it will help get the juices flowing. Here's what that looks like for us. Each night of the week we will have one of the following:

• Soup/salad/panini - some combination of these or all 3. I do this the day I grocery shop because I'm usually beat after an hour in the store and this takes little to no effort.
• Mexican night
• Italian/pasta night
• Asian night
• Classic American night - meat, potato, vegetable. Or burgers. Or some kind of comfort food.
• Something new - a Pinterest recipe or something from a friend I've been meaning to try
• Leftover night - because give yourself a break.

Knowing I have these categories or themes helps me to quickly fill out my meal plan for the week. If we want a break from Asian food one week, I skip it. If there's 2 new recipes I want to try, I do that. It's not meant to be limiting, but only to help the process move faster.

That's how I do it. It takes around 15 minutes or less a week and is worth every second. Once I do the meal plan, I typically make my grocery list and go through my coupons in the same sitting (if possible). Really savvy couponers will review the coupons and sales first and then make the meal plan based on the best deals for the week. You can totally take that approach as well. The times we've been really hard up for money, that's what I've done. It takes a bit more commitment to plan meals based on what's on sale rather than what you really want to eat, so I only do this occasionally or if there's a deal that's too good to pass up. You can read more about that couponing strategy here.

Anyone else out there swear by meal planning? Or do you have some meal planning obstacle that you could use some advice on? Do share!

MAY I INTEREST YOU IN…

saving BIG on your grocery bill: part 1

saving BIG on your grocery bill: part 2

fab freebie: printable coupon binder index

the down and dirty guide to cleaning bathrooms FAST

how to remove lipstick from your carpet with homemade carpet cleaner

If you're following along on Instagram, you know that we had a bit of a snafu a couple of weeks ago. My sweet, loving, spirited (which is to say, maddening) 3 year old broke out of his room during "nap time," grabbed 2 freebie tubes of Clinique lipstick from my makeup drawer, and went to town ALL OVER MY CARPET.

who, me?

And if you're joining us from Pinterest, I'm so so sorry that your carpet looks like a horror film. But friend, there is hope!

homemade dog shampoo

I'll be the first to admit that we've been a bit lazy in the dog washing department since Max came on the scene. Stella the Great Dane is blowing her winter coat, which is to say that my entire house is covered in a layer of black fur. 

The weather was gorgeous outside so we thought it was a good day for a bath. The only problem - we were completely out of dog shampoo. Naturally.

the down and dirty guide to cleaning bathrooms FAST

I really don't like cleaning. I think everyone kind of feels that way, but I particularly despise it. If I won the lottery, the very first thing I would do once the check cleared would be to hire a cleaning service. It's just not my thing.

Which is why I have crafted cleaning systems to make it as quick and painless as possible while still being effective. And as far as bathroom cleaning goes, I have it down to a science. I can get all 2.5 of my bathrooms cleaned in 30 minutes flat. For those logistical people out there, I do the downstairs powder room first (5-10 minutes) and then both upstairs bathrooms at the same time (20 minutes). They are right next to each other and I have found it's more efficient to walk back and forth rather doing each step outlined below than cleaning each one from start to finish.

So if you are lazy like me and totally grossed out by cleaning bathrooms, you're going to need to clean them every week. Yes, I know this is the opposite of what you want to do, but trust me, the more often you do it, the faster and less disgusting it is. Bathrooms get gross fast, especially if you live in a house full of boys like I do + a wicked case of postpartum hair loss.

fab freebie: printable coupon binder index

Sometimes I like to pretend that I'm a graphic designer, and today is one of those days. As a follow up to Part 1 and Part 2 posts on saving boat laods of money at the grocery store, you can download this free PDF coupon binder index here.

saving BIG on your grocery bill: part 2

Last week I shared my basic tips on how to cut down your weekly spend on groceries. Did you try anything out? Are you hooked? More importantly, are you ready for more?

This week I'll share some advanced moves on grocery store savings. I'll be the first to admit that I don't do all of these every week. The "part one" stuff I can do week in and week out, but some of the tips below take a bit more time and commitment. Sprinkled in with the basics, though, they will really shoot up your savings.

Let's jump in.

saving BIG on your grocery bill: part 1

Of all of the things that people ask my advice on, this is way up there, because we only spend $100 per week on groceries for our little family of 4.

Seriously. It's true. Our grocery bill is just $100 a week. For all of us. And that's not just food. That includes toiletries, pet food, and even diapers. At this point, only 3 of us eat actual food (since Max is just shy of 4 months old). So that leaves 3 adults x 3 meals a day x 7 days = 63 meals. Our $100 bill includes things like shampoo and cat litter and other non-edibles, so it's more like $80 of food per week. That means each meal we eat only costs $1.27. And we eat well. Lots of fresh foods and tasty meals. No Ramen or Hamburger Helper on our menu. Oh, and that includes beer and wine. Remember how we have 2 small children?

And you can totally do it too. 

If you think this isn't for you because you only eat fresh produce and meat and you don't eat processed foods, to you I say:

B O L O G N A 

Even the crunchiest among you probably use at least some of these things: deodorant, soap, razor blades, rice, pasta, milk, flour, cereal, oatmeal, diapers, and, um, feminine hygiene products...just to name a few. And if you're paying full price for these, you are getting gouged.

Every single week, I save a minimum of 30% off my grocery bill. Usually up to about 50%. That means I'm walking away with between 1/3 and 1/2 of my groceries FOR FREE. If you compare out current food spend to what we used to spend before we started trying to save in this area, it's probably closer to 75% or more. I'm not joking. This is real money - an extra TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS (or more) a year - in our pockets. 

home ec: getting rid of cat smell

This post is gross, and I hate that this happens to me, and hate if it's happened to you. 

Cat pee is one if the most foul stenches on God's green earth. That ammonia smell permeates everything, stains, but the worst part...it LINGERS. Long after the damage is done, you're left with the odor. It's nasty, and it must be stopped. 

Meet Ally. Better known as "Al Moans" around these parts, because when she wants something, she doesn't stop moaning about it (women. Am I right?)

organizing out of control dresser drawers

Here's the scene: you planned your whole outfit around wearing that one grey cami which you just KNOW is in that drawer somewhere. You pull everything out, give up, and then find it right on top of that very same drawer the next day. 

Sound familiar?

Ok, how about this one. Your toddler insists on picking out their own outfit. They dig and dig to find that one red-jake-the-neverland-pirate-shirt-not-the-blue-neverland-pirate-shirt. He finds it. And all of the other previously folded shirts are now in a pile resembling Jabba the Hut (or Pizza The Hut for my fellow Spaceballs fans).

The solution - organize your drawers like you pack a suitcase (or how you should pack your suitcase if your not already). My good friend Dawn is the Dalai Lama of packing. It's an art. She taught me everything I know. I was once able to pack 5 days worth of clothes, coats, shoes, and toiletries into a carry on for a business trip to Chicago. In December. I even had room to bring back goodies from our Lincoln Park shopping extravaganza. It was my masterpiece. 

So the drawers. Here's the secret. 

STOP FOLDING YOUR CLOTHES. 

I'm serious. Ditch the fold and start the roll. Rolling clothes in your drawers does three things:

1. Gets more into your shallower drawers. 

2. Keeps things from getting wrinkled. And most importantly,

3. You can see everything you own all at once.

No more digging for the charcoal grey tights, kiddo sweatpants, striped onesie, the list goes on. 

Go from this:

To this:

In about 10 minutes. And to speed up the bedtime routine, I roll the sleep pants/shorts right in with the shirt. No more searching for the matching pants. Not like it really matters in life if your kid is wearing coordinated pajamas, but it's nice once in a while. 

As a bonus, use this opportunity to purge things that no longer fit, are damaged, or you haven't worn in a year. One organized drawer will give you the amazing zen feeling that because you've conquered this drawer, everything is gonna be fine. 

Another bonus, in my humble opinion, rolling clothes is a lot less tedious and painful than folding. It makes laundry day (which is every day around here) a bit more bearable. 

Cotton candy, sweet as gold, let me see that laundry roll. 

MAY I INTEREST YOU IN…

homemade dog shampoo

how to remove lipstick from your carpet with homemade carpet cleaner

getting rid of cat urine mell

the down and dirty guide to cleaning bathrooms FAST

home ec: Bar Keeper's Friend- the cheapest cleaning product that you need in your arsenal

I'm a big fan of making my own cleaning products. Baking soda, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and Dawn dish detergent can be combined to clean nearly anything in your house. There are still, though, a few ready made cleaning products that I will spend money. Bar Keeper's Friend is one of them. 

 

 

This is, by far, the best and cheapest off-the-shelf cleaning product in my arsenal. The stuff is amazing.

I first discovered it about 7 years ago. My in-laws had bought us a nice set of pots and pans. After just a couple of uses, they started to get cloudy, filmy, and coated with black residue after sautéing. I tried all kinds if things to get them looking like new again, to no avail. We didn't have Pinterest back then to give us the answers. Olden times they were.

We eventually went to Williams Sonoma and asked what they recommended for their million dollar pots and pans. They handed me a can of Bar Keeper's Friend, and my life has never been the same. Let's see it in action. 

Here's an actual pan from my cabinet, after cleaning with regular dish soap. I didn't doctor this up for the purposes of this blog, unfortunately. It just looked like this. You can see that all too common residue that gets left behind after cooking. Here's how it works. It's very complicated, so try and keep up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Shake the stuff in your pan.

2. Put some water in it. 

3. Use a scour pad (this is a Scotch Brite) and apply some elbow grease. This may just be a few seconds or up to a few minutes depending on your stain/grime level. This pan took about 2 minutes to clean.

 

 

4. Rinse (add some soap if it is something you'll eat off of).

 

Tada! It's like magic powder. 

It's not just for pans either. Here is my sink yesterday morning. Lovely. My dishwasher likes to spit up everything in the garbage disposal that someone (me) forgot to run before letting the dishwasher go before bed. Grody. That's marinara sauce from meatball night. It soaked into my semi-porous sink for 10 hours before I discovered it. Good morning indeed.

 

This took some elbow grease. I shook on the BKF, made a paste, and let it sit for a bit.

 

Then, scrub, scrub, scrub for a few minutes.

 

 

Then rinse.

 

I would have needed to replace this sink out if I didn't know about BKF. So it basically saved me $200. Well, $197 if you count the $3 for the can of the magic stuff.

Spots on chrome bath fixtures? BKF. 

Soap scum? BKF. 

It also comes in a handy dandy gel too. I stick with the powder, though, because it's $1 less and I'm cheap like that. 

You can find it at your grocery store. It will be on the bottom shelf because it's not flashy or expensive. Always the brides maid (or bar maid), never the bride. You can also buy it at Williams Sonoma (more expensive) and World Market (less expensive). 

Of course, follow package instructions and don't try to wash your dog or baby or anything with it. 

Anybody else out there use this? Success stories? Please share!

who here likes cleaning? oh right. nobody.

Yeah, me neither. Cleaning is the worst. I was raised in a house where cleaning wasn't a very high priority, so I never really learned how to do it the right way. This is a post about a cleaning routine for those of us who were not born and bread to love cleaning.  If that's you, then read on!

I was once featured in my high school year book because of both my messy room and messy locker. OK...This is embarrassing, but this post is about coming clean, so here it is.

Please note the awesome lava lamp, CRT computer monitor, and abundance of dried flowers from boyfriends past. Y2K. Good stuff. Also, I think I basically look the same. I'll call that a victory.  Last note about this image - at least one of the blog followers was featured in this article with me, but I did not include your image to spare you the shame. You know who you are.

Thankfully, I went to college and things got remarkably better. Living with someone else and an influx of new friends and visitors meant that I had a bit more motivation to clean up my act. Nobody would have ever known the pig sty I came out of. Dorm rooms are small, thankfully, so it was pretty easy to keep the place presentable. 

Then I got an apartment with roommates, which increased the square footage of space to clean, but there were more helping hands. But let's face it, the cleanliness bar is set pretty low for college students. 

In 2005 Steven and I got hitched and he moved into my apartment for a few short months, and then we moved into our first together apartment in Dallas. Here's where the rubber met the road. I was working full time, he was in law school full time, and cleaning fell WAY down on the priority list. We would wait until things got pretty bad (or people were coming over) before we would do much about it. There's nothing like the 10 minutes before someone comes over to get you moving. Thankfully Steven split the housework with me down the middle. He's awesome that way.

We pretty much carried on like this until Henry was born in 2011. We were in our first house by then, so even more space to clean.  This was our typical cleaning "routine."

• Daily: clean the pots, pans, and dishes from breakfast and dinner.
• Saturday morning: hate our lives. Spend 4 hours cleaning the house and curse the entire time about how much we hate it and how we would rather be doing fun things together. And at the end, it only looked OK.
• Several times a year: frantically clean the house because my in laws were coming. My mother in law is out of this world and one of my best friends, and possibly the only person I know who truly doesn't mind cleaning. Her house always looks amazing, so I want mine to at least look presentable when she gets here. 

Fast forward to present day. I now have two kiddos, and I'm staying at home. Praise The Lord, I actually have some time to clean the house outside of Saturday morning. I've implemented a cleaning routine, which makes life so much easier. 

Disclaimer- I tried to implement a cleaning routine last year. It lasted one week and then epically failed. For the life of me, I just couldn't bring myself to scrub a toilet after a 9-10 hour work day, cooking dinner, bathing a child, putting him to bed, while being 8 months pregnant. Hats of to the ladies and gents out there who work 40+ hours outside of the home and have a clean house. You should write a blog post about how the heck you do that. 

So here's my cleaning routine.  There are things I do every single day, and then a special activity for each day of the week. 

Daily: 

• Make beds
• Do a load of laundry, start to finish, and out it away 
• Clean kitchen counters and put away dishes
• Sweep under the high chair
• Wipe down dining table and high chair
• Pick up main living areas

Weekly:

• Monday- bathrooms
• Tuesday- dust
• Wednesday- vacuum
• Thursday- mop
• Friday- grocery shop (yes, this is not a cleaning activity, but the way I do it with coupons and meal planning, it sucks up a day)
• Saturday- vacuum main living areas. Wash sheets. 
• Sunday- rest

With 4 of us in the house now, I'm a convert from "laundry day" to "laundry daily."  I really dislike folding and putting away clothes. If I have a giant mound of laundry, I'll just let it sit. And sit. And then eventually you can't remember which pile is clean and which is dirty, so I would end up washing the whole dad gum pile again. Small batches that can be folded and put away in 20 minutes makes me much more likely to do it. For more laundry tips, check out one of my previous posts.

Things I like about this system:

• If I find a spare 15-30 minutes, I know exactly what to work on. I don't waste 5 of those minutes figuring out what to clean, or cleaning something that is less urgent, or, let's be honest, doing nothing. 
• My house looks fairly presentable at all times. If someone drops by, I don't have to stress about when the last time the bathroom was cleaned. I know that everything looks pretty good. 
• I get a DAY OFF from major cleaning. I don't feel like I have to clean on Sunday and can relax and enjoy my family. When you're a stay at home momma, there is a sense of guilt that you should always be doing more or the house could always look better. This helps me ease that nagging feeling. 

Downside:

• Your whole house isn't ever really spotless at the same time.  If you're a total neat freak, this system is not for you.  But you also probably aren't reading my advice on cleaning. If you've made it to this point, then you're more like me. And that's why we are friends.  And I think you're pretty. 

I have not taken this to the full Type A Planner level of adding monthly tasks into the mix. I know, for instance, that I should clean my microwave, clean my oven, dust my baseboards, oil my cutting board, etc. once a month. But for the life of me I can't bring myself to schedule it out. It's just too rigid for me and I know I would burn out. So I just do those things as they need to be done and I have the time.  I'll add them to my weekly goals (another post for another day) and tackle them when I can. 

So that's my cleaning routine. Do any of you have a system that you like?  If so, please share!