Why Home Menus are Essential

I have found one of the biggest time savers ever is to plan a menu. Since I have a kid that is very selective in his eating, planning a menu helps me to know what sorts of foods he might be interested in trying and what he will eat. When I have a menu, I can also use up the food that is in my pantry and cupboards instead of going to the grocery store to buy everything. (This is the money saving part—using what is already there.) Here are some of the tips that I have found to be most useful in successful menu planning.

•The question, “What’s for dinner,” is the most commonly asked question on the Internet. If everyone knows what is for dinner, not only will you not have to listen to this question, but they can also help by starting dinner themselves.
•If someone wants dinner earlier than you are able to cook it, they can get in the kitchen and help get things started. Not only does this lift the burden from your shoulders but it also allows everyone to get involved in making meals. It is also a great teaching tool for your kids—it helps them to learn what sort of things go well together.
•Using a menu will help you utilize the food you have in your storage cupboards. I also like to plan at least a couple days’ worth of meals from my pantry. This lets me use things that are going to expire and rotate some of my canned goods.
•Plan one meal of leftovers. This cleans out your fridge and freezer and allows everyone to eat what they liked from the week. This will also help you determine what to put on the menu for future weeks.
•Planning a weekly menu will allow you to purchase a week's worth of meals, lessening the need to go to the store, impulse buying, and purchasing items that you already have.
•When you have planned for the week, you will have fewer trips to a neighbor's house for butter or eggs, there will be less burnt food because you were looking for something, and no missing ingredients that you thought you had.
•Meals will be more nutritious because you have time to prepare healthy side dishes instead of going out to the store for a sauce or side that you thought you had and didn’t.