Dream Menu Planning

So, my last post was about how I currently menu plan and, quite frankly, it isn't cost or time efficient. 

Time

If you go back and read, you'll realize it takes about three or so hours to plan my menu from brainstorm to list, and I left out "go through coupons" in the steps.  In my dream plan, it would only take an hour to do that.  The problem?  I can't possibly see how to make -that- take an hour!  There's so many different things I have to check and make sure we have, or don't have for that matter, and after awhile, the amount of time starts multiplying.  Maybe if I were better organized, it wouldn't be so difficult.  I'm thinking if I make a bunch of weekly menus, and then have everyone pick one per week I'm shopping for, we might make some progress.  At least, I won't have to hunt down each recipe, and then see what ingredients I have for each recipe. 


Money

Of course, food costs money, and money, as much as we wish, doesn't grow on trees or can be pulled out from behind us.  If I ever find a way to do that, I'll share, don't worry, but for now, this is still an issue.  For starters, the high cost in meat keeps devouring our budget.  We could turn into vegetarians, but then our cost of veggies would skyrocket, and, well, no solution there.  Also, I can't think of a single meal my husband will eat, aside from beans and cornbread, that is without meat.  He'd be the one to notice this fact too, regardless of how quiet I make it. 

Veggies.  These things are also expensive.  I swear grocers think, "Its fresh? OVERPRICE ALL THE THINGS!" when they decide the cost to sell sometimes.  Of course, they have to make their profit too, but man, I wish things were a little more budget friendly.  This spring I'm going to attempt a garden, but I don't have much hope for myself.  We will see how it goes though.  Have to plant the strawberries on the 15th or they won't be blooming come spring. 

Lastly, the frozen things are eating my budget alive, and god forbid hubby not eat pizza rolls.  Those are one of those foods I wish I could prepare at home.  It can't possibly be that hard, right?  Ha!  Maybe some more reasearch and the right recipe will help me out here.  And I'll keep the pizza roll bags to put them in, just so he will eat them and not notice I made them. 

Overall, all that little bit of food to last two or three weeks adds up fast.  If you buy a hundred things priced at three dollars a piece, that's three hundred dollars.  Maybe a fresh garden will help out some, but considering I don't plan on it working well, we will see.





So, next time I menu plan, I'll have to work harder and making it more efficient in these categories.  Wish me luck!  Also, any tips and tricks are welcome.