Menu Planning & Some Thoughts

This is a longer entry.  Only read what you want to. 


When do you do your weekly shopping?

Most weeks I do my shopping on a Saturday, since I work a full time job and operate a business on the side with my husband.  This makes for most days being quite full, and I need to make use of my Saturday for the weekly shopping.

Do you plan your meals for the week in advance?  If you don't I would suggest that you try it.  It really works great.

Steps to Meal Planning.

1. Update your calendar with all upcoming events that you know of for the coming week.
2. Consider the dates. Are you eating out on any specific day? No meal planning needed for that day.  Or is it a very busy time after work because you have to get the kids to a sporting event?  You know to plan a quick and simple to prepare meal.
3. Pull out 1 or 2 of your favorite cook books and look for a few fresh ideas to go with the menus you tend to rotate each week.
4. List on your calendar what is for dinner each day.
5. Prepare your shopping list.

Here is a sample of my weekly menu.  I write my menu's Fridays, and shop Saturdays, so my menu planning starts on Saturdays.

Saturday - Homemade Hamburgers & Garden Salad
Sunday - BBQ Chicken Thighs & Rice & Veggies
Monday - Pork Chops & Roasted Potatoes and Veggies
Tuesday - Cod Fish & Rice & Salad
Wednesday - Penne & Sausages with pan seared veggies
Thursday - BBQ Chicken Breasts with potatoes & Veggies
Friday - Homemade tacos

Once I have written my weekly menu, I then list out on my shopping list what is needed to make those menu meals, and the items I need for breakfasts & lunches and staple items in the house that need replenishing.

We use the iCal (calendar on mac computer)  in our house, so when I put the menu onto the calendar and the I refresh the calendars, the menu is on every computer.  It also goes onto my hubby's phone when he syncs his phone.  This way anyone in the family can check what is for dinner, defrost meat etc.

If you organize your time to allow for this important step of planning your menu, you will stay on track at the grocery store and not buy items you don't need.  It also takes the guess work out of "what's for dinner" when you are staring at the cupboard, already hungry and wanting dinner.  If you don't already do your menu planning each week, I would challenge you to give it a try.  Let me know how it works out.

Some other thoughts on organizing in general:

I am still actively cleaning out cupboards in my house and freshening things up.  I was thinking about the process and thought I'd share a few thoughts.

Do you get overwhelmed because the closet is a mess, or the desk is stacked with papers and books you don't know where to put away?  Do you find yourself stalling because when you start with even one drawer, it seems to make a domino effect that you're afraid you're can't stop?

I am here to tell you it's worth the effort. 

As the ant moves the hill of sand faithfully, one grain at a time, so it is with getting organized.

Have you ever been to someone's house and you notice it is de-cluttered, and when you open the cupboards and drawers everything is in order, as it should be?  

Have you ever come away from a home like that a bit awestruck, and wonder how they keep it that way, and wonder if you can ever get your house like that too?  

If you can relate to these sentiments, then I am talking to you.  Those of us who struggle to be organized are smart, talented and creative people.  What we usually lack is the right systems in place, and there is often a good dose of distraction in there too.

When you see a home that is really in order, you know it has been that way for some time.  I say this because the systems and routines that create this kind of order don't happen overnight.  And when you see a home quickly tidied up, and the cupboards reveal a mountain of stuff crammed in there, you know they have struggled with this for a while too.

Be patient with yourself as you get your house and your schedule in order.  It didn't messy or disorganized overnight, and it really won't be reversed to orderly overnight either.  Hold the vision in your mind of YOUR home orderly, clean, peaceful and welcoming.  

Steps to Organizing the Home:

1. Start somewhere - anywhere! and clean up and organize 1 drawer or shelf.  Put away what belongs there.  Sort to put away elsewhere what you need to move to a new home.  Put in a bag or box what will leave the house and walk it to your trunk of your car.

2. Resume your daily routine.  I can't stress this enough.  Keep up with the morning, afternoon and evening routines, it will keep the orderliness you have already achieved in place - and then monitor the orderliness of that 1 space you have made nice.  If you arranged the linen closet, for example, and noticed that someone just shoved a towel in there, take a moment and put it back nice.

3. In  another day or two tackle another space. 

4. Repeat the steps above.

When you embark on this journey, some parts of the house are going to become very clean and orderly, while some stacks and boxes linger in hallways or corners while they await their new home.  (unless you have ample space to put these in a garage or basement while they await their new home)

Each time you need a boost, GO AND LOOK at the space you have made nice.  Remind yourself how easy it is to find and use what you want and put it away again.  Then resolve to stay committed to the process of getting organized.

Be sure to add to your calendar a few days a week where you will take a 2 hour chunk of time and work on another area.  

Then, a wonderful thing is going to happen... one day you will notice that more of the house is clean and orderly than not.  The stacks in the hall got smaller because more stuff is in it's proper, new home, and things you didn't need were sold or given away. 

You will start to feel better too.   Aside from season clothing or season items, if you haven't used it in 6 months, you don't need it.  Get rid of it. 

Stay the course and the reward will be yours.

Happy Organizing!

Cassie