Weekly Menu Plan

A calendar on my refrigerator with meals assigned for each day of the week. (Updated one week at a time) Wow. How did I let that one get by me? After seeing this technique in place, I was intrigued!

After three months of making a weekly menu plan in advance the following benefits have been found:

• Saving money by not overspending at the grocery store.
• Food wasting is decreased.
• Not stressing out on figuring out what to make for dinner each night.
• You should have all dinner ingredients on hand if the week was planned properly.
• Your spouse will be enticed by the dinner treat he can expect when he arrives home and by the new less stressed you!

How to get started...

1. List all of the meals you currently make for dinner.
2. Get the grocery circulars that come in the mail and see what items are on sale.
3. Compare what is on sale to your meal ideas list and try to make the best buys.
4. Try your best to by coordinating items. (lettuce and tomatoes for tacos one night and a salad the next)
5. Each week you can add one new menu item to your list and in no time your variety will be huge and you will find ways to use all of the shredded cheddar cheese or cilantro you bought for that one recipe you just had to try.

Here are a few sites that inspire with great shopping techniques and new meal ideas.

http://niftythriftythriving.blogspot.com/
http://themealplanner.blogspot.com/

http://cookingclaire.blogspot.com/
http://notesfromthetable.blogspot.com/

Happy Meal Planning!

What to do with Plastic Grocery Bags?

Until you remember to take those used grocery bags to a store for recycling, here are some suggestions for how to store them, and maybe even reuse them.

Adorable handmade dolls can be found at Linda's Creations for $20.00. Definately one of my future purchases. I have seen these and can attest to them holding quite a few bags.

Super Human Grocery Bag Holder found at Target for $12.99.
We currently use this holder and I have found that it fills up too fast. When I remember to bring in the cotton grocery bags placed in our car that are to be used at the store, this one may work just fine. Order for me, comes with practice.

For the creative/green in you, below is a list of 10 smart uses for Old Plastic Bags. The detail and original list can be found on the Real Simple website.

1. As knee pads
2. As hand protectors for doggy doo
3. Paint preservers-in the middle of a paint job
4. Make shift rain hats
5. Easy kitchen cleanups (suggesting to peeling fruits and veggies on top)
6. As wrapping paper
7. Wet umbrella holders
8. Shoe Protectors/carpet protectors (muddy shoes)
9. As Cookbook protectors
10. As planter fillers (saving on needed potting soil)

Keying In On Clutter

As a great complement to me, my husband teaches me the benefits of giving everything it's own place. Extra keys just laying around make him a little shifty. For good reason too... just leave it to someone like me to lock my keys in the car, and not know where to find the extra key.

This little arrangement was found at Home Depot. Kept in a discreet place on the pantry wall, the color coordinated labels ensure we put the keys back. We use this for the electric box key, gate key, car keys, even padlock keys.

Just one step in fighting the war on junk drawer clutter.