Frugal moms save money when they utilize systems for simple menu planning. Even if they lay out a week of meat in the fridge to thaw, that is saving money. Instead of doing the fast food rush at 5:00 pm, frugal homeschool moms are prepared. Every year I say that I will be more ready for the next year. But, the truth is time is my tool, not the other way around. I have to productively manage time in order to save money. For example, if I don’t time block an afternoon session for a grocery list then I will try to shop with a list in my head. Invariably I personally spend more that way. If it is written down, then I follow the plan.
Making a solid case for frugal moms to save money is the old adage of “failure to plan is planning to fail”. That saying works for most productivity in the home and outside of the home.
Theme Based Meal Planning
Theme based planning is a good way to have a simple menu plan in mind, and execute it to avoid the 4:00 craziness of “what will I be making for dinner”? All of us homeschool moms do this, because let’s face it homeschooling is a commitment. We have committed to staying home and teaching our children. This extraordinary adventure that is fulfilling also is time consuming. Each Sunday night I set aside time to at least sort through a few good cookbooks on hand. Frugal moms utilize shortcuts and easy planning tricks to keep menu planning simple.
Pantry Shopping for Homeschool Moms
Nothing better than saving money and using what you have on hand. Each grocery visit is time, gas and money. Avoiding the store on weekly visits is a huge money saver. Most people throw out a lot of food because they do not use what they have on hand. Also, integrate a rotation process. Keep the older cans of soup or vegetables in the front, and place the older cans in the back.
Using this simple method helps with less food being thrown out. Less food waste means more dollars in the family budget. Most frugal homeschool moms have larger families and they need to eliminate food waste. Cooking from scratch is another way to avoid menu plan failures. Start with simple ingredients and recipes. For example, Shepherd’s Pie. Many vegetables in this recipe can be swapped out for what is in a frugal homeschool moms’ pantry.
Simple Menu Planning Staples
Budget staples are a necessity when trying to keep menu planning simple. Ingredients such as carrots, celery, rice, beans, flour, sugar, peanut butter, and fajitas are lifesavers. If you run out of bread use a fajita. Short on time, make PBJ sandwiches.
Learning to improvise and be creative is important. Just as important to note is the fact that a recipe is someone else’s creation. So, like you would write about a book differently than someone else, create your recipes to suit you and your family. Use the one’s on Pinterest and in cookbooks as a guide or outline. Frugal homeschool moms have to be creative in the homeschooling and meal prep.
Batch Cook and Freeze
Next up is batch cooking and freezer meals. These are both very important ways to keep meal planning simple A good idea is to set up a monthly day and batch cook a bunch of meals. Use these meals when you are planning.
Each month I am trying to set up a pizza making day. My batch cooking goes better if I use one recipe and make at least four to five meals with it. Making up a bunch of different recipes is not simple for me right now. My goal for our freezer meal session this month is homemade pizza’s with homemade pizza sauce.
Visible Menu Board Ideas for Simple Meal Planning
What question is the most heard from frugal homeschool moms? What’s for dinner? Using a chalkboard or whiteboard to use for menu planning in the kitchen will most likely eliminate that question. We keep one on our wall. That way I can update it. I have theme nights set up for each night. For example Friday is fish night, and Saturday is our casserole night.
Using theme days allows you to know what you are having with the flexibility of changing the recipe every month or week if you like. Frugal homeschool moms have a lot of planning, extra activities so placing meals on autopilot keeps them simple, affordable and doable.
For more ways to save on meals and more sign up for my newsletter or follow me on Instagram @momsarefrugal.
Leave a Reply