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When it comes to a monthly meal plan, you want to think of your meal plan as your game plan.

Without a game plan, your team members (aka your family) are going to have no idea what to to do (or eat in this case).

And your game plan is simple, what you are going to eat this week (and then that can easily become, what to eat this month).

Mastering your meal plan can be stressful and trust me; it took lots of trial and error before I was able to meal plan as efficiently as I do today.

The payoff is that you’ll have more money which you can use for other fun things such as vacations or purchasing cars for all cash (no car payments) or even saving up for your kids’ college!

Yes, meal planning is THAT important. I calculated it once that if you eat out only twice a week… it could be costing you over $7,000 a year! Whoa! You can get a lot for $7,000!

So I’ll share my best monthly meal plan tips so you can master your meal plan right now!

Plus, with these ideas for a monthly meal plan for families, you’ll have everything you need to know and do to make your meal planning successful.

And, with your monthly meal plan, you’ll be set to have a successful meal planning year.

Here is how you can master a monthly meal plan too.

monthly meal plan

Create A Master List Of Simple Meals

This master list is like your holy grail when it comes to your monthly meal plan. This identifies which meals your family likes the best.

When I’m not sure what meals to make my family for the week, this is my go-to spot for all my family’s favorite meals.

This is how your monthly meal plan for families – with meals they actually like!

No more thinking up meal ideas or trying to figure out what your family will eat, it’s all already listed here which helps it takes less time to plan out, and less brainpower to think of ideas. Win-Win!

monthly meal plan

Consult Your Calendar First

Before you plan anything, you want to make sure you know exactly what is going on during the week so you can prepare your meals based on your schedule.

One of the helpful monthly meal plan tips that a momma gave me years ago was to get a calendar and start writing things down! And now I can’t do my monthly meal planning without it.

If Tuesday nights are always busy because of a sporting event, you want to make sure you have a quick and easy meal ready for it. Maybe Tuesdays become your crockpot night!

BONUS DOWNLOAD

Want to plan your weekly meals with less hassle?

Download these FREE Meal Plan Templates and you'll get your meals and shopping list organized in just minutes.

On my Master Meal List I have 5 crock pot meals we all love: Carnitas Pork, Chicken Parm (well… maybe that’s not really what it’s called, we throw several chicken breasts plus a few jars of tomato sauce in the crockpot and top with cheese… and call it done!), Beef Stroganoff, Cheesy Chicken Burritos and Chili.

I can rotate between those crockpot meals every Tuesday! See how easy it can be? Just by picking 4-5 Crockpot meals, you’ll have your monthly meal plan accomplished for every Tuesday!

This is how a monthly meal plan for families works great for families on the go!

I know it’s a different way of thinking, by day instead of by the week. But I’ve found our family does the same activities on the same day each week so it’s easiest to plan each meal by the specific day.

monthly meal plan

Use New Recipes In Your Monthly Meal Plan

While having the same old tried and true dishes might sound like the best way to meal plan because they take the least amount of thought, it can also make your monthly meal plan go stale fast.

I like to incorporate just one new meal into our meal plan every month. You’ll want to be sure and save this meal for the night or day when you have the most time.

A new recipe can sometimes take a little longer than expected, so you don’t want to be caught up in the kitchen for hours on a busy night.

Just one a month seems to make everything seem new again! And it’s all I can handle with our busy schedules right now.

This is how to make a monthly meal plan feel new and exciting!

monthly meal plan

Shop From Your Stockpile First

I cannot stress enough how important it is to shop from what you have first before making your grocery list. This is what makes the monthly meal plan work.

Buying ingredients that you already have on hand is such a waste of money!

This will also help you determine what meals you will make based on what you have on hand. You may find you have 2-3 meals already sitting in your pantry further saving you money!

Need to get organized? Print this pantry inventory sheet and get organized!

monthly meal plan

Plan To Use Everything You Buy

If you are buying a loaf of bread for lunch sandwiches, see what other meals you can incorporate with that loaf of bread.

Can you make grilled cheese sandwiches one night? Or pre-make deli sandwiches for lunch on the weekend?

Use up what you buy to make sure you don’t waste any food. This is also an obvious way to save money on your groceries and a great way to use up that monthly meal plan.

Think you might have some leftover meat from one of your recipes? Use one of these 25 recipes to use up leftovers!

monthly meal plan

You Only Need 10 Meals

This is how to make a monthly meal plan the easy way!

Did you know that most families consistently eat the same ten meals all month long? It’s true!

Figure out what those ten meals are for your family and rotate them throughout the month!

Think about how easy that makes planning meals for an entire month. All you have to do is 10 meals, 3 times each.

Here are 10 meals from my family to help you get started:

1. Hamburger Macaroni
2. Smoked Sausage with Peppers & Onions
3. Meatball Parmesan
4. Chicken Scampi
5. Mexican Lasagna
6. Fajitas (rotating chicken or beef)
7. Grilled Chicken with Veggie stirfry
8. Beef Tacos
9. Chicken Alfredo
10. Cheesy Noodles with Sausage

This is when your monthly meal plan gets even easier (light-bulb moment ahead): For my family, I’ll make item #1 with Beef and then again with Chicken… same thing with the Fajitas. Just changing out the meat makes the recipe feel like it’s completely different!

I realized that I could do this with my family when I noticed that we were eating the same meals every time we went to certain restaurants. For example, every time I go to Carrabba’s I eat the same meal, the Shrimp & Scallops. And I always get the BLT when we eat at Subway. If can eat the same meal at each restaurant we eat at, then I can easily rotate the same meals at home too!

This is how to make a monthly meal plan feel less daunting of a task! Ten meals are easy to come up with.

Keep A Pad Of Paper Handy or Chalkboard

Wherever you create your monthly meal plan, you should keep a pad of paper handy or set up a chalkboard in your kitchen if you have space.

One of the helpful monthly meal plan tips for me is to have somewhere to write down what I need when I think of it or run out of something.

That way, whenever you run out of something you use regularly, jot it down.

BONUS DOWNLOAD

Want to plan your weekly meals with less hassle?

Download these FREE Meal Plan Templates and you'll get your meals and shopping list organized in just minutes.

This can help you determine what things you need to buy for the coming week in addition to your meal plan to make sure you aren’t running out of your pantry staples.

I love using my chalkboard as I can just snap a pic before heading out the door so I have my instant list with me!

Or you can use the Cozi app. Your family can add to your shopping list so nothing is forgotten.

Check out the other 6 Meal Planning Apps that can help you get dinner organized and on the table!

monthly meal plan

Have Regular “Pantry Challenges”

One of my biggest monthly meal plan tips is to eat what’s in your pantry.

A Pantry Challenge is when you challenge yourself to eat using only the items in your pantry and not running up to the store for more ingredients. They are a great way to help you eat what you have on hand!

Instead of looking at the sales flyers when you make your monthly meal plan, challenge yourself to eat what you have at home first (what you’ve already bought) to help make room for new food.

One fun game we play regularly to help with this is similar to Iron Chef. We choose 3 ingredients out of our pantry and plug them into this the Supercook website. They pull up popular recipes that use those ingredients (only) or you can add in a few more. In about 5 minutes you’ll have a plethora of recipes to make with pantry items you already have on hand. Genius!

Monthly meal planning doesn’t have to be as hard as some people make it out to be! You don’t need to spend hours making your grocery list and putting together your meals for the week.

These monthly meal plan for families takes the guesswork out of what’s for dinner with this easy formula. Because who wants to answer the same question every evening 365 days a year!

So I hoped you’ve learned from my best monthly meal plan tips so you can master your meal plan right now!

Plus, with these ideas for a monthly meal plan for families, you’ll have everything you need to know and do to make your meal planning successful.

And, with your monthly meal plan, you’ll be set to have a successful meal planning year.

Keep it simple, and you won’t have any difficulty getting dinner on the table for your family each night.

 

YOUR TURN: Have you had a pantry challenge before? How many monthly meal plans were you able to make just from your pantry? Let me know in the comments below!

monthly meal plan
How To Master Your Monthly Meal Plan & Feed Your Family For Less
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