Do you plan your meals out in advance or figure it out the day of?

1. 94

   KDeusposted 11 years ago

   Do you plan your meals out in advance or figure it out the day of?
   
   I have always been a "day of" meal planner which means quick trips to the store. In the past several months, I've started planning out the meals for the following week on a Friday and then add my ingredients to the grocery list for my order to the local farm and for the grocery store. I'm interested in hearing what works best for you.

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2. 68

   chefsrefposted 11 years ago

   I usually plan entrees a week in advance so I make few trips to the store. Then all I need do is figure out the sides at the time.
   I also find it convenient to prepare enough of each entree for two meals. THat way I have less cooking to do and the meals stay varied by changing the side dishes.
   Most Americans waste an extraordinary amount of food, by planning meals and cooking the right amount we can save money and make less garbage

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3. 38

   Borsiaposted 11 years ago

   We have to drive a ways to the market / stores so we plan a week in advance.
   Still it seems like we always end up needing something.
   I can't say that we sit down with a menu list and plan every meal in any detail but we do a fairly good job.

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4. 0

   cjaroszposted 11 years ago

   I live 2 minutes from the store. I just go by the day. If I plan ahead, I always seem to change my mind anyway.

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5. 97

   Foodstuffposted 11 years ago

   I don't plan the meals. Rather I work on what's seasonally available and create meals around the ingredients. I buy in small quantities (usually sufficient for a few days) from the market, farmers' markets, and from my local greengrocer and butcher.
   
   I am fortunate in having good greengrocer and butcher up the street from me and the market within walking distance. So it doesn't take much effort to shop frequently. Small frequent shopping also eliminates food wastage.
   
   I prefer doing it this way. I can decide what I feel like eating at the last minute. Obviously, with slow cooked dishes, some forward planning is necessary.

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6. 0

   MysticMoonlightposted 11 years ago

   Both. Usually I'll purchase several days worth of food for meals and then decide day to day what I'll cook. I like doing things this way because I change my mind a lot about what I'm in the mood to eat! It works well.

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7. 80

   Down South Mamaposted 11 years ago

   We have a tight budget so I make out a plan for 2 weeks and buy whatever I need when we go to the store. By doing this it lets me to use up the items we already have before buying new items. I'm sure that if I was to do a day by day thing my food budget would go though the roof.

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8. 83

   peachpurpleposted 11 years ago

   i don't plan meals for the whole week or the next day. I usually plan the meals before mealtime, maybe 3-4 hours ahead and use whatever i can find at home. Grocery and market are far away. We shop once in 2 weeks. Basically, all the ingredients are gone by the 1st week and so the 2nd week depends on potatoes, carrots and rice.

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9. 56

   EmilySparks2894posted 10 years ago

   My Mom's method seemed to always work well.
   
   1. Make a list of the meals you wish to make in the next week or two
   2. See what ingredients you are missing
   3. Make a trip to the store and make sure you have everything you need
   4. Then, each day choose from that list of meals and lay out anything that may need thawed through the day (meats, ect.)
   
   It always seemed to work well!

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