This giveaway is now closed. But this post is full of great info…plus a free meal planner download. So keep reading!
I don’t bug you very often about meal planning. I figure if you want to do it, you will. If you don’t, that’s fine too.
However, every January I can’t help but plug meal planning as a great new year’s resolution. Here are a few quick reasons why I think you should start {or continue} meal planning:
- Because I said so. Isn’t that enough?
- It will save you money.
- Weekly meal planning = less trips to the grocery store = a happier life
- It only takes a few minutes. I SWEAR. Especially if you visit a certain helpful website each week to get ideas from…
- You will no longer be stressed when dinnertime rolls around.
For those of you who are thinking, “I’m not organized like that.” Don’t forget, I am NOT all that organized myself. The only reason I get a meal plan done every week is because of this here blog. If I can do it, anyone can! And there are no rules when it comes to meal planning…don’t stress yourself out about it, just find a system that works for you.
Now that I’m done lecturing, on to the fun stuff!
Fun Thing #1: Whoops Bunny is giving away a Weekly Menu Planner & Shopping List, with a matching set of pencils. They are SUPER cute and come with a handy magnetic strip, so you can easily stick your meal plan to the fridge. To enter for your chance to win the set, just add a comment to this post by Midnight PT on Monday, January 11th.
Fun Thing #2: Ollibird has really cute meal planners that you print out and put in a frame. You then write your meal plan on the glass with wet or dry erase markers, which clean off easily week to week. You can find this design and this design at their etsy shop that you can download for $10.00 each. And…lucky you…Ollibird is providing a free download for the design you see below! Aren’t they the sweetest?
Here’s how to download and print this beautiful menu planner:
- Click on the image above. Save image to your computer. Dimensions are 19.625″ x 15.75″ but image can easily be cropped to most other standard dimensions. As is, the image will fit well in an Ikea Ribba frame.
- To print the large image, try a printer such as Kinkos, which should be a little less than $10.
Now that you have all these wonderful options for writing your menu plans, no excuses! And I hope to see your menus posted here on This Week for Dinner each week! I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again…I love reading your menus!
One last thing…you don’t have to commit to meal planning as a resolution to enter the Whoops Bunny giveaway. Please, post a comment regardless! Although…the random number generator might look favorably on those who take the meal planning plunge. (Okay, maybe not…but it’s a nice thought!)
BIG THANKS to Whoops Bunny and Ollibird for making this year’s meal planning post the best ever!
Hello! My name is Jane Maynard and you've landed yourself on my blog, This Week for Dinner™. Every Sunday I share a weekly menu...and then count on you to share your own! You'll also find other deliciousness that I hope you'll enjoy!
This should be foolproof way to organize meals.
Wow I am glad to find this site! I need help with saving money by meal planning.
Those look awesome!
Great way to get and stay on track with meal planning!
Those would look so much neater than the dry erase board. I used to be great at planning meals, then baby #2 came along and my husband started an elimination diet. I need some encouragement!
I really need that meal planning pad. I hope I win!
I tried to make one of my own and it didn’t work out so well. Oh please, oh please random generator!
Some weeks I am good and some weeks my family gets the same 5 ingredients mixed various ways. There’s definitely room for improvement.
I can usually plan for 4-5 nights a week, depending on what activities my children have. Would like to up that to 7.
I use a spiral notebook every week to plan menus and then take that and make my grocery list. This is a much cuter idea!
I love menu planning…
Does anyone know of an iphone app that incorporates menu planning?
I usually plan a week in advance as well. The contents of my weekly veg box and cupboards mostly help me make decisions about what we will eat.
I love meal planning–and using the store circulars to decide what meals you’re going to use makes it even cheaper! Now my goal this year is to make a “menu” of everything our family likes to eat, so I can just pick from a list instead rummaging through my head.
I’m going to have to be much more committed to meal planning this year because my husband and I have committed to not eating out and not buying prepared foods for the entire year! Daunting.
What a great way to make meal planning fun!
Meal planning helps ease the stress of busy schedules… I check in with your blog frequently for inspiration!
We’d love to try some new strategies for meal planning.
Aloha. Just discovered your blog. These meal planning tools are inspirational! Thanks for the chance to win one.
I would love to find a way to keep things better organized. This seems like a great way!!
Posted on nice anyone ateditnng the Baltimore con this weekend, these are the ideal item to print out and leave randomly on tables, chairs, bits of empty floor, etc
This looks great!
All right, I’m in! I soooooo need to start meal planning again.
I love this – I am trying to do better with my meal planning.
I would love to win the menu planner! Pick me!
i want to organize and plan what’s for dinner! i love these! so cute!
the notepad looks so cute and makes you want to be organized!
I have been trying to get organized and start meal planning..so this would be helpful!!!
I have been using your site for about a year now and it has inspired me to plan ahead and get organized for our family meals! Thank you!
I had been using e-mealz, but my kids are picky and won’t eat half the stuff I make. Using something like this planner might make it easier to make foods they’ll EAT…..and at no cost. Bonus.
Love this!
New Year, new attempt. We have a PB jar full of sticks with meal ideas written on them. The kids helped come up with the meals. Now we have somewhere to put the weekly ideas! Thanks
I love that idea! I would love to win
neat!
I echo all the folks who say they need all the help they can get. Neither my husband nor I like to cook, but lately we realized this was mostly due to the lack of meal planning (duh!). Now we’re more excited than ever to get our aprons on and make some super-delicious and healthy meals. Thanks to your website for inspiring us!
Wow, thanks again for this great giveaway! I started meal planning just two weeks before Christmas and I lost two pounds over the holiday. I’ve seen improvement in my attitude and my free time thanks to a little bit of planning and organization on my part. I’m hooked now. I would love the chance to find out/ learn more about meal planning. I am resolved to do meal planning this entire year!
just found your site! awesome stuff here.
Love the Whoops Bunny planner! I’ve been trying to do the weekly planning thing for a few months. It’s tough but definitely worth it. Love your site!
I don’t really meal plan so I need this planner. I’m always asking “what’s for dinner?”
I plan a menu weekly, but I’m flexible on the days we make items. With four kids and me working as a freelancer, things come up. Life gets hectic. We just make sure we eat all the meals each week and use the leftovers in lunches or in different ways to get it all eaten. These planners are all extremely cute!
With there teen boys I do meal plan. Although I haven’t done it the last couple weeks and find myself scrambling at dinner. So back to the routine!
It’s definitely time to get back on track! These planners are very cute and would provide much needed motivation!
Just in time.
This would be such a great tool to help me out in my busy life. I go to school full time, work 3 nights a week, have a 14 month old and husband to feed, and clean the house. Half of the nights I am scrambling around trying to figure something out to cook for the night.
Great meal planning tools!
Wonderful website! I would love to win the meal planning tools!
These would make meal planning more fun!
This would be entirely classier and more functional than the back of my son’s spelling test!
meal planning it is! Thanks!
oh my! SUPER cute!
Great tools for menu planning…sure beats my index card on the fridge!!
Yes, this is one of my resolutions. I’d love to win!
P.S. – I’m trying that tomato soup recipe tonight.
What a lovely meal planner . . . and I just love to cook for my family every night!!!
Betty
This would be a huge help! Plus, it’s easy on the eyes.
I am going to try to meal plan each week, but it is Monday night and still trying to put something together. Tonight we had grilled steak, rissotto and zuchinni.
Really want to get into meal planning. Tried it a couple of times last year, but then got lazy. I want to start doing it again. It makes life a lot easier.
So helpful. I’ll take it!
Meal planning makes my 5:00 a lot happier everyday. Pick me!
Never thought about doing “meal planning”- My initial thought is – CORNY! but I’m totally digging it and am going to try. Placing the templates in a frame and using dry erase markers- brillant, would have never thought of it!
For many years I have been planning my menus. I began planning because I would get so frustrated realizing that I was missing key ingredients when I tried preparing dinner on the fly. I found that planning cut down on my grocery bill as well. I wasn’t purchasing duplicate items etc. I also want to point out that in my planning I do not assign certain dishes to certain days. I find that with our ever changing schedules, I cannot plan this way. So..I come up with 8-10 entrees, along with side dishes etc. And..depending on the day will choose which recipe will be feasible. I usually have ingredients for a meal or two left over and I just incorporate that into the following weeks menus.
Meal planning is one of my resolutions, however, I desperately need help with it! This would be a great start!
Holy Batman, your website popped up in my search engine when I was looking for meal planning tips. It was an amazing surprise to find this website and post all in one go! To tell you the truth I have been trying to take the plunge and start meal planning for about a year now. I just didn’t know where to start or how to do it without eating junk. I would love to win , I think it would be a huge kick in the behind to actually start… But having your website is helping me get there too.
I hate coming late to the party but i love meal planning just copied and pasted the planner, think i will print it on card stock and laminate it for sticking on the frige and use with my dry erase markers!