No matter where I go – Mom retreats, networking, PTA, the playground – I hear how much moms despise getting dinner on the table. And I am right there with each and every one of you meal-plan-hating-babes!
Although I have become quiet proficient at helping my mom clients clear tedious and time sucking activities off their to do lists, I’ve never really come up with a good solution to meal planning.
UNTIL NOW!
My sinister solution puts the pressure for meal planning on your kids, gets your husband to work, gives you quality time with your kids AND you can throw in some of that fancy teaching stuff all them supermoms been talking ‘bout.
Ahh, the smell of multitasking at its finest!
So here it is:
MY NEW MEAL PLANNING SYSTEM
- On Sunday grab all those pesky supermarket flyers. Pick the flyer for the store you like the most and toss the rest.
- Grab the coupon flyers. Place in pile with supermarket flyer.
- Grab scissors (one for each child old enough to wield scissors).
- Grab children.
- Everyone sit at the table and go through the circular together. Pick out what you are going to eat then hunt for coupons.
- While doing this process, explain to your children why you might not get certain foods (cost or health reasons).
- Finish design of meals and done.
- Send dad shopping with detailed list supported by pictures from flyer.
I realize this is simple in design but it is seriously effective. I have a 4 & 6 year old so using scissors alone is a thrill ride. You may need to tweak this if you have older children (i.e., Have only one child do this process each week and then compete with siblings for creating inexpensive, healthy meals).
What I love most about this is that dad has a job he can do from start to finish. My experience is that dads like specific instructions and to be left alone. Check!
Most important is that meal planning gets done but without all the RESPONSIBILITY on your shoulders! Win. Win. Win.
Of course if you have figured out a way to get someone else to do the meal planning without any involvement from you, we all want to hear your solutions so please post below!
GENIUS! And, just in time for the monthly shopping trip! Patty, you flippin’ ROCK!
hahahaha- flippin rock – love it! Bonus: Cutting the coupons is a very soothing activity for my more rambunctious child (just in case you have any of those;)
It definitely helps to get input from the family. We have four kids so I usually ask each person to give me one idea for lunch and one for dinner. They sometimes ask for things that are out of the grocery budget so we have to have the “budgeting” discussion too!