Menu Planning: How it's done.

I have always found that weekly menu planning helps me to stay within my budget. I haven't been too disciplined with that lately but I decided to start back this week and it paid off.

When I plan my weekly menu, I write the days of the week across the top of the paper. I only do Monday thru Thursday because our weekends our very hectic. Then, I consider what items I have in the pantry and freezer to determine what I will cook for each day.

My menu for this week is as follows:

• Monday: Chicken & Asparagus Roll-Ups, Mashed Potatoes
• Tuesday: Crockpot Sausage, Rice, and Corn
• Wednesday: Biscuit and Beef Cups
• Thursday: Apricot Pork Tenderloin, Spinach (for hubby), Lima Beans, and Mac N Cheese

I have several of the items needed to make each recipe in the pantry or freezer. For instance, the crockpot sausage calls for canned tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions. The Chicken recipe needs onions and the biscuit and beef cups require peppers and onions. I don't have fresh onions and peppers but I do have a large bag of frozen stir-fry onions and peppers. The bag is large enough to be used for all recipes and I get it for apprx. $1.00 at Save-A-Lot.

Also, I know that I have a coupon for rice, canned biscuits, and Green Giant boxed veggies (spinach) which happens to be 10/$10 at Publix this week.

Each person's menu plan will be different. Having your coupons organized and shopping by the sales really makes the difference in how effective this practice will be for you.