Let me tell you, I am so glad that I have February's meal plan done already! This lets me seamlessly transition from my January meal plan to February's since I've already planned it all out! Go me! I have quite a few new recipes that I'm trying this month, so be sure to be looking out for those on my recipes page! Once again, the cute February graphics are courtesy of iMom.com - love that website! XO, Jess
Ok, guys (and gals!), I have got to be honest and say that I'm going crazy with our home! I feel like we have "stuff" up to the rafters, "stuff" coming out of our ears... everywhere is just stuff, stuff, STUFF! Yes, I understand that we are a very active family of five and then three four-legged furballs and that we naturally will accumulate things, but something has seriously got to give!
That's why this year, my goal is to purge our home of things that are unused, unwanted and unnecessary and then organize what we keep! I've seen a lot of great ideas on Pinterest (check out my Home Organization board here) for organizing closets and rooms and everything else, so this is as good a time as any to get started! I want to be smart about what we spend and how we spend it, so I've got a lot of research to do in that regard. But there will be some new cabinetry installed, new shelving, etc to help with this refresh and reorg. My plan is to try and tackle closets first, since that's where everything gets stored anyways. Everything will get fresh paint, fresh shelving, etc. Once the closets are done, I will move room-by-room until everything is completed. It's going to to be a complete overhaul, which I'm excited about but also know it's going to be a lot of work! Here is my plan of attack for the first half of the year:
Things that are still in really good shape will be given to family/friends first, and then donated to our local CCA. Anything that is questionable will be tossed. If we don't use something, haven't worn something in the past year, etc, it's time to get rid of it!!! Wish us (especially me!) luck, I think we are going to need it! © Cruzin' Thru | 2015 Above is our family's menu plan for January 2015. You can find some of the recipes on my Recipes page, others will be coming in the near future!
© Cruzin' Thru | 2015 Credits: the calendar I created myself, but the January and Snowman graphics are all courtesy of iMom.com! Menu planning is essential to our family! It seems as though there is always something going on, kids going to different activities on different nights of the week, different gatherings and goings-on, so it's nice to be organized and have dinner already planned out in advance. I know we all dread the question, "Mom, what's for dinner?!"
I've tried planning for just a week, two weeks and a month and have worked out a great combo that works for our family. When you menu plan weekly, you're having to create a new meal plan every week and grocery shop every week which can get tiresome over time. What I use for our family, is to "sketch out" the dinners for one month, build in some new recipes, keep some favorites, some free nights (or left-overs night). But stay flexible! Life happens and sometimes you just need to change up the menu to accommodate. I do our grocery shopping for two weeks' worth of time. This allows me to 1) keep a more accurate inventory of our grocery/pantry needs, 2) allows us to use all of our fresh produce, dairy and breads (If I did it for a month, most fresh produces and things like that would spoil L I usually will print off a simple calendar to use. There are so many free calendars available online, TimeAndDate.com, etc where you can get something basic or you can find really cute monthly/themed calendars (ahem... Pinterest!) to use as well. Each week I try to have one of the following, and will usually combine a few together:
I ask everyone for some ideas, if there are any special requests that they would like. Sundays are usually the days where I try a new recipe, since I don't really know how much time it will take, how a recipe will turn out etc. Plus it's nice to have a really great, homemade Sunday dinner! Crock-pot nights are usually the nights when I know some or all of us will be getting home a little late and need something ready when we walk through the door. With each meal, I try to have something fresh, whether it's fruit or veggies, to accompany the meal. I prefer not to do canned foods, but will when I need to or am in a time crunch. Frozen produce is also a great non-canned option! We like to do the majority of our shopping at wholesale stores like Sam's and CostCo for the bulk items. For our hygiene and dry goods, I will usually get those from Walmart or Target and then for fresh fruits and veggies I either get those from the local Farmer's Market, Market Street or Tom Thumb. In the end, and despite multiple store stops, it really does save us money - money that we can use for family fun, getaways, home improvements, shopping or saving! I usually don't put too much effort into planning breakfast and lunch. The kids have their breakfast staples at home, I get an english muffin at work; at lunch the kids eat at their schools, and my husband and I usually have leftovers. Not a whole lot of planning here! But this, in a nut shell, is what has worked well for our family and I hope that it works well for yours! © Cruzin' Thru | 2014 |
Archives
August 2017
Categories
All
|