Episode 43: Meal Planning-Your Schedule is the Secret Sauce
What You’ll Learn
Your Season (00:40)
Your Day-to-Day (05:20)
Choosing Your Planning and Shopping Day(s) (07:30)
Recap (13:40)
Invitation (14:15)
This is part two of a five part series ALL about meal planning! Today we’ll be talking about choosing your shopping and planning day(s) and why this is THE secret sauce to being successful in feeding your people without losing your sanity. If you’re following us on Instagram @thedeliberateday, send us a DM with the word “bonus” and we’ll send you a link to our free mini meal planning kit which has a beautiful meal planning template in it that encourages you to put your schedule right on there, AND it’s an 8-day planner so you can work in that planning and shopping day!
Your Season (00:40)
You cannot be successful in meal planning without starting with your schedule first. First, let’s talk about what season you’re in! Your season will dictate your schedule. Your kids, their ages, and their stages will influence your seasons of motherhood. Day nursing, busy toddlers, and outside commitments will have a big impact on your daily life. Even older children who are busy with friends, and learning to carry on their own lives will have an effect on your schedule.
The seasons of the year will also play a big role in your schedule. Fall brings the beginning of school, festivals and community events. Winter brings the holidays and lots of baking, get-togethers, and teacher gifts. Spring comes along with feast and fasting days, religious celebrations, and vacations. Summer brings those school-aged kids home for you to feed all day every day (plus snacks)!
Personally, what season are YOU in? Are you dealing with a challenging time in your motherhood or your marriage? What season are you in-in your inner room, your soul, your heart? This may seem deep for meal planning, but it MATTERS! Especially if you are the one doing the brunt of the work! Meal planning should take something off your plate-it shouldn’t add to it!
Your financial season will also play a large part in your meal planning. If you’re young and newly married, perhaps you haven’t experienced the ups and downs of married financial life! Perhaps you’re dealing with a job loss, or a windfall! Both of these situations can influence how you are feeding your people.
Your Day-to-Day (05:20)
Scheduling is SO important because we want to plan our meals around what’s going on in our day-to-day. Hopefully you listened last week and worked out which meal planning system works for you (monthly, bi-weekly, weekly), it’s time to look at what you have going on daily.
If Wednesdays include homeschool, piano, soccer, and church, it’s not the day for homemade dumplings. Don’t plan an elaborate meal on a busy day.
You MUST take your schedule into consideration!
Choosing Your Planning and Shopping Day(s) (07:30)
If you’re not making planning and shopping a good habit, meal planning will cause you more stress and anxiety (instead of SAVING you)! We want meal planning to serve YOU and your family!
Choose your planning system (monthly, bi-weekly, weekly), consider your season, and look for a day and time where you have “less” planned. Choose a times of days where it won’t be an additional burden, perhaps early mornings are the best for you because everyone’s fresh and happy. Maybe you want to shop in the evenings by yourself!
MAYBE you have a friend who will trade nap time shopping with you (where you cover for one another on different days). This is a GREAT way to build community, but we have a caveat. IF you have a friend who is willing to make this trade, HONOR her time AND her capacity. If you don’t have friends like this yet, keep in mind that it takes time. Honoring the time, capacity, and the “no” of your friends will create lasting bonds.
Find a time you can commit to FOR REAL. Find a time you can commit to, make sure it is actually a good day to plan and shop. It needs to work for you and serve you so you can make it a HABIT! This won’t just help YOU, but it will help your family to know what to expect (and when to make their requests).
Choose a day for planning and shopping (try choosing one for each), and then STICK TO IT!
Recap (13:40)
First, take the 5,000 foot view and consider what season you’re in!
Then, look at your day-to-day and consider what kind of schedule you have, because that IS the secret sauce to successful meal planning.
Based on whatever meal planning interval you’ve chosen, you need to pick your day(s) for planning and shopping, and stick to it!
Invitation (14:15)
If you’re following us on Instagram @thedeliberateday, send us a DM with the word “bonus” and we’ll send you a link to our free mini meal planning kit which has a beautiful meal planning template in it that encourages you to put your schedule right on there, AND it’s an 8-day planner so you can work in that planning and shopping day!
