Life is busy! Work schedules, school schedules, activity schedules, and now with the pandemic, everything has gotten just that much harder. You need a plan.
Every week, I sit down and figure out who has to be where, when, for every single person living in this house. That way, I know when I have time to shop, cook, laundry, etc. I know which nights there will be 30 minutes from the time I walk in the door until the time we have to leave for boy scouts or something. I know which evenings I will have more time to maybe actually fix a real dinner. I know who will be picking people up, who will be home to eat, and who will need something to take with them.
With this schedule, I can then begin to plan what and when we are going to eat. I won't lie, the planning is work in itself, but it is such a relief to walk in the door and check the schedule and know I don't have to think of something. On days I am home longer, I can make meals that take a little more time or spend time getting things ready for the busy days. On days when I only have 30 minutes total to prepare a meal and for us to eat it, I have a plan for something quick so we don't have to go hungry or go through the drive-thru.
For example, on the day that I literally have 30 minutes for us to cook and eat, I might plan to make microwave burritos. In 10 minutes, I can microwave a can or two of refried beans, fill some taco shells with the beans and some cheese and taco sauce, or some of those taco bell packets that seem to hang around and open a can of fruit. Nothing fancy, but cheaper and better for us than drive-thru and no one has to go hungry. If I had time earlier in the week to prep for this night, I might have made some rice, added the refried beans and taco seasoning and some cheese and keep in the fridge to pull out and microwave on our busy night. Either way, planning ahead makes it possible to have an inexpensive dinner that night.
Having a plan takes the pressure off feeding your family and helps you use your grocery money as efficiently as possible. Try it, and tell me what you think!
Below is a sample plan:
Monday-
Me-11-7 Him-7-3 Kids-7:45-3:30
Breakfast- eggs, toast, half a banana
Lunch- kids eat school lunch, us- sandwich, pretzels, fruit
Dinner- he cooks chicken nuggets, green beans, Mac and cheese (2 boxes so there are leftovers for lunch)
Tuesday-
Me- off Him- 7-3, 4-8 Kids- 7:45-3:30
Breakfast- fried egg and cheese sandwich, applesauce
Lunch- kids eat school lunch, us- Mac and cheese, green beans
Dinner- chicken legs, mashed potatoes, cole slaw (make extra for lunch) He packs sandwich, pretzels, fruit for his dinner at second job
Wednesday-
Me- 10-5 Him- 7-3, 4-8 Kids- 7:45-3:30 scouts 6:00
Breakfast- cereal, banana
Lunch- kids eat school lunch, us- leftover chicken dinner, He packs sandwich or leftovers if any
Dinner- microwave burritos, fruit cocktail
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