Reader Mail: Logistics Q&A

Kristi writes:

"OK, I have a couple questions for you ladies. I am coming out of the first trimester of my pregnancy and back to the real world of eating. It is quite amazing. I am also feeling better and finally up for going to the store (literally, I have been once since Christmas).

I have been a frequent viewer of your menus and am very impressed. I am curious in terms of planning. Now that you know your meals in advance at the beginning of the month has this changed the way and how often you go grocery shopping? Also what about how much you spend on food, do you spend more or less? And finally if you don't mind sharing an average of your food budget ...I am curious for several reasons but the main reason being I want to plan accordingly and properly and know how much time and money to set aside each month. Oh yes, and how long does it take you to create your menus?? Thanks for any and all answers you are willing to share/post."


Well, Kristi, you're in luck! These are great questions, and I'm happy to answer them from my perspective. I hope the other Menu Planning Ladies will leave any of their thoughts in the comments section.

First of all, congratulations on your pregnancy. We here at MenusByTheMonth are so thrilled for you and your Hubs. Let me see if I can answer all of your questions - at least from my experience - in order:

1. Menu planning has definitely impacted the effectiveness of grocery shopping. Even though I still have to run to the store mid-week at times - for bread, milk, wine, fish, or last-minute items I've forgotten - I'm able to plan my shopping ahead of time very effectively.

2. I would say that my grocery budget has stayed pretty much the same, although here and there I've been able to save a few dollars by looking up sales in the weekly ads that arrive in the mail, or by purchasing in bulk to get a BOGO deal (i.e. if I know we're having pork chops twice in one month, I can buy two packages if there's a special, get one free, and freeze one of the packages for later in the month). Not huge differences but every little bit counts, right? One SIGNIFICANT way that I find we're saving money is that because we're planning ahead, we have less food going bad in the fridge - groceries that weren't well thought-out, a big shopping trip when we had a busy week ahead, leftovers in the fridge when we have meetings three days in a row. And of course, we're not getting as much takeout because there's no food in the fridge!

3. I'm guessing that all of us probably have very different food budgets. Our is on the high end even thought it's just the two of us because, well, we're food snobs. I'm sure things will change some if we have kids someday, but for now, I like good cuts of meat, lots of fish, tons of produce (which we eat at meals and as snacks throughout the day), good wine...so we make the food portion of our budget a little more of a priority than, say, entertainment, whereas I'm sure there are other folks who would rather eat EasyMac but go out to movies once a week. :) I'd say that the best thing to do in creating your food budget is to determine what YOUR priorities are in eating well. Is it nutrition? What foods are more expensive than others? Planning a monthly menu can really help you in the budget area because you have time to think through balancing out some nicer meals with more economic ones. Do you like to have bread with each meal? Maybe it would be more cost-effective to spend one Saturday baking a bunch of loaves and freezing them rather than buying them, which can be costly. Do you have little ones? Consider making vegetables that puree and freeze well so you can stock them for the baby while still getting a yummy veggie in for the adults. I think that when you determine your preferences and priorities, your budget will reflect your unique needs and wants.

4. Because I really love menu planning, I get pretty into it - picking colors for the month and trying to find meals that correspond with holidays (such as Jambalaya on Mardi Gras). I also go through our calendar and put any important plans on the menu. These little things take time, but I find they're well worth it, save lots of time in the end - and give me a pretty calendar on my fridge to look at! ;) The last thing I do before plotting out our meals is ask Steven if there's anything he's really craving (usually his response is, "Just make sure there's fish once a week!" or "Filet mignon!"). Once I have that info, I'm ready to go. It probably takes me a good 2-3 hours that I stagger throughout the course of a week to hammer out all the recipes and combinations I want, and to look up the menus online or set them aside if I have them on file. Then I type up my grocery list with those recipes in front of me, and I'm ready to go! Because this is something I really love doing, I find myself plotting the next month as soon as I'm able - March is just about ready!

Happy Planning, Kristi! I'm glad you're enjoying this site, and was thrilled to see your own menu on your blog. Keep us posted on how it works out for you!
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