The Benefits of Menu Planning

I have been grocery shopping for over 15 years. It’s a weekly chore and for some it is not a favourite task. I however, love grocery shopping. It’s is partly because it is a form of shopping (I’m a bit of a shopaholic), but mainly because the little organizer in me loves the whole process that leads up to the weekly shop.

My favourite part is the menu planning. I love sifting through my many cookbooks to plan what mouth-watering meals I will be making for the week. I usually plan for three to four recipes for each week and write out all the ingredients I will need. I check the fridge and cupboards to figure out what we need to buy and what we already have. I then make sure I have the staples in the house. I always have pasta, spaghetti sauce, hamburgers, hot dogs and other kid friendly items. I then check to see what snack foods we have left and write down what we will need for the week.

This process of menu planning is very important to make sure that I have the right amount of food for my 10 month old, favourites for my 2 ½ year old, lunches for my husband and the right amount of food for our dinners. Aside from my enjoyment of menu planning, there are some very important benefits.

1. Planning saves money – If you stick to your list, you will buy only what you need. You can also plan around coupons and store specials to help with a budget.

2. Making Healthy Choices – By planning ahead and listing healthy options it is much easier to avoid the barrage of unhealthy choices you are faced with in the store

3. Efficiency – By doing a bit of prep work before your trip to the store, you can make your shopping experience much more efficient. You spend your time getting what you need, you have a focus and you won’t waste time trying to decide what to get.

4. Avoid multiple visits to the store – By menu planning, you will only need to go to the store once saving time. This also saves money as the opportunities to buy extra items are limited.

All in all, menu planning may seem like work up front but in the end it saves you time and money. It is definitely worth it!

The Survey Says...

A couple of weeks ago I asked the question "Is the economy effecting your baby making plans?" 25 people, or 13% said "yes" Sadly, I think I'm in that category as well. As much as I'd like to say the way things are economically isn't effecting my plans at all, it's not true. I'm luckily not worried about insurance or my job (knock on wood) but I do worry a little about our condo we still need to sell (or hopefully continue to keep good tenets in). It's just one stress I wish I didn't have to worry about right now.

Surprisingly to me, 129 people, or 68% said "No, not at all" to the question... Can I please get some tips from you? I know babies don't have to be expensive but are you ever worried that things may change? Job loss or anything like that? I'm just wondering how people do it nowadays... What does the average family live off of and how?

I guess I am a little spoiled when it comes to things that I kind of want... I'd love to be able to afford cute clothing and a nice crib set... Whatever. I dunno. My mind goes back and forth on stuff like this.

And lastly, 35 people or 18% said "A little, we're waiting to see what happens." I can understand this group. I find myself in the waiting position a lot on things. I think things are/will get better, I'm not stressing about the economy as much as I was a month or two ago... Now I'm just thinking how I'll make things work regardless.

A friend of mine sent me a link to a TIME article about Stay-at-Home Moms having to go back to work because their husband's lost their jobs, or had such a decrease in pay. I don't have to worry about this in that exact sense because I don't see myself being a SAHM, but it's crazy to see so many women having to go back to work because of this economy. In the article the mentioned this great company I think could be helpful for any women who may be considering going back to work. It's called Mom Corps, and they set moms up with jobs that are "flexible" or have good hours and such... Which I imagine is nice for women who want to spend as much time with their kids as possible.

Seeing all of these warning and such has really made me think before I have a baby (and/or possibly while I'm pregnant) I want to get as much in order as possible. I've gotten my food storage going! I got a lot of MREs (meals ready to eat) and I'm stalking up on water... I'm going to keep the gallon jugs under our bed. I'm going to try to make some 72 hour backpack kits for us too soon. It's the least I can do while I'm playing "the waiting game" with myself.

What kinds of things do you do to save money, save time, SURVIVE in today's world with children? I especially would love to hear from you peeps who say the economy isn't effecting your plans. I mean, I believe in having faith and all but faith doesn't pay every one's bills.

The Economy is Effecting Baby Makin' Plans Pt2.

If you haven't voted in the poll to the right please do. I'm curious to know what everyone else thinks of this dilemma. I came across this story, in the New York Times and quite frankly was disgusted. Times are tough... Yea, but this is a little disturbing. I think it would be scary going on maternity leave and worried about having a job to come back to... Especially now. But can you imagine not even being able to go on maternity leave, or even worse... Losing your job before then, and not being able to have your company pay for your labor and delivery bills. Yikes!

Could you ever imagine getting this desperate?:

Starla D. Darling, 27, was pregnant when she learned that her insurance coverage was about to end. She rushed to the hospital, took a medication to induce labor and then had an emergency Cesarean section, in the hope that her Blue Cross and Blue Shield plan would pay for the delivery.

I looked at some comments on a Blogher post about this article and found this one to be so heart wrenching:

I am 35 weeks pregnant (and diabetic) and will be losing my job in a couple of weeks, when I finish training my replacement. I work for a very small company who can get around FMLA laws (though I'm not sure about the Civil Rights Commission ones) and so they've just replaced me. When I took the job, I could only find part-time work, so we've relied on my husband's insurance, which is pretty terrible and will most likely end shortly after the baby is born.
I'm young, only 25, but this is the most terrifying thing I've had to go through. Where are we supposed to go for help? What happens if insurance decides not to cover anything? What happens if the baby gets sick? This economy has completely changed my view on life and the dynamics of my marriage ... and there's nothing we can do about it but hold on by the skin of our teeth and hope for something better soon.

Do you think about these things? My company seems to be doing pretty well right now, we've been told layoffs are not in sight but who knows right?

I know money shouldn't matter when it comes to having a child but how about insurance? I have friends who worry about their husbands (the sole income in the house) losing their jobs which in turn usually means losing their insurance. I'd be lying if I said I'm completely ok to have a child with things being the way they are in the economy.

What if our renter decides she doesn't want to rent out house anymore? What if I lose my job? I know you can't live your life in fear but in times like these it's not fear it's being cautious... It's being SMART. I know "if we're doing what's right we'll be blessed... yada yada," and I hate to be so cynical but the truth is: Bad things happen to good people. That's just reality.

Experts are actually saying that they predict less women will get pregnant while the economy is tanking. While it may make sense intuitively, it's slightly depressing. Less cute babies in the world means less happiness!

Am I alone or are there other women out there who worry about these same things? What do you do to keep going and not worry? And for all of the women out there who voted "it's not effecting my plans at all," why not? Do you feel like your/your husband's job is secure? I'd love to know what you're doing to work through this.