How many of us get to dinner time and just become overwhelmed because we have no idea what we’re going to cook, or we’re tired and fresh out of ideas? Or, all of the above! Now, the thought of meal planning may be just as overwhelming to you. But that’s most likely because you haven’t found what works for you (more on that later). Creating a plan that works for you can in fact help you ditch some of the overwhelm that comes with keeping your family fed and happy. It may even become something you enjoy (at least some of the time?!). I want to share with you 5 benefits of meal planning that can help you and your family.

5 Benefits of Meal Planning

1. Less Stress

#1 in this 5 Benefits of Meal Planning is LESS STRESS. For me, and many moms out there, I believe this is the most important one. I know how much stress can come from not only cooking night after night, but deciding what to cook! You’re tired after a long day at work (or long day at home with the baby), and your brain can barely function. Sometimes deciding what to cook can tip you over that edge you were trying desperately to avoid. You want to cook something that everyone will eat so you don’t have to deal with the complaining as well. You forgot to think about it until the minute you walked in the door. And, now you have no energy or desire to keep the mouths fed, but you know you must. This only adds to the stress and adds guilt on top of it because it makes you feel inferior as a mother.

Well first let me tell you, you are not an inferior mother, and don’t let anyone tell you that you are. Secondly, having a plan ahead of time can make a huge impact in the stress you feel when it comes to dinner time. If you already have a plan in place, you can walk in the door, and you don’t have to stress about what you’re going to cook because you already took care of it! Sure, it’s only one step in the process, but it can be a big step for most of us. 

Now, don’t start to get stressed about the term “meal planning”. If that term stresses you out, it’s probably just because you haven’t found what works best for you. I have something to help with that, which I will share with you a little later.

2. Saves Time

Not only can making a meal plan save you from a heap of stress, it can also save you a heap of time. Sure, you have to spend some time sitting down and making your plan. But, the amount of time you spend ahead of time making that meal plan will save you in the long run. You’ll spend a lot less time when you’re not stressed jotting down a few meal ideas rather than wasting a ton of time staring at the cupboard or refrigerator trying to decide what to cook. And, I will let you know, the more you do it the faster it becomes and the less time it takes. You’ll be a pro in no time!

Not only does it save time in the planning stage and decision making stage, it can also save you time when it comes to preparation. If you know what you’re going to have ahead of time, you can take that meat out of the freezer to thaw. This saves you that extra time when cooking dinner. If you get really good at this meal planning thing, you can even cook a roast or something earlier in the week for dinner and then use the leftover meat for BBQ beef sandwiches later in the week. So, that second meal you almost don’t even have to cook! MIND. BLOWN. 

If you’re not a meal planner that may feel way out of your reach. But I promise, once you get something in place that works for you, you can learn how to save time and make things so much easier on yourself.

3. Saves Money

Having a meal plan in place can save a family money as well and is one of these 5 benefits of meal planning. Depending on your current habits, it may be a decent amount of money. Let’s say you started making a weekly meal plan. You create your plan, make a shopping list based off your plan, and then you go to the store and purchase what you need. This helps eliminate those daily or almost daily trips to the grocery store in which most of us spend more money than what we originally planned. There’s always those one or two extra items we see that we add to the cart. We all know it happens, but if you’re only doing this once a week, less of those “extras” will get added to your cart. (Back to the time thing, going to the store less also saves you time!)

Also, if you take some time to sit down and make a plan, you’ll have the time to look through your cabinets and refrigerator. You can make your meal plans based off of what you already have at home, thus saving more money at the grocery store. This also helps with less waste as you use up the food you have at home.

If you tend to be one that ends up eating out often or ordering take out because you “just can’t”, having a meal plan in place can help you save money because you most likely will end up eating out less often. Of course we all like to eat out at times. However, if you cut down the amount of times per week that you’re eating out, it can greatly impact your budget, in a positive way.

4. Healthier Meal Choices

This one does largely depends on what exactly you put on your meal plan. You can still put unhealthy meals on your meal plan, and I would venture to guess that many of us do at times. However, if you’re thinking through things ahead of time, without being rushed or brain dead, often times we are more aware of the food choices we’re making. It’s a lot easier to make wise food choices when you plan ahead. Sure, maybe it’s not every night, but a healthier meal more often does make a positive impact. 

And, as mentioned above, if you are meal planning, most likely you are going to eat out less often. This in turn often causes our eating habits to be healthier just from the fact that we’re not eating out all the time. 

Especially if you are trying to make a change in your health habits, health experts say that meal planning and planning ahead is key. This way you know exactly what to purchase at the grocery store. If you have a plan in place, you are more likely to stick to it and succeed as opposed to trying to succeed by flying off the cuff. Changing habits can be difficult. It is that much more difficult when you try to do it without a plan in place.

5. Enjoy More Variety

Do you ever get tired of the meals you have or feel like you’re just fixing the same thing over and over again? Many times this can be from a lack of planning. If you’re always waiting until the last minute to decide what to eat for dinner, it’s a lot harder to be creative, and you tend to fall back on whatever is easiest. And often times that becomes the same thing over and over again. When you plan ahead, you have the time and the brain power to be a little more creative and add more variety to your meals.

I’ll give a scenario to show another reason why you can enjoy more variety with meal planning. Let’s say you come home from a long day of work, and you’re feeling somewhat inspired and decide you want to make something a little different for dinner that night. You look in your cupboards, but you can’t find the ingredients you would need to make said dish. So now you’re at a crossroads. Do you go to the grocery store to pick up the needed items, or do you just cook something you have at home, even thought you’ve eaten it a million times? More often than not, you would skip the store and eat what you have at home. However, if you had planned ahead on your meal planning, you would have already purchased the needed items for said dish and be good to go.

So how do you actually accomplish this meal planning?

This post has focused on 5 benefits of meal planning because I want you to see why it’s important and how it could help you. But maybe just the thought of meal planning is overwhelming to you. Or maybe you feel like you’ve tried a specific way of meal planning, but it just didn’t work for you. 

That’s why I created my mini-course, How to Make Meal Planning Work For You. This is a simple, 5-day course. It will take you less than 10 minutes per day to watch the videos I’ve created. Also, it’s packed with a boatload of resources that will save you a ton of time. The whole point of this course is to help you figure out what type of meal planning is going to work for you and then become successful in implementing it!

Registration for this course is NOW OPEN! This course is $27, and I promise, it is going to be worth every penny. You can register by clicking HERE. 

*If you’re looking for super easy meal ideas, check out my post with 40 Fast and Easy Dinner Ideas.

Download your Weekly Meal Planner here!

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Ditch the stress often caused by dinnertime by making a meal schedule with this simple and pretty meal planner. 

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