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Creating a weekly meal plan involves setting a budget, choosing favorite meals, and making a shopping list. The plan can be simple or sophisticated, and can help with budgeting and avoiding impulse buys. Setting goals can also help with motivation.
To prepare a weekly meal plan, start by setting a budget, considering the types of meals you enjoy most, and making an ingredient list for those meals. Planning can be done by whatever means is most convenient for you: a handwritten calendar or specially designed meal planning software. Try to stick to the budget you set, but also try to incorporate enough variety into your planned meals to avoid boredom. Shopping can be made easier with a weekly meal plan, which optionally allows for bulk purchases. The meal plan should be comprehensive enough to help you stay on track with any goals you may have set, yet simple enough to be easy to follow.
The method in which the actual meal plan is laid out can be as simple as a piece of paper posted on the refrigerator or as sophisticated as meal planning software. A desk calendar or personal organizer may also be suitable as it is easy to edit and take with you. Software can be useful because of the many features it often offers, particularly if it can be synced with a mobile phone application. Once you decide how to create your weekly meal plan, the next step is to decide on the meals themselves and make your shopping list.
A weekly meal plan can make shopping for groceries a quicker and easier experience and could be especially helpful for staying within a set budget. Since you’ll know the things you actually need, the temptation to buy unnecessary items or make impulse buys can be reduced. Additionally, bulk purchases are often cheaper than buying smaller portions of an ingredient, especially for staple food types.
Having a goal-oriented meal plan can make meal prep a more successful and enjoyable experience. There are a variety of reasons you may want to follow a weekly meal plan, whether it’s for personal ease, cost, time savings, following a diet, or simply to eat healthier foods. Deciding on these goals before making a meal plan can help motivate you to stick with it.
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