Question for those who plan/post monthly menues.

[Cook n Cater]

I'm curious: do you actually stick to your planned menues? Or just to a certain percentage of your planned menu? Or perhaps one or two of your planned meals?

Another thing I wonder about: do you plan your meals so precisely that you don't have any leftovers? Expecially those who plan a whole month's worth. I find that no matter how little I cook, there is still that little bit of something left over.

I find I do better planning on a day by day basis. Usually the night before if something needs defrosted.

I hope none of this comes across as criticism...just wondering.     cc

[MissMandy]

I plan a full month at a time, and I stick to it about 25+ days out of the month.  Out of the 5-6 days that I don't 'stick to it', I typically just switch the meals to a different day about 3-4 times, which leaves about 2 days that we abandon the plan altogether.  This month we've already 'abandoned' once (Jean was called for a last-minute gig where food was included, so I just fended for myself), and we've switched it up a few times.  We also had friends over on Saturday night, so we just expanded our menu that night instead of abandoning it altogether.  I'd say this is pretty typical for us.

We end up with leftovers about 2/3 of the time, which we eat for lunches the next day.  Usually there's only enough leftover for DH's lunch so we still have 'lunchy stuff' on hand for me or for the days where nothing's left from the night before.

One of the big bonuses to planning for me is being able to look up at my calendar (I post it on the side of my fridge) after I've cleaned up dinner dishes and pull out exactly what I need for the next night's dinner.

Hope this helps!  I'm looking forward to hear how others work things.

Mandy

[hillbilly momma]

I'm having a hard time sticking to my planned menus.
 It seems hard to stick to at times when you have to work away from home
 and in the evenings as I do.

 Mine got messed up laat week as I was sick Monday night,then it just really
  went off the tracks.

  Oh well,the best laid plans of mice and men...

  Suzanne

[lovn_my_boys]

I make mine up for the month and I might not nessassarily fix what I have planned for tonight but by planning for a month and shopping for a month I can look at what I have available and then we pick from the list as to what we are in the mood for since we already have it on hand.

We do break menu here and there but its not that big a deal most of the time, if we have the money, but like now with us using most of our money on tolls to go to the hospital to see our nephew I am definately sticking to the plan because tolls are expensive plus the extra gas money we are using there just isn't any extra.

Looking forward to the next payday so I can stock back up and hopefully catch some deals to get ahead a bit. Its hard when money is so tight all the time!!!

[mooremama]

I plan monthly menus and for the most part, stick to them. 

I will do like Mandy and Dana mentioned and switch around nights every now and then but for the most part, we eat all 30/31 meals. 

I usually do have left-overs and will keep them in the fridge and have a left-over night every Wednesday. 

Beth

[TJN66]

I plan a full month at a time, and I stick to it about 25+ days out of the month.  Out of the 5-6 days that I don't 'stick to it', I typically just switch the meals to a different day about 3-4 times, which leaves about 2 days that we abandon the plan altogether.  This month we've already 'abandoned' once (Jean was called for a last-minute gig where food was included, so I just fended for myself), and we've switched it up a few times.  We also had friends over on Saturday night, so we just expanded our menu that night instead of abandoning it altogether.  I'd say this is pretty typical for us.

We end up with leftovers about 2/3 of the time, which we eat for lunches the next day.  Usually there's only enough leftover for DH's lunch so we still have 'lunchy stuff' on hand for me or for the days where nothing's left from the night before.

One of the big bonuses to planning for me is being able to look up at my calendar (I post it on the side of my fridge) after I've cleaned up dinner dishes and pull out exactly what I need for the next night's dinner.

Hope this helps!  I'm looking forward to hear how others work things.

Mandy

This is us also.  We usually dont deviate too much from it but if we do then I just switch out meals for another day in the month.  I am like Mandy and I love looking at the menu and just pulling out what I need.  It makes it so much easier for me.  I will also make up meals for a couple days in advance so I dont have to do any but basic cooking that night.  I hope that helps.

[greyhoundgirl]

I don't plan the full month every time any more, but when I do/did, I might switch the days around and not do it exactly in the order I'd planned.  Also, leftovers...what leftovers?     Seriously, I'm finding it harder and harder to have more than one small portion left the way my kids eat these days.  If by chance we do, it's easily used up for a lunch.

[wrancher]

Wow I am not good with planning a menu for longer than a week. Like the other night we had beef barley soup and not many ate it. So I disquised it as beef pot pie the next night. Some nights I have alot of people around to eat, then not so much. I usually have a stocked pantry I can make anything. I buy in bulk and make up meals right away. I put in freezer then pull them out. If I am in a hurry grilled cheese and canned soup or spaghetti. I just plan in the morning what it will be as sometimes we are gone for games,etc.

Janice

[Bee Lady]

Wow I am not good with planning a menu for longer than a week. Janice

i am lucky if I know what dinner is tonight 

[honbug]

I'm like Dana, Beth, and Mandy.....I stick to my menu plan for the entire month. I will change if something changes with Toby's work or something...or if somehow I forgot something when monthly grocery shopping.

Having it laid out ahead of time helps tremendously. As Mandy said, I can start to thaw something the night before, or just check on ingredients.

I don't deviate mostly because of convenience, but also because it's posted on the frig. Everyone glances at it and expects that certain meal tonight...if it's something else, they're wondering why it's been changed. My family is one that loves routines!

I cook big so that I will have leftovers. I always take out Honey's portion for his lunch before serving supper. That way, I at least know his lunch is taken care of if someone is extra hungry and there are no leftovers. But, it's a rare night for me not to have leftovers. I'm going to have a hard time adjusting down in my cooking as the children start to leave the nest, especially since I like to cook big...

[Sandlappersue]

I plan for a month but try not to dedicate certain meals to certain days unless it's someone's birthday, company's coming or we are going to a potluck, etc. I always stick to our menus because for the most part we try to shop monthly. So what we have in the house is what there is with the exception of a few short stops to pick up sale items. Usually each item in our pantry is dedicated to a particular meal, etc. The only time I change the menu is when:

A)We have leftovers to eat as a whole other meal or I need to put together those leftovers to make another meal. We had leftover baked chicken the other night and I just threw it in spaghetti for last night to not waste it. Last night we had leftover spaghetti so I will turn that into a spaghetti bake for lunch. I didn't have spaghetti bake planned so this is a blessing as it stretched the menu out.

B)When the children eat items intended to go into meals and I can no longer make that meal. Thankfully this is when A comes in handy.  I then see what I can do with the remaining ingredients of the meal we didn't have.

In the end I would say that we have 90%-95% of our meals that are planned.

[proudmama]

When I plan a menu for the month, we generally stick to it unless something comes up.  For instance, this past Saturday, Doug and I went to visit a friend so we didn't have our planned dinner.  The girls ate leftover pizza.  On Sunday, Molly was sick and Zachary went out with friends so, instead of our planned dinner, we just had leftover soup.  I pushed back the menu a few days so we are still eating our planned meals, just not on the planned days.

Denise