This is a guest post from Quida Davis at Simple Savings for ATL Moms which offers tips on shopping, saving and couponing. Check back for more of her tips.
Let’s face it; meal planning can be difficult at times.
I currently plan out my meals each Sunday and it has helped reduce my stress in deciding what I will prepare for my family each day. Use your weekly coupons to help you plan meals, while saving money.
Here are three easy and simple ways to plan your weekly meals with couponing:
Get your family involved: It is amazing what your family members will come up with when you ask them what they want to eat. Ask them to write down on paper their favorite meal from items that you have purchased using coupons and place them in a small bag or hat. Shake them up and whatever you pull out — assign it to a day of the week. You can tweak the items to include a new vegetable or fruit. Be creative. I once bought Jennie – O turkey meat and we made tacos which are my favorite.
Coupon for meals: Each time you pick up coupons from your Sunday AJC, use them to reduce your out-of-pocket costs for meals that week. Find at least one healthy meal to include in your meal planning needs for the week using coupons. An exception will be when P&G is the only insert in the paper. Each week when I get my inserts, I set aside the coupons that I want to use on products that are on sale but will go into my meal planning budget.
Plan for dining out: Sometimes time just doesn't allow for you to cook a meal at home. Each week I sit down to review which coupons are available for eating out at a restaurant. Some weeks, I let my family decide on what they want, but coupons must be used.
Quida can find a coupon for almost anything and she often surprises cashiers when she checks out. For more tips on saving and couponing, visit Quida at Simple Savings for ATL Moms. Connect and interact with her on Twitter , Facebook, and Instagram.
