Why You Need a Weekly Meal Planning Day

Tired of wondering what’s for dinner every night? Learn how to build a simple weekly meal planning routine that saves time, money, and stress!

Want to know why dinner feels so chaotic all the time?

Chances are, you may not have a good plan or routine when it comes to planning.

I was the same way! Planning out my dinners only 2-3 days at a time and going to the store a few days a week to grab ingredients.

The problem with that is I ended up spending more money AND more time on something that could only take me 30 minutes a week.

Meal planning fails without a routine because:

• You end up forgetting key ingredients
• You spend a couple hours stressing over what to make
• You spend more money on food you may not even use

But what if I told you that you could plan a week’s worth of meals in 30 minutes, AND turn it into a weekly routine?

Let me introduce you to a crazy idea: A weekly meal planning day.

This post is part of a 7-post series about my No-Stress Dinner System! More links will be added as the posts are published, so keep checking back.

Why a Planning Day Changes Everything

Choosing a specific day to meal plan every week has saved my sanity!

• It removes daily decision fatigue: “What are we having for dinner tonight?”
• It prevents last-minute grocery runs because you get all the ingredients at once
• It creates consistency, which creates calm in your brain

This is why “Pick Your Planning Day” is number one of my seven steps. If I don’t do this, my whole week is turned upside down!

How to Choose Your Planning Day

Pick a low-pressure day

If you make your planning day on a work day that requires tons of meetings as well as getting kids to and from school, then meal planning becomes a stressor and you won’t do it.

Instead, choose a day that you know you have some downtime. This takes off a lot of stress and helps you think better!

Tie it to an existing habit

This advice comes from James Clear’s Atomic Habits book. If you add a new habit to an already-existing habit, that new habit is more likely to stick. It’s called “Habit stacking”.

It could look like:

• “When I grab my morning coffee, I’ll also grab pen and paper for my meal plan.”
• “When I pull into the car line at school, I’ll add my meal plan to my Notes app.”

These are things you’re already doing. And adding meal planning to those things helps create routine.

Set a recurring reminder

Listen, I know we forget. I have ADHD, so when something’s out of sight, it’s out of mind.

That’s why we have to make it a priority. Put it on your paper calendar every week, or even add it to Google Calendar as an appointment.

You wouldn’t miss a business meeting or doctor’s appointment. So treat your meal planning appointment with the same importance.

What I Do On My Planning Day

My meal planning day is on Thursdays, and I start it in the morning right after my walk and shower.

• I’ll check the calendar for the next week to see what our days look like, then plan meals based on how much time and energy I’ll have.
• I choose just 5 dinners. Fridays are usually leftover nights, and Saturdays are pancake nights.
• I build the grocery list in the Wal Mart app, making sure I stay under budget.
• I place the order to pick up the next day, Friday morning.

This will take me about 30 minutes, and then I can get on with my day!

What Happens if You Skip It?

If you skip your meal planning day and just try to wing your plan, things may fall apart.

• Your stress level will rise with the extra worry of what’s for dinner.
• You may order more takeout to compensate for the lack of food in the house.

Give yourself grace if you forget your planning day, though! If you can do it the next day, great. If you have to wait until next week, that’s fine too.

Start Your Own Meal Planning Routine This Week

Here’s the process in quick-form:

• Pick your planning day
• Write it down
• Set a reminder
• Try it for at least 4 weeks

It might take you longer to plan at first, and that’s okay! It really is like building muscle. You have to work at it in order to grow it.

Step 2 is all about how to check your calendar for the next week and how to plan what types of meals to fit around your busy schedule!

Leave a comment and tell me: What day do you typically make your meal plan?