The grand-opening month of Cedar Fox had me hopping, which is great (Thank you!!). However, as I learn how to build a business and balance my primary calling as a wife/mother/household manager, a few things around here have suffered a bit.
Yes, everyone has had clean clothes and been fed – but one habit we’ve found crucial to how we live life completely fell by the wayside…meal planning! It seems like such a minor thing some days when the local grocery store is two minutes away. For us, however, it’s a big factor in maintaining a calm home that’s a sanctuary from the outside hustle of the world. Meal planning may feel like a four-letter word to some, and it admittedly felt like a CHORE at first – but can you guess what was worse?! Hearing the dreaded question “What’s for dinner?”, when I didn’t know…multiplied by the growing number of hungry bodies in our family! Plus meal planning and shopping for a week’s (two weeks’; a months’) groceries at once saved our budget and gave me time. Future time I didn’t have to spend driving to the store to wander the grocery aisles for inspiration.
Did you catch that other “four letter” word? There’s just no way around it. A budget equals freedom. Freedom to save and plan; freedom to help others in their time of need; freedom even for frivolity when it’s a fun exception and not the chaotic rule. Meal-planning keeps the budget in the green and allows us to set aside savings that get invested back into our community, whether simply having friends over for a meal, contributing to a local cause, or even supporting a local restaurant. We do enjoy eating out, but it’s even more satisfying when we’ve planned for it and can enjoy a leisurely meal – with appetizers and desert – and have the pleasure of surprising our server with an extravagant tip!
Meal planning IS a four-letter word…it’s a GIFT!
What’s your system for meal-planning? Do you browse the internet, flip through cookbooks…ask your family? Shop sales then plan around those items? I’m always open to new ideas, so comment below!
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