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Meal planning.
Embrace it with abandon, or hate it with passion, most of us can agree that meal planning is essential to save money on food, eat healthier meals, AND take an organized approach to dinners. Basically, it's the smart thing to do!
Doing it though, is a different story.
On Sunday evening, I'm not always eager to sort through my favorite cookbooks and create a grocery list. Nope. I'd rather extend the weekend with another Netflix show then embrace any chance of Monday coming at all. Anybody else??
Then I started bullet journaling.
My infatuation with this journal + planner took life organization to a whole other level. Pretty soon, meal planning slipped into my weekly layouts like it had always belonged.
Some weeks, a quick list of dinner ideas is all I need. Other weeks, I sort every meal by breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And if I'm really feeling on top of my game, I'll make a list of sales and coupons for my weekly grocery run!
That's my favorite thing about the bullet journal. You can customize it however you please, and still be on top of everything your busy life requires you to do.
However, there are dozens of ways to get the job done outside my own. In fact, a different meal planning method may work better for you than mine! And thanks to the bullet journal community, there are no shortage of options.
In fact, I daresay there might be too much. It's easy to feel overwhelmed and not know where to start.
That's why I narrowed it down to the best of the best. You'll get a good variety of meal planning methods so you can use these layouts as shown, or tweak to your heart's content.
The end goal is to find one that flows with your family's lifestyle and schedule. Because once you do, meal prep, grocery shopping, and knowing what to have for dinner every night will be a breeze!
Oh, the Possibilities!
7 Meal Plan Bullet Journal Layouts
Kim from Sublime Reflection keeps all her family's favorites on a master spread. This is genius! You can pull meal ideas based on ingredients you have on hand {like meat} or tastes you're craving.
I also love her idea to use Post-It Notes for meals and shopping lists. All you have to do is swap them out each week. No need to redraw this layout until your next journal.
Here is another look at a master meal list by Christina. This one has food themes for each day, which narrows down the endless possibilities and makes meal planning even easier.
Em Schwartz plans all her meals on a week by week basis, but what I love most, is her neatly organized grocery list. She also has a space for Budget vs Actual, which allows you to stay on track if you're watching how much you spend on food.
Kara from Boho Berry plans Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks, and has an ingredient list on the side with things she needs or already has.
Dara plans her weekly meals in more of a grid-like format. She designates which meals she needs to cook, and which meals are leftovers. This is brilliant if you're concerned about wasting food!
If you want to meal plan for an entire month, you can create a layout like Anne. This spread allows her to see everything at-a-glance, and also serves as ideas when it's time to make the next monthly meal plan.
Is your mind spinning yet?
Each week or month, try a different method in your bullet journal to see which one works best. And don't be afraid to experiment! That's what the bullet journal is all about.
If you're interested in learning more about the bullet journal, I've detailed my own personal journey in Bullet Journaling 101: Everything You Need to Get Started. You can also check out which tools I recommend as the best of the best bullet journal supplies.
You Should Know This
In full disclosure, while I started meal planning in my bullet journal, I don't do it too often anymore.
WHY?
Because I experimented! And what I found works best for me, is to have my entire meal planning system in a separate notebook. Right now, I have a mini three-ring binder that contains:
- All my favorite recipes
- Master meal lists
- Weekly meal planning sheet
- Grocery staples list
- and even meals best suited for company
Just in case this option interests you too, I made it available for anyone to download. It's called The Printable Recipe Binder Kit, and features over 20 printables to help you meal plan and organize your entire recipe collection.
It's also nice to have all those printables made for you so you don't have to redraw them every week!
>> Learn more about the Binder Kit HERE <<
Remember this—if dinner always catches you off guard, or you feel like you're running to the grocery store multiple times per week, give one of these options a try and see just how much it revolutionizes meal time.
You might even look forward to planning dinner after all!
Which Meal Planning Method Interests You Most?
Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Rest assured, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.
Marlene says
Thank you so much! I’ve just abandoned my shopping template that I used for nearly ten years because as our family has grown, it has become more and more inefficient. I’m looking forward to trying something new!
Kalyn Brooke says
I hope this works out for you! It can be so hard to let go of the familiar sometimes! When I switched my budgeting system last year there were moments of panic and frustration, but in the end, I LOVE my new system so much better.