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How to Be a Better Meal Planner with the Bullet Journal

December 2 // 3 Comments // 4 Minute Read

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The bullet journal could be your magical ticket to meal planning success. Use one of these meal plan bullet journal layouts to eat healthier, save money, and instantly eliminate dinnertime chaos!

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy here.
Bullet Journal Meal Planning | The bullet journal could be your magical ticket to meal planning success. Use one of these creative meal planning layouts to eat healthier, save money, and instantly eliminate dinnertime chaos! #mealplanning #howtomealplan #mealplan #mealplanninginbulletjournal #bulletjournalmealplan

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!

Nab this FREE printable with 101 Lists, Ideas, and Collections for your bullet journal!

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.

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Comments

  1. Marlene says

    May 17 at 9:25 am

    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!

    Reply
    • Kalyn Brooke says

      June 4 at 2:27 pm

      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.

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Kalyn—a recovering perfectionist who nerds out about organizing systems, personal productivity, and helping you prioritize what matters over the pressure to do it all. I have a feeling we’re about to become the best of friends! Learn more >>

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Minimalism ≠ Deprivation.⁣
⁣
Sadly, I find m

Minimalism ≠ Deprivation.⁣
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Sadly, I find most people resist minimalism because they can't wrap their head around "having less." People tend to equate this movement with blank walls, white IKEA furniture, and decluttering everything in your home down to practically nothing so you can live full-time in an RV. Like me. 😉⁣
⁣
But, while minimalism could be all that, this mindset misses the point. Minimalism is not only about “having less.” 🚫⁣
⁣
It’s so much more than that.⁣
⁣
This week on the blog, I'm sharing the REAL definition of minimalism (that people who love their stuff can totally get behind!) as well as practical ways to incorporate minimalism into your life. 🎉⁣
⁣
Drop a heart emoji in the comments below and I'll send the link to your DM's! 💖

I love lazy Saturday mornings…as long as I have
I love lazy Saturday mornings...as long as I have a book and a cozy blanket! 😍

I wrote this in my journal the other day: 📓⁣

I wrote this in my journal the other day: 📓⁣
⁣
“I’ve been thinking about what tech boundaries I want to instill, including boundaries related to work and productivity. I’ve become less careful about my media consumption, and it’s having a negative affect on my mental health.” 💞⁣
⁣
Have you ever felt a similar tug? ⁣
⁣
I can’t begin to tell you how many times I pick up my phone because I’m bored or lonely or jealous or unhappy. It almost always makes me feel worse. And yet...I struggle to stop. 😝⁣
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Here are the ideas I’ve been trying this month and I’m already seeing a positive effect:⁣
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➕ No logging into social media after 8pm. I need to wind down for the night, not get lost in my phone! 📲⁣
➕ Open Instagram with a purpose—either to post or to interact. Stop endlessly scrolling.⁣
➕ My only screen time before 9am should be for Bible Study apps or News. 🗞⁣
➕ Turn my phone on Do Not Disturb during Tiger Time (when I need the most focus for work) 💪⁣
➕ Work no more than 4 hours on my business per day. If a task isn’t complete, push it to the next day. This time frame has really helped me prioritize! 💻⁣
➕ Watch one show per day (or two if they are short!) and leave movies for the weekend. 📺⁣
⁣
What tech boundaries have you set up? Are any new as of this year? I’d love to hear your ideas! 😃

What’s one thing you budget for that other peopl
What’s one thing you budget for that other people might not? I always find those interesting. 😃⁣
⁣
You might have a mortgage. I budget for campgrounds. You might want a separate clothing budget, while I’m fine combining it under “Beauty and Style.” Recently, we also added a new line item for our motorcycle—something I NEVER thought would appear in our budget. ⁣
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See, we’re all different! ⁣
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Recently, I rearranged my budget categories and created this “cheat sheet.” Sometimes I forget where things go, like picking up new wall art for the living room. Does this item belong in the categories of Household Items or Home Maintenance? 🤔⁣
⁣
Now I know! And I save time processing receipts each Friday. 🧾⁣
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What budgeting categories do you use? Share one of your random budget line items with me in the comments below! 😃

I call 2020 the Year of Abandoned Books. ⁣
⁣
I

I call 2020 the Year of Abandoned Books. ⁣
⁣
I’m never afraid to stop reading a book if it doesn’t live up to the hype. Why invest more time in a book I’m not all that excited about when I could be exploring new authors and storylines where I can’t wait to turn the page? 🤷⁣
⁣
But in 2020, I let more books go than I normally do. I suppose my patience dwindled when I thought the world was ending. Not that I thought the world was actually ending…but you know what I mean. 😉⁣
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As an Enneagram 1, I hate giving up on a book. I’m prone to the all-or-nothing mentality, even in my reading habits. My eyes could glaze over boring prose and I’d still repeat to myself: “You MUST finish this book!” 😫⁣
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Why? ⁣
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No one is adding a plastic star to your Book-It pin, (Remember those?) This isn’t assigned reading from your high school English class. This is YOUR reading life. ⁣
⁣
And YOU should choose what books deserve your attention. 📚⁣
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There are too many good ones out there anyway.  Like one of my favorite reads from 2020. 😍⁣
⁣
This week’s newest blog post rounds up everything I read last year (43 books total!) including 5-star psychological thrillers, a delightful royal series, a couple self-help books, and of course, historical fiction.⁣
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Click the link in my bio to read it! ☝⁣
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What were your favorite books in 2020? Our literary styles might be a match made in heaven! ✨

My planner/journal lineup for 2021. 👆 ⁣
⁣
T

My planner/journal lineup for 2021. 👆 ⁣
⁣
These small but mighty sidekicks will be my saving grace this year. 📚⁣
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1️⃣ Bullet Journal (Blue) - for everyday planning and goal setting⁣
2️⃣ Regular Journal (Yellow) - to track gratitude (5 things a day!) and to process ALL the feelings⁣
3️⃣ Growth Journal (Sand) - a space for me to brain dump everything I learn from books, podcasts, sermons, etc ⁣
⁣
That last one is new to me as of this year and I can't wait to flip back through all my notes come December! 📆⁣
⁣
What planners/journals are you using for 2021?


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