Master Grocery List & Weekly Meal Plan

My Saturday morning routine

A cup of coffee, a homemade muffin and my meal and grocery lists!

After I make breakfast on Saturday mornings, I sit down to the dining room table with my Homecaring Binder and begin work on the meal plan for the coming week.  Under the meal planning section of my binder, I keep copies of my weekly meal plan form and master grocery list.  I started using these lists many years ago after discovering the FlyLady.  The master grocery list is basically a listing of items I typically buy at the grocery store divided under different categories.  I use the same category headings as suggested here for the FlyLady Control Journal.  Using a highlighter, I go through the list and mark those items I need for the week.  If I run out of something mid-week, I go then to my binder and highlight it on the list.  That's less I have to remember - which also means less is forgotten! 

As its name implies, the weekly meal plan form lists out the days of the week with space to write the entree, salad, vegetable, beverage, bread and dessert.  I'm not always so detailed that I write down the exact vegetables and beverages for each meal.  But I do make sure I have the entree listed, of course.  I've found that by writing down my meals ahead of time, I can get started with dinner right away in the evenings after work.  Instead of wandering the kitchen aimlessly trying to pull something together last minute.  Which in turn means we're less likely to eat out - except for those days in which we've already planned to.

Meal planning made a little easier!

Mary Ellen

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Easier Mornings Before Work - Kids Clothing Organization

My mornings just got easier!  Let me explain.  As a working home keeper, I know the benefits of planning for the next day the night before.  Anything you do the evening before, from prepping lunch boxes to laying out clothes, can help make your mornings more relaxed and less hectic.  Confession time - some evenings, I just don't feel like it!  After coming in from work, cleaning up and cooking dinner (in heels!), I just want to melt into my bed.  So, sometimes clothes don't get laid out the night before.  Which means the next morning starts with a rush to put together outfits for three kids - and myself!

Now, I have a new plan - do it once and forget about for the rest of the week!  Instead of laying out one set of clothes for the next day, I put together outfits for the entire week on Sunday afternoon.  To keep the clothes organized, I use the hanging shoe organizers pictured above.  Ashleigh has one organizer, and the boys share a separate 10-pocket organizer.  Since the organizers are intended for shoes, they aren't very wide.  But they are pretty deep and the sides are a flexible fabric.  The pockets can easily hold a shirt, pair of pants, underwear and socks.  Bulkier sweaters would be problematic.  But we are slowly moving towards milder temperatures, thank goodness!  If this new system works out well, maybe I'll upgrade to a standard hanging shelf organizer by the time winter (and the need for bigger sweaters!) arrives again.    

How do you keep your mornings running smoothly?

Mary Ellen

         

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