Normally, I read through other people's ideas and either try them or dismiss them outright.
If I try them, it's because something sounds like it's a good idea and I figure I'll give it a shot.
I have to tweak of course because, well, it's just that I must.

And sometimes the ideas that look good, and sound good, simply won't work for me.
And if it's an idea that seems to work for a huge amount of people then I know it must be that the problem is me.

So I'll just come out and tell you that planning a menu for my household weeks, or even months in advance, does not work for me.

Now I'm not knocking that a lot of you can do it. I think it's wonderful!

But here's why I can't do it:
1. I look at the list of foods and get bored. Honestly! After I've seen, say, sloppy joes on a list for days I just get tired of seeing it and have to change it.

2. I'm half an hour from a grocery store and just in that time it takes to drive it, I'll change my mind.

3. I'll ask my husband what he wants for dinner next week and he'll say he has no idea.
He'll say, "How do I know what I'll be hungry for next week?"
I'll follow with, "If you don't know what you want next week, how should I know what you want next week?"

4. If I plan to make something that's time consuming, something else always comes up that has me scarmbling for a replacement at the last minute.

5. When the day comes that I'm scheduled to make something, often I just don't think it sounds good.

6. It's not cheaper for us. It seems as if everything I need from my planned menu is at it's highest price when I shop!

7. It's detrimental to my walk with the Lord! I would concentrate so much on "being a good steward" that I would neglect the "give us our daily bread" portion of faith. And He hasn't let us go hungry...

So to relieve my stress of trying to make something fit that just doesn't, here's what I do:

I shop for 5-7 days in advance by simply buying what's on sale that week.

And as I tell my kids, everything in the grocery store goes on sale at some point.
And it's at that point that I buy it.
It's so much cheaper for me to skip the ground beef that's $3.19 a pound (and that's the 73%), and head to the chicken that's on sale for $.49 a pound.
When we left the store the other day, it hit me.
I mumbled something about spending $41.00 for a few things and my youngest asked me if that was a lot.
I stopped and did the math and said;
"Wait! I just got enough food to feed five of us for 6 days for $41.00!
NO! That's not a lot at all!
As a matter of fact, that's CHEAP!"

And that does work for me!