Family Calendar

I just found this wonderful program for helping you keep track of your family: http://www.cozi.com/ * It's free and there is some really nice features that I will be using.

One really nice feature is the family calendar. You can enter the names of each person in your family and when you enter an appointment, you can check off who the appointment is for. You can even synchronize the calendar to Microsoft Outlook. I think this will be a very nice feature for me.

There is also a feature for adding your grocery list. You can even add the stores where you need to buy different items at. There's also a family journal and you can download a photo collage screen saver.

So, check it out if you have a few minutes. I think it will definitely help my family and I get organized.

*I am in no way affiliated with Betty Crocker and did not receive anything for writing today's blog entry. I just like the product and know that other frugal moms and dads could also benefit from using this free program.

LiveJournal Tags: family,schedule,planning,grocery list

The Advantages of Meal Planning

Do you know what you're making for dinner everyday or are you constantly asking "What's for dinner?" If it is the latter, then maybe you should try meal planning. Planning your meals will help your day go smoother and it will save you money at the grocery store.

You can plan either weekly, bi-weekly or monthly. It depends on when you do your shopping and what you prefer. We usually shop either every week or every other week, so I plan for 2 weeks or even for the whole month.

In preparing to do your plan for the first time, you may want to come up with a list of the meals that you make quite a bit. These are your tried and true recipes. You can always add to your list as you try new recipes and find that you like them. I have a list of about 30 different meals and I challenge myself to try one new recipe a week. If it's a good recipe, I add it to my main recipe binder and add the meal to my list.

Step 2 to meal planning is the actual planning what meals you want when. You will need to take into account any days you have planned to eat out or when you might eat at someone else's house. Also I usually include an occasional leftover day, especially after a larger meal like chili. I usually just plan dinners, but if you cook breakfast and lunch, you may also want to plan them.

After you get your meals planned, check out your pantry and freezer and list what you will need to buy at the store. What I also do is take out the recipes I will need, put them in the order I will be making them and put them back in the front of the binder.

For the design of your plan, there are many things you can do. You can just list the day and then the meal(s), either on paper or typing them up. What I like to do is go into Word and use one of their calendar templates and add in the meals. Then I usually put my plan on the refrigerator so even the kids can see it and know what we will be having for dinner.

I challenge you, if you don't already to plan your meals. And let me know how it works out for you.

del.icio.us Tags: meal planning,meals,recipes,planning,frugality