How did the first month of the year go for you?  Stick to your grocery budget?  Stick to your menu plan?  What!?  You didn’t have a menu plan in January?  Well, this is a great time to make one for February!  Whether you use this one or another one, menu planning is KEY to spending grocery money wisely.  At least I think so.  So try this plan.  Or another one.  Just plan!

What if I don’t cook every night?
Awesome!  I don’t either – we often have leftovers 2-3 night/week.  Just take this basic plan, cut out some meals and make leftovers part of your plan!

What if I don’t want a particular meal on a specific night?
Awesome!  Just take this basic plan and swap meals around.

What if I want to see the Excel version?
Awesome!  You can download it here.

What if I don’t eat beef?  Or chicken?  Or pork?
Awesome!  Just take this basic plan, remove the foods you won’t eat and put in foods you will eat.

What if I don’t know how to make that meal?
Awesome!  Included are the links for the recipe that I usually use.

What if we always have pizza on Friday nights?
Awesome!  (Can I come over?)  Just remove my Friday meals and put in pizza.

What if I want to plan for more than just dinner?
Awesome!  Feel free to print this out, write out breakfast & lunch meals.  Or you can edit it in Excel and make it your own!

What if I don’t like your recipe?
Awesome!  Use which ever recipe you normally use and just use this basic plan as a suggestion.

What if I have my own monthly menu plan?
Awesome!  Care to share it?  Share it down below in the comments so that we all can see it and be inspired!

What’s cool about this menu plan?
I tried to have a variety of meals each week – some beef, some chicken, some pasta, some soups.  That way you won’t get too bored.  But there are also plenty of ways to save time when using this menu plan.  Examples:  When prepping chicken at the beginning of the month, make enough for the other recipes and freeze it for future use.  When making ground beef, brown 2-3 times the normal amount and freeze that.  It makes it super quick to pull meals together!

Recipes in this menu plan:
Slow Cooker Chili
Hot Ham & Cheese
Pancakes
Fajitas
Oven Drumsticks
Beef Stew
Homemade Chicken Strips
Chicken Quesadillas
Jambalaya
Chicken Noodle Soup
Bow Tie Fiesta
Chicken Tacos
Meatball Subs
Italian Sausage With Bow Tie Pasta
French Onion Burgers
Spicy Chicken Rigatoni
Slow Cooker Barbeque Beef Sandwiches
Taco Soup
Tex Mex Chicken Casserole
Pizza
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Chicken Enchiladas
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Parmesan Baked Pork Chops
Chicken Stir Fry
Pepperoni Roll
Baked Potato Soup and Paninis
Tacos

Jayme is a wife to 1 and a mother to two little boys and a third boy due in April 2015. She coupons, but isn’t super extreme about it. She price matches and loves it! While she likes to cook, she’s in the stage of life where simple is usually better! She never knows how many hands she’ll have free at dinner time! You can find her at No Regrets Living.