The I will MEAL PLAN and not change my mind thread.....

Seanymph

I'd like to know how you get your family to eat according to the plan?

With three teens and a husband who likes to eat and eat if I do a meal plan they veer off it within hours, anything defrosted disappears whilst I'm at work (especially sausages and bacon).......

I can plan, but getting anyone else to buy into it is impossible.

WantToBeSE

Seanymph- if they want a cooked meal, then they have what they are given, LOL.
Mine are younger though, but my 12 year old can be a bit like this (he'll be 13 in a few weeks) and i must admit its getting harder.

How about all sitting down and adding 1 thing to the weeks menu. If there are 5 of you, thats the weekdays sorted, then you can all decide on the weekends?
If your teens all work, and want to go off the meal plan every day, then i say make sure that they are contributing financially to the grocery budget.

[Deleted User]

We all sit down together just before I do the weekly online shop and decide what we will have. The kids come up with great ideas!

Mags_cat

Seanymph wrote: »

I'd like to know how you get your family to eat according to the plan?

With three teens and a husband who likes to eat and eat if I do a meal plan they veer off it within hours, anything defrosted disappears whilst I'm at work (especially sausages and bacon).......

I can plan, but getting anyone else to buy into it is impossible.

As well as the other ideas - what about one shelf of the fridge being for "free" food? Things everyone can eat when they like, that aren't needed for planned meals. Or - put anything you need for a planned meal in a plastic box with a large "Keep out" notice on it inside the fridge.

Last chance saloon - if they eat what was planned for dinner you just make something on toast for yourself and refuse to cook for them

Seanymph

Thank you all for being so understanding!

I always feel such a failure when I try and plan, but wandered in here because we have taken out a mortgage (repayments start feb) and I have one going to Uni in September and have to find £100 a week for accomodation.

Meal planning seems to be the way to go - but really, they all eat far too much - and always the xpensive things....

It's all very well saying 'fill up on veg' - but they eat four to six sausages EACH if I let them, and they won't eat cheap ones, in fact they won't eat cheap anything.

I'll just loiter and hope it rubs off enough that I get a bit better at budgeting (currently around £250 a week for us all)....

winniepooh

Well day one and I stuck to my meal plan!

WantToBeSE

Yay- we stuck to our meal plan as well

SwipernoSwiping

Count me in. You are super planning organising this year aren't you FE!
Not only do I intend to meal plan, but only going to the store with cash in hand/online ordering.
I'd very much like to walk away from SW soon and think this is the way forward for me to be up £5 a week!

animalhouse

Can I join too. Fridge is full of cooked meat so I'm currying/casserolling, making sandwiches (will they work, hope so) and getting it all into the freezer this evening. Will put our plan up tomorrow morning.
Thank you!

coldcazzie

Ok, plan until the next big food shop which will be delivered Jan 10th evening:

F28 Lamb (lo) curry, rice, yogurt & cucumber
S29 Pork & chive sausages, jacket potatoes, salad
S30 Roast chicken (fr), bread sauce, stuffing balls (fr), pigs in blankets (fr), boiled potatoes, carrots, sweetcorn
M31
T1 Pasta, hm lamb meatballs & sauce
W2 Chicken (lo) curry, rice, mango chutney, yogurt & cucumber
T3 Bacon & cheese omelettes, waffles, salad
F4 SC pork chops (fr) & dumplings
S5 TITH (fr), mash & carrots
S6 Roast duck (fr) with trimmings
M7 Chicken fajitas
T8 Pasta, tuna & veg sauce (fr)
W9 Chilli, rice, sour cream
T10 Baked stuffed haddock/fish fingers (fr), boiled potatoes, peas & broccoli

Haven't finished from Jan 10th onwards yet, but that's slightly less urgent. Fr means I've already got it in the freezer, lo means left overs, SC means slow cooker. Have left NYE blank as we're having friends round and doing a bring and share type affair - I'm doing a few different dishes, but haven't got a final list yet.