‘There’s no such thing as a lack of time, only a lack of priorities’
– Tim Ferris
I love this quote.
It’s an excellent reminder that we do have enough time, all we need to do is plan and use it wisely!
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN TODAY:
- The importance of scheduling meal planning + shopping.
- When’s the best time
Why schedule?
Deciding when you will review your meal plan and do your shopping is the best way to ensure these tasks get done!
Afterall, you can’t cook if you don’t have ingredients in the house.
Deciding when you are going to action a new habit increases the chance that you will actually do it.
In the book ‘Atomic Habits’ by James Clear (a great read btw), there was a study done on exercise.
One group was asked to exercise twice a week.
The second group was asked to exercise twice a week AND to write down when and where they were going to do the exercise.
The results?
Twice as many people in the second group completed their exercise.
Yes scheduling when they were going to exercise doubled the chances of actually doing the exercise.
That’s why I’m super keen for you to add your planning and shopping to your calendar!
When’s the Best Time?
It really depends on your schedule.
The more specific you can be, the better.
Linking this new habit with an existing established habit helps to make sure you don’t forget.
For example, I review my weekly meal plan and update my shopping list on Thursday afternoon after I schedule the weekly meal planning emails to go out to you guys.
Then I go to the farmers market bright and early on a Saturday.
And I do my shopping at the supermarket on Wednesday mornings before I have lunch with my Dad.
That’s what works for me now.
One of my meal planning members reviews her shopping list on her phone in the car before she does her weekly shop on a Monday after work.
There’s no right or wrong here.
Just try it.
ACTIVITY
STEP 1. Decide when you’re going to review your meal plan.
STEP 2. Decide when you’re going to do your shopping.
STEP 3. Add both of these tasks to your calendar and link them to an existing habit if possible.
For bonus points share your plan in the comments below for the extra boost of public accountability.
Tomorrow we’re going to be looking at the ‘how’.
Have fun in the kitchen!
With love,
Jules x
ps. If you need help with anything, leave a comment below.
I check them every day 🙂
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Think I’ll try reviewing my meal plan for the week on Sunday evening to begin with.
Sounds like a plan Patricia!
Ok it’s not habit stacking but this year is all new with different kinder/daycare schedules – so:
Tentatively planning to do the shop for the week on the Wed arvo after kinder/daycare drop off. Can do ad-hoc grocery runs if needed but this will be the planned one. Will do meal planning on Sunday morningish.
Sounds like a great place to start Lisa – just remember you can always change the timing if you can think of a better one later 🙂
Hi Jules!
Happy New Year!!!!
I am slowly but surely working through my meal planner with you and am excited!!!
Because I’m not super tech savvy etc….is there a free app that I can download to access my things better?
Thanks so much for your help. I am so grateful for you!!
Melissa
Happy New Year Melissa!
I’m afraid I don’t have an app yet – I looked into it and the development cost for what I wanted was $$$$ – it’s still on my wish list.
I just use the website on my phone or on the ipad
Like any new tool the more you use it, the easier it will be.
But if you have any specific problems – just let me know 🙂
I do my shopping on Saturday mornings- I wander around the house checking cabinets, fridge, freezer to make a list
So I will just start my list by populating it with meal plan ingredients and go from there!
Sounds like an excellent plan Amy 🙂
I will review the plan Friday. Not sure about when to shop but will define that plan when I start.?? My partner works away 7&7 which is good as he isn’t a vegie lover. I have always loved your way of cooking and look forward to really getting myself on track of eating more healthy with your help, sometimes we all need some guidance.
Great that you’ve set aside time to plan Leonie – don’t forget to also plan time to shop – it doesn’t have to be perfect from the beginning – you just want to get started and refine as you go 🙂
great idea … I’m all over the place with shopping and I often either do not have what I need or have food going off in the fridge ie too much … do the meal plans go up Thursday? I imagine after doing them a few weeks you could recycle them too eh? We have wonderful markets close to us and I much prefer shopping for veg there and not at the supermarket … got to get organized. I’m enjoying the recipes. merci, merci
Great Majena!
Yes they come out on a Thursday for you (Friday for me). And yes it’s a good idea to recycle any favourites so you’re not always cooking new things.
One thing to remember is that you don’t HAVE to do anything. And when you approach something as a ‘should do’ it takes the joy out of it. And makes it harder to get inspired.
You don’t have to do this. Meal planning is something to do if you WANT to do it.
de rien!
Jx
My husband does grocery shopping Monday am, so we review the list Sunday evening.
We often make a second grocery visit together to another store on Friday.
So I’ll try planning the menu on Thursday.
I tried 2 recipes Flex Pot Pies and Beef Stroganoff.
Both were v well received.
Thanks, Joan
Sounds like a great plan Joan – aren’t you lucky having a husband who shops!
And so glad you enjoyed the Pies & the Strog
Jx
Hi I’m planning and shopping on Sunday
at 3:30 weekly and invited hubby to help!
An excellent plan Leslie! Enjoy 🙂
Have meal planned for a few years now so guess I’ll stick with that, Meal plan sat morning and shop Saturday afternoon
Yes stick with what’s working Denise!
Hmmm, I’ve never done meal planning before so this will be interesting to say the least. Seeing as how you will be sending out the weekly meal planning emails on a Thursday evening it makes sense to me to try & get my planning & shopping done for the week ahead on a Friday. Putting a reminder in my phone to keep me accountable is a great idea. 🙂
Excellent plan Jules!
One thing with habits – setting a reminder on your phone can be OK but it’s even better if you can link a new habit to an exsiting one – stacking habits makes it easier to remember
I’m going to try reviewing and planning on Friday, then shopping on Sunday or Monday. I think having a plan going into the weekend will help keep me accountable to following through on it.
I like having mine done before the weekend as well Lizzie – it’s good to approach it with an experimental mindset – you might need to try a few different times to find what works best for your new schedule.
I think Monday night for planning, or Sunday night. Hubby works Sat-Wednesday so having him shop at his store (Trader Joes) before his “weekend”makes sense. I need quick and/or instant pot for mon-Wed workout nights, so need to include that in plan. Hmm. Now I need him to buy in, ‘cos I’m not doing this on my own
Excellent Barbara!
For those nights you need quick things, there’s a colection of 15 minute recipes over here.
I read some of the comments below and someone mentioned food delivery. That sounds like a good idea – then only get what need.
So I’ll see how it goes if it does take less time than actually shopping or not. Live in country town so distance and parking not an issue.
Tue and Thur night my daughter cooks so if do meal plan on one of those night (Thur works better with pays). Then collect food on way home the next day.
I’m scared
I have tried this before – meal planning and online shopping and it took me ages.
But I can hear you saying just do a few days and don’t expect it perfect will get better with time
And as I write this I just remembered I only have to deal with 3-4 nights. My daughter cooks 3 nights, I cook 3 nights and 1 night is get your own.
Wow Natasha!
I love how you’ve coached yourself here. Yes you onlt have to deal with 3 nights. And it doesn’t have to be perfect.
And like any skill it will get quicker and easier with time – you have everything you need – you can do this!
Let me know how you get on 🙂
I suddenly realize I have committment issues! Seriously though, I’d like to commit to Sunday evening or Monday morning. My husband and I take Mondays off together and often do our shopping. I’d like to shoot for having my meal plan done before we go.
Interesting that you are noticing some resistance Susan – you might find it helpful to reminder yourself why it will be better when you have a plan. Something like ‘planning will make the week so much easier.’
ANd then be more specific with experimenting with a time – you can always change it. But decide now if you want it to be Sunday night or Monday morning and then do it at that time!
You’ve got this 🙂
We usually have a shopping delivery on Wednesday, so I guess Tuesdays would be a great time for me to plan. I have to finalise the order on Tuesday afternoon and I usually only have a vague idea of what meals I’m planning for the week ahead.
I’ve been meaning to start doing this for ages now, so this is a timely kick.
Fantastic Ann!
Now is always the best time to start 🙂
Step 1 meal plan in detail for next three days and roughly for rest of the week. Sunday evening or Monday morning….linked to weekly planning.
Step 2 review food stocks and compile shopping list on Monday evening…linked to bin night.
Step 3 shopping. This is very different as now all purchases are online for home delivery and therefore driven by order cut off times. Monday evening or Tuesday for household delivery. Wednesday for fresh produce delivery. Plus Thursday quick basket check to add new fresh produce that comes into season.
I’m trying to think if a better trigger for step 3 as order deadlines are stressful and can be missed.
This is golden Hannah – love how you have linked to existing actions.
Keep up the excellent work!
Meal planning on Thursdays and shopping on Fridays on the way home for work. Friday shopping didn’t work yesterday so going to the store today, but staying with this basic plan. When Friday shopping didn’t work, was really thankful, Jules, to have your chicken and peppers recipe (with added chickpeas, 1st recipe of yours I ever tried several years back!) in the freezer that I could pull out, heat and serve with rice. The simplicity of being able to do that really helped keep me on track with staying with this.
I do my planning Sunday evening and shopping Monday. It’s great not to worry about either for the rest of the week.
Nice one Ken!
I am really struggling with this one (and I’m a day late!). I’m encouraged by all the ways everyone has found and will take some of their inspiration to heart. As a retired person (no set hours or activities) I usually order grocery pickup of a variety of items whenever I think of it, or notice I’m running low on something. I will have to start this process from scratch and start scheduling. I will start today!
Do you have any weekly habits in your routine that you could tie meal planning in to Anne?
And maybe for you it makes sense to just plan 2-3 days at a time (or less).
Don’t expect it to be perfect – just pick a time and try it and then play around until you find something that suits you 🙂
Yes, I think a great starting point will be Friday, when I receive your new meal plan for the week. Then I can order my groceries for pick up on Saturday. Prep for the week will be Saturday evening or on Sunday. Thank you for your encouragement! I’m really looking forward to this Friday!
Anne
Great Anne!
I review my meal plans on Thursday evening & do grocery shopping, usually twice a month, on Monday morning. I took the advice of linking a new habit to an existing one: I go to the gym Monday mornings, so I’ve been doing my grocery shopping after I’m finished with my workout. Thanks so much for the tip, Jules!
When? I plan to check out the store specials and review your weekly Meal Plan on Thursdays, followed by an Online grocery order for curbside pickup on Friday (during this pandemic). Unfortunately, yesterday’s curbside pickup means I likely won’t shop again till Jan. 14, 2021…but your weekly Meal Plan just might work with what’s fresh in the fridge now.
Sometimes it fun (and just as useful) to meal plan based on what’s already in the house Heather 🙂
Our shopping day is Monday, so I like to review my plan and get my grocery list going on Friday and Saturday. My list always, ALWAYS needs double checking, and sometimes even that isn’t enough. I like to get it done early enough that my brain has time ponder it and remember anything I might have forgotten. I come up with my plan over a period of days when I’m feeling inspired, or if I’m up at night with insomnia. I have more time than average to plan because I cook for two weeks and then my husband cooks for the next two weeks. He always does his planning the day before shopping and I can drive him crazy by working on mine for my next cooking time while he’s working on his…? I always plan for two weeks at a time because we only shop every two weeks.
I love that you allow yourself luxurious amounts of time Susan. And so fun that you and your husband take it in turns to cook.
I check the Kroger sales online on Thursday, and start building my online order. I usually finish by Friday evening after I have checked my pantry for needed staples and decided what my meals will consist of the following week. I finalize instructions in my cart, schedule an early Sunday morning curbside pickup, pay for my order and wait for a text informing me of any out-of-stock items on my list. I can then change a meal or stop at another store to obtain what I need. i usually build in an extra meal in case of unavailability of a chosen item. I then spend Sunday prepping veggies for cooking and storage, cooking meals ahead and portioning for the coming week. I like that the online cart I use allows me to add items all week long so when I find I am low or out I can build my list as I go along.
wow Linda – you are all over this! Yes It’s great that online shopping you can add as you think of items..
And the best part is digital coupons that I add to my card plus specials that I receive (free items, BOGO, coupons good for multiple items) just for online shopping. I also receive gas points for each purchase good for the following month. And 50 extra fuel points for survey responses after each pickup. I usually save about 50 cents a gallon. But the handiest feature is definitely online grocery list building.
Two local farms have online ordering that starts on Monday, with pickup on Wednesday and Thursday. I’ll plan on Sunday, and shop at the market on Monday (or Sunday if I have my act together!) for whatever else that’s needed.
Love it Marjorie!
My grocery store flyer comes out on Thursdays, so that is when I make my meal plan for the next week. I either do my shopping on Thursday or Friday depending on my work schedule.
Brilliant Karen!
Very inspirational reading everyone’s comments. “Bin Day” Sunday appeals to me. But my best shopping is done on a Thursday, so it doesn’t really flow. Although it might be a good half way mark to make sure that I am on track. DECIDED. Planning on Bin Day Sunday for the following Thursday which is Grocery Shopping day.
Maybe you could create a draft plan on Sunday and then tweak as needed on Thursday Bella 🙂
This has potential, Jules. Much Potential. 🙂
Glad to hear that!
Hi Jules
I will be doing my meal planning Wednesday evenings and heading to the shops after Thursday morning training session.
Excellent Kath!
I also like the idea of linking menu planning to “garbage day”: I will plan menus and write my shopping list on Tuesdays and shop for groceries on Thursdays.
Excellent Mary!
Me too
I like the “garbage day” plan. We have compost pick-up, so any of my withering/rotting veggies get put out for compost on Thursdays. That will remind me of what’s missing/what’s needed, so I’ll do my shopping list Thursday evenings and do my shopping Saturday morning (that’s the day of the Farmers Market, so it’s an ideal shopping day). That being said, my shopping list will be flexible, based on what looks good at the market.
Excellent plan Jourdan!
With your shopping list – I find if I use a detailed list, I can still swap things on the list for whatever looks good on the day. But having the list helps guide so I know how much to buy and don’t go overboard (which is so easy to do!)
Jx
Our garbage goes out on Wednesdays, and that is when I go through the fridge to find “science projects” and other bits that need to be thrown out. SO that will be my cue to review the meal plans
I got from you last Friday and plan what needs to go on the shopping list. During this pandemic, my husband is the one to go out for shopping, usually on Friday morning. We have talked about trying online ordering but the pick up times have been filled up several days in advance. With this schedule, we can check times on Wednesday, put the order in, and he can pick it up when it’s ready. If the timing doesn’t work, he can go shopping on Friday morning. Thanks, Jules, for the prompt to think this through and make a plan!
Sounds like a great plan for you Sherrill – love that you’re using the ‘science projects’ to prompt thinking about the week ahead.
Hey, I’m here for the bonus points! What do I win? Kidding. I only grocery shop by delivery. I will do the planning each Thursday at 8:00 pm. The new sale prices are published on Thursday, so I’m tying the habit of planning to getting the best prices. Then I get delivery on Fridays or Saturdays so I can prep on the weekend.
You win the opportunity to feel extra organised Paul! Sounds like you have a good plan 🙂
My shopping list is permanently handy for when I become aware of anything missing or running low, so if inspiration strikes I can add to it at any time. I finalise the week’s plan on Monday (crossing some things off if I’ve gone a bit overboard) and shop on Tuesday, my day off. I check that the meal for the following Monday doesn’t need super-fresh ingredients – freezer and store-cupboard ideas come into their own here. Meals needing the freshest ingredients are usually on Tuesday and/or Wednesday, with sometimes a last-minute top-up or an expedition for particular items like fresh seafood. (I’m not always quite as regimented as I’ve made it sound, but it generally works pretty well.)
It’s good to think through how I go about it – this might encourage me to stay on track at those inevitable low times when planning just seems too hard.
Excellent Keryl!
It doesn’t sound too regimented to me.
Remember planning give you freedom in the long term!
And love that you’re using the freshest ingredients first.
Jx
Hi Jules,
I am determined to make this work . The idea of planning ahead isn’t something that comes naturally to me . Years of shift work that had no regular pattern is likely a contributor. I’ve alway thought I worked best with pressure & controlled chaos … likely as that’s how things have been! So as my job now has a regular pattern, far less unsocial hours and most weekends off I should be able to plan better??? Here goes! I’ve decided Tuesday’s will be my day to plan & shop as I have either a day off or an early finish. In the event of roster changes I will plan the Mon eve and shop around work still on the Tues. ?
I’m so glad to hear you’re determined Fiona – that is the key ingredient! Making the decision to do it.
Have fun on Tuesday!
Jx
Hello Jules!
You know, today’s lesson really gave me pause for thought. I am someone who generally doesn’t like routine, so I’ve never had set times for meal planning and shopping. I’ve thought ‘I’ll do it whenever suits best’, but that generally ends up being a stress at the last minute. Plus I’ve been allowing myself to go down a rabbit hole of researching recipes, so it has all been taking much longer than it should. Don’t get me wrong, I love finding new recipes (plus I’m a recent new Instant Pot owner, and it is fuuuuun to play with!), but I need to have a cut off. And I really want meal planning and cooking to become a very natural, easy and quick part of my life, so it doesn’t all get too much to keep up.
So, here’s the agreement I’ve reached with myself:
—Research can be done outside of planning/shopping, but is not essential as it’s really a bonus to your meal plans and a stock of ‘wanna try’ recipes already waiting. And no changing the meal plan once I’ve decided on it! New ideas need to wait till the following week.
—Thu evening is when I’ll create the following week’s meal plan, ie Mon–Sun (I do breakfasts and lunches for work too)
—Sat daytime is when I’ll do the shopping online, and book the slot for the following Sunday (you gotta get those booked early, plus it makes me accountable to do it on time the next week)
—I have set these events in my calendar as weekly repeating, so I get reminders
—If another event clashes with my planning/shopping slots, I will reschedule the latter at a different time so it’s not just left to the last minute again
Hopefully that should do it! Looking forward to tomorrow’s lesson =D
Jo
Love this Jo!
I used to think I wasn’t a ‘routine’ person as well. But I’ve come to realise that having set times for doing things actually gives you more freedom in the long run because you’re not always scrambling.
I like the sound of your plan 🙂
Cheers Jules!
I am going to make Thursday evening my day to check the meal plan. Friday is the day easiest to leave work early and get to the store. I’m also very excited about having prior meal plans archived so I can look at last year’s plan so I can get 7 meals if I need them.
Excellent Jim!
Hi Jules,
Living as I do in the middle of nowhere (shops = 60km drive), I need to plan my shopping trips thoroughly.
I usually check online to see what’s ‘on offer’ in the local food shops, then build my list to buy accordingly, but I see that I will need to do it the other way, i.e. plan the meals first, then see how I can work the shopping to suit.
I’ll have to thing about this a bit longer…
Great that you’re thinking about it.
Experiment and play arouond with options until you find a rythmn that works for your schedule 🙂
If the meal plan arrives on Friday, that gives me the weekend to think about the week ahead and I will write my list Sunday PM and shop Monday for fresh stuff and specifics. From poking around on this site there seem to be quite a few ingredients that are fridge or pantry stable which is a huge help.
Excellent plan Heather!
Hi Jules, I’m pleased to say that I’ve already got into the habit of going to the supermarket on Saturday morning and my husband heads off for the fruit and veg market so he’ll be getting a list of important items! He then buys meat at the local butchers.
Wonderful Kathy!
Our online shopping delivery arrives on Tuesdays, as does our weekly vegetable delivery. So I think realistically my meal planning should be done on the weekend (probably saturday).
I’ve put a recurring reminder in my phone’s calendar to plan on Thursday evenings and order groceries that same night (for Friday morning delivery). That way I can prep ingredients (or batch cook items) over the weekend to help streamline weeknight cooking.
Sounds like a good plan.
One thing Sarah, I find I start ignoring reminders on my phone after a few weeks.
Is there something you usually do on Thursday evenings that could be your trigger to help you remember (along with the phone reminder)?
Tying a new habit to an exisitng one is called layering habits and it’s a really powerful technique 🙂
I like the idea of scheduling my planning and shopping in my calendar. I have always planned my meals, but planning days have been hit and miss — whenever I’d run out of meals. Now with the Simple Meal Plan arriving once a week, I’m going to decide what serve (based on the week’s schedule) on Friday morning and then go shopping that afternoon (if I have the car) or Saturday morning (I’ll just switch the time in my calendar). These are normally “open” times on my calendar. My grocery store offers special incentives to shop on Friday and Saturday, so this is also to my advantage.
Nice one Marianne!
Look forward to hearing how you get on with this plan 🙂
I’ve put review & shopping in my calendar dad – I’m going to review my meal plan on Friday afternoon and my shopping on Sunday, which is my usual shopping & prep day. I am going to do that for a couple weeks & see how that works out. I’ll keep you posted!
Excellent Penny!
Look forward to hearing how you get on 🙂
Just curious how the Wednesday Supermarket Shop work for you Jules if you are reviewing your meal plan on a Thursday, or am I just being slow on the uptake here;-)
Excellent question Judith!
My super market shop is mainly for staples. Occasionally I need to get something for wed / thurs / fri night from that weeks meal plan.
When I do my review on Thursday it’s for the following week – so I get any fresh things I need on Saturday…. I like to work well in advance 🙂
Lucky it’s all written down for me – otherwises I’d struggle to keep track
Jx
OK, seeing as I have to do the shopping for my husband’s cake business every Thursday, I usually do my shopping while I’m out, too, so Wednesday evening would be the best time to review and plan both the meals and the shopping.
The only downside: I get a box of fresh “saved” vegetables (the ones that would normally be thrown away because they’re too big, too small, odd-shaped etc.) every two weeks on Friday and I never know what’s going to be in it, so being able to use that as well will be a challenge…
Sounds like Wednesday will be great for you Anke!
The ‘saved’ veg may not be as big an obstacle as you think. Try seeing it as a challenge to find ways to substitute whichever veg arrive for the veg in your plan. If it’s only every 2 weeks I bet you’ll find ways to use them 🙂
Just trust your instincts with the substitution
I generally plan my week’s meals when inspiration strikes, such as when I suddenly realize there’s something I really want to make. These days the planning seems to happen at the beginning of my husband’s turn to cook (getting him to plan is like pulling teeth, so I guess I react to that. We split cooking duties, two weeks on, two weeks off). I do my shopping on Monday morning, so I check my meals to make sure I have all the components listed, and make up my grocery list at least one day before, sometimes two, so I have time to remember all the things I wanted to put on the list but wasn’t smart enough to write down at the time I thought of them. This has been working well for me, although I do sometimes miss putting some items on the list. My life feels much saner when I do plan ahead.
Yes life is definitely easier then you plan ahead Susan 🙂