Plan Your Weekly Meals

Look in your freezer, cabinets, and refrigerator. You can save money by using these items in the upcoming week’s meals.

Write down you meals.

It's helpful to write out your meals for the week including breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. You can also use a Calendar.

List out recipes to try.

Find new ideas for healthy and low-cost meals based on what you have on hand, foods your family enjoys and foods that are good buys. check out myplate.gove/myplate-kitchen for recipes.

Think about your schedule.

Choose meals you can easily prepare when you’re short on time. Save ones that take longer for days off or when family members are free to help.

Plan to use leftovers.

Think about making larger recipes with enough servings for another meal. On busy days, just heat and serve.

Make a grocery list.

Organize your grocery list by store section or food groups to make shopping quick and easy.

Build your shopping list as you go.

Keep an ongoing list of foods you need on your refrigerator or on a free mobile app and add items as you run out. Some mobile apps allow you to sync grocery lists with others in your household.

Buy a combination of fresh, frozen and non-perishable items.

Plan for a mix of fresh, frozen, and shelf-stable foods in your meals. Eat your fresh food first so they don’t go bad. Stock your freezer and pantry with items you can eat later.

Read more on myplate.gov