Meal planning to save time and money

We all have to eat. Whether meals are for nourishment, enjoyment or a little of both, someone has to do the cooking. In order to save money and your sanity, try to plan ahead and have some meals ready to go at a moment’s notice. Going to the grocery store multiple times each week uses up a lot of valuable time and energy. Try to go just once a week and plan ahead for a week’s worth of meals. It is not easy to change old ways, but it is possible if you are willing to try.

Coming home from work and having no idea about what to make for dinner causes a stressful, anxious time. Planning ahead and having options, can make all the difference in the world. You will feel reduced stress levels, be more relaxed and less likely to snap at the husband or kids. You will find that your meal will be calm and not apt to cause indigestion.

Choose menu items that go with daily activities like when the kids have sports or music lessons, you might not want to have a large, filling meal. Something light and quick to prepare, would be better on those days. Breakfast on weekdays before school will be a lot faster than on Sunday mornings.

Usually family favorites are better than experimental or new-fangled ideas. While it is always good to try new things, serve the favorites regularly. If the kids love spaghetti with meatballs, keep it in the plan. Get the children involved. Ask for their input about new ideas and classics.

Staple foods should be in stock at all times for those spontaneous cooking moments. Even though you are planning ahead, you still need to stay flexible in order for everyone in the family to be happy at meal time. In the beginning, just plan a few days ahead. As you get better, you can plan further in advance.

Make the most of the prime real estate that is your pantry. Buying food in the bulk aisle can save money, but always make sure it is something you use in large quantities. If you do not use the huge container of food, you are wasting money and space.

Get a list together and think about what you might want for the next week. Chart out what meals will be served each day on a calendar and plan your grocery list accordingly. If you order pizza on Tuesdays, add that to your calendar. This is a great way to start organizing your life by organizing your family’s meals.

To-Do List Got You Down?

You are not the only one who struggles with a To-Do list that's too long. 

Most people write To-Do lists - but most of the people I work with either have very LONG To-Do lists OR they have dozens of slips of paper with To-Do lists from days, weeks, months and sometimes years ago. Let's look at how you can tweak your current To-Do list to make it more functional.

Here are a few ideas to help you gain more confidence and control of your To-Do list.

• Make your giant to do list (sometimes called a 'brain dump') on 1 big piece of paper or on a spread sheet - don't over think it - just start writing.
• Assign a 1, 2 or 3 to each project. Jobs that take under 5 minutes get a 1, any task that takes an hour or two gets a 2 and long term projects get a 3.
• Now go through your list and put your projects into these 3 categories.
• Highlight the most important items on your list so they 'grab' your attention.
• Look at your list and see what you can pass on to someone else. If you have the mindset that you are the only one that can do it, you may be doing yourself a disservice. Think outside the box.
• Start each day by doing several of your '1' projects. You'l feel a sense of accomplishment which will motivate you to want to do more. 
• Take a look at your highlighted items and make those your priority for the day.
• If there is a task that you are absolutely dreading, work on it for 10 minutes each day. Once you get started, you may find that you can finish it. We tend to 'awfulize' certain things and they aren't nearly as scary once we 'just do it.'
• Set reasonable expectations of yourself - most people do not complete their entire To-Do list in a day - set aside a realistic amount of time to get items knocked off your list. If you set minimum standards for each day, you can feel some satisfaction which will motivate you to keep the momentum going. Unrealistic expectations will only cause frustration and overwhelm which is not a good strategy (been there, done that!).
• I have a fun little treat for those of you who want to improve your To-Do list strategies.  Email me and I will send it to you by mail. If I don't already have your mailing address, you may need to send it to me.

 To learn more about improving your productivity, sign up for a free webinar on June 12th at http://www.thebizknows.com/web.html.  See details below under June Webinar.

$99 Phone Consult Special

In just one hour, we will identify three pressing issues for you to handle this summer and create a personalized Plan of Attack tailored to your needs and work style. Email cindy@aim4order.com to reserve your spot.

June Webinar!

Tackling Time Management 

featuring Cindy Bernstein

sponsored by 

The Biz Knows LLC Wednesday, June 12, 2013 

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Go to 

The Biz Knows

to register.