Menu Planning Template

Menu planning changed our family’s life — and I don’t say that lightly.

When money got tight a few years back, meal planning wasn’t a cute lifestyle choice. It was survival. We had to make every dollar count, and winging it at the grocery store simply wasn’t working. But here’s the thing: what started out of necessity turned into one of the best habits we’ve ever built. We save money, waste less food, and honestly — dinnertime is so much less stressful.

If you’ve been wanting to try meal planning but don’t know where to start, you’re in the right place. I’m sharing a free Menu Planning Template Printable (three styles to choose from!) along with the tips that have made the biggest difference for our family over the years.

I have planned meals for years and thought I would share a few meal planning tips.

Menu Planning Template Tips

• Plan your meal around your grocery store sales.
• Know what vegetables and fruits are in season during the spring, summer, fall and winter so you can use them in recipes.
• Freeze meats and meals when you get them at a really good price and use them later.
• Make a recipe binder or an online folder for recipes you want to try.
• Only save recipes that are really good. The ones that are not so good are not worth spending money trying to tweak them. There are lots of good ones..

Free Menu Planning Template Printable

Grab your free Weekly Menu Planning Templates here →

There are three different styles included in the download:

Notes-style planner — Includes a prep notes section so you can jot down what to thaw, chop, or marinate ahead of time.

Simple weekly grid — Great for households that just need to track dinners, Monday through Sunday.

Full meal planner — Covers breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the whole week. Ideal if you’re packing lunches or feeding kids.

Print the one that fits your lifestyle — or rotate between them as your week changes!

Tip: Slip your printed planner into a page protector and use a dry-erase marker to reuse it every week without reprinting.

8 Menu Planning Tips That Actually Work

1. Plan Meals Around Your Grocery Store Sales

Before you plan a single meal, check your store’s weekly ad. Build your dinners around whatever protein or produce is marked down that week. Chicken thighs on sale? Plan two chicken-based meals. Salmon marked down? That’s Friday dinner. This one shift alone can noticeably reduce your grocery bill.

2. Shop Seasonally for Produce

Fruits and vegetables that are in season are almost always cheaper and taste better. Butternut squash in fall, asparagus in spring, zucchini all summer long — knowing what’s in season helps you plan fresher meals for less money.

3. Stock Your Freezer Strategically

When you find a great deal on meat or bulk ingredients, buy extra and freeze it. A well-stocked freezer is like a savings account for your grocery budget. Buying in bulk during sales and freezing portions can cut your protein costs significantly over time.

4. Cook an Ingredient Once, Use It Twice

This is a game-changer for busy weeks. Roast a big batch of chicken on Sunday and use it in tacos on Monday, a salad on Tuesday, and soup on Wednesday. You cooked once but got three dinners out of it — that’s real efficiency.

5. Keep a “Recipes to Try” Folder

Whether it’s a physical binder or a Pinterest board, have one place where you save recipes you want to test. When you sit down to plan the week, you can flip through it and pick something new alongside your family’s tried-and-true favorites.

6. Only Keep the Winners

Not every recipe earns a permanent spot in your rotation. If something doesn’t land well with your family, let it go. There are too many great recipes out there to waste time and money tweaking ones that aren’t working.

7. Plan for Leftovers on Purpose

Don’t think of leftovers as an afterthought — plan for them. Make a big pot of chili on Sunday that becomes lunches Monday and Tuesday. Double a pasta bake and freeze half for a no-cook night next week.

8. Start Small If You’re New to This

If you’ve never meal planned before, don’t pressure yourself to plan every meal for seven days. Start by planning just three dinners for the week. Once that feels easy, add more. The habit builds naturally from there.

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Want to Go Deeper?

If you’re ready to take your meal planning to the next level, my book Meal Planning in Minutes is a practical, quick read packed with everything you need to build a real system.

Inside, you’ll find:

• How to build your very first meal plan — and keep the momentum going week after week
• The best ways to find and save great recipes online and off
• How to cook an ingredient once and use it throughout the week
• How to calculate how much money you’re actually saving (it adds up fast!)
• How to account for dietary needs and preferences in your planning
• Extra grocery shopping strategies to stretch your budget even further
• Starter dinner recipes to get your first few weeks going

It’s the resource I wish I’d had when we were starting out.

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Let’s Hear from You!

Do you meal plan regularly, or are you just getting started? Drop a comment below — I’d love to hear what’s working for your family, or answer any questions you have about getting your first plan together!

Do you meal plan regularly?