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December 4, 2017 · Leave a Comment

December 2017 Meal Plan

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Frugal Living· Meal Planning· Saving· Ways We Save

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I got back into creating monthly meal plans for our family back in September, at the start of our busy soccer season, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it.  It’s like falling in love all over again.  I can’t tell you how nice it is to know that when it comes time to make that grocery list for the week, I don’t have to hem and haw over what we’re having for meals because I already know.

December 2017 Meal Plan

When I was creating December’s meal plan, there were a few things I needed to keep in mind as I was creating it.  First was when my kids have off from school.  I do pack their snacks and lunches every day, but there’s something about when they’re home… we tend to go through a LOT more food than when they’re at school all day.

Second, this month is the winter concerts for Bookworm.  He’s in band, jazz band, and chorus for his school.  While the concerts don’t start until later on at night, after I’ve factored in what time they get off the bus, and what time we need to leave to be on time, I need fast easy meals.  That’s why there are some meals on here more than once.  {For instance, I’m planning on making a lasagna as a Sunday dinner, and then serving leftovers three days later on the night of one of the concerts}.

Third, any doctor’s appointments or school activities during the day.  If I have fast meals on hand for days like these, I can minimize my chances of picking up food while out.  Pizza, pancakes, nachos and tacos fit nicely into these spots.

And lastly, any holiday dinners, holiday travel, and how to plan our meals around them.  We usually have a meal with Hubs’ family while we exchange gifts, so that means there’s at least one night that I won’t have to cook.  I also plan in advance for my family coming down to visit us.  By keeping some fast, yet filling meals in this month’s meal plan, I can cut back on any unexpected expenses simply because there’s company coming.

Beyond that, here are some other things to consider when reviewing our monthly meal plan:

I plan only our dinners.  Unless it’s noted, sides consist of a fruit or veggie, possibly a grain, and is based on what I have in my fridge and pantry.

We try to have one big meal each week, and it’s usually a roast.  Throughout the rest of the week I use the leftovers as ingredients for the week’s remaining meals.  For instance, a roast beef then becomes ingredients for beef stroganoff, beef quesadillas, and so on.

Breakfasts are usually oatmeal, cereal, toast or bagel with peanut butter and fruit, cottage cheese and fruit, or yogurt with granola.   It may seem limited and boring, but keeping breakfast choices as simple as possible makes it much easier on our hectic morning routine.  Hubs is out the door at 6:30 and the boys are on the bus at 7.

Lunches are packed each day for Hubs and the kids, while I currently eat at home.  Lunches are either sandwiches, salads, chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, or leftovers as the main course.  It’s served with a fruit/veg, yogurt or cheese, a drink and a “treat” {gummies, chips, etc}.  Snacks, such as crackers, pretzels and Nilla cookies, are also divided out at home and sent to school in smaller snack containers.

I don’t stock pile shop, but I do shop for weekly sales, mostly for prepackaged snacks.  While this may not be the best of healthiest option, I have found it to be by far the easiest when divvying out snacks, and also the least messy/sticky in the classrooms.

During the summer and fall, I preserve what I am able to grow and get cheap from local you-pick farms and farmer’s markets.  It helps me keep what we eat fresh and local, but also limits our preservative and additive intake {I have a preservative allergy and my middle gets migraines with certain food additives}.


Pizza x3
Roast Chicken x2
Ravioli Bake with Garlic Bread
Chicken & Waffles
Taco Ring
Chicken Alfredo
Carrot & Squash Soup
French Toast
Salmon Cakes & French Fries
Lasagna, Salad & Garlic Bread x2
Chicken Enchiladas
Potato Soup
Pancakes
Broccoli Soup x2
Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans
Tuna Melts & Rice
Chicken Fajitas
Chicken Chili
Meatloaf & Roasted Veggies
Christmas Dinner
Nachos
Ham & Green Bean Soup
Blueberry French Toast Bake
Dutch Oven Chicken Bake
Ham, Noodles & Peas
Chicken & Broccoli Stuffed Shells

 

Need more dinner inspiration?  You can check out our past meal plans.  Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest, where I have a whole board dedicated to meal planning.

  • November 2017 Meal Plan
  • October 2017 Meal Plan

What’s on your meal plan for the month?  Do you have hectic schedules you’re planning meals around, or is it a relaxed month for you?  I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Related Posts

  • January Budget CategoriesJanuary Budget Categories
  • February 2017 Meal PlanFebruary 2017 Meal Plan
  • Annual Savings Account: Why We Have One, & How We Use ItAnnual Savings Account: Why We Have One, & How We Use It
  • Over 30 Items We Stopped Wasting Money OnOver 30 Items We Stopped Wasting Money On
  • Summer 2017 UpdateSummer 2017 Update
  • May 2016 Debt Free ProgressMay 2016 Debt Free Progress
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makingcentsmatter

makingcentsmatter
Only you can determine what your financial goals a Only you can determine what your financial goals are. If that means you're adding money to your savings account, or contributing to your retirement, while you are paying off debt, then so be it!⁠
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Do what looks right for you and your personal finances.⁠
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The trick to meal planning is to make it predictab The trick to meal planning is to make it predictable. But predictable doesn't mean the same thing week to week. You could have a chicken meal, a soup meal, a pasta meal, a leftovers meal, a family favorite meal, and so on.⁠
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We always try to go with themed days, but some weeks are so hectic the theme is literally "fast". Thankfully that hasn't been the case lately.⁠
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I can only hear about my extended warranty I never I can only hear about my extended warranty I never purchased so many times. 😣⁠
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March Debt Paid numbers are in!⁠ .⁠ House: $51 March Debt Paid numbers are in!⁠
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House: $511.13⁠
Citi: $0 – this has a residual $3 in interest charges since payoff, due in April⁠
D NelNet: $100⁠
K NelNet: $100⁠
K Chase: $600⁠
Explorer: $336.27⁠
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Total Paid in 2021: $8,258.84⁠
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Extra Payment: There isn’t one this month since we were $25 away from zeroing out the budget for our February 15th monthly paycheck. That $25, and monies left from our January 15th paycheck, covered our OOP costs for Hubs’ filling. We also have some savings goals coming up that need to be met, making our debt payments a little lower for the time begin.⁠
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The battle for who can charge what tonight is abou The battle for who can charge what tonight is about to begin. 😬⁠
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My kids run off with my charger, plug it into one outlet 5 feet from where they found it like that particular outlet is the only one in this house, and then proceed to fight over who can charge their device first at night.⁠
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Then they get grumpy when it's their turn and it's not the proper input cable. #itwasmychargerfirst #dontlikeitgofindyourown⁠
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A needs his wisdom teeth taken out. I've talked a A needs his wisdom teeth taken out. I've talked a bit in our February Budget Check-In about how much of this I think we'll owe, and you can check that out on my YouTube channel if you're interested, but I wanted to say here...⁠
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To the mother with little kids struggling to get your finances in order, it will get better. I wish I could have heard those words years ago.⁠
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Nearly 10 years ago we were facing a $1,400 out-of-pocket portion for A's Phase 1 orthodontic work (I looked it up after I uploaded the video... we had a $1,400 portion).⁠
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It was a lot of money for us at the time. Our kids were 6, 2, and 3 months old. I don't think we even had $500 in savings, and I just left a part-time teaching job because it wasn't paying the part-time daycare bill, so paying our portion in full was just a dream I didn't think was achievable.⁠
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I was even stressing about the monthly $100 payments. We were so strapped. It was our breaking moment to start cutting costs and budgeting more effectively. We've learned a lot in that time period.⁠
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What we've learned is that it does no good to stress about it all the time. Life happens. All you can do is try to plan ahead, and if it's something that's unplanned, readjust. It won't always be easy, especially at first, but it will be worth it.⁠
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Nearly 10 years later, we are still paying off our debts. Student loans suck. But I see this bill as a reminder of how far we have come. Seeing a bill like this doesn't stress me out like it used to, and I know we can easily create a plan that can get it done and out of the way.⁠
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Will it delay our debt-free date more? Yes. But it's not worth stressing over. Life happens, readjust, and continue on down the path. It's called a journey for a reason.⁠
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It's almost payday! Here's how our variable budget It's almost payday! Here's how our variable budgeting categories are working out for the pay month.⁠
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Food is looking good this far into our paycheck, probably because miscellaneous - which includes eating out - took a hit with unexpected purchases. Pet is low for this time of the month, and Household is spot on.⁠
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Fuel looks like it'll be lower than last month (yay for weeks of snow days & delayed school starts), and Therapy had one more appointment than initially planned.⁠
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Garden, Dental, Medical & Propane are not included in these estimates so far because those expenses are coming from sinking funds. Once we're done with the month and review the budget, I'll move over the total amount spent from those sinking funds.⁠
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How's your paycheck budget coming along?⁠
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Automating your finances makes saving money and bu Automating your finances makes saving money and budgeting more convenient, and therefore easier on you. Out of sight, out of mind, right?⁠
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What's one thing you can automate this week to make your finances easier?⁠
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Me? I'm going to set up our sinking fund transfers to automate every payday (the 15th of every month). Our bank set up a feature on their app where we can schedule savings transfers now, and I'm going to take advantage of it!⁠
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Oh my word... our miscellaneous category has gone Oh my word... our miscellaneous category has gone a smidgen overboard this month!⁠
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I foresee a goal for March's paycheck to at out less than twice. That's where this category went awry. $99.16 of it went to eating out. 😑 Some of it was avoidable, but not all of it. Having to drive to multiple appointments in one day during snow squalls and rearranging our whole day was one of those unavoidable instances.⁠
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Tracking our expenses - much like a budget review - is vital to sticking to your budget!⁠
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#makingcentsmatter #debt #debtfreejourney #debtfreeprogress #debtfreecommunity #realbudget #budgetcategories #monthlyincome #savingmoney #savings #frugalliving #frugalblogging #budgeting #zerobasedbudget #financialgoals #personalfinance #personalfinancetips #financialfreedom #expensetracking #budgetfail
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