My Fridge

The question "What's for dinner?" is usually pretty easily answered in our house because I menu plan by the month. I started doing this shortly after we were married because my husband got paid once a month. This made for a more "balanced" month, keeping the final week from being horrendously skimpy. Shortly after we moved here seven years ago and Mark started getting paid twice a month, I was tempted to change things. It was around that time that I read the average American family throws away 14-17% of food it buys. The article stated the easiest way to trim the food budget was to plan ahead. And that I do - usually 3-5 weeks at a time. 
This allows me to really cut back on the time I grocery shop. (And this busy mom/pastor's wife has no time to spare!) I make one "big" trip to Aldi each month. (Today was The Day.) I might plan a side trip to Walmart. (Gag. I try to stock-up on non-Aldi items when I get to a Wegman's but that's a whole other post!)  If I'm really, really disciplined, that's it - except for picking up milk. I schedule fresh fruits and veggies in the first half of the month and frozen/canned ones in the latter half. This method has been a life-saver in the winter, with our area's lake effect snow. We can truly "hunker down" for days on end. In the summer months, I allow for mid-month trips to farmers' markets and u-picks. 
Are there con's to this menu planning method? Yes. And I will gladly share the "problems" and my solutions in a future post.