How to Make a Meal Plan You'll Actually Stick To

Hi, {{first__name | reader}},

We all know the benefits of meal planning: save time, save money, reduce food waste, make your family happy, eat healthy, etc. 

But how the heck do you find one that works and that you’ll actually use?

The thing that gets most of us stuck when it comes to meal planning is that we think it has to be harder than it is (i.e., we have outside — and outsized — expectations). There’s not one meal plan that will work for everyone, but everyone can find one that works.

The secret to meal planning isn’t to take a meal plan and try to fit it to your needs, but to start with your needs to create a meal plan.

To do that, we’ll use our good-old, grade-school (and J-school) standby: the 5 W's and H, plus some principles I’ve been testing over the past few years.

Who are you? 

Are you a single mother of four? A newlywed couple? Young, single, and fabulous? An empty nester learning to cook for two, or one, again? 

You've got to understand who you are to help you find resources that will actually work. Hate to cook? Then don't sign up for a full-scale make-a-meal-plan-and-grocery-list-for-a-week. 

Don’t like planning? Maybe it’s better to just have a few options ready to go and then make the meal that feels right for that day, or pick up groceries when you’re in the area. 

Are you a cookbooker? An adventurous eater? A comfort-food lover? Could you eat the same thing every day week after week? Or maybe you’re the type of person who likes quizzes (apparently, I’m a Meal-Planning Master in the Making …).

What are your goals and priorities? What's the biggest problem you're trying to solve?

This is something Kendra Adachi of the Lazy Genius Kitchen puts atop her list for meal planning, as well. What’s important to you? Simplicity, frequency, or ease of planning are a few starting points. 

What’s your biggest challenge? Not all of us want to meal-plan for the sake of money. Maybe it’s for health, or you love planning, and this seemed the next logical thing to systematize.

Although food prices feel like they’re skyrocketing, we actually spend less of our income on food now (11%) than in the 1970s (16%). But the truth remains: the majority of Americans are struggling. You’re living it day to day. If you just got laid off, then yeah, the amount you spend on food needs to be analyzed, at least for a short term. 

If your objective is to save money, ask yourself why. Do you really need to save money? Or is it something else? 

Even if you’ve lost a job and need to limit expenses, your why might go beyond groceries — maybe it’s providing for your family or paying for training in a new skill set. Maybe you want to save money but still support local farmers, or shift grocery funds toward a vacation or house project. 

Whatever it is, figure out why you need a meal plan, and don't do things because someone else told you it's important. 

Your “why” keeps you focused and motivated. But your why can also change from time to time.

Beyond the whole don't-shop-when-you're-hungry rule, did you know that what time you eat can actually affect how much you eat and your food choices? According to Micheal Breus in “The Power of When,” eating out of alignment with your natural rhythms has been correlated to belly fat. Plus, depending on your chronotype, there are times when you make bad purchasing decisions. 

Pay attention to what you typically do and try to go shopping when you'll stick to your list. If you find yourself overeating or making last-minute decisions at 5:05 p.m., prioritize healthy, inexpensive snacks that will curb your appetite.

Also consider when you're best able to plan meals and shop. Maybe you can plan a whole week's worth of meals and get shopping done in one day. But produce is more likely to go bad, so either frontload fresh-veggie meals or shop two-three times a week. (I like to do a bulk shopping trip, and then buy fresh produce at the nearby co-op when we need it.)

I’ve read a lot of meal planning tips that say to shop once a week, or less, because you spend more the more trips you make. While I get the reasoning of this, it’s not practical for everyone. 

If you live in a 20-minute neighborhood, it might make more sense to swing by a store several times a week, which will cut down on produce going bad. But if there's likely to be an hour trip involved, you'll probably have to opt for weekly or semiweekly grocery trips and frozen produce over fresh — but live it up on those days when you can have fresh fruits and veggies!

Also consider your living situation. Do you live in town or the suburbs? Do you have room for a garden? Maybe you're not close to a grocery store, but you might have access to a farmer, food delivery, or neighborhood farmstand. Take advantage of potlucks and gluts of zucchini.

Most meal plans boil down to this:

Of course, from there, we have nuances, complexities, and subtleties that will make the meal plan your own.

A few tips that are fairly universal across meal plans:

You don't need Meatless Mondays and Taco Tuesdays — it could be as simple as Sunday Dinner, the one day you cook or prep all week's dinners. Themes help reduce decision fatigue.

These are meals everyone will eat every time. They can be done quickly, easily, almost without thinking. Have pantry items ready when you need them.

For days that aren't normal — guests, events, hot days, etc. Have meals that take more work at the ready for reference.

If your life is on your smartphone, use an app or color-code your calendar. For analog types, all you really need is meal ideas and a grocery list. There are also AI options that suggest recipes from ingredients you already have.

Don't overcomplicate with research and downloads. Use what you have and start today. What's in your house right now? When can you shop next? What are your current resources and constraints?

Learn when produce is ripe and how to read labels and price tags (per ounce matters more than per unit). Track meals, money spent, and shopping time. Notice what everyone devours and work those into your plans.

Don't make meal planning a grandiose chore. If you're overwhelmed, back off. Start with a typical week and make one adjustment. Build in easy days with favorite meals. As you continue, you'll smooth out the process until it feels easy.

Don't make this feel like a grandiose chore. Work the meal plan into your current life and situation as much as possible. 

If you're feeling overwhelmed two days in, back off a little. Make it fun. Bring in a friend. Maybe just start with a few back-pocket meals and ideas for those harder days. Start with a typical week, and make one adjustment. Build in easy days by making sure you have some of your favorite meals in the plan.

As you continue making meal plans, you’ll start to smooth out the process, polish any bumps along the way, and it will eventually look and feel easy. Anytime you have to change the plan or process, build on what you’ve already done and learned.

These are some I like. What are some of your favorites?

Happy saving!