@Audra: Welcome to Menu Plan Monday and Homemaker Barbi. We’re glad to have you and hope to see you in the future. Good luck with your new menu plan system!

@Erica: Glad I could help! Being new to menu planning, you’ve certainly found the right places for information (our site and OrgJunkie).

@Bobbie and Nessa: Thank you so much! I’m glad to hear that our info is helpful and appreciated :)

Homemaker Barbi

I completely agree with you in that I would never turn down an invitation to dinner just because it wasn’t on my menu plan! The point I’m making is that life happens, and that’s okay. What’s important is to create workarounds that will still keep your system intact instead of letting it disintegrate.

We all know that if we’re on a strict diet and have just one candy bar, it never stops at just one! The “slippery slope” I refer to is actually a reference to the broken window theory. I feel it important to impress upon individuals who are just beginning to set up their own home systems that small things can chip away at their progress if they aren’t deliberate with their actions. The Law of Unintended Consequences shows us that side effects of our actions may be unintentional , but nevertheless, they still occur.

You said that your plan is designed to limit eating at restaurants and to prevent unnecessary trips to the store. Those are great objectives! Not all people are to the point of being able to state the intended outcomes for their systems, but I think it is a very important step to creating efficiency that works for your particular situation.

I also agree that flexibility in planning is important, and hear your point. Planning around a schedule is key, and I do that as well (e.g. on nights when I know time is limited because of the kids’ activities). Please understand though, from a psychological standpoint, that children (especially young children) are creatures of habit for a reason. The repetitive nature of having a routine, doing the same thing at the same time every day, creates a strong stability in their surroundings, especially during a time in their lives when their development can make them feel like they have no control. This is precisely why it feels comfortable to a toddler to hear the same book every night before bed or to your kindergartener to wear his superman costume for three months after Halloween is over! Making a plan and then deviating from it once in a while may be a welcome surprise, but when the plan is mostly disregarded, it can be seen as something that doesn’t really mean anything. That is why writing down the changes to your meals on the menu plan can help safeguard your system.

As with all home systems, they must be customized to work for your particular family with your own unique set of circumstances. Thanks for sharing the particulars of your menu plan system, and I hope to see you at Homemaker Barbi in the future!

Homemaker Barbi

My family knows that I view my menu as a plan, and plans can change. If I have to change the menu I will try to just switch days that the meals are being fixed rather than come up with something totally different that isn’t on the weekly plan.

I find that having the menu helps me to stretch the stock of food that I have that much further. :)

Thanks again for sharing!

@Michelle:
You must have gotten us mixed up- Laura is at OrgJunkie, I’m Danelle! Good point about the takeout; I agree and Chinese takeout has saved my bacon more than once!
Homemaker Barbi