I Need Help with My Lunches

Dear FlyLady,

I’m relatively new to your routines, so you may have addressed this and I just haven’t noticed yet. I find that one of my routines that I struggle with is getting out the door in the morning with a decent lunch for myself. I guess I don’t manage my time well so I often just look for something to grab, that wasn’t thought out ahead of time.

Thanks,
Jo Ann

Dear Jo Ann,

The issue may not be a problem with your management of time in the morning. The problem is you are not planning for leftovers. When you plan your menus for the next week; think about an extra food that you can take for lunch or to put in freezer for nights you don’t want to cook.

There are some great Bento Boxes on Amazon that you can use to freeze whole meals of leftovers. You can also use these types of boxes to take a meal to a neighbor or for your lunch the next day.  Plan don’t pitch! Label your boxes and date them.

With these Bento Boxes, they fit in your tote bag! All you have to do is grab and go because you packed your lunch as you were cleaning up last night’s supper dishes. This makes your life easier. You save money, time, and the guilt of eating out.

I love eating our leftovers for lunch. They make me happy!

Here is an essay about Saving Money and Feeding Your Family.

Dear Friends,

We have been traveling for two weeks. It is always so wonderful to meet my precious FlyBabies. One of the main issues I have been hearing from them is that they are struggling with their finances. Health insurance premiums are hurting many people. There is not much I can do about reducing those health insurance premiums but I can teach you how to save some real money.

There was a wonderful speaker to came over to our booth, Mr. Andrew Pudewa. He asked me what I did. I explained to him that I help people get their homes in order so that they can teach their children. He suggested that we do a podcast together. He sees young parents who need help with their finances because they are spending a lot of money on prepackaged food.

Menu planning is the one way to save real money! Have you been skipping this step? Do you have a plan for this week or are you just winging it? There is nothing worse than hearing your babies asking you what’s for dinner at 6:00 pm.

Here are some tips for getting dinner on the table at a decent hour and saving money too.

  1. Clean out your refrigerator and freezer to see what needs to be cooked up.
  2. Check your calendar to see your busy schedule. Make your menu plan.
  3. Have a plan for leftovers: Rice, beans, chicken, roast, ham.
  4. Have a basic weekly plan for your meals. It makes planning easy.
  5. Use your crock pot, instant pot, bread machine, and oven.
  6. Wednesday is clean out the refrigerator day and plan for next week. Make soup.
  7. Practice using the basics; bagged rice, dried beans, whole chickens,
  8. Keep staples on hand; rice, pasta, beans, flour, corn meal, sugar, cheese, dried fruit.
  9. Use crockpot to precook hamburger meat for casseroles, spaghetti sauce, and sloppy joes.
  10. Take something out of the freezer to thaw as part of your Before Bed Routine.
  11. As part of your Morning Routine get dinner started.
  12. Don’t cook on high!
  13. Use leftovers for soups, stews, and casseroles.
  14. Set the table as part of your afternoon routine.
  15. Use your calendar to build your menu plan.

These are just a few tips to help you get dinner done on time and save money. I think I will focus on this all week to help you get a handle on your food budget. This is the only place to save real money. I need some of your testimonials. Send them to me. FlyLady@flylady.net with MEAL TIME TIP in the subject line.

In my new book CHAOS to Clean we discuss this. Every November we focus on this. My friend Leanne Ely from Saving Dinner has helped you. We have a Control Journal that helps you to build five weeks of menus. My favorite tip that we have received is to use post-it notes on your calendar and just move to the next month.

You can do this and save money too. Set your timer for 15 minutes and start your plan. Get your children to give their ideas. Use your calendar for your menu plan.

Are you ready to free up some money?

FlyLady

Calendars are the key to knowing what’s for dinner. The squares are big enough for your menus.

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