Me and the missus were reading something about how much food gets wasted, and one of the suggestions for how to reduce it was planning out your meals for, say a week, then only buying the stuff for those meals – instead of just stocking up on whatever takes your fancy then trying to use it all before it goes off.

Well we have done it for the last week and it's been really successful. Not only in terms of not wasting stuff but we have eaten a really nice, healthy, interesting selection of stuff this week – because of taking the time to think about it in advance not when you are hungry and knackered after work.

I know it sounds desperately boring and middle-aged, but if the result is spending less money and eating nicer, healthier food then it's all good with me. Maybe lots of people do this already, I dunno?

My wife has been doing this for years – she used to do it all on a spreadsheet so she didn't have to keep typing in 'staples' we got every week. I used to take the kids shopping whilst she went for a run. Freinds we met at the supermarket would be really surprised that we had a meal list plus the shopping list broken down by dpartment.

Now we shop online she just writes the meals up on the 'family calendar' so whoevers cooking knows what to do. I work at home and when workmates come roudn their always surprised we're doing it so I don't think many people do.

Works for us though.

we try to do it, purely for the convenience element. quite often we arrive home at different times and making stuff in advance or something that will keep warm (like a stew) is great.

Also a slow cooker is a must have – jam it on in the morning and when you get in you have melt in the mouth meals waiting for you.

My biggest problem is getting away from the "easy" staple meals like spag bol and baked potatoes and trying something more interesting. made a few great stews earlier this year but need to explore quick meals more – they dont have to be complicated!

Stir fry is awesome for a quick meal and done well can be really tasty.

We started planning meals too after realising how much got wasted. We often plan one meal less than to accomodate for a change of plan or me working away and arriving back late.

Another tip is to cook more than you need when you make stuff like chill, bolognaise, soup, casserole etc and freeze some. That means we also end up with some 'ready meals' that we can just cook from frozen.

I call mine a "Shopping List".

I got the idea for the name when brain storming a bluesky out of the box ahead of the paradigm futuristismistically pro-innovation enabled nomeculature advancement session. Feel free to use it.

I call mine a "Shopping List".

One thing we are trying to incorporate is to cook one new thing every week – this week it's lamb tagine with caramelised pears and baby onions. MMMMMMMmmmmmm

Yup – we are doing this, week's plan, then onto Tescos Online, job done.
First home cooks.
Agree, slow cooker is brilliant as is a breadmaker.
Kids love to get involved too.
Last night – Mixed Veg Frittata – new one for me but brilliant.

Eccles – did anyone salute it as you ran it up the flag pole?

We plan our meals for a week before going shopping. Reduces the number of impluse buys that don't get eaten, plus we don't bin much food as I eat anything going spare 😆

So how does "I'm doing a weekly meal plan on this spreadsheet to involve lamb tagine with bager noses" actually provide any practicable advantage to getting a bit of paper and wrting down "500g lamb, rose harissa, onion, loo roll, catfood…" other than the fact that you have an excuse to take your laptop round the supermarket?

Presumably you can actualy remember independently that cillit bang and catfood do not a happy tagine make?

well, we used to print the spreadsheet so there's was no laptop toting. it just speeds up the process if you don't have to write the same stuff down week in and week out.

When I (and I reckon most people) normally make shopping lists, I think of staple things that I usually need, things I have run out of that I might want to replace, and what might be nice for a meal or two, then go to the shop and buy that plus whatever is on offer/takes my fancy.

If you plan your meals then you buy specifically what you need for those meals and are not tempted to buy loads of other stuff you don't really need/end up using.

Like I said, in my limited experience you end up eating better too.

Government officials, food experts and representatives of the retail trade brought together by the Food Ethics Council argue that excessive consumption of food in rich countries inflates food prices in the developing world. Buying food, which is then often wasted, reduces overall supply and pushes up the price of food, making grain less affordable for poor and undernourished people in other parts of the world. Food waste also costs UK consumers £10.2bn a year and when production, transportation and storage are factored in, it is responsible for 5% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/08/food-waste

Having a family of five with both adults working means that we tend to do the same.

Shopping online is the best tip for saving on waste and avoiding buying things you don't need.

That is where buying online has major benefits – there is far less temptation to impulse buy or be seduced by the aromas pumped into the aisles.
You can also leave a "staples" list on the site and adjust as required.
Tescos, deliver so more time to go for a ride and no 15 mile drive to a supermarket 😀

Another tip is to cook more than you need when you make stuff like chill, bolognaise, soup, casserole etc and freeze some.

We do this too – I make a wok full of chilli and it will do us a meal for two then another six portions (I usually chuck in loads of chopped tomatoes and kidney beans etc to stretch it out).

We also use old takeaway cartons to freeze it in – the perfect size for a portion, they stack up really well and they can be binned after a couple of nukes in a microwave and become discoloured if necessary.

We also use old takeaway cartons to freeze it in – the perfect size for a portion, they stack up really well and they can be binned after a couple of nukes in a microwave and become discoloured if necessary.

I got some of the foil takeaway ones from Lakeland or Morrisons, with chilli, bolognaise etc you can put straight into the oven. I rarely use the microwave.

We have a meal plan

Wife opens fridge, sees what we have & cooks that

Seems to work OK 🙂

I got some of the foil takeaway ones from Lakeland or Morrisons, with chilli, bolognaise etc you can put straight into the oven. I rarely use the microwave.

Never used the foil ones, but just because our local takeaway doesn't use them and it is better to re-use than buy new. And I assume that nuking in the microwave uses less energy than using an oven?

um…. I don't want to piss on anyone's parade here, but every time I go shopping I mentally run through what I'll have for dinner this week. It's the only way to ensure that a) I have the things I need for dinner and b) I don't end up with a freezer full of useless food. So 'sausages, lamb cutlets, mince for chili (that's 2 nights), pizza for Wednesday when I'm working late' and so on.

I'm with Eccles on this one. Good idea, sure, but a spreadsheet?!

I hate planning what I'm going to eat. Nothing worse, IMO, than spending all day knowing its X for tea but you feel like Y, but changing it would mess up the weeks food list. Stuff rarely goes to waste, I'll just make a meal out of whatever is left, keeps the fun in cooking.

My meal planning consists of buying microwave crap with staggered use buy dates :p

Ah coffeeking – is there any subject on which we agree even a tiny little bit? 🙂

Suddenly I feel like the anarchist shopper!

I saw a comedian once – he claimed that how he went shopping was just to walk around the supermarket and just pick a fairly full unattended trolley that didn't have a handbag/child in it and take it to the checkouts.

Every weeks meals werean adventure.

I'm with nicko74 and coffeeking here.

If I had my meals planned out for the rest of my life I think I'd probably kill myself. Maybe a little extreme but hey ho. Glad it works for you though!

I saw a comedian once – he claimed that how he went shopping was just to walk around the supermarket and just pick a fairly full unattended trolley that didn't have a handbag/child in it and take it to the checkouts.

That really would be cool if its true 🙂

Been doing this for about a year now and the waste is now non existent. Really worth while doing if you tend to have a blase approach to shopping.

I have a blase approach to shopping, and life in general. Seems to work.

My approach would be to think someting like this:

'hmmm, those potatoes need using'

then a little while later, after a cup of tea perhaps:

'I think I'll cook them'

That way food doesn't go to waste in my house either.

My approach would be to think someting like this:

'hmmm, those potatoes need using'

then a little while later, after a cup of tea perhaps:

'I think I'll cook them'

Sounds fantastic. I'd rather eat something more interesting than a plate of potatoes thanks. 🙂

every morning I go to the market and plan my meal based on what is fresh and in season, together with what is in my garden

NOT

Eating exactly the same thing on each weeknight means no more having to think about meals or shopping.

It's Tuesday, so we'll be having pork chops.

Just checked – it looks like we're having [un-planned] partridge tonight, unless she changes her mind 🙂

All this meal planning is borderline OCD if you ask me 😉

…..and one of the suggestions for how to reduce it was planning out your meals for, say a week…..

Is there an app for that ??

I eat the same thing every day.

Human flesh.

are you a troll terrahawk?

ive just leftover eaten prawn stir fy noodles i made last night.

yummy
and i feel riteous about bothering to cook from scratch…..
im also looing forward to frozen pie, oven chips and granular gravy for tea.

"leftover … prawn"

nooooo.

freaks…I just wander round and see what inspires me, buy stuff thats on offer or reduced…steaks especially…charge you extra for aged beef then 50% off when reaches the sell by date! WTF

Not much gets wasted in my house just use your imagination and keep an eye on whats left in the fridge

Rigid meal plans are so sad…you guys in Farrah trousers yet?

Eating exactly the same thing on each weeknight means no more having to think about meals or shopping. It's Tuesday, so we'll be having pork chops.

When I used to live in America I got all my meals provided. They were on a one week rotating system. Two years of the same menu every week got very tiring.

Can think of nothing worse than planning everything a week in advance. A day in advance is the most I'll do.

nope, still training on polyester slacks. I'm waiting for my gut to expand to fit my farah's, can't wait.

problem with reduced stuff is you can't rely on it being ok a week later, which necessitates another trip to the shops, more time, more fuel to get there etc…

ps nobody said you must eat the same thing every week. just plan out 7 interesting meals in advance, thats all.