Okay all my fellow menu planners. I have been menu planning for just a little over a year and a half now and I have kept all my little slips of paper that hold my weekly menu plans. It is starting to drive me crazy though and I need to do something with them. However before I toss them I thought I’d see what you ladies do with your old menu plans. Do you toss them out when the week is done, keep them, record the information on a spreadsheet? I mean I do have record of the majority of them on my blog if I wanted to refer back so really is there any sense in keeping them? All the recipes my family enjoyed have been recorded either here or here so I don’t think that is really an issue either. I think some kind of spreadsheet would be nice though to list all of our favorite recipes by meat…for instance all our favorite chicken recipes (just the title and location of recipe) listed together, pork together, etc. I have been thinking about this ever since Kim over at Lifesong posted this post about what works for her family.
I need your suggestions….
Please tell me, what do you do?
Sarah says
I have never participated in Menu Plan Monday, but I do plan my menus weekly. However, I just put mine on my calendar (I have Flylady’s calendar with big squares) so that I can see who is doing what when I plan (so that I know when I need a fast dinner!) The only reason I like to have a record of my menus is to look back through when I get in a rut. You ARE the organizing junkie, and I am NOT, but I have to say that little scraps with menus on them that you already have posted on your blog seem like clutter to me! I would toss those babies!
Susanne says
I can’t believe I’m saying this to Mrs. Purge, aka Organizing Junkie, aka Laura! But here goes: Purge, baby, purge! You’ve got the records on your blog and how many do you really need? Have you used them in a year? :vD
I couldn’t resist Laura! That was just too much fun! Love Ya!
Kimberly says
I keep all my meal options on a spreadsheet, organized by category; Chicken, Crockpot, Beef, Pork, Pasta, Casseroles, Cop Out Meals, etc…
When I try a new recipe and the family loves it and Neil says, “That’s a keeper!”, then onto the spreadsheet it goes. I love watching the spreadsheet grow! And I can still remember back a few years ago when it was only half a page long!
Mrs. Pear says
Hi,
I write in all my cookbooks with the rating (never again to delicious!), and toss all clipped/printed recipes that fail, and type up all good ones that are not in my cookbooks.
Therefore once the week is over I carry over what I have to, and toss the old one. I have been menu planning for almost 8 years, and there is just now way to keep them all.
That being said, I am starting a list of quick and simple meal ideas that we like for all three meals just for quick reference. It includes the name of the recipe, where to find it, and on what page.
Mrs. Pear
Trista says
I write my menu plans on a small dry erase board thats on my fridge. I also do them for MPM…So I don’t have any of my old ones…except for on here. Sorry I wasn’t much help!
Robin says
I have that same weekly planning pad. I love it. It’s perfect for menus.
At the end of the week, I toss them.
Love your blog
Cathy says
I would say if you have copies on your blog. Throw them into your recycle bin! Or, give them to your kids to do origami with or something ;D
Marcia says
I keep about 12 weeks’ worth just in case I forget about an exciting meal I made.
But that’s just because I need to tackle my Household Organising File soon.
I would throw away or if you really want to be fancy, put them on a spreadsheet. Of course I would only add the ones that you love and would cook again.
Just my 0.02 worth!
Marcia
Becky says
I love the spreadsheet idea with all the good recipes listed by categories…I need to implement that. I don’t normally keep my plans, except for on my blog. But, my paper system is just horrible. I have pieces of paper everywhere ~ some with recipes, phone numbers, addresses, etc, etc, etc! I can’t believe you have held on to them…I say toss them after you make sure you have all the recipes you need!!! Hope I’m a bit of help!
HopewellMomSchool says
Here’s what I do:
1. [Like the person above] I rate the recipe in the cookbook and write down changes when I make them.
2. I have a cookbook index–this was a little book my Mom got me years ago from, I think, the Miles Kimball catalog. Today I’d just put it in a word document on the computer. Huge help in menu planning!
3. I print out a menu calender from the web and I use 30 day gourmets planning forms when I really have to be serious! http://www.30daygourmet.com
4. I plan by the month so I can hit Sam’s and other shopping all at once. I buy salad, milk as needed.
5. I keep menu plans [my own, others such as Women’s Day] for “a while.” I have maybe 6-8 at any one time. Then they’re gone since anything we really liked that was “new” is by this time “a keeper.” I’ve taught others this valuable rule: “Most families have 10-15 dishes that are always desired” Build from that!!! If you do your menu plan on the computer it saves CLUTTER and ORGANIZATION hahahh. I post the menu on the bulletin board in the kitchen. This helps my son who needs tons of structure!
Milehimama says
I have mine in baseball card holder sheets in my household notebook.
I had some blank business card forms for the printer, so I printed out the name of the recipe, and if it’s not an old standby that I can make with my eyes closed, the name and page of the cookbook with the recipe. I also typed in any special ingredients (i.e., sour cream) that I don’t always have on hand.
My sheets are arranged by “meat” – including a “leftover bird” page for chicken and turkey carcasses. So if there is a sale on pork chops, I can easily see plenty of recipes that my family likes plus a list of any ingredients I should pick up which makes writing my list so much easier!
I also jot down my menu plan on my grocery list. That way if I hit the store and sweet potatoes are on a big sale, I can see which meal they might work with and buy accordingly, since I don’t really plan my sides out in advance.
The baseball card holders hold 9 cards each, and I put the cards in for the week based on sales.
I actually try to plan my menu for 2 weeks at a time so I can stay a step ahead. I *try* to major shop every two weeks and just stock up on loss leaders/meat sales/produce once a week or so.
Mama Says
Rona's Home Page says
I recently started accessing recipes and menu plans, from my blog. I also have a notebook binder that I keep recipes, in a protective sheet.
janiswrites says
I tend to purge my menus at the end of the week, but what I would really like to do is get to the point where I have a list of meals that I can choose from on a spreadsheet. I hate cooking the same things every single week!
warpie says
Purge Purge Purge!
I would probably keep the top 10 favourite recipes to make and eat easily accessible for the menu plan (since you plan 5 days, keep double what you need). The other days can be fend for yourself or an opportunity to try something new or not in the top ten you haven’t had for awhile.
Kim
Annie says
Toss them you freak (said in the most loving way)!!
Thea says
I have an 8 week rotating menu that I keep in sheet protectors in a binder.
On 1 piece of paper, I have the week’s menu at the top and then at the bottom I have a grocery list (sorted by aisle) with all the items I need to get for that week’s menu.
If the recipe is from a cookbook, I put the name of the cookbook and the page next to the recipe so I (or whoever is cooking) know right where to go. If it’s a printout or cut from a magazine, I put it in sheet protectors behind the menu for that week.
Then, as the menus rotate, I actually rotate the pages so that the current week is always the first thing you see when you open the binder.
Sounds like a lot of work, but it saves me time!
Dustanne says
Oh I so wish I was as organized as that to have a menu plan. I usually just think that morning what we are going to have and then that is it. We have very picky eaters.
Good luck with what you decide, but I do like the idea with seperating it into a cookbook type of thing (Meat-recipes, Chicken-recipes, etc.)
Kim says
I write all my menus on the calendar so the family knows what we are having. I didn’t do it when I started posting them on my blog, then my children reminded me that they don’t read my blog, but they do eat dinner here! I printed a pretty blank monthly calendar a while back and put our favorite meals in the squares. I added cookbook and page # for quicker access. I don’t use the order on the calendar, but it’s a quick place for meal ideas when menu planning (there are actually 2 months worth of meals). I keep this in my home management binder (aka “the family brain”) on the kitchen counter. This is also where I store the “temporary recipes.” These are ones that I haven’t cooked yet. If it’s a keeper, I add it to my recipe binder. If it’s not, I dump it.
I’m so full of poo giving any advice today considering I am using the “fly by the seat of my pants” method of menu planning this week. I seem to have lost several days when spring poked its head out and have completely slacked on wifely duties. If I were my boss, I’d fire me!
Have a great day, Laura. You are STILL the most organized person I know!
Your biggest fan,
Kim
devildogwife says
Since mine are posted on a white board, they are erased each week as we start out new. 🙂
Honey says
Hi, I say toss! But first I would make a “cookbook” (binder) of all your faves and put them into categories that work for you. If you want to get fancy, you could list your favorite meals and the pages the recipes are on-all in one binder. You could have a section of really speedy recipes of things you always have in your pantry for those emergency days. Then when you try a new recipe that is a hit, print it out, and add it to your cookbook. I’d slip the pages into page protectors too. I have not perfected this, but I have started a binder of some of our favorites. I used to have a *huge* one, but started over when we changed our eating habits.
Jenny says
I have to say(like a few others)…Purge, purge purge!!
I’m sure you’ll figure something out!
Trish says
I keep all mine at Recipezaar…
house full of love says
I keep my menus and recipes in a ring binder. I keep the recipes in cattegories such as crockpot, desserts, meats, casseroles. THese cattergories are broke down into simplier catterogies. The desserts are listed by cookies, cakes, puddings, dairy, pies.
Jenny says
After you have your meal plans for the week why don’t you just transfer them to a little day planner. It would be easy to keep and you’d have all of your meal plans for a year? I guess after time this too would start to accumulate…
Misslionheart says
I have a rough copy which Marcia ‘gave’ me! After two weeks, I put them in the recycling bin. I can then refer to my blog if I get stuck for ideas…
Multi-tasking Mommy says
I have the same magnetic recipe weekly planner as you do 🙂
It’s funny! When I first started this, I was super keen to write it down on paper, but then I realized that I really didn’t have to. I could just look it up on the computer if I forgot. I have all of my previous ones saved on my blog, no need to clutter up with paper, just my opinion though.
Carrie says
One option is to get Evernote. It’s free, and you can categorize your recipes (or notes, stray thoughts, whatever) however you’d like.
Then later, if you’re looking for a beef recipe, just click the “Beef” category and all the recipes you have tagged with “Beef” pop up for you and you can scroll through them!
PS – They do *sell* a version of Evernote but you really don’t need it unless you want to sync up the data from the program on a couple of different computers. I’ve been using the free one for months now and it’s great.