Short answer? Start meal planning. Here’s how it can save you time and effort.
I’ve always been someone who loves finding efficient ways to get things done. Back in high school and college, this tendency, paired with my perfectionism, often kept me up all night trying to perfect assignments. However, over time, I learned to channel these traits effectively, ultimately saving more time than I spent.
Meal planning is one system that has been transformative for me as a mom. I started doing it almost ten years ago when I was expecting my first child, and it’s been a huge time saver ever since. It began as a necessity because of budget constraints, ensuring no food went to waste. Over the years, I’ve continued planning meals not just to save money but also because it helps me manage my time better.
Initially, my meal planning was done with simple index cards, which took about 30 minutes each week to manage, plus over two hours for grocery shopping. This method later evolved into spreadsheets and PDFs I could view on my phone, which was a slight improvement. Eventually, I developed an online system that stored recipes and generated meal plans customized for family size, leading to the creation of Wellness Mama Meals.
Comparing the weeks when I planned meals to when I didn’t, I realized I saved about 3.5 hours weekly. Plus, I saved approximately $45 each week on groceries when I planned versus when I didn’t. Wellness Mama Meals worked great for me, but it had limitations for others—you couldn’t add your own recipes or filter out allergens, for example.
Then, at a health conference, I met Antony Bartlett, who had created an impressive meal planner called Real Plans. His system was far better than mine, and after a lot of contemplation and discussion, I decided to integrate Wellness Mama Meals into Real Plans. This move turned out to be a game-changer not just for the users but for me as well. Real Plans is incredibly user-friendly and customizable, allowing me to plan meals in about five minutes a week.
Real Plans automatically generates meal plans that I can tweak as needed, with all the details—recipes and shopping lists—easily accessible on my phone. With options for batch cooking or preparing meals ahead of time, it offers even more time-saving benefits. Plus, it includes all of my 500+ recipes and thousands more, with new ones added weekly.
Using Real Plans is straightforward. You can get your weekly meal plan emailed to you or log in to check it yourself. It works seamlessly on their free mobile app, making meal planning, shopping, and cooking a breeze on the go. If you’re on vacation but plan to cook, you can easily plan all your meals for the trip.
Don’t like a dish on the menu? No problem—you can swap it out with just a drag-and-drop. Plus, you can set preferences to avoid allergens or ingredients your family dislikes. You can also customize your plan based on the number of people you’re cooking for, and even schedule big cooking days for batch-prepared meals.
With Real Plans, you can add your favorite family recipes, making them part of your meal plan. And after all this, Real Plans generates a custom shopping list viewable on their app, letting you check items off as you shop. You can even mark ingredients you already have to avoid buying them again.
Real Plans offers added convenience beyond meal planning. You can adjust recipes, select which store to buy ingredients from, and even upload photos of specific items to help others—like your husband—pick the right brand. Honestly, aside from a few things like homemade deodorant and my comfy mattress, Real Plans has had one of the most significant positive impacts on my life, and it’s affordable too.
One of the biggest perks is being able to plan and shop entirely from your phone. You can easily manage your meal plan, recipe list, and shopping needs, crossing items off as you purchase them. I’m genuinely enthusiastic about Real Plans, and I think you’ll appreciate it just as much! Do you already meal plan? If not, what’s keeping you from starting?
