365 Day Meal Plan with Free Templates & Grocery List

January 2, 2012 By 41 Comments

{We saved over $4,000 in 2012! Check out the recap of 2012 and get brand new meal template printables for 2013 and a new template for 2014}

Printable Meal Plan for 2014 {with Grocery List and Budget}

Printable Menu Plan screenshot

Click Here to Download the Printable Menu Plan for 2014

How simple would it be if you had a meal plan for the full year? Last year I tried (and failed) to cook at home 365 days, but have renewed passion for this idea as well as a new plan that will make it easier.

It’s rather simple. I put together 4 weeks of meals and they will repeat over and over throughout the year with some minor tweaks. Like replacing roasts with salads or burgers on the grill in the summer.

I’m including my meal plan below in PDF format, as well as templates for you to use to make your own meal plan in the same format.

Steps to making a 365 day meal plan:

1. Identify the meals that are easy, and well-received by your family. I made a list of meals, and many of them repeat over and over. I’m ok with repetition since we can try a new recipe with an old standard to see how it’s received before I add it to the regular rotation. I also choose meat at most meals since we typically have meatless breakfast and dinners.

Meal Planning Tip:If your family is looking to save money on meals-go meatless for two or more meals a week for a huge cost savings.

2. Use my template to fill in the meals on a 4 week calendar. Make sure to include any activities that may interrupt dinnertime such as after school sports or evening activities. Meals on those nights should be simple to throw together or reheat if everyone is eating at different times.

3. Print it out, and you’re set!

I also put together a grocery list you can use-which is helpful week after week since you can repeat the same grocery list and over and over again.

Meal Planning Tip: Cereal or sandwiches count as dinner too! If an ER visit or crazy after school schedule keeps you from making dinner one night don’t toss the whole plan out-just serve some cereal or toasted peanut butter sandwiches for dinner and start again tomorrow.

Bonus! Find all of my meal plans (updated every week including a recap of how the meal plan went) by clicking through to the 365 Days of Homecooking category. For recipes, you can click the Recipe category.

Download the templates and my model menu plan by clicking below.

Menu Plan-PDF example

Download the Printable Menu Plan for 2014-includes grocery budget and grocery list.

Kelly

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About Kelly Whalen


Kelly Whalen is the founder of The Centsible Life, a blog where motherhood and money meet. Her goal is to help readers live well on less. Kelly is a mom to 4, and loves that she can stay at home with her kids, and still pursue her passions for writing, personal finance, and social media. You can often find her on twitter and Facebook talking money and motherhood.

Filed Under: 365 Days of Homecooking, Food, Organization Tagged With: , , , ,