My Biggest Weekly Money Saver- Meal Planning

As a stay at home Mom of 3, I try to save money wherever I can.  I use coupons, cloth diapers, and do stock up on some items when they are on super sale. But my biggest weekly money saver is meal planning. Each week I check my cabinets & freezer to see what I have. I start planning what we will eat the following week, and whether each meal will feed our family for 1 or 2 nights. I make a menu for that week. I then go to my computer where I have a saved spreadsheet grocery list with all of our most commonly purchased items and their prices at the supermarket where I shop. I work my shopping list around the food I already have in the house & I total it up before I leave, so i know exactly what I will be spending. I pickup only what I need for the meals on my menu. The savings are substantial!  Not only do I save money, but i save time too by knowing what I will be cooking each day. This is especially helpful on a day like today. My son had back to back chess club, religious instruction and basketball after school. It was night 2 of a pre-planned meal. Even though it was a quick reheat, I know he ate a hot, filling, healthy dinner in between his activities.