Every Saturday morning, my husband and I get together to plan out our meals for the rest of the weekend and the upcoming week. While our thoughtful meal-planning sessions stemmed from sharing cooking duties and a desire to reduce food waste at home, it has become part of our routine and something that I look forward to.
My son is getting older, but I like to include him in the process
My son is 11, so he is increasingly independent but still likes to be around us. I’m fully aware that one day soon he’ll want to be doing his own thing, so I’m enjoying his company while it lasts. He often plays with his toys, draws, or watches cartoons while occasionally pitching in on our meal-planning discussions.
I think it’s really beneficial for him to see and hear my husband and I communicating and working together, while also being included in the process. He gets to see both of us considering what we like to eat or whether it’s realistic to tackle certain meals during the week and then often compromising. We also like to take my son’s dinner preferences and upcoming schedule, such as after school clubs and sports practices, into account when we plan the week’s meals, too.
It feels more like a date than a to-do
Our Saturday mornings now feel welcomingly slow. It’s usually the first time all week that we have the time to actually take our time together. I always miss my husband so much by the time Saturday arrives that I relish getting to be with him.
During these meetings we like to drink too much coffee and cuddle with the dogs while we talk. Sometimes we put some music on, depending on our mood. Something that could probably take 15 minutes or less to accomplish has grown into an hour or two of time together. Because I enjoy the time together so much, it really elevates the otherwise mundane chores of meal-planning and composing the grocery list.
I feel like it puts us on the same page
It’s impossible to not recap how things went over the past week and discuss what’s coming up, so I feel like the routine gives us the opportunity to reflect on so much more than just food. We’re both teachers which makes us inherit planners who constantly review what didn’t work and what we could do better.
It ends up feeling like we’re really working together and collaborating on what’s best for our relationship and our family. By considering which meals we all enjoy and which meals will be easier to make when we know we’ll be tired or have less time to cook during the week, it also shows how much we really care for one another.
The habit is good for our marriage and our budget
The Saturday morning routine has become just as healthy for our grocery budget as it has for our relationship. Because we carefully plan around items we still have at home and meals that will give us leftovers, our food waste has dramatically fallen to almost none over the last year.
Accomplishing our goal of sticking to the grocery budget feels like a huge accomplishment and makes me feel like we make a good team when we decide to work together. Plus, turning the task into a family event gives us a way to reconnect each week.
