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Purposeful planning

July 20th, 2011 at 02:57 pm

I've admitted I'm anal. I guess it gets pointed out to me on various occasions, but I am a planner. I like things to work out. Perhaps I'm a control freak, but I just know I like to have a plan.

This has come home to me a few times this summer. We do weekly grocery shopping -- usually a couple of stores. I figure out what's on sale, what I have on hand, and then try to work out a menu for the week's meals. We do eat out, probably more than we should, but I like to have that planned because I want it to be an "social experience" instead of just eating out and not cooking. I also try to eat things that are nutritous...not a lot of fried or junk foods and watch my salt intake.

Well, I think it is causing some problems. We have a couple we go out with every so often. She rarely cooks and they eat out. A lot. A lot of junk food. However, as to planning, they are pretty spontaneous. For example, they contacted us early afternoon and wanted us to go out to eat with them that evening. We already had meat thawing for supper. I guess that makes me an old stick in the mud. I have explained that I usually plan the week's menus by Thursday or Friday night the previous week so I know for what I will purchase.

We ate out last night with a friend. It had been planned last week. We all looked forward to it and it was a lot of fun visiting as well as enjoying the meal. I like to think it was an event.

I think purposeful planning saves us money by shopping for those things I plan to use, hopefully find them on sale, and as well as having a menu so supper isn't a last minute "gotta think of something" ordeal.

So, if I'm anal, I guess it's just a fact of life. I'm sorry I am not spontaneous, but then again, I like to feel I make wise decisions with my money.

4 Responses to “Purposeful planning”

  1. HouseHopeful Says:
    1311179619

    I think there needs to be a little flexibility in planning, but I am absolutely a planner too. In those situations, (And if I wanted to go) I would have just pushed the meal with the thawing meat to the next night and add one of the upcoming planned meals into the following week. Just my 2 cents though. I do like to know my dinner plans ahead of time!

  2. rob62521 Says:
    1311180093

    Normally, I would have done just that and had the meal the next day, except we already had plans for the next night with someone else.

  3. ceejay74 Says:
    1311185312

    hahahahaha! I know you'll delete that third, spam comment, but if it ever proved the superiority of being a planner, I don't know what does.

    I used to be completely chaotic; some things I was good at planning, but the things I was bad at keeping up on would completely overwhelm and practically ruined me financially anyway, despite my best (but inconsistent) efforts.

    I'm very very fortunate to be in a relationship that's a good blend of personalities; my husband implemented the weekly menu/shopping trip, and it's been a godsend at limiting our eating out (and thus our overspending). I'd tried it before he moved in but could never stick to it; now it's an absolute staple of life. We can be flexible and move things around, even eat out spontaneously once in a while. But 9 times out of 10, having that list on the fridge and all the ingredients on hand saves us from spendy spontaneity.

  4. rob62521 Says:
    1311261216

    You were right, I deleted that third spam comment...geeze!

    I think you and your hubby must be good for each other if you can stick to the weekly menu/shopping trip, ceejay. Glad you are in a good relationship; what a blessing!

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