couple of days.

it is worth it!

it is frustrating.

I will try for one more month. But if it turns out anything like this month, I might have to give up.

(at least the plan/menu helps me to know I have enough food in the house for 30 dinners. That is definitely helpful.)

when I make a monthly plan it changes a ton but it is still worth it to me because it takes so much stress out of cooking many many nights

I'm not sure if it takes the stress out at all, but it does make me choose healthier meals and less "ready-made" stuff, which is

a huge part of the reason I started making the monthly menu again.

(Trying to get away from not having food in the house, or just no plan for dinner so the right foods don't get thawed in time, so we don't

default (as often) to frozen pizza, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, etc.)

The other reason is to save money. Having a plan means buying only the things you need, and not so much extra, and cuts out a lot of

mid-month spending on those "quick and easy" last-minute meals.

BUT, it takes a LOT of time and is not an easy task (the menu planning and trying to make meals around coupons/sales, etc.) So when it

gets changed or doesn't go as planned, I feel like I wasted my time on trying to make it in the first place, and that frustrates me.

OK, correction: it does take SOME of the stress out of cooking certain meals. Due to having a plan for those nights when dinner HAS to be

quick and easy, such as Wednesdays, Thursdays and certain Tuesdays, those nights are a lot less stressful. I pick crock-pot meals, meals

that P.Ray can cook, or things that I can just throw together in a hurry. That IS a lot less stressful now.)