I found myself googling this very phrase today. You see, I want to plan our menu, shop around that plan, stick to that plan and save us even more money but I’m planning phonic.
A few years ago while in therapy, we tried to tackle this problem. We meaning, the therapist kept giving me a day planner worksheet as homework and me bringing it back a week later covered in scribbled out plans and eraser holes. The closest I could get was writing down doctor appointments and then on other days writing “today I will do something”- not exactly what he had in mind.
I know part of the issue is fearing failing at the day. As if writing down “today I’m going to do laundry, clean the bathroom and make Swedish meatballs” means that I have completely failed at life if one or more of those tasks just doesn’t happen. That’s a lot of pressure. Just thinking about it makes me want to hyperventilate.
The other half of the equation is me suddenly getting all 5 year old on my schedule and thinking YOU CAN’T MAKE ME DO IT! As though the mere suggestion that I should plan on eating tilapia next Tuesday takes away my last grains of sweet sweet freedom and thus I must rebel accordingly.
My planning hatred has impeded other areas of my life too. I wish I could break up the household cleaning over the week instead of cleaning like a mad woman one day when I can no longer take the mess. Mira thrives on planning, feeding on ample notice, ruminating over the impending date and driving me up the wall. I’d love to be able to provide her with a Monday we mop, Tuesday we wash, Wednesday we.. kind of life. I just don’t know how.
I recently discovered that I don’t try to lose weight because I will inevitably fail.
However, I have already been successful at being a failure at gaining weight.
Two words – Relish Relish (.com) I hate planning, I hate shopping I hate shopping lists but get me in a grocery stroe without one and it’s like I fall into a black hole of beverages and salty treats. I swear, I will walk out with 12 differant snacks involving varying degrees of saltyness and about 9 beverage options. So… Relish. Pick your 5 meals, hit print – voila – shopping list, menus, easy breezy. (i usually spend under $75 for the 4 of us) It might help – good luck!!
fidget Reply:
June 25th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
sites like that are usually tough for me b/c I eat gluten free. Also, I hate most peoples recipes and have to change them. ROFL. Im such a pain in the ass.
Ha ha! http://www.gfreecuisine.com Relish has figured you out!! course the hatred I can’t help with – I’m sort of a cooking sheep – steer my in the right direction and I’ll just baa and cook…
I feel the same way!! I feel like my inner teenage rebel pops out anytime a plan is set! Even if I actually like the activity/food/event! Yikes!
I actually like to plan, but I find planning with a kid is setting myself up for failure. As for housework, I PLANNED to mop the floors and straighten the house yesterday. End of the day house still a wreck, didn’t do shit all day, not even anything fun with the kid. I intended to focus on the kid and play all day today, got the bathrooms cleaned, floors and laundry done AND played outside for hours AND actually read several stories instead of sending him off for quiet time alone! I can’t explain how that works out.
For food, I’m 20 miles from the grocery, so I have to plan. I jot down about 5-6 rough meal ideas to get me through the week plus there’s often leftovers so maybe 2 weeks. My list might be: chicken+veggies, salad, fish+greens, beans+rice, Italian stew. Usually I only need to check a recipe for one meal. The rest I wing it. Of course I check for things we’ll run out of like milk and OJ. I fix the meals in order of most perishable. Maybe that could work for you, not a REAL plan, just a rough idea.
I always wanted to try menu planning too, but I guess I may be planning-phobic too. I always have well laid out plans for a lot of things, but things always come up.
It’s hard.
I can totally relate to how you feel.
sagemom’s last blog post..At Least He’s Not Eating It…
Mare Reply:
June 27th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
I’m not a “planner” per se but a “to do lister.” I make my to do list with no deadlines and then cross off each item as it’s accomplished. If I only get one thing done, I’ve still been able to cross something off my list. That way I didn’t fail-I accomplished.
On the next page, I carry over those things not yet crossed out. Now with groceries you could just make sure you have all the basics for a week of “tentative” meals you might “like” to make. You could always switch it up as long as you have what you need in the house. It doesn’t have to be written in stone.
I go through spurts where I plan our meals out and it actually relieves a lot of pressure and stress throughout the week to know exactly what is for dinner that night, and not have to stand at the open refrigerator door, panicking because there’s “nothing to eat.”
On the other hand, I’ve considered trying out a cleaning schedule but have never committed to that.
Ever since I got married, we have planned our meals for the week. We go through our cookbooks, write down what we need and go shopping on Saturdays. We never buy anything that’s not on the list unless it’s on sale and we actually use it. Good luck finding a system that you can work with, it does save you money