I might sound strange when I say this, but I love planning my weekly menus. What other time do I get to sit down, browse through my favorite cookbooks, magazines and blogs to focus 100% on food? I get to combine some of my favorite things with something that is useful for my family. It’s a win-win!

Planning out our weekly menu saves time and money for our family – and I love anything that can give me the results of more time and more money. Menu planning takes out the last minute “what’s for dinner” guess work you face when you don’t have a plan. It also eliminates the rush to the nearest fast food restaurant for dinner because you forgot to plan. With a plan in place I am more likely to stick to what’s on the menu, reducing the times we eat out. When I plan our menus out for the week and grocery shop, I head to the store with a specific list, which means I am less likely to impulse shop and spend excess money at the grocery store. Menu planning is key to the way our household runs. I love it when I do it, and dread it when I don’t.

My problem with menu planning through the years is having a system to do it. I’ve tried online programs, tried making my own system, have gone willy nilly without a real system and have had a difficult time incorporating something that fits all my needs… that was until I found The Organized Family Menu Planner.

The Organized Family Menu Planner is pen and paper…which is what I want for menu planning. It is a bright, beautiful, flexible binder with wide open spaces to write. Some of the features of The Organized Family Menu Planner are:

• 52 weeks of Menu Planning worksheets with detachable two sided shopping lists
• Favorite Meals list – so you can easily find what your family loves on days you might be stumped
• Recipes section – a space to write down some of your favorite recipes
• Special Occasions Planning Pages – includes event information, menu planning chart, guest and RSVP list and notes
• Wipeable cover – important since it will spend most of the time in the kitchen!

If you want to take control of your household in the New Year can I suggest giving menu planning a try? The Organized Family Menu Planner retails for $20.00 and is the most ideal system for menu planning I’ve found to date. The good news is, they want to give one lucky Dine & Dish reader the chance to win The Organized Family Menu Planner.

Giveaway Details:

To enter the giveaway leave a comment on this post telling me what you love about menu planning or let me know what obstacles get in your way when it comes to planning your weekly menus.

For additional entries:

• Tweet the following: “I want to #win The Organized Family Menu Planner to help me organize my weekly meals @dineanddish @lindsayGlowbaby http://su.pr/4p8y5R ” Leave a comment on this post letting me know you completed this.
• Follow @LindsayGlowbaby on Twitter. Leave a separate comment on this post letting me know you completed this.
• Become a friend of Glow Baby (the creators of The Organized Family Menu Planner) on Facebook. Leave a separate comment on this post letting me know you completed this.

All entries must be received by midnight, CST on Thursday, December 22nd. Winner will be chosen via Random.org and notified via valid email address.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Glow Baby however I truly love this menu planning system and am so excited to share it with you. All opinions expressed are my own.

The post Menu Planning – Time Saver for Busy Families – Giveaway CLOSED appeared first on Dine and Dish.