DIY Menu Board

Maintaining a grocery budget requires planning ahead. I go grocery shopping every two weeks and the preparation for that trip is habit to me but to others it may come across as a bit intense. First, I go through the weekly ad to our local store(s) and make a list of items that I may be interested in that are on sale. Based on that list, I come up with a list of dinners that I can make mostly using those items that are on sale. Then I add in items we need for breakfast, lunches, pets, snacks and household. Once I have that list, I estimate the cost of all the items and determine how close (or usually how much over) to our budgeted amount I will be. I pare down the list accordingly until I am 98% sure I can get out of the store within our allotted budget.

That being said, once the groceries are bought, it's important that I remember what meals I bought ingredients for. This usually results in a scrap piece of paper or a sticky note stuck to the side of our fridge. As I make the meals I cross them out. This method is not working for me for two reasons: 1.) scrap pieces of paper are unsightly and tend to get lost 2.) having only a list of meals with no order to it sometimes results in produce going bad before a meal is made because I will forget that a certain meal calls for an expire-able piece of produce.

To solve this dilemma, I decided to create a dry-erase menu board. 

To accomplish this easy project, I purchased a frame at our local dollar store for $1. I used my cricut to cut out the letters for M-E-N-U and M-T-W-T-F-S-S. 

I punched out some circles and used my big shot to cut out some cute flowers.

I put it all together on an 8 x 10 sheet of paper and stuck it in the frame. I found a one inch binder clip laying around the house and covered it in a scrap piece of matching paper and clipped it to the side of the frame. This will hold the dry erase marker when it's not in use.

The frame can be hung or set on the counter. I am also contemplating purchasing a couple heavy duty magnets and attaching it to the fridge. 

Either way, this provides a cute way to keep track of what's for dinner each night. And, if the Mr. gets home before me, he knows what to get started on!

I liked this project so much that I made a few more to either switch out with mine or give away as gifts or sell at a local craft show. This idea could be used as a to do list, a chores list for your kiddos, or just a pretty dry erase note board in the office or at home. Check out my Pinterest Page for other cute menu board design options.

How do you keep track of your menu plan?

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