Free Menu Planning Spreadsheet

Introduction

Using this spreadsheet will require at least some previous knowledge of spreadsheets. You can download the spreadsheet by clicking on "Menu Planner Spreadsheet" in the top of the right column.

Spreadsheets are a powerful tool for testing different menus to see which ones are the least expensive and yet healthy. Fortunately, the two go together. A healthy diet is less expensive than an unhealthy diet. I'll add more about this in a future post.

Entering data

You will have to enter data for the foods you eat. This includes the food name, cost, serving size, number of servings in the container, grams of carbs, fats and proteins. The spreadsheet does the rest of the work for you. Once you have a list of the foods you generally eat, creating menus takes about ten minutes. I do it while we watch Netflix in the evening.

Frugal diet

Those who must control their food costs will be forced towards a starch based diet with the addition of fruits and vegetables and an optional serving of nuts a day. Meat and dairy products will quickly drive the cost higher.

This was my second breakfast this morning. I had about six inches of a baguette with a small amount of margarine early in the morning.

Cooking tip: Buy bulk oats at a store like Vitamin Cottage Natural foods. They are about $2.62 for two pounds. A serving is 1/4 cup. Add 3/4 cups of water and put in a small covered pot. Heat for 35 minutes between low and medium low heat

Cooking on higher heat for less time increases the amount of non-soluble carbohydrates which is good for people with constipation issues.

This is my menu for today. The serving sizes are generally in grams. Sometimes they are single numbers such as with the bagels and beans. (The beans are just weird and I'll change it to grams another time.)

The money savers are oats, potatoes, and rice. It pays to make one of these the foundation for each main meal.

Beans are good sources of carbs and protein. Try to buy brands with zero fat. I use canned beans as I don't know how to cook dry beans. If I used dry beans, they would also be a money saver.

I add frozen vegetables to lunch and supper. For fresh vegetables, they should be less than about $1.00/lb and all parts should be eatable. Cabbage is often a good buy. If you do use fresh vegetables, be certain not to waste any or it gets expensive.

Is $4.14 realistic?

No. It may be for an inactive small person with calorie requirements around 1,600 a day who doesn't ever waste a single scrap of food and never has an unstoppable craving to eat more than usual on some days.

I'd like to take some people who claim $4.14 a day is realistic and lock them up in a compound and survive only that amount for a year with no opportunity to escape. Maybe I'll write a book about this one day. :)

(My day job is writing eBooks for Amazon.)

Still, it is possible for many people to eat for less than $5.00 a day. A weekly trip to a food bank can make up the difference. One day, I'll have to visit one to see what types of items are available.

No convenience foods

It's tempting to buy a cup of soup for lunch, but the cost per calorie is too high and it will cause you to go over budget. The same is true for all convenience foods. Except for bread, you will pay significantly more for processing.

Cooking tip for rice: A serving of rice is 1/4 cup. Put the rice in a small covered pot with 1/2 cup of water. Heat on high until it starts boiling. Then reduce heat to low. The water should continue to boil. Boil for 35 minutes without stirring. Check after 25 minutes.

Learn to enjoy cooking

Most things I cook take little active preparation time. While they are cooking, I do other things like post blogs on the internet. Sometimes I even clean house.

Conclusion

This spreadsheet can save significant amounts of money for you. If you can't figure out how to use it, see if you have a friend who understands spreadsheets. Leave a message in the comments if you have questions.