Just in case you missed this DIY article on making a menu planning binder the first time we shared it a couple of years ago, we are republishing it. After Marne wrote this blog originally, we got an awesome response. This is one of the PYP Best Blogs!

I have lots of cookbooks. I have a recipe box. I also have a large binder chuck full of recipes I have printed off the internet.

Even when I menu plan I have to look through ALL those recipes to find the ones I need, and sometimes that is a real pain! Every now and then I can’t find the recipe…which poses a slight problem..if you know what I mean. And since I am trying to cut my grocery budget, I want to be organized.

So this time I decided to do something different. I got an empty binder I wasn’t using and made tabs for the first 6 months of the year.

Behind each menu month, I am placing all my recipes that I need for that month. Now I have them all in the same place, so there is no frantic search at the last minute or printing it again from the internet.

I also have some blank shopping lists behind each month so I can write down what I need to buy for those recipes. I usually only purchase any perishables and anything else I need to stock up on. It is really helpful to have the paper right there to write things down as I am going over things at the beginning of each week.

Now I have everything I need for the month in ONE PLACE in my menu planning binder. I don’t have to search all over. This will make it a whole lot easier!

Here is what you will need to make a menu planning binder for yourself:

binder (I used one I already had at home)
sheet protectors (to keep your recipes clean)
dividers for each month
blank shopping lists (or just plain lined paper works good too)

Check out these other posts if you haven’t already. Join me in cutting your grocery budget this year!
2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan
2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan: Menu Planning