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All About Planners

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August 13, 2017

Quick and easy weekly meal planning using sticky notes

Sticky notes are fast becoming my favorite way to meal plan!

Why I use sticky notes for meal planning

  • Sticky notes are re-usable so you can write the meal once, and then just peel and re-stick without having to re-write the same meals over and over again
  • Flexible planning method – if plans change, just peel and re-stick, if you’re out of an ingredient, just swap the meal plans around
  • Great for color coding – you can make sure you’re eating a variety of foods each week
  • Cheap – you get a lot of sticky notes in a pack

Using sticky notes for weekly meal planning

I’ve shared a couple of ways I’ve meal planned using sticky notes including…

Small sticky notes for monthly meal planning.

how to meal plan monthly color coded meal planning planner organization sticky notes organization household binder effective scheduling

Using transparent sticky notes…

how to meal plan using sticky notes, monthly meal planning, how to meal plan cooking dinner ideas recipe organization printable color coded

But if you prefer weekly meal planning, here’s another method!

Go to the blank notes pages at the back of your planner (or a blank notebook) and write out a list of  your favorite recipes – make sure you organize the list into categories (i.e. type of meat). You may choose to add other categories such as:

  • 30 minute meals
  • Recipes everyone in your family eats except for one person (because they don’t like it, or are allergic to an ingredient in it etc.)
  • Recipes that can be made in bulk, ahead of time and frozen
  • Seasonal recipes
  • Etc.

If you prefer you can type up a list or use a printable like the method I shared above (it’s from this rainbow recipe binder set in my shop)

On the left page – keep a list of recipes, and on the right page – do weekly meal planning

how to use sticky notes for weekly meal planning color coding cooking planner ideas inspiration hacks tips organization using empty notebook

I should have written my recipes out on a couple of pages. Since I took the photo above I had to add more pages. I ended up splitting each page in 2 and using a separate column for each category, rather than trying to cram all the recipe categories on the one page.

I like to record how long it takes to make the meal as some nights I’ll only have 30 minutes spare to cook dinner so need to choose a recipe that fits this timeframe.

color coded meal planning how to use blank notes pages of a notebook planner inspiration ideas useful tips productivity color coding menu planning inspo

Because I couldn’t find red sticky notes I used yellow instead (hence the yellow dot beside ‘beef’)

If you choose to hand-write out your list I recommend using marker pens as the fatter tips will make the headings stand out more.

I used the Smiggle Twin Tip Markers.

Related: Favorite pens for writing headings in my planner 

On the right page is where you meal plan.

how to use sticky notes for weekly meal planning color coding cooking planner ideas inspiration hacks tips organization using empty notebook neat

I tend to cook up to 4 main meals per week (depends what I make as some produce more leftovers than others, of if I’m going out to dinner 1 night that week) plus a side (e.g. veggies, potatoe bake etc.) I tend not to set a specific day to cook each meal, rather I cook what I feel like eating that day. I also don’t write the days of the week on the page as some weeks I make only cook twice a week.

weekly meal planning using sticky notes quick simple fast ready made meal plan ideas efficient productivity planning inspiration ideas cooking

Using a sticky note for your grocery list meals you can just peel it off the page and take it with you – you don’t need to re-write the list, carry your notebook with you, or take a photo of it and be paranoid you’re going to drop your phone in the supermarket while juggling a heavy basket full of groceries (at least that’s the case for me).

Color coding

I love color coding! These are the colors I tend to stick to:

  • Green = chicken
  • Pink = Lamb
  • Purple = Pork
  • Blue = Seafood
  • Yellow = Beef
  • Orange = Sides

Note: I’ve since simplified my color codes to just 4 colors.

Sticky notes used:

  • The small sticky notes are the Post it Note 3M
  • The large one I used for the grocery list is Officeworks’ Keji Brand (they’re cheap but not as sticky as the Post It Note brand)
  • The smaller sticky notes at the bottom of the page are 2″ wide x 1″ high and are the ‘Aspire’ brand (they’re very sticky!)

If you don’t have colored sticky notes you can use a colored pen to color code, or a colored dot sticker.
Also remember that you can cut sticky notes down to whatever size you like!

The small sticky notes on the bottom of the right page are ideal for errands and backup meal plans.
how to meal plan in 5 minutes sticky notes quick ideas color coding recipe binder organization bullet journaling planner inspiration

Related: How to organize recipes plus a free printable recipe binder

Keep track of what ingredients you need for each thing you make

To make writing out the grocery list less of a pain, use larger sticky notes (these are from Target) to jot down ingredients needed to cook each recipe.

I used 1 sticky note per recipe and then added colored dot stickers to color code the meals by category.

using sticky notes for meal planning recipe bank ready made cooking ideas recipe organization color coded simple quick easy fast diy ideas

I could’ve used the same Keji brand sticky notes that I used for the grocery list in the image above, but I like the pre-lined sticky notes as my writing is quite messy and crooked unless I have lines to write on.

The colors of the dots are much clearer in person than the photo!

Keep a recipe bank

Keep a recipe bank with all of the sticky notes you’re currently not using. You could use this instead of the page with the meal ideas list if you prefer.

The washi tape I used is the Doodlebug brand (my favorite washi – comes in a big pack of rainbow colors and the tape is thinner than normal washi). My sister stocks it in her planner supplies shop.

how to meal plan quickly using sticky notes color coded meal planning favorite meals tip menu planning organizing household binder

Integrating Meal Planning into weekly planning

At the start of each week (on a Sunday), I do weekly planning. Meal planning is step 5 of my 6 step process that I shared in this post.

Related Posts:

  • Favorite color coding planner supplies for less than $5
  • Minimalist planning: simple decorating & divider ideas for your planner using pens 
  • Planning 101: Planner lingo (what does it all mean?) 
  • 7 Ways to make colors POP when printing using an Inkjet printer 

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Welcome to All About Planners! I’m Rachael, a 20-something Aussie addicted to graphic design and all things planning. On the blog you’ll find more than 1,000 posts about all things planning including planner reviews, tips, favorite supplies and some of my past weekly spreads.

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