Weekly Menu Board Planner {Kitchen Week Guest Post}

Hi Bear Rabbit Bear Craft readers!

I’m Meredith (and that’s my sweet hubby) from {Wait Til Your Father Gets Home}, a crafty and DIY blog that I recently started since becoming a stay at home mom to this little cutie…

First and foremost, I’m a wife and a mama. I also have a weakness for…

cinnamon toast crunch

flip flops

McDonald’s caramel frappes

fall weather (hello, college football season, GO Spartans!)

and last, but not least, The Target Dollar Spot.

You may remember me as Melanie’s Christmas in July gift exchange partner last month! She totally hooked me up with some awesome handmade goodies to use in my own kitchen!

I returned the favor too with a five year journal, some handmade coffee cozys, handmade baker’s twine, and cute little ribbon and button book clips!

Today I’m thrilled to share with you a huge part of my kitchen (even thought it’s really not big). I’ve definitely learned that small things can make a big difference, especially when you’re trying to save money and be as frugal as you can when it comes to grocery shopping!

I’m sure you’ve seen tons of different (and super cute) versions of this all over Pinterest. I was inspired by a few myself, but wanted to keep it super simple (in hopes that my hubby would totally be on board with having it displayed in our kitchen). I give you the,

{Menu Planner Board}

To make one (get those craft store coupons ready ladies) you’ll need:

I bet you already have most of these things

As you can see, my frame was actually matted for 3 individual pictures. I simply removed the mat (and saved it…you never know when something like that might come in handy)!

The first thing I did was paint the wooden letters with some black acrylic paint. You can also use spray paint.

You may notice that there are enough letters there for three menu planner boards. I actually made this with some girlfriends during our first Craft Night! It was so fun 🙂 We are hoping to get together like that at least once a month!

Back to the project…

While I waited for the paint to dry, I got to cutting the burlap to fit the hard cardboard back of the frame.

Tip of the CENTURY! (And I wish I had a picture of this for you). Do you know the best and easiest way to cut burlap? Simply pull one of the strands all the way out of the piece you are working with, along the line you want to cut. Once the strand is pulled all the way out, simply cut where it used to be (there will be a nice, wide, and most importantly, straight line to cut). Try it next time…it will totally change your life!

Once each piece was cut, slightly larger than the cardboard backing, I adhered it to the back of the frame with a couple dots of hot glue in each corner (so it wouldn’t slide all around once it was behind the glass).

The rest is super simple though and easy to explain. I didn’t really use a ruler for anything, I just spaced everything out ahead of time making sure I liked how things looked before gluing anything down.

Onto the burlap you’ll need to attach the ric rac with a couple more dots of hot glue. You’ll then need to attach your day of the week stickers down the left hand side. Pop the back of the frame back into the frame itself so everything you’ve done is safely behind the glass.

Hot glue the letters across the top, grab a velcro dot and stick it to the side of the frame and the side of your dry erase marker, and you’ve got yourself this beaut…

Now, why is this little thing such a big part of my kitchen?

Well, if you’re a stickler for menu planning, you will most definitely stick to your grocery list a whole lot better! Since becoming a stay at home mom I’ve made it a point to eat at home almost every night (we usually end up “eating out” or over at someone else’s house once a week or so).

In the beginning I would just open my fridge and see what I could make. Which felt like a huge burden to me and also led to wasted food and extra money spent at the grocery store. Now, I take the time to research recipes, check sales fliers, use coupons to my advantage, and shop for only the items that I really need to make the meals my family will eat. Is it time consuming? That depends. If my week is packed with new recipes, it might take me a little longer to think about all the ingredients I need to buy. But, usually I can get coupons cut and organized, scan the sales ads, write out a weekly menu with needed ingredients, and pull the coupons I’ll be able to use during that shopping trip all within about an hour. To me, if that hour saves me up to 40% at the grocery store and reduces the “What’s for dinner?” question in my head everyday, then I think it’s totally worth it. PLUS, it’s super cute too!

Thanks again for letting me crash your blog today Melanie…I had a blast 🙂

For more crafty ideas, DIY projects, and yummy recipes please become a follower of {Wait Til Your Father Gets Home}.

You can connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. I look forward to hearing from some of you soon!

Enjoy!