How to Plan Your Week with a Simple Spreadsheet System
It’s likely the most obvious part of my blog, but I love meal planning. It’s been one of the simplest and most effective ways to steward both our pantry and budget - and use my limited Google Sheets skills. But when I sit down to plan a new week of meals, what we’re eating for dinner each night is just one piece of the puzzle.
Keeping a home running smoothly, especially with a toddler, part-time work, and church commitments, takes a lot more than knowing what’s for dinner. And while I’m still learning, I’ve built a system that works well for me and my family, so we know what we’re eating and what we’re doing for the whole week. It’s nothing fancy, just a simple spreadsheet that gives me peace of mind and helps me stay faithful in our daily needs.
My Weekly Planning Spreadsheet
I’m a spreadsheet girl, but you can use whatever helps you stay sane in your weekly planning! I’m also a paper girl, a notebook planner girl, a white-board girl, a Google Calendar girl, and a text-my-husband-and-ask-him-to-remind-me girl. In this season, spreadsheets have helped me the most, so I’ve tried to stick with it.
I’ve spent the last few years perfecting these sheets and I’m really proud of them, so I’m going to share copies with you! They are customizable based on your needs and they give a visual for all the things inside my head. ;)
The first spreadsheet I use each week is my Weekly Meal Planner sheet. It’s divided into sections that help me not only track our food and grocery budget but also manage the natural rhythms of our family life. Here’s what it looks like in practice:
1. Meals (Sunday to Saturday: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner)
I plan breakfast, lunch, and dinner for each day of the week. This keeps me from staring into the fridge at 7:00AM with a hungry toddler demanding oranges while we’re out of oranges and hoping my Keurig will hurry up with the brewing while we’re also out of creamer - tough morning. It also helps me be strategic about using what we already have and stretching ingredients across multiple meals.
Pro Planning Tip: I keep breakfast and lunches generally the same across the week. Breakfasts are almost always eggs, fruit, and yogurt. I can get creative with these meals in the moment, like omelettes instead of scrambled eggs, or fruit salad if we have a ton of berries about to go bad, or adding homemade granola and chia seeds to regular yogurt. Having a base that’s consistent keeps things simple, while allowing room to get a little more creative (if I have the energy!).
This is a screenshot of a recent week for our family. I like to include all our meals and all our appointments in one, easy to read sheet. It prints easily too, so I can keep it on my fridge and my husband can check it, too!
2. Appointments
Below the meal plan, I have a section for Appointments. This is where I write down things like doctor visits, playdates, Bible studies, or when I’m scheduled to work at one of my part-time jobs. It’s amazing how much smoother the week goes when I can see both our meals and our calendar all in one place. But it’s not so overwhelming to look at the entire month when I just need to check what we’re having for dinner that night.
Pro Tip: Keep things simple in these additional sections - just the location and time usually does the trick for us. I used to be too detailed, adding why we’re going somewhere and who we’re meeting. The purpose of this sheet is “at a glance” information.
3. Other Notes
This section is for everything else that doesn’t quite fit in the appointments row but is still important. If Tucker is out of town, if a bill is due, or if we’re having work done on the house: it all goes here. It’s a catch-all space for the little details that would otherwise live in the back of my head (and undoubtedly be forgotten).
Pro Tip: I use this section for literally anything. Some weeks I need reminding to do the laundry or do a toy rotation or get an oil change or just have some downtime. Writing them down gives me a higher chance of getting it done!
4. Pantry Notes
This might be my favorite part! It’s a new addition to this beloved spreadsheet (I’m always trying to think of new ways to keep organized, and this inclusion has been helpful already). Pantry notes are where I jot down the little prep tasks that keep meals stress-free, like:
Pulling meat out of the freezer the night before.
Prepping a pie crust so it’s ready for tomorrow’s dinner.
Chopping vegetables ahead of time.
These aren’t things that happen every day, but writing them down keeps me from that “oh no, I forgot to thaw the chicken!” panic. A two-second note during the meal planning process saves me a lot of scrambling during the week.
Pro Tip: Keep your leftover day (if you have one) later in the week, but not too much later. I find that Thursday is the sweet spot. Far enough away that we aren’t eating leftovers right after having the original meal, but close enough that our leftovers don’t go bad!
5. Grocery List & Price Checks
I like to print my weekly schedule and hang it on my fridge, but this is the section I don’t usually print so I don’t have to look at a long grocery list all week. While I’m planning our week and dinners, I go ahead and write my grocery list at the same time at the bottom of the spreadsheet. When the planning is done, I spend time price checking and finalizing the list. Then while I shop, I just pull up the list on my phone - it’s so nice to have it all in one place!
Pro Tip: Price Check your groceries! Check out this post to learn more about how I grocery shop on a budget!
Here’s a screenshot of a finished price check for this week’s grocery list. I spend time checking the price of each item at Aldi, Walmart, and Costco (if it’s time for a monthly Costco run!). When I determine while is cheaper, I delete the other entry. Often I end up with at least a few items from Walmart and most of my items from Aldi, but this week, Aldi came out on top with the cheapest price for every one of my grocery items!
Why This System Works
It’s simple. I don’t need a complicated planner with fifty moving parts. Just a straightforward sheet that shows me meals, appointments, notes, and pantry prep. One week at a time.
It reduces mental load. Instead of trying to remember everything, I write it down (type it out). That way, my brain can rest, I can focus on being present, and I don’t forget about dinner. ;)
It builds faithfulness. Stewardship isn’t glamorous. It looks like thawing meat, paying bills on time, and showing up for commitments with a joyful heart. This system helps me be intentional in those little things.
A Small Encouragement
You don’t need to copy my spreadsheet exactly. You don’t need a spreadsheet at all, if this isn’t the way your brain works. The point is to find a system that gives you peace and helps you serve your family well. For me, that means seeing meals and life in the same place, so I can prepare our home with joy and not constant catch-up.
If you are a spreadsheet girl, here’s a link to a customizable copy of my Weekly Meal Planner spreadsheet!
Proverbs 16:3 reminds us, “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” When I sit down each week to plan, I want to hold those plans with open hands. I want to be faithful in the little tasks of homemaking, but always trusting the Lord to direct our steps.
Happy stewarding!
