Every Sunday, I spend a little bit of time planning the week ahead!
I was diagnosed with diabetes last year and that means that some things need a bit more care and attention to make sure that everything goes smoothly and I’ve found that a little time on a Sunday helps me massively to make sure this happens.
Here’s a few of the things that I do on a Sunday….
Meal Planning
Sunday morning is usually meal planning time so that we can do our weekly shop on the afternoon.
I say usually because, if we have the kids, then we’re likely to be out for a good proportion of the day which means that I’ll write the meal plan but then not do the shop until Monday after work.
If that happens then Monday is always a meal that involves something we have in to avoid a mini trip to the shop. 😁
In my little break from frugal-ness, I really let meal planning slide and I realised that without a meal plan, we were spending more money than we needed and just as importantly to me right now, we were wasting time.
I feel so much more in control of our budget (and life in general to be honest) when I have a meal plan on the front of the fridge. 😁
And because I always get asked where my magnetic meal planner is from, I got mine from Waterstones but there’s similar on Amazon for less than I paid for mine.
Sort out my medication
I feel like a grandma with my little pill box but I like to pop all my tablets in my little days of the week tablets box as I have my diabetic medication and the various vitamins and supplements that I have to take thanks to my medication.
I fill all the boxes for the week ahead and if I’m running low on my tablets then I’ll write out a repeat prescription which I’ll leave by the front door as I’ll drop it in on my way past the doctors the next time I’m passing. Any vitamins or supplements that I need will be ordered online straight away as I don’t want to run out.
This was the scene this morning as I was testing my blood glucose levels whilst sorting out my medication for the week.
Check the Diary
I can’t even tell you how much I love our joint calendar! With four kids between us and pretty busy lives filled with appointments, favours and other random commitments, a joint diary that we can both access and add to on our phones is a must.
We use the TimeTree app which has a free version and a premium version for around £2.20 a month – the free one is absolutely fine but I’m actually doing a month free trial for the premium version which I don’t mind paying if it’s even better as I do really value the app to be fair.
I add in all of my partners shifts, my days working in the office, our appointments and other commitments, holidays from work, important birthdays and other days we don’t want to miss. It means that when he’s at work and needs to know if he can commit to something then he can check the diary and see what (if anything) we have going on already that day.
I did try using Google Calendar but I had a nightmare setting it up to share for some reason but a few people I know use that for a shared calendar too. I was recommended TimeTree by one of my friends who loved it and I’m so pleased that she told me about it!
These tasks take me between half an hour and 45 minutes and they genuinely make my week easier, as well as saving money throughout. It’s well worth the time spent if you ask me.
Batch cook some lunches
During the day, I also try and batch cook some lunches for the week ahead as I find it so much harder to stay on track with my healthy eating if I don’t have something there that I can just quickly grab when I’m hungry. Omelettes are my favourite grab and go meal as I can batch cook them at the start of the week in my omelette maker using whatever filings I have in the fridge (usually cheese and brocolli) so I have a plateful in the fridge.
The omelette maker means that I can whisk up all my eggs in a big jug, add in the fillings and then just pour out the mix into the machine for 8 minutes or so. I just set Alexa to remind me when the time is up and get on with what I need to do around the house. I can do 8 omelettes in not much over half an hour as it cooks two at a time and then that’s me done for lunches for most of the week.
I’ll generally try and make a soup of some kind in the slow cooker every couple of weeks too as I’ll have homemade soup for lunch at least once through the week so having some portions of soup in the freezer is a must-have too. I used to love cheesy potato soup or a super simple pea and mint soup but I’m currently loving a version of white chilli chicken soup that works well with my diabetes.
And if you’re like me, and like something to print out and pop on the fridge door to remind you when you’ve got loads going on then this weekly planner template is perfect to print out and use to keep you on track.
Print out my weekly planner template here. 😁
I guarantee you’ll feel more organised and in control of life after just a few weeks of Sunday planning.
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