In light of my last post, I thought it might make sense to talk about a way in which my family has been affected by the changing economy.

And while I’m not going to cheer for the rising costs of groceries, or anything, I definitely do see this one as a blessing in disguise: After a few months of out-of-control food spending, we made the decision to start planning out our meals and only going to the store once a week.

Now, sure, I’d always sort of planned meals, you know, in the theoretical, “hey, this is on sale and I could make that recipe with it” sort of way, but I’d never planned a week’s menu and shopped specifically for it. No, I was always running out to the store for that one ingredient I needed or—worse!—crying uncle and ordering a pizza on a busy day because I just never managed to figure out dinner.

First food prices started rising, and then gas prices went berserk, and then—in my corner of the world, anyway—the gas shortages began. It’s not unusual, in my town, right now, for all of the gas stations to be out of gas. Put all of these factors together and you have the new regime: One grocery trip, menu fully planned, and that’s how we eat for the week. Period.

Honestly, I expected to find it very stifling and restricting. What if I’d planned for stew when I just wasn’t in the mood for it? What if we ran out of milk mid-week? (Hey, what if I was smart enough to buy two gallons at once instead of running out every week?)

My fears were for naught, as it turned out. I thought I was organized, before, but now I really am organized. And I love it. I love the no-brainer factor, now, of knowing each and every night what’s to be made for dinner, and who’s in charge of cooking it, and that we definitely have everything we need to make that dish. And I don’t miss those extra supermarket trips at all.

So two remarkable things have happened since we instituted this plan. First, our grocery bills have gone down (surprise). With less gee-this-sounds-good purchasing and no emergency trips that turn into buying more items, we’re spending less. I expected this. What I didn’t expect was the second benefit: We’re eating better than ever, with less waste. We build “leftovers” nights into the rotation, so I’m sure to cook enough for ample leftovers when necessary, and then—joy of joy, wonder of wonders!—we actually eat those foods before they turn into separate ecosystems in the refrigerator. Hooray!

(The thing about planning a night of leftovers, with kids in the house, is that I made certain it’s something they’ll eat. If they’re not big on it the first time ’round, they’re sure as heck not going to eat it reheated.)

I’m trying new recipes; my husband is cooking more often; the kids are pitching in; I can’t think of a single thing about the new plan that hasn’t turned out to be really great. Sure, things happen and sometimes plans are foiled; one afternoon we had to make an emergency orthodontist run and that was the end of that night’s dinner plans. But for the most part we’ve stuck to it, saved money, and eaten a lot of fabulous food—proof positive that you can be a crazed, two-working-parents household and still have awesome, home-cooked meals.