This is something that when I notice I follow this without deviating, we save money!
I write the days of the week down on paper, then I look to see what I have in my refrigerator and freezer, then what’s on sale at the grocery store and I write down a meal plan for dinner. We eat breakfast at home (cereal), make our own lunches (kids too*) and if we do go out for dinner, we try to choose a night where kids eat free or use a voucher that we have taken advantage of where you pay $10 for $20 worth of food. This has saved us a lot of money! You would be surprised what you already have in your refrigerator/freezer. And less trips to the grocery stores means more money in your pocket!
* For the kids lunches, I buy bulk items of food such as Goldfish and we, the kids help, make individual snack bags for lunches for the week. We have a few drawers in our kitchen that are filled with snack items for the kids as well as one drawer for their bowls and cups (just for easier access for them). I make their sandwich every morning (and place it in a BPA free, reusable container) and they are responsible to pack two snack items, one fruit and one juice box. And it also their job to have their lunch boxes ready the night before to avoid any morning craziness. The kids are also allowed to buy their lunches once a week.
