Just in case you missed this back in May, we wanted to offer an exclusive deal to bless you as we all begin a busy new school year…

1/2-price Simple Meals Subscription!!

As if getting an entire year’s worth of Simple Meals planning packets for half-off is not enough to convince you that now is the time to grab on, allow me to share more reasons you need a Simple Meals subscription.

Dear Everyone who hates menu planning (or simply doesn’t have time for it anymore),

In all my years of being a homemaker and talking to other homemakers (25 years, thanks for asking), I have learned that VERY FEW of us actually like meal planning. I’m one of the weird ones who actually enjoys it. But most of you? Disgusted. Completely annoyed. Hate every minute of it. ABSOLUTELY OVER IT.

Dear friends. This post is for you. (And maybe for those who do enjoy meal planning but still sometimes forget to thaw the chicken.)

In an effort to be fun (!!!yeah right!!!) and not at all discouraging (???sob???), I decided to do some math and point out what I believe makes most people so very frustrated about meal planning. Are you ready? You’d better sit down for this.

Not even including the thoughts we must think about what we will feed our families for breakfasts and lunches every day, if we all run a household for 50 years, and we multiply those years by the 365 days we must figure out what to put on the table for dinner each night – the total, painful number of meal planning days is (gasp, sob):

18,250

Meals. That we have to plan. In our life. Not counting breakfast.

Oh, but should we count breakfast and lunch too, just for fun? (Laura’s idea of fun is weird and not actually fun.)

54,750

Total meals. That must come out of our heads, through our hard-working hands, and onto our bountiful tables.

Now listen. I know we all realize that we are a blessed group of people and that whining about meal planning is ridiculous and petty. After all, are we not thankful for the families we get to feed and for the food we have in abundance in which to feed them?! Yes. We are. We are very, very thankful.

But we also have to remember to buy toilet paper and make it to the appointments and sign the documents and get to all the places on time. So while we are grateful for our lives, we also recognize the truth that trying to think of what food to prepare and feed our families each day is a…

VERY BIG JOB, AMEN.

There now. I have now given us all permission to feel what we feel about food. It sure tastes good, and we sure are thankful for it. But it doesn’t appear on the table without someone thinking ahead about it, buying it, preparing it, cleaning up after it, and then doing it all again for 18,250 tomorrows.

But we do it because:

• We love our families.
• We want our families to be healthy.
• And eating isn’t something that we can’t avoid.

Other jobs that we don’t like we can just ignore, you know? (I’m looking at you – baseboards that need to be dusted.) But figuring out what to feed our families every day – we have to do it whether we like it or not.

So here is my number one, very best suggestion for you…

If you hate meal planning, do this:

Figure out what you will make for dinner each night IN THE MORNING.

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT wait until dinner time to plan dinner. At that time, you are hungry and tired. Your family is hungry and tired. The food is probably still frozen. And ain’t nobody happy.

If you are in the habit of waiting until it’s almost time to eat to figure out what you are going to eat – you are going to run into frustration almost every time. Or, you’re likely to fall back on unhealthy and expensive habits like grabbing take-out or ordering pizza. Those fun options should be reserved for our extra busy days or special occasions – not for the five days a week you failed to plan ahead, again.

And so, in the morning before work or school or before moving forward with whatever it is that keeps you busy each day – figure out what you are going to make for dinner. Then, put that thing in the crock pot, in the fridge, or on a list. Your entire day will go more smoothly, knowing that your evening meal is figured out and can be executed quickly at dinner time.

Now’s the part where I tell you something even better.

If you truly hate meal planning, or if you are too busy to think about what to make for dinner each night, why not reference the very wonderful and beautiful Simple Meals plans we make every single week and send to your inbox every single week? Please, please take advantage of this!!!

We do all the thinking and planning for you!! We offer specific yet flexible meal suggestions, we give you all the recipe links, we prepare your grocery list, and we put it right in your lap. Here, take a peek:

Download a free Simple Meals Plan here to see what it looks like!

Just think. You could have that in your hands every week, and then all of your meal planning tears will stop. ;)

This is not just me trying to sell you something. This truly is me trying to help your life become easier. Because I get it!! Meal planning can be stressful and difficult. Why should every single one of us invent the wheel (or in this case meal) every single night?

What if, instead, just one of us makes the plan, and everyone else gets to look at it and use it? Doesn’t that just make sense and sound fabulous!?!

It’s only $1.00 per week. $0.50/week all year long!

That makes this a no-brainer, because think of the time and money you’ll save figuring out every dinner of the week!

Get all the details here.

Your first entire year will cost only $0.50/week! Ready to join? Can’t wait to save your family time!

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This 1/2 price offer expires September 4. Your subscription will automatically renew in one year at full price (still inexpensive!!), and you can cancel for next year if you choose by simply emailing me!