Frugal Menu Mamas

Well, it has taken me longer than I expected to re-do my recipe notebook, but it is just about done!  I was well on my way last week when I promised to reveal it today.  Then we have had guests in our home and numerous illnesses.  I will try not to make promises like that again!  :)  Anyway, so here are some thoughts about a recipe notebook and photos of mine!

-I do not use recipe cards for several reasons:  they are too hard to look through, you have to hand write each one if sharing the recipe, matching recipe cards are an issue for me… you get the idea

-A recipe notebook saves time:  it is organized so you can find your recipe quickly, it is organized so you can remember what recipes you have, it is organized to make menu planning quicker

-A recipe notebook saves money:  if you can find your recipes easier then you are more likely to menu plan, therefore saving you money!  (was that a stretch?)

-My recipe notebook includes the recipes one per page and two pages per plastic page protector.  I only put recipes in here that we have already tried and enjoyed.  I will keep clipped recipes to try elsewhere.

Here is the old notebook: The old notebook has a cute theme and uses Microsoft Works database.  This makes it hard to copy the recipes for posting on the blog etc…  I decided not to use a database on the new one, just a word processing program called Open Office Writer (like a FREE Microsoft Word).  I used dividers, but they did not extend past the page protectors, making them useless.  I kept clipped recipes in the notebook too, which made it a mess inside and hard to flip through.  The notebook had an “O” shaped ring, which did not make looking through easy.  The new notebook has a “D” shaped ring.

This is the cover, each page has a little picture, too.

See how the divider does not extend past the page protector underneath?

Here is the new notebook: The new notebook is very simple and uncluttered.  I kept it all in black and white to eliminate visual clutter.  I decided to keep an index of each section on a title page and list the sections in the front of the notebook.  I decided to create sections just for chicken, beef, pork, freezer meals, and crock pot recipes, instead of generic sections like “main dishes”.  Now, when I plan my menus I can actually do one crock pot and freezer recipe per week without having to search for them.  I realized I need more ground beef recipes in my new notebook.  I did not include recipes for items we know how to make easily like tacos or mashed potatoes. I still can’t decide what to do for tab dividers…maybe use Post-It flags at the beginning of each section?  Got any ideas?

This is the plain, uncluttered cover.

The chicken section...

I hoped you enjoyed the tour and I hope it inspired you to get organized!  Here is an article to help you get started!

How do you organize your recipes?