Why Do I Hate Meal Planning? - Know Why!

Written by: Shruthi Chacko – M. Sc (Psychology)

Last updated date : December 16, 2022

Are you someone who thinks to themselves ” why do I hate meal planning?” But, if you want to start saving money, then meal planning is your best bet. Of course, not everyone enjoys household chores. Are you one of those people? Maybe you have your reasons to hate meal planning. Well, don’t worry. This article will give you some great tips on how to eliminate stress when meal planning.


“Very interesting and relevant” John

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6-Weeks Self-Paced

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  • Quizzes
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Chapter 1:

Reasons Why You Hate Meal Planning

There are many reasons why people hate meal planning. These reasons can be underlying too. Maybe, these people just don’t like meal planning, it could be deeper than that. Continue to reading to know these reasons.

Chapter 2:

You Hate It Because You Are Not Organised – Why Do I Hate Meal Planning?

You need to be quite organised to do meal planning. I am not saying Monica Geller type of organising skills. But, you need to have the basics. It does take some brainstorming and thinking to do. You need to figure out what you can eat throughout the week. So, you need to figure out all that. When you put effort into organising your meals. You will start seeing how manageable meal planning can get. Try getting a meal planner and write down the meal plans for the rest of the week. In fact, this way you get to chalk and have a better idea of what goes on during the week. Maybe this can help you with the whole idea of ” how to eliminate stress when meal planning”.
Some Few Quick And Easy Tips To Get Organised
  • Make a list of pantry essentials.
  • Keep all of your recipes in one place. Add new recipes to your library as you try them. If it’s a keeper, put it in with the others. If the recipe isn’t so great, make notes to enhance it next time or toss it out.
  • Keep a notebook with all of your current meal plans with dates in it.

Chapter 3:

You Hate It Because You Are Busy

Do you ask yourself -Why do I hate meal planning? You find it hard to do meal planning, simply because you are busy. Maybe, you do have time. This happens very often in urban city lives. There is barely any time to make meals and do meal planning. You probably have a 9 to 6 job. The moment you reach back home you are super tired. All of can think of is ” only if I had some food in the fridge”. But, there are ways to tackle this.

Here’s the fact. You need to make time for it. It is that simple. If you don’t make time for it, it will not happen. Write it down, and have a meal planning notebook or app to help you out. Find ways that can help you stay organised and motivated to do meal planning. After all, it is very important to eat a well-balanced meal. Ordering in food is not good for your health. It is okay if it is once in a while, but try not to make it an everyday thing.

Chapter 4:

Why Do I Hate Meal Planning- Because You like Spontaneity

Meal preparation is very controlled. There really is no room for spontaneity or eating anything you want. That’s wrong! But, there’s no such thing as a correct way of food planning. If you enjoy spontaneity, make a list of meals you want to make for the week. Keep the items ready to use it for whenever you want to make them. You do not have to put down the specific day you will prepare each meal. Simply make a food plan, and you can enjoy homemade bread on Monday instead of Sunday if you wish.

Chapter 5:

You Hate Restrictions

Are you someone who thinks to themselves ” why do I hate meal planning? Do any members of your family follow a specific diet? When certain foods cannot be served, it is quite difficult to have diversity in your meals. Diets that are vegetarian, gluten-free, or dairy-free can all be restrictive in their own way. It’s even more difficult if you have someone in the home who follows a highly rigorous diet from many of these groups.

If you wish to eat something that this individual cannot. Eat it even when they’re not around, if possible. For instance, if your daughter is allergic to eggs but you love them, cook your egg dish after she has gone to school. It’s great for a late breakfast and lunch. That might not be possible if the individual is constantly around you. If you can’t eat specific foods, the best thing you can do is keep a stockpile of recipes and meal plans that you like and cycle them on a weekly or monthly basis.

Chapter 6:

You Hate It Because- Everyone in the House Likes Different Things

Meal planning can be a pain for somebody who wants to keep everyone in the house happy. For instance, everywhere has their own particular preferences. It could take you hours to create a schedule that caters to every person, each and every day, and each meal. Cooking will be more difficult because you’ll be doing two or even more dishes at once.

Chapter 7:

Here’s The Tip

Are you someone who thinks to themselves ” why do I hate meal planning? Forget what each person prefers and prepare only one meal. One meal that some members of the family may appreciate while others may not. Even though some of your family members are finicky. You cannot be a short-order cook. You must teach children that your time is precious and that they must respect it.

Asking for their favourite meals and foods is one way to assure that everyone is happy at least part of the time. Maintain a list for each member and alternate meals based on their preferences. It could be Steve’s favourite meal one night and Luke’s the next. In fact, side dishes which someone else would appreciate, even if they don’t like the main course.

Meal planning gives benefits, but if you’ve always despised it, you might not be enjoying those benefits. Make the time for it, plan it, and make it flexible so that you can appreciate it more. If somebody in the family has a special diet or is finicky, find out what their likes are or how they’ll eat and attempt to work around it. You won’t enjoy meal planning after making some of these adjustments, but you won’t despise that as much as you previously did!

At Espsychonline, there is a self-help course on “Perfectionism“. You may even be interested to read more on ” Living alone for the first time- How to make it work to understand more about how to eliminate stress when meal planning.


"Very interesting and relevant" John

72 sections

6-Weeks Self-Paced

  • Educational Content
  • Quizzes
  • Self-reflection material
  • Suggestions & feedback
  • Worksheet, tips & tools to use

$9.00 $12.00

25% discount