Weddingbee Blog

Like a lot of people, Mr. French Fries and I have a hectic work week schedule. We both have an hour commute to and from work, and by the time we get home, we’re tired! Throw into the mix that we have two dogs and a cat that want attention and need to be fed/let outside/taken for a walk, and that we’re usually juggling multiple wedding-planning projects (and sometimes vendor visits) in the evening hours, and it can feel like there just isn’t enough time to get everything done.

Sometimes I feel like Jessie Spano on Saved by the Bell in the episode where she takes caffeine pills to sing with Hot Sundae at the Max… “There’s no time! There’s never any time!”

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… OK, so I don’t really feel like Jessie. But the point of all of this is that weddings = time management, and “what to make for dinner” falls pretty low on the priority list these days.

It’s easy to fall into the fast food trap when you’re pressed for time and out of ideas on what to make for dinner. And, while I have room to spare in my wedding gown right now, I’d like to have even more room in that dress come next spring when I need to have it altered. And fast food for dinner = less room to spare. Capisce?

Lately we’ve been planning our meals a week at a time to save us time, stress, calories, and ending the “I don’t know… what do you want for dinner?” cycle. I like to think I’m a good cook and can make a lot of things, but coming up with ideas on what to make (and varying those ideas from week to week) can be a bit of a challenge. Nobody wants to eat stir fry and tacos every single week… at least, I don’t.

So when I found Relish! as a meal-planning service, it was like the heavens opened up and angels started singing. OK, not really… but it was a pretty good find. (Also, just so we’re on the same page – I haven’t been compensated by Relish! in any way for writing this… but it has helped me have a bit more time and sanity, so I figured it might help some of you!)

For a small fee ($7 a month for a 3 month subscription… but there are other options) you get customized menus that are scaled for the number of people you have in your household (2, 4, 6, etc.). You can pick your upcoming week’s menu out of around 10-15 items, including kid-friendly and vegetarian choices. From your selections, you get a customized shopping list broken down into sections of the grocery store – so you’re not running back and forth from the frozen food to the canned goods wasting precious time. Oh, also? The menus are sent out on the Thursday of the previous week, so you can shop on the weekend – no more last-minute trips to the grocery store on your way home (when all you really want to do is take off your high heels and get into your sweatpants and fuzzy slippers. Oh, is it just me? OK.).

While most of the menu items take around 30 minutes to prepare, some of them take 45 minutes or an hour. We usually save those for Friday night, when we’re less pressed for time. Since the meals are relatively quick, we can make them and clean up and still have time to check our Fantasy Football (him) and Weddingbee (me). Also, being able to shop and meal plan this way has saved us a bit of money. We’re not picking up random items at the grocery store anymore just because they look good (and because we’re shopping at dinnertime when we’re hungry) – if it’s not on the list, chances are we don’t get it.

So, while Relish! hasn’t solved every evening problem (it seems like the minute we sit down to watch How I Met Your Mother is the exact minute the dogs want to be let outside) it has solved the what-to-make-for-dinner problem and has freed up some of our precious evening minutes.

What time management tools or skills do you use now that you’re busier with wedding activities?