Looking for an easy way to meal plan for the week? This DIY Chalkboard Menu Planner is simple to use and keeps everything organized.
This is the kitchen at our beach house.
Don’t tell the kitchen—but I like the living room so much better.
As I stood here the other day and rolled my eyes, I realized that my three (or four depending if we are getting technical and counting contractions) least favorite words in the English language are….
….what’s for dinner?
I should know that it’s coming.
I should be prepared.
I should anticipate and plan and think ahead and have a stocked refrigerator and something cooking on the stove.
And yet, here at the beach, every night around 5:00 when all the little birds in the nest start chirping and asking what we are having for dinner….
….I look around surprised.
Are they talking to me?
I know what you’re saying to the computer right now.
I’ve said it to myself more times that you can count.
It’s 2024 KariAnne. You are grown. You can cook. We’ve seen you cook. GET IT TOGETHER IN THIS KITCHEN.
So here’s my attempt to get on track with dinner this summer. I’ve made one of these before—but I thought the beach house needed one, too.
(total aside: of course it involves decorating)
It’s a DIY Chalkboard Menu Planner.
If you need a little organization in your life? Here’s how to make it.
Meal Planning 101: DIY Chalkboard Menu Planner
Supplies:
1″ x 2″ plywood board
1″ x 6″ x 54″ plywood board for menu
nails
hammer
chalkboard paint
white paint pen
1. Start with a plywood board
Start by measuring the space you have for your chalkboard.
Ours measures 6″ wide by 54″ long.
You could make yours shorter or longer depending on the size you need.
Cut the plywood board out and sand the edges so you don’t have any rough edges.
This is what you’ll use as your chalkboard. Paint the board with chalkboard paint first. It makes it SO MUCH easier than trying to tape it off after you’ve made the frame. This board was painted with two coats of chalkboard paint and then I primed it. Priming a chalkboard just means taking it and rubbing a piece of chalk all over the surface sideways. Then wiping off all the chalk before you write on it.
Now your board is ready for next step.
Next, we want to make the frame.
2. Create a frame
Create a frame for your plywood board.
Use the 1″ x 2″ board and 1″ longer than your plywood base on the top and bottom.
Does this make sense?
So the side boards measure 1″ x 56″ and the top boards measure 1″ x 6″.
This makes it so much easier because you don’t have to miter the corners together.
Nail the boards together or you could glue them or even make it without the frame.
3. Create lines
Take the length of your board and divide by seven.
Each of my squares was about 7.75 inches long.
Mark measurements with chalk.
Then draw across board with a white paint pen (if you use a white paint pen it looks like you wrote it with chalk, but everything stays in place).
4. Print out font
I just picked a fun font and printed out the days of the week on my computer.
This font is called Mellanie.
I printed the letters sized to 100.
5. Trace letters
Cut out days of the week and trace them onto the chalkboard.
Use white carbon paper.
(total aside: did you even know they made white carbon paper? It’s one of the seven wonders of the world.)
It makes it so much easier and be sure and press hard when you trace.
When you are done with the carbon paper, your letters should look like this.
Don’t worry if you don’t get it exactly right.
The key is just to get some letters down on the chalkboard to give you a base to trace your paint pen on.
6. Trace letters with a paint pen
Now take a white paint pen and trace the letters.
I had to trace it several times to get it to show up.
Just write each day with paint pen.
Continue with all the days of the week until your chalkboard looks like this.
You could stain the frame or paint it before you attached it to the board, but I just left it plain.
Then it’s time to plan the menu.
Want to see what’s on our menu this week?
Cookies.
Yep.
That’s about as far as we got.
Just kidding.
We had more than just cookies (but Whitney made these and they were SO GOOD).
We have seafood and vegetables planned for tonight so it should all even out.
PS Do you meal plan? I’m trying to group things together, but it’s a little challenging. My chalkboard and I are up for all the tips.
PPS We just did something we’ve never done before on all the years on the Cape—we went to Nantucket. I took so many pictures of all the fun places and things to do—stay tuned for all the shares.
Want to know how to decorate your home for free?
Click here to get my FIVE BEST secrets.
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