As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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Yes I do (when I'm making my list for store and coupons) and I take it to the
store. I might not stay with the plan for each day but we will end up having the
food that week. I also might fry up say hamburger meat a day ahead and that
will cut down on my time for the next day.
I don't use any online sites, I justs write it all long hand. Hopefully someone will
have an online option.
I do when I have time to put one together. It makes things so much easier. As I put it together, I do my grocery list at the same time. I already have the recipes out so why not. I use a preprinted grocery list made by Real Simple. I just check the boxes for the items I need and write in the things that are not already on the list. It is already organized into the grocery store sections. That really saves time in the store.
When I create a new menu, I write it down and keep it in a binder when I'm finished. That way, I have menus to fall back on when I don't have time to put one together. I usually try to keep the grocery list as well to make it faster the next time.
Also, I keep a few staples in the pantry just in case. If I don't make it to the store on the usual day, I always have something in the pantry that is easy to make.
I have done in the past, and when I do, I save time and money at the grocery store, but I don't always get the menu planned before I shop and then I just have to wing it.
I find if I make a plan, I try to plan more than 1 recipe in the week that will use some of the same things, then I can save money by buying in bulk, as well as time, by prepping one night for the next.
I have good intentions, but not always the follow through.
We do this. I've found some daily calendars for $1 at Michaels and I just write out the plan for the week. As someone else mentioned, we don't always stick to the specific days, but typically those meals will get eaten at some point that week. It really does help with grocery shopping and keeps the bill down. It's good for me to not have to come up with someone on the spot. I'll look at the list and know in the morning that I need to pull out some chicken or whatever. Very helpful! Good luck!
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I have done this in the past when I was dieting or on a really strict budget.
I have used a couple of dieting sites for menu planning, but I normally find it easier to do it by hand or on my own spreadsheet.
Now my schedule changes every week and many of my meals are eaten via the employee cafeteria. (Thanks for the free meals Bill!)
These days when I have time off I just sort of wander around the grocery store until I'm inspired, but I think this is because my budget and the amount of food preparation I do has changed dramatically. If you only cook one meal a week--its different than if you do 7 x 3 meals a week!
When I create a new menu, I write it down and keep it in a binder when I'm finished. That way, I have menus to fall back on when I don't have time to put one together. I usually try to keep the grocery list as well to make it faster the next time.
Also, I keep a few staples in the pantry just in case. If I don't make it to the store on the usual day, I always have something in the pantry that is easy to make.
Great ideas! I'm totally "stealing" them.
I did just create a simple chart that I'm going to work with for a bit and see how it does. If you're interested, it's here (I'm gonna talk about it on my blog tomorrow.)
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It all depends on if I have the time to put it all together. The weeks I work.....I just don't have the time.
I have found that if I write down what I want for each day, then I make a grocery list from that.
It really was helpful when all of the boys were home.....they would always know what they were coming home to!
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I don't use an online meal planner - I create a calendar and pencil in our meals for the week (so I can move things around). I have found I like this as it helps me keep track of foods we have just eaten and no repeats too often.
I also have a list that I keep populated with our favorite dishes with sides. That way family can look over the list and choose what they want for the week.
Only problem is dh - gets cravings all the time and likes to change my plan so I work around him or make him his own meal (he loves raw fish and poi, could eat it every day if we could afford it!).
I do. It's essential in keeping our budget and busy family on track. We are five people who could easily be going five different directions on any given night. I don't stick to the days always, but I make my menu based on what's on sale in addition to what's in the pantry/freezer (I generally keep enough staples to whip up easy things like sloppy joes, a casserole, etc.) My menu lives in my brain. I've actually never written it down. Hmmm...I may have to try that.
Thank you!
This is what I use. We're Jewish so our big meals for the week is on Friday dinner and Saturday Lunch. It also assumes that we will eat leftovers at least a couple of days a week. I print them out and use a hole punch to get it ready for the binder. Sometimes I write notes on it. If the kids didn't like it or it was really good (whatever). That way, I'll know the next time I pull it out I know what happened last time.
Happy Planning!!
I start on Sunday with sale ads and plan meals for Monday thru the following Sunday. I use MS: Publisher for the menu and just type in dinners. Usually 2 dinners for Walt to cook when he's home (he always makes leftovers for lunches), 3 for me to cook (+ leftovers for lunches) when he's at work, a frozen pizza, tossed salad, and fruit for me and DJ on Friday nights, and 1 night we wing-it with take-out.
I meal plan and have been doing it now for a few years. I buy a weekly calendar like the ones they use for appointments to build mine. I do this so I can manage my carbs for the diabetes and still meet the nutritional needs for me along with my family. It has been a great help. I also write down my meals on index cards and keep them in a recipe box so it is easier for me to meal plan. I have them separated out based on the Carbs, starchy foods, fats, veggies and proteins. Doing it for my Diabetic needs allows me to consider portion control and can figure out how much insulin I'll need for the meal. It's been a contributor in managing my diabetes. Oh yeah, I also keep a log of my meter reads with the meals. If I have a spike in numbers I can reflect back on that meal to see if I should keep it in the plan or adjust it so it has a more positive affect on my blood sugar reads.
I just checked out your meal plan draft...looks good, for me, I'd add the meter reads for my db and add snacks onto it. Love the extra activities spot you included.
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so I work around him or make him his own meal (he loves raw fish and poi, could eat it every day if we could afford it!).
Debbie
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