For most people, Sunday is a day to putter around the house, do a little cleaning and maybe watch some TV. In other words, on Sunday, you probably have a little extra time on your hands. So, why not spend an hour or so planning your meals for the week? It’s fun, productive, and will save you time and money.

Start by making a master list of meals you know your family likes. You could even do this while you’re still in bed, enjoying a late morning start. Write down the ingredients for these meals as you go. When you’re done, check out our recipe section and other recipe sites to add one or two new meals each week. This will keep your dinners interesting, and you may even discover a few new family favorites.

Once you’re finished, it’s time to head to the kitchen to see what ingredients you already have and what you’ll need to buy (don’t forget to check sell-by dates on perishable items — especially dairy products). This step is crucial because it will prevent you from ending up with a cupboard full of duplicate spices and other ingredients.

Once you’ve got your shopping list, it’s time to download or clip your coupons and head to the store to buy your groceries for the week. By making a single, well-planned grocery run each week, rather than multiple trips to shop for individual meals, you’ll save money and reduce waste, which is good for your family and the environment.

To make your planning and shopping even easier, consider using an app such as Evernote, which can sync across multiple devices. So, for instance, you can write up your shopping list on your laptop and it will update on your smartphone at the same time. As you shop, you can delete items from your smartphone, and those changes will be reflected on your laptop back at home.