Menu Board.

For as much time as Pinterest sucks out of my day, it also gives me some really great ideas. My latest implemented project was centered around home management. I made this menu board to help plan our meals and take the guesswork out of what's for dinner:

The board consists of clothespins hot-glued to the frame that hold that day's main dish and side dish. The green pockets labeled "M" and "S" hold the cardstock strips (one for main dishes, one for sides). When I need to make the next week's meal plan, I just pull out the cardstock until I've filled the clothespins.

The front of each strip of paper has the name of the meal, and the back lists the ingredients and the recipe's location. This way, I can use the board to make my grocery list and know exactly where to find the corresponding recipe when it's time to make dinner.

My inspiration was this project from Cassie over at the blog Two In Diapers. Here's what her menu board looks like:

Photo courtesy of Two In Diapers.

She has her cardstock laminated, which I haven't had the chance to get to yet. She also used crayon boxes covered in scrapbook paper to hold her meal items, but I didn't have any of those lying around, and my goal was to do the menu board 100% for free. Instead,  I made pockets out of heavy textured paper. I then slapped on "M" and "S" letters:

The pockets are held open by two pushpins that are also keeping them attached to the board.

While I do have an extra frame on hand, I didn't have a good place to hang it. I did have a bulletin board already hanging in the kitchen/dining area for photos and reminders. I decided to use a piece of ribbon to divide the menu side from the small area that would still be used for photos and reminders. Here's a photo of the entire board:

Since I was going for free, my mom graciously gave me seven of her clothespins to use so I didn't have to buy any. I used a hot glue gun to add small strips of paper with the days of the week onto the clothespins. Finally, I added a piece of cardstock to the top and used my Cricut to cut out the MENU letters in a fun pattern:

The new system is working nicely so far. If I make something new and my husband likes it, I know that I can add it into the rotation, and I don't have to try and remember which of the recipes in my many cookbooks or Pinterest boards are approved.

My next Pinterest home management project will hopefully be a chore chart for the refrigerator!