How to Create Inspired Goals for Your Kitchen in 2024

Understanding “Why” You Need to Set Kitchen Goals

The first thing I’ll ask you is “Why?”

Why are you doing this? And why are you concerned or even thinking about setting goals for your kitchen? This being trying to save money on groceries or preserving food at home. 

What is it that makes you want to pay closer attention to the foods you eat and cook? Having goals gives our brains some focus & stability. It creates a picture in our mind that hopefully we can’t shake. I read a psychology article all about the importance, benefits & value of goal setting that dissected some research on the matter over the years. If you like data & cognitive discussions it’s pretty interesting ahahhah

When you begin to think about these things, you’ll find yourself on a little bit of a self-discovery journey. And all I’m really hoping to do right now is help you unearth the forces behind your desire to level up your kitchen skills.

Are you in search of a healthier lifestyle or trying to minimize food waste? Did you just catch the self-sufficiency bug because that’s all I talk about here? 

Whatever it turns out to be, reflecting on these questions will help you uncover the core motivations that will fuel your journey.

Your “why” is the compass. So no matter how chaotic the cabinets get, how far off budget you find yourself or how many times you eat out in a month return to your why. It’s the guiding light that keeps you focused on your kitchen goals. 

Assessing Your Kitchen Landscape

There’s no better place to start than at the beginning. 

Where are you now? You need to take a candid look at your current kitchen & food habits to lay a solid foundation for what’s ahead. If you can’t be truthful with yourself now, what makes you think farther down the line will be any different? 

I get this bit may be grim. It may be bleak. But face the music then keep on going forward. When I reflect on my current situation, I’m not satisfied but there are parts I’m incredibly proud of – like how serious I took preserving food so we can fallback on it. And there’s parts I’m not so proud of like how some months we spend nearly as much in groceries eating out. 

But this much I know & want to say to you. You won’t appreciate where you’re going if you don’t understand where you already are. 

How do you assess your kitchen?
Well, you can begin by scrutinizing your grocery spending on a weekly basis, dissecting each dollar allocated to food purchases. So remember to include those swipes for fast food purchases too! 

Reflect on your meal planning routines if you have one. Are they efficient & effective or are they lacking & need a pick me up? What about your cooking skills? Honestly assess these, acknowledging your strengths & where you still need to grow.

And finally, I’d say dive into your knowledge of food preservation. Maybe you’re not aware of what’s going on in the world, more specifically with food, because you don’t follow the news. Or don’t like to read the news like me. I deffffffinitely rely on my husband to relay critical information to me because I just can’t process news & media well enough to do it myself.  

But even if that’s you, you have to know that something is missing. What you see in the grocery stores isn’t all there is to know. And quite honestly, it’s not even truthful sometimes. So you can’t & shouldn’t rely on any one source for all your food.

After all, food is the substance of life right? So, don’t put all your eggs in one basket hello. And I don’t just mean spread out where you shop – though that’s good too. I mean, get some food from the store or the market, from your own pantry of preserved foods & then eventually from your own hand (garden, pasture, etc.).

Do you feel confident in your understanding of preservation techniques, or is there room to expand your expertise? Don’t rely on things being the same next week or your loyalty program benefits saving you the most money. 

This is your moment of introspection. So, just recognize your triumphs & the potential hurdles on your path to kitchen mastery.

Setting SMART Kitchen Goals

Now that we’ve peeped the landscape, it’s time to chart out the course. And the best way to do that is by setting SMART kitchen goals. I wouldn’t be surprised if you hear this & blank over. I still do occasionally. But SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, and these criteria are the cornerstones of all really great goal-writting. Kind of like how the adjacent spaces of the kitchen tend to always be the same regardless of how a kitchen remodel is designed. It’s like the kitchen & dining room have to be together, no matter what.

Let me break it down for you. 

• Specific goals leave no room for ambiguity. We’re not out here willy-nillying our way to greater self-sufficiency. You have to outline exactly what you aim to achieve. If you don’t, then who’s to say you never end up attaining it? 
• Measurable goals is how you track progress and celebrate milestones along the way. Pretty self-explanatory, but if you don’t know that you’re making progress, you won’t know that you’re making progres…
• Achievable goals means within your grasp. That kitchen objective you defined is challenging but it’s realistic too. No fairy godmothers here. 
• Relevant is how well aligned your goal is. It’s the piece that says “Does this fit with my current values & hopes & dreams?” What’s the point of setting a goal & then achieving it if it goes totally left of what you actually care about? When you set a goal, it needs to have a meaningful outcome. 
• Time-bound goals mean they have a deadline. This will keep you focused & accountable. Don’t leave home without it.

Alright so let’s put it together now. 

If you generically thought “I need a goal for saving money in the kitchen” you could SMART it like this. “I will reduce my monthly grocery spending by 15% over the next three months by meal planning, buying in bulk, and batch cooking.” And if you did that btw, I’d love to come over there & kick it with you in the kitchen to make it happen.

Maybe you’re in this boat for the food; let’s not act like we don’t both really like good food hello. So your SMART goal for eating healthy might be: “I will cook at least three homemade meals per week using fresh, whole ingredients to improve my family’s nutrition &w overall health.”

And here’s one of my personal favorites, a SMART goal for preserving food. “I will learn & implement two new food preservation techniques into my kitchen skills toolkit, like canning & freezing, so that in six months I will have reduced my food waste while extending the shelf life of my favorite foods.”

I created this workbook to help you neatly & clearly track your thoughts on this task. So if you choose to buy a copy for yourself it will simplify & organize your goals.
Optional, but highly recommended of course!

Buy Now ($2.99)

Create goals you can actually achieve

Now, it’s your turn. Craft your own SMART kitchen goals tailoring them to your unique circumstances & priorities. You don’t need to wait for New Year to do it either. 

Prioritizing Kitchen Goals

There’s no limit to how many kitchen objectives you create using the SMART method, but I recommend focusing on 2-3 at a time. I mean, these aren’t your only goals in life although I do hope they’re closely tied to your others. But now it’s time to sort through the clutter and pinpoint your top priorities. The MUST HAVE’s of your goals. If you had more than 3, chisel it down to 3 so that you can get the maximum impact off your efforts. This is a great way to go about that.

First, consider urgency. Which goals demand immediate attention? Perhaps reducing your grocery bill to free up money for other essentials is top of the top. Or maybe mastering meal planning is crucial to lowering your daily stress levels. The priorities will be different for every woman & household, but choose the goals that hold the key to smoother kitchen operations.

Next, evaluate impact. Which goals promise the most significant benefits? Learning to & practicing how to cook from scratch is great! It could drastically change your family’s food eating experience. Then again, picking up food preservation methods could really help bolster your pantry stocks for any unexpected leaner times. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Just think back to 2020 when grocery stores everywhere were closed/empty or just shut down for days/weeks at a time. The closer you can keep food to your door, the better off you’ll be.

Lastly, assess feasibility or practicality. Which goals are within your reach – like do you have the proper resources? 

Once you’ve consider each of these points, you should have 3 kitchen goals you want to start with. 

Creating an Action Plan

Now that you’ve identified your kitchen goals, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and create a concrete action plan. Less talking & more doing. But I’ll lead with this: 

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will your kitchen. Sometimes things don’t go according to plan.

But breaking down larger goals into smaller, bite-sized tasks will make things feel more manageable. Start small & gain some easy wins to build momentum. Focus on one or two key areas so you don’t spread yourself too thin. Like the lesson I learned about gardening potatoes – you need to bury leaves as they come up so the plant channels that energy into producing spuds not foliage. You need to do the same. Channel your effort into a key area to make steady progress.

Related blog posts: How to Set Up Your First Kitchen & How to Arrange Kitchen Appliances (from Small to Large)

When it comes to breaking down each goal into actionable steps think about this. What specific actions will propel you towards success? Whether it’s meal prepping on Sundays or researching budget-friendly recipes, clarity is key.

Next, consider the resources you need to execute your plan. What kitchen tools or ingredients do you need? Are you going to need some specific cookbooks or online tutorials or is this something you need a local workshop on? 

Set the deadlines to keep yourself accountable. I know it can be hard staying accountable only to yourself, but if that’s where you are, that’s all you can do. I once read that we only take actions that our brains believe we’re capable of. So if you keep telling yourself it’s ok to slip on goals, you dull your ability to complete them in the first place. 

Assign realistic timelines to each task, but be sure that they align with your larger goals. Remember, a sense of urgency can be a powerful motivator. So kick the procrastination bug by factoring in some tighter timelines from the beginning.

Lastly, don’t overlook the importance of accountability. If you have anyone around you that you talk to, share your goals with them. Friend, family, neighbor whoever. People often appreciate being needed & you also never know who’ll ask you did you do XYZ yet. If you have someone you actually like, consider setting up regular check-ins to review your progress. Plus, they can celebrate your milestones with you. Creating goals would also be a great way to get your family involved in the kitchen too!

The proof will be in the pudding. A detailed action plan tailored to your unique goals will help you achieve massive success. Plus, it’ll pave the way for a more efficient, enjoyable kitchen experience. 

Conclusion

By identifying your priorities, writing out your SMART kitchen goals & implementing a detailed action plan you’ll be on your way! But focus on taking it one step at a time, lovely. Every small victory brings you closer to your ultimate vision of a thriving, powerful, money saving, we eat good kitchen.

And I’d love if you share your experiences, challenges wins with me! Whether through the comments section below or over on my IG. We do this together.

You got this girl.

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