Not really notes, but off the top of my head: 1) We pull up Mint, categorize anything that isn't and look at how last week's spending compares with the budget. 2) We talk day by day over the week - special events, working late, etc. We dedicate Thursday to having people over for dinner, so we talk about who and what to make for them. 3) We've got a not-nearly-enough-organized list of 'the usual' meals, and we do a sketchy job of lining that up against what's in the fridge/pantry, and against what we haven't had in awhile. If it's Fall/Winter, we usually make a stew or soup or casserole or two for lunch/dinner Sunday and leftovers/lunches the rest of the week. We'll decide Sunday morning, and make it that afternoon, or the following week if we're missing some key ingredient. We buy bulk stuff on our Saturday runs to Costco, produce and such on Sunday afternoons, and there's sometimes a Wednesday or Thursday trip to fill in bits for Thursday dinner.

Hope that helps... I'm sure someone's put more thought into it than we have.