Catch me tomorrow morning on WTHR Weekend Sunrise at 7:45 AM! Here’s a sneak peek of some of the money saving tips I’ll share.
More people get off track at the table than anywhere else in their finances. Buying the wrong foods, letting items spoil, and simply not having a plan lead to too many “quick trips” to the grocery store and oftentimes a trip through the drive thru or even too many sit-down restaurant meals. If you’re endeavoring to be more intentional with your finances in 2013, then let’s talk about Meal Planning “Musts” – ways to insure you’re eating healthfully, simply, and without food or financial waste.
1) Start with what you have. Even when we whine that there’s “nothing to eat in the whole house,” the fact is that’s simply not true. More than likely, you have enough food in your fridge, freezer, and pantry to put together 2-3 meals even if you’re not a super stockpiler. Before you write a single item on your grocery list, throw open the pantry, fridge, freezer, cabinets {where you keep food} and take a good mental inventory of what you already have. Begin making a meal plan with what you can use to prepare a meal without buying anything. Continue on with your plan basing meals on what you have plus one or two additional items to be purchased that week. Then match your coupons to sales and items in season to round out your meal plan and grocery list.
2) Get a Written Plan. Not unlike having a budget, you need a written plan week to week for your meals. If you’re even more daring, you’ll put together 2 weeks or even an entire month. I have a printable document that you can weekly download and track your meals and your grocery list together in one place. It doesn’t have to be something complex, even scratch paper will work if you know where it’s at.
3) Apps, Websites, & the Wisdom of Others. Praise the Lord there are plenty of people out there who are MUCH smarter than you and I put together. And they use the internet! Each week I post what we’re having on the Royal Table in the Queendom and you can feel free to copy what we do and tweak it for your personal tastes. I also love sites like eMeals {Weekly Dinner Menus with Matching Grocery List
} or Once A Month Mom {freezer cooking} which provide meal plans and recipes for a small fee {less than $8/month or as low as $5 depending on what you choose}. And both have all sorts of options – Vegetarian, Clean Eating, Paleo, Gluten Free and more. And I love 5DollarDinners for recipe ideas & apps like Food on the Table. And there’s a host of great meal planning ideas on Pinterest, too. In fact, I put together a Meal Planning board for you to explore and hopefully spark ideas.
4) Seasonal Shopping. You’ll need to pay attention to what items on are on sale and are in season to maximize your meal plan. It’s not a good idea to build a plan on fruits and veggies that aren’t in season or proteins that aren’t on sale.
5) Don’t Meal Plan in the Aisles or When Hungry. I have 10 Grocery Store Commandments but many are transferrable to Meal Planning, too. It’s overwhelming to meal plan while you’re in the store. There are simply too many options. And it’s not a good idea to plan while you’re hungry either. Shop smart. Get in a plan in action before you hit the store.
Meal Planning doesn’t have to be drawn out drudgery. About 15 minutes of forethought could save you hundreds of dollars each week and keep you eating more healthfully and reducing your footprint, too by not overbuying. Give it a try this week. You might be surprised at how much of a difference it makes!
*This post contains affiliate links. So while you get great resources, you might also help fund our 3-6 month emergency fund and eventually pay off our mortgage early. And for that, we royally thank you!
