10 Meal Planning Tips To Save You Time And Money
Meal planning can be a game-changer for busy families looking to save both time and money. By taking a little time each week to plan your meals, you can streamline your grocery shopping, reduce food waste, and ensure that nutritious and delicious meals are always on the table. Keep reading to learn about my 10 meal planning tips to save you time and money.
Meal planning is not just a tool for organizing your meals; it’s a savvy strategy that can transform your approach to cooking, eating, and budgeting. By dedicating a small amount of time upfront to plan your meals for the week, you can significantly reduce the daily stress of deciding what to cook, cut down on impulse purchases at the grocery store, and minimize food waste.
Whether you’re a busy professional, a parent managing a hectic schedule, or simply someone looking to eat more healthily without breaking the bank, mastering the art of meal planning can be a game-changer. Here’s how you can harness the power of meal planning to save both time and money effectively.
How to Create a Budget Friendly Meal Plan
1. Create a weekly meal calendar
Start by taking a look at your schedule for the week. Outlining your meals for the week ahead based on what you have going on. Consider your schedule and plan accordingly — quick meals for busy nights and perhaps more elaborate dishes when you have more time.
On a night that your family is going in every which way choose a meal that is quick and easy, and perhaps even portable. This is not the time to try a new recipe.
2. Take inventory of what you have
Before making your meal plan, check your pantry, fridge, and freezer. Note down what ingredients you already have to avoid buying duplicates. Take a look at some recipes you’d like to make and compare the ingredients against what you already have on hand.
Be sure to also check out expiration dates of food items so you can use them up rather than letting them go to waste and spending money on new ingredients (I may or may not be guilty of this so I speak from experience).
3. Plan around sales and seasonal produce
Check out local grocery store flyers for discounts and base your meals around what’s on sale. Opt for seasonal produce, which tends to be fresher and cheaper.
I love this seasonal produce guide when I am trying to stick to a meal plan that follows the seasons. There is nothing like a delicious butternut squash in the Fall months, and a lemon blueberry cake in the Spring.
4. Take a day to batch cook in bulk
Cook large batches of staple foods like grains, proteins, and sauces that you can use in multiple meals throughout the week.
Breads, muffins, waffles, soups, and sauces are easy items to batch cook and then freeze for use during the week. This saves cooking time and money by reducing the temptation to order takeout. Prepare meals in advance and freeze them in individual portions.
5. Prep ingredients ahead of time
Wash, chop, and portion out ingredients like vegetables or meat as soon as you get home from the store. This makes assembling meals during the week much quicker.
It may seem like a daunting task when you are tired and wanting to sit, but your future self will certainly thank you!
6. Plan for leftovers
Embrace leftovers as planned meals or ingredients for new dishes. For example, roast a whole chicken for dinner (or totally get the one from Costco), then use the leftover meat for sandwiches, tacos or salads.
Choose meals that will allow you to double the recipe so you can freeze some for later. Tacos tonight, spaghetti tomorrow.
7. Keep it simple
As tempting as it may be, you don’t need to cook gourmet meals every night. Simple recipes with fewer ingredients are often quicker to prepare and cost less.
Create a list of meals your family loves and put those babies on rotation. You can change up how you make things to avoid burnout, but goodness me, give yourself some grace and keep it simple.
8. Avoid boxed or processed foods
Not only are processed dinners unhealthy for you, they are also expensive. These convenience items may save time to prepare but will hurt your budget.
I try to stick with the “semi-homemade” (remember the Food Network show?) method. Here, most ingredients are fresh and only a handful are packaged like pastas, tortillas, and cereals.
This method is much more budget-friendly and better for your health. Here is my shameless nurse plugin…if you must buy prepackaged food (no judgement, here) choose low sodium options.
9. Stick to your list
Once you have planned your meals for the week, create a list of grocery items you will need from that list. Again, this will entail some prior planning on your part. But, creating and sticking to a list of needed items will help reign in over-spending and lower your grocery bill.
Stick to your meal plan and grocery list to avoid impulse buys. This not only saves money but also ensures you have everything you need for the week.
10. Pay attention to price per unit
I couldn’t discuss meal planning without mentioning the cost of groceries. Do you ever notice how grocery stores have sale price signs in bright neon yellow? These displays catch your eye rather quickly. But, what they don’t show you is how much you are paying per unit.
For example, if a 28 ounce can of tomatoes costs $1.29, the price per ounce is $0.046. The price per ounce is generally listed on the shelf tag. It is important to know the price per unit (in this case per ounce) because a smaller size of the same item can actually be more expensive.
Save money at the store by becoming a savvy shopper and be sure to look at the price per unit on all price tags.
I hope these simple meal planning tips can help you reign in your grocery bill and save you time.
