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For those who don’t already meal plan when you hear this idea you might instantly think ….that sounds like a lot of work. In actuality once you get the hang of it, it can become more of a rinse, lather, and repeat situation.
You sit down once a week or for those who are more advanced maybe even once a month. Plan out what you are going to eat for each day and plan your shopping list for those meals. It is 15 minutes of work once a week that will save you time and money in the long run.
For anyone who is trying to save money, pay off debt, and become financially independent you must make a budget. The first thing you should take a look at is how much you are spending on food. It quickly adds up especially if you eat out for lunch every day or go through a drive-thru often for dinner. I know we all have busy lives. Having enough time and energy to always cook at home after a long day sometimes seems impossible.
In the post below you will find a few tips to help you easily create and stick to a meal plan so you can save more time and money! (PLUS free printables!)
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How does meal planning save time and money?
- No More – Last-minute discussions about what’s for dinner tonight
- No More – Pulling through the drive thru for overpriced convenience food
- No More – Extra trips to the grocery store to get an ingredient that you are out of
- No More – Extra trips to the grocery store only to get what you need for one meal at a time
- No More – Checking out at the grocery store only to find out that you completely went over your budget because you went in without a plan and/or a list
With meal planning you have the ingredients ready on hand and you already know what you’re making ahead of time.
Meal planning is about being organized. It is planning out dinners, and grocery shopping for them before they happen rather than scrambling at the last-minute or just on a whim.
What is the best way to stay organized when meal planning?
- The best way to keep this organized is by having a dry erase board on the fridge that can be erased and changed weekly or monthly like this one. This way it is quick for you to reference when you are in the kitchen, and easily seen so everyone is on the same page about what’s for dinner.
- You should also have a blank paper printout that you can write on when you are making your weekly meal plan and grocery list. If you sign up for our mailing list we will give you a free copy of our weekly meal plan printable, free printable grocery list and a few extras!
- Or if you choose to try the $5.00 Meal Plans (which I discuss below) they send you the weekly meal plan and shopping list already put together. All you have to do is print. Then you can copy it onto your dry erase board once you have decided what you are having each night for everyone to see.
- Finally, you should invest in some good Tupperware that you can use to bring leftovers to work for lunches rather than eat out every day. Save the money that you would be spending on a drive thru combo meal for lunch everyday (easily $7.00/day) for a week (or Monday-Friday). Instead eat leftovers from your meal planning. You will save $35.00 a week (or Monday-Friday) which adds up to $ 140.00 per month. Well worth it!
How does meal planning reduce stress?
Just like with anything in life if you have a plan beforehand and are organized you are better able to handle any situation.
Meal planning reduces the number of last-minute meal “situations”. No more having a long day and being completely too tired to figure out what is for dinner. Meal planning takes all of these stress factors out of the equation because you already know what you planned, and the ingredients are at home waiting for you!
Meal planning also reduces stress by helping you stick to a budget. I can’t tell you how many times I have gone into the grocery store without a list and completely went over budget. When you make your meal planning grocery list you kind of have an idea of how much things are going to cost. You can swap more expensive meals out for a cheaper one if needed, before going into the store. It will make sticking to a budget much easier.
What is $5.00 Meal Plans?
When I first heard of $5.00 Meal Plans I didn’t quite understand the concept. If I was trying to save money by meal planning then why would I pay an extra $5.00 a month for the meal plan? Well there are many different benefits you can get from $5.00 meal plan. We will go into detail on 5 of the benefits below.
Benefit #1
You may start out meal planning on your own but quickly start losing momentum. It is that way with anything new you try. The first couple of weeks go great but then you slowly start going back to your old habits. $5.00 meal plan takes all the hard work out of it by planning the meals and making the grocery list for you each week. They even have the option to build your own weekly plan. This way you can pick your favorite meals on the list. You just drag and drop the meals you prefer and print! It’s that easy!
Benefit #2
$5.00 meal plan only sends you budget friendly meals. They are strategically created by Erin Chase who is also known as $5.00 Dinner Mom. She is able to put meals together that she can make for about $5.00 or a little more. (She gives bonus videos on how she does this as well).
Benefit #3
They offer a gluten-free version of $5.00 meal plan which is also budget friendly. If you have ever tried eating healthier or gluten-free you know that it can totally cause you to go over budget fast. Once you are signed up with $5.00 meal plan you have access to bonuses. One bonus is a 31 days of gluten-free meals e-book. (She gives tips on how to stick to a budget with food allergies in the e-book also.)
Benefit #4
After the two-week free trial of $5.00 meal plan you get access to their library of meals. This comes in handy because they are organized in four different categories.
- meal of the day
- cooking method
- ingredients
- dietary preferences
If you already have meat and ingredients in your pantry that you want to use you can search by ingredients. This will give you a list of recipes for you to cook with foods you already have at home!
Benefit #5
If you do not like something that is on the meal plan for the week you can substitute it. You can substitute it for one of your own easy recipes. Or, you can search through the database to find another recipe that you do like. Some of the recipes listed are not things I would normally prepare. This type of variety gets me to try something new every once in a while.
Final Thoughts
Here at The Peculiar Green Rose I am constantly looking for things that will simplify life. Meal planning helps you save time, money, and makes life a little less stressful. I would say it is a definite win!
Do you have any meal planning tips or tricks that save you time and money?
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