Meal Planning
Meal planning is a critical part of my plan to keep my grocery bill lower. Just like any goal, going in with a plan sets you up for success. Apply this to both your grocery budget AND creating balanced meals.
Take note of what you have for leftovers already so you know how many days you need to buy food!
Find your recipes and build your meal plan for the week. For dinner, I typically plan for 3 days of cooking, 2 days of leftovers, and 1 day of eating out/ordering in. Building in leftovers is an important part of the meal planning process so that you do not throw away food (money) when it goes bad. Some will also find that only planning for 2-3 days at a time works better than a week at a time. I also use this time to figure out what I would like to add to meals to make it more balanced.
Sit down and write down all the ingredients you need for the recipes you plan on making and any convenient items for breakfast or lunch. I usually do frozen egg bites and toast for breakfast and bagged salad or leftovers for lunch. Once you have written your grocery list double check what you already have on hand. After that, I like to sort out where I am buying certain items at, I typically shop at Aldi and Costco. More on that in a later post!
Lastly, pick up your groceries and display your weekly meal plan (I usually just do dinners) somewhere you will see it. I like to display it in my kitchen. This helps you stick to your plan but also remember to be flexible! Some nights you may be busier than planned and you need to do leftovers or order in when you originally planned to cook. Sometimes you had less leftovers that you planned so you cook that night instead. THAT IS OKAY! You are likely doing a lot better with a plan than you would’ve been doing without it!
Find Ingredient Alternatives
Find a replacement in your fridge or pantry when you run out of an item
This one is hard but so good! I am guilty of replacing something as soon as we run out. I didn’t even look for alternatives in my own house before quickly adding it to the grocery list. For some, this tip may take a little more headspace but it can also be a fun challenge. Try it for a week or even just a few days to extend going to the grocery store.
More often than not you will find something at home that you can use as a replacement for your “go-to’s”.
Here are some examples:
You usually have waffles for breakfast → make overnight oats with that oatmeal sitting in the pantry
Mac n’ cheese is a staple on the weekends → make buttered noodles with parmesan
You run out of fresh fruit → find the frozen fruit in the back of your freezer and either thaw and eat or throw it in a blender to make a smoothie
Your kids love PB&J’s but you just ran out of bread → grab those tortillas from last week’s tacos and make and PB&J quesadilla
It may take some creativity to find replacements but you will cut back on food waste and your grocery budget will thank you! This week I am doing a pantry/fridge/freezer clean out and using what I have on hand. I will be going to the store to get a few produce items but that’s it! I’ll share all the random dinners I make this week with you guys!
Store Pick-Up
Start doing pick-up orders!
There are four main reasons I love doing pick-up orders.
- Such a time saver!! There are some stores I have been shopping at lately that don’t have pick-up and it kills me! It takes me over an hour those days to grocery shop and honestly, who has time for that anymore?!
- By adding everything to your cart you can easily see the total cost before you even purchase! So, if you have a set budget for groceries that you are aiming for, you can quickly compare and make changes as needed.
- I am less likely to impulse buy on an app! Walking through a grocery store can make it so tempting to grab something extra.
- It allows you to shop at multiple stores in the same time it would take you to physically go into one store! This can also make it easier to price-match certain items at different stores.
Go to the Store Less
Try going to the grocery store less! My goal is always once a week but I know people who go daily! If that is you, try going every 2-3 days. This will require some extra planning (see my tip #1!)
Each time you walk into the store, you are tempted to buy something you don’t actually need. The grocery store is designed to sell you items by putting yummy items on display and also at checkout. The store wants you to spend more money so they can make a bigger profit. The less often you go means fewer chances for things to sneak into your cart!
Set a goal this week to go less and plan ahead so you walk into the grocery store sticking to your list!
Do you ever get to the point where your fridge is full of spoiled produce or leftovers from a week ago? This is a good sign that you are overbuying!
Stop Over-Buying
Get realistic with how many times a week you need to cook and how many days of leftovers that will give you. This is definitely trial and error but it is something worth paying attention to.
For my family of 4, we typically make 3-4 dinners. This gives us enough leftovers for dinners and most lunches.
Then we will add in some bagged salad or sandwiches for additional lunches.
Breakfast is simple - frozen waffles, frozen egg bites, or overnight oats with some fruit.
Remember this: when you are throwing away food, you are also throwing away money.
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