Meal Planning = $avings

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One area where I know I rule my budget is in the grocery category. I’m a boss at meal planning and I wanted to share how simply planning meals can help eliminate unnecessary spending when you go grocery shopping. I live on my own, so realistically I only need to cook 2-3 “types” of meals and I eat leftovers for the rest of the week. Some of you will go through groceries faster and can have more variety. This week was one of those times where I knew I wasn’t really going to be home much so I opted for larger portions of a few easy meals. Feel free to adjust this plan to your lifestyle and try it out before your next shopping trip. By knowing your menu and ingredients for the entire week, you’ll be able to go to the grocery store with confidence and not buy items that aren’t on your list. It’s important not to over plan. When I first began meal planning, I scheduled it like I had to cook every night. You don’t; just be aware of how many servings you’re preparing and I promise you’ll spend way less.

Here is my Meal Plan for the week:

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
Breakfast	Smoothie	Smoothie	Smoothie	Smoothie	Waffle w/ peanut butter and fruit	Waffle w/ peanut butter and fruit	Smoothie
Snack	Apples and peanut butter	Apples and peanut butter	Apples and peanut butter	Apples and peanut butter	Apples and peanut butter	Apples and peanut butter	Apples and peanut butter
Lunch	Veggie fajita bowl	Chickpea avocado salad	Chickpea avocado wrap	Veggie fajita salad	Chickpea Avocado Wrap	Large Salad	Large Salad
Snack	Carrots, Celery, hummus	Broccoli, grape tomatoes, hummus	Carrots, celery, hummus	Broccoli, grape tomatoes, hummus	Carrots, celery, hummus	Broccoli, grape tomatoes, hummus	Carrots, celery, hummus
Dinner	Large Dinner Salad	Veggie fajita wrap	Large Dinner Salad	Chickpea Avocado Wrap	Large Dinner Salad	Asian Stir-fry	Asian Stir-fry

 

Now that you’ve had a chance to see my meal plan, I want to break down what all of these meals will cost.

Meal Totals for the Week:

• Day 1: $5.78
• Day 2: $5.52
• Day 3: $4.90
• Day 4: $5.98
• Day 5: $4.81
• Day 6: $4.06
• Day 7: $4.10

Weekly Meal Cost = $30.34

By using this planning method, your entire week will cost you $30.34! You could spend that going out to dinner for only one night! Your grocery shopping trip will realistically cost more than that because some of these items, like condiments, tortillas, etc. will last longer than the one week period. Happy planning!