Budget Meal Planning: Easy Tips To Help You Plan Your Meals On A Budget
I’m always on the hunt for good healthy recipes while we are budget meal planning. I’ll sit for hours scouring the internet and it seems like I get sucked into what I can the Pinterest warp zone.
Pinterest is like this really fun dimension that I always seem to get lost in. Looking at all the pretty pictures and finding new recipes or crafts that I want to try and pinning those to my boards.
P.S. If you want to see all of the delicious recipes I find, follow me on Pinterest!
Meal planning for this family can get very stressful sometimes. Each of the kids has become very picky about what they eat. That makes it really hard to find good recipes everyone will enjoy.
For example, my son is on his banana bread kick right now. That’s all he wants to eat. Of course, he can’t live off banana bread so I have to convince him of other things to eat. That can be a challenge at times!
My daughter is on a salmon kick, so we are often fixing salmon in the Air Fryer for her along with these Instant Pot potatoes. At least she chooses a more healthy meal!
Benefits of Meal Planning
Along with expanding our garden and using our leftover food scraps to start the garden, we are coming up with healthy meal plan ideas. Not only will this help us incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables it will help us save money.
Here are some of the benefits for planning your meals:
- Budget meal planning helps you save money.
- You eat healthier foods that are good for you.
- It can save you time and reduce stress.
- You waste less food.
Tips To Help You Plan Your Meals On A Budget
Make A Menu
Take a day out of the week to plan your meals for the week or month ahead. Having a menu prepared will allow you to get everything you need so you aren’t spending extra money grocery shopping.
I have a free meal planner printable bundle that you can download to help you stay organized!
Create A Grocery List & Stick To It
After you have your meals planned, make a grocery list of everything you will need.
As you gather a list of the items you need, be sure to check your cabinets and fridge for items you already have, that way you’re not spending more money on things you don’t need.
Buy In Bulk
As you are planning your meals and making your shopping list, if you know there are foods that you will plan to use a lot of, it may be cheaper to buy those items in bulk. Buying in bulk can also help you avoid multiple trips to the store and avoid extra spending.
When you buy in bulk, make sure you are buying items that you know your family will eat so it doesn’t go to waste. For instance, if your family eats a lot of chicken, buy frozen chicken in bulk so that you have it on hand when you are ready to use it.
Consider Meal Plan Services
If you have a small family or are just meal planning for two, you might consider using a meal plan service. Most often, these are inexpensive and they offer healthy food with just enough portions.
Some popular meal plan services include:
