Step by Step Fail-Proof Meal Planning
Gain Control of Your Budget and Your Life!
Do you love the idea of saving a boatload of money through meal planning, but every time you try, it seems to cost you more money? You’ve come to the right place! No complicated coupon cutting, you don’t even need to shop the ads! This is a very basic, step by step instructional on how to start menu planning. This post will be broken into three sections. Part 1 will be the first planning steps. Part 2 will continue with the next steps for those who would like to create their own paper menu planning system. Part 3 will continue for those who would like to use MealBoard, an amazing iPhone app that does all the work for you. You can find out more about MealBoard here, and we’ll cover it extensively in Part 3.
or… If you know you want to use MealBoard, skip ahead to Using MealBoard to Menu Plan.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click & make a purchase, I receive a small commission that helps keep the Busy Budgeter up and running. Read my full disclosure policy here.
ra-siegel says
Gegenseite anerkannt und müssen übernommen werden.
The Busy Budgeter says
Umm… Thanks? 🙂
Brittany says
I love your tip about taking into account about your lifestyle when starting a meal plan. It makes so much sense! The way one person plans their meals may not work for another. Great advice!
The Busy Budgeter says
Thanks Brittany! It took us a long time to realize that baby steps were the way to go. Don’t go from eating out 7/week to making your own bread and ketchup. 🙂
Gene says
I try to be very frugal with my meals. I am working but my husband has been out of work for 4 months after an accident. He was also out of work for 4 months 2 years ago, so I have been through this before. For several years I have eaten only snacks like bulk dried fruit and nuts for lunch at work, never went out for lunch, never bought coffee during my lunch break. I would always make my coffee at home and turn the crock pot on low before I left for work at 6am on my 1.5 hour commute. I have always tried to scrimp and save, and I do not believe in going to restaurants after working in food service. I try to make one meal that stretches from Monday to Thursday, and then make a new meal on Friday. I do not buy many pre-packaged foods. I try to buy what is on sale. Groceries are less expensive in GA than in TN, even with added tax. I spend $400/month on groceries for my husband and I. The thing that I spend the most on is probiotics. I try to include yogurt, sauerkraut, kombucha, and kefir. I have to spend more when I run out of coffee or vitamins or bath products. I buy the generic brand of everything. I try to use coupons and rebate apps. I feel that I am doing all that I can to cut back on spending, but I am still barely scraping by and my rent, bills, and credit card bills make me break even every month. I am trying my best to be healthy and I can only afford to have whole milk coffee in the morning for breakfast and dinner when I get home, which is probably only 1,000 calories total. I am not trying to place blame, but my husband is not on board. He will go out and buy a soda or an energy drink, get fast food, and buy frozen pizzas while I am at work and eats them before I get home. He goes out to eat with friends frequently while I do not. He says he wants to meal plan and there are always leftovers and vegetables in the refrigerator, but I am unsure how to break this spending habit that has been going on for years. I have to cut back on my personal spending to make up for it. I think one thing that I can cut out of my budget is streaming movies and TV. However, I decided to sign up for it to avoid going to the movie theater. I am having a hard time budgeting on my salary of $2,800/month. Our rent is $895. I spent $400 on gas each month commuting to work, so I decided to move closer to my workplace. Now I spend $250 on gas each month. Any suggestions?