As I’ve said again and again, “food” is the budget category over which we generally have the most control.
You probably can’t talk your way into a sizable discount on your auto loan, mortgage or health insurance premium, but a little ingenuity and creativity can whack your meal costs way, way back.
Erin Chase can help. The frugal genius behind “$5 Dinners” and a series of cookbooks, and co-founder of “The $5 Meal Plan,” she has created a new service that combines all her superpowers. Registration for her Grocery Budget Makeover starts Sunday, Jan. 3 and ends Monday, Jan. 11.
Her goal is to “change your mindset and methods of shopping” in 10 weeks. Not just shopping, though; meal planning, couponing and cooking tactics also figure prominently.
This is not some talking-head gourmand who doesn’t understand how regular people (including picky children) cook and eat. I actually know Erin and she is a regular person – a mother of four who avoids most processed foods due to food allergies in her family.
Each week she’ll provide videos and worksheets on topics like “stockpiling for normal people,” “time-saving kitchen and cooking hacks,” “how to score freebies every week” and “stretching your coupon buck as far as you can.”
Build a better food budget
The videos and worksheets shouldn’t eat up (ahem) more than a half-hour per week. They can be accessed when it’s convenient for you vs. tuning in at a specific day and time. (She also offers an audio-only option, which costs a little less; more on that below.)
The makeover is available in three formats:
Audio-only, $39: Worksheets, audio instruction and instant access to all 10 weeks’ worth of materials)
Regular, $49: Videos, worksheets, Grocery Budget Formula worksheet, extra videos about shopping apps and shopping for families with food allergies, private Facebook support group, the option of paying in three installments)
“Extreme,” $79: Everything from the Regular version plus a $5 code to the $5 Dinners store (aka “one free item”), additional videos on “store hopping” and “deep-dive couponing.” In addition, she will schedule three time slots for group phone coaching, “to discuss struggles and challenges and come up with solutions to fix them”; the sessions should last between one and two hours, depending on how many people join in and the types of questions they ask.
Again, you must register before Jan. 11. If the $49 or $79 versions of the Grocery Budget Makeover don’t make a difference in the way you shop and eat, she invites you to apply for a refund.
Full disclosure: Should you use either of the links above I will receive an affiliate fee (which helps me maintain this website).
Good luck, and happy shopping, saving and eating in 2016.
Related reading:
Goal-oriented groceries
The boiling bag
Should you boycott restaurants?
The low-maintenance preppers
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