I would be the first to tell you that I am not a savings guru. As a matter of fact, as I began writing this article, I had to throw away a large amount of food out my fridge.
What I do know is that any time I avoid even just ONE of these meal planning mistakes, it helps my grocery budget.
#1 Not Shopping by Store
Right off the bat, you know which things you can get only at a particular store, whether because of availability or product preference. I buy a natural brand of peanut butter at the only store in town where I am sure it is available. I get “the basics” at that same store, but for other items which need to be picked up elsewhere, I find I spend less overall when I stick to picking up only specific items at each store. Plus, if you are a power shopper like me, getting in and out in a hurry leaves you feeling incredibly accomplished!
#2 Not Knowing Substitution Options
How many times have you zoomed out to the store like a madwoman to get a single missing ingredient so that you could complete a meal? Do you have a list of substitute options or a great cooking manual that has one for you? A couple of my favorites are greek yogurt instead of sour cream, and a combination of cream of tartar and baking soda instead of baking powder. You are liable to spend extra on that extra trip to the store, so work to study different substitutions instead. It also bears noting that if you practice taking recipes in different directions, you can quickly change course when you don’t have what you need for what you planned. This works in reverse as well. You may have planned Italian-flavored chicken but have cilantro in the fridge. Cilantro goes bad quickly. You could make the switch to a more latin-inpsired chicken and save your canned sauce for next time. It’ll keep!
#3 Not Lighting a Candle
Keeping mealtime peaceful and happy is not to be left undone and could even turn out be a frugal choice. The satisfaction of family fellowship at the table may actually cause you to talk more and eat less. Conversely, standing while eating and not eating together are sure to result in consuming MORE, and hence spending more! The first step to elevating the enjoyment of the family meal might simply be lighting a candle.
#4 Not Making a Big Deal About Snacks
While living in Asia, I learned the joy of snacking. I’m talking about eating tidbits of real food, not bags of chips or sugary treats. Including two or three healthy snacks on top of regular meals was also one of the features of a great meal plan I once used to lose an astounding amount of weight within months. Smart, well-timed snacking also seems to be the thing that offsets the “Mommy, I’m hungry’s” more than any other. I’m stubborn about planning exactly what to eat for regular meals on a broader than daily or per shopping trip basis. I’ve found that putting my heart into planning the snacks decreases the impulsive dining sprees, and keeps our family happy instead of hungry.
#5 Not Thinking About Seasonal Favorites
Certain foods are traditionally eaten around holidays and occasions. Instead of thinking of them as extras, start planning for them. Don’t plan one by one, either: look at the whole year! I actually wrote an entire year of special occasions once as a bare-bones menu plan option, and kept the paper. For example, I know I am going to make a lemon meringue pie in January for my husband’s birthday. July is fajitas, and November is Cincinnati chili and chocolate chip cookies for my birthday. Just as it makes sense to hit the back-to-school sales or holiday baking sales, so it will also make sense to get materials for your seasonal favorites when they are on sale, even if it isn’t quite time yet. All you need is a little dedicated storage for it on your shelf or in your freezer.
#6 Having Leftovers
Last night, my family and I had leftovers, but they were not the rubbery, boring, tasteless goo you are probably imagining. We just took a ten-day trip. We got home very late, and the fridge is practically bare. Enter my freezer. You see, the day before we left, I put what we had left from lunch and supper into ziplock bags and right into the freezer as soon as we were done eating. So the day after we arrived back home, we were having fresh-tasting meatloaf, red potatoes, and veggies, plus a side of a bite of quesadilla and Spanish rice! All I had to do was set out those bags for a bit, throw them on my iron skillet inside the oven, and voila! Dinner. The key with any leftover food is to think like a restaurant. Keep the food on the menu. As soon as you have put freeze-friendly food in the fridge in the proverbial leftover container, you have doomed it for a future in the trash. (Tweet this!) Wasted. Pack it in a lunch bag, or freeze it to be used another week instead!
#7 Not Settling on a Signature Hospitality Dish
As soon as somebody has a baby or a health challenge and could use meal delivery, or we have a potluck at church, I know I am going to either make pot pie, or homemade fried rice. When I see a sale on ground turkey (for the pot pie), I pick it up and throw it in my freezer. When I bake a chicken and have leftover meat and broth, I throw it in the freezer. I keep a bag of mixed veggies in the freezer which may be used in fried rice or pot pie. I stock disposable pie plates and ready made pie crusts. I’m just waiting for someone to need me to cook for them! Rather than run yourself ragged when these occasions come up, settle on something and keep ingredients for those things handy. Unless you are anti-social, this need WILL arise, and the unplanned incidents are often last-minute. If you are prepared, you won’t have a to make a special trip and spend more. You’ll be ready. As a bonus, if you choose something you’ve received compliments on, you will be known for your signature dish!
#8 Planning Something “Different”
I’ve recently had a conversation with a mom who was frustrated with picky eaters or poor results when trying new recipes. Other than budgeting savvy, you really only need to know two things for smart meal planning: what your family enjoys over and over, and basic cooking principles. I can’t tell you how thankful I am for the gift of the famous Joy of Cooking cookbook I received seventeen years ago now. Unlike your standard recipe book, it is actually a manual. Just by studying that book’s chapter on knowing your ingredients, you can master #2 and avoid a lot of frustration and questions. Without some solid cooking knowledge, trying new recipes can be frustrating and wasteful.
#9 Not Providing for Sick Days
Keep crackers, applesauce, rehydration drinks of your choice, or whatever your family eats or drinks to feel better handy. In our house, we like making a cloudy hot drink out of the starch from oatmeal or rice. Dragging a sick child (or yourself) to the store to pick up comfort food and sick day supplies is not fun.
#10 Not Expecting the Excitement
I recently misunderstood a mom as she was telling me that she craved consistency. Don’t we all? (I thought she wanted life to happen to her in a more consistent and calm manner, a fairy tale no smart mom believes.) Now, this mom was very honest, and she truly meant that she wanted to cultivate personal consistency in her life and be more prepared. I aspire to that as well. However, we often default to going to that “waiting place,” as described in the Dr. Seuss book Oh the Places You’ll Go. Waiting for Johnny to get a little older to plan meals better, waiting till we have enough time, waiting till things calm down, all that waiting means that when life happens you won’t be prepared. Dealing with THAT phone call is harder if you haven’t started dinner and the kids are whining. When you have an ambition to get supper prepped while you clean up lunch, DO IT. Go the extra mile. Life will get you down that mile quicker than you expect. You’ll be glad you put leftovers in the freezer a month before your loved one’s serious illness is announced, or that you went ahead and stockpiled staple items. If you prepare, the need for and use of what you produce during that preparation will certainly show up. It could happen today. Stop now and move those leftovers to the freezer. Chop more carrots than you need right this second. Your “in the moment of excitement” self will thank you.
#11 Using Convenience Food Inside the House
Eat what needs to be peeled with a knife at home. Whenever possible, save the things that come in their own natural package or can be eaten with peels to take with you for on-the-go snacks. In general, your convenience foods are going to last longer. The same concept holds true for whatever amount of packaged foods you use. It makes more sense to make avocados into guacamole at home and save pre-cut baby carrots for when you go on field trips, co-op, and shopping. Slice your cheese at home and save the single-serve cheese sticks for later. Resisting the urge to default to the convenient will leave you something to work with when convenience is a priority. I remember writing on something with a sharpie, “Do not eat! For trip only!”
#12 Making the Whole Meal From Scratch
I love keeping frozen veggies handy and mixing with fish, a fresh roast, or chicken bake. Fresh organic vegetables quickly sauteed or steamed pair nicely with leftover cooked meat. Store-bought coleslaw (This works with other things for that matter. It just depends on what you are getting and where!) can be stretched by adding additional cabbage that you have on hand. That last scrap of steak is great in a quesadilla, and bits of leftovers from grilling make a good salad great. Leftover meat is harder to spot when it is drowned in freshly made gravy and sided with fresh mashed potatoes and veggies. Getting the food plated ahead of time and keeping it warm in the oven makes it seem like a luxury banquet. You can serve one third to two thirds leftovers and have no one the wiser. Presentation is key. I have sent my husband out to get fast food chicken strips while I put on a pot of rice and prepared a stir fry and veggie sauce to pour over the chicken. Rotisserie chicken is AMAZING if you briefly bake it while whipping up rice, potatoes, or a veggie mix to go with it, and spruce it up a bit. Stop thinking in OR out of the box with your meals. Pick up Chinese buffet per pound, minus the rice. Make rice at home, and reheat the food in the oven while it’s cooking. Not only do you get to catch your breath coming home, but also, it’s fancy!
#13 Forgetting the Cooler
Many a drive-thru episode has been avoided by simply having cool drinks and nourishing snacks anytime we venture out of our home. I often take drinks and snacks with us, even to church. Let’s say I’m going on a shopping trip where we can purchase a snack. If I don’t plan ahead of time to do that, I open a big package of whatever I’m stocking up on and snack from that! I’m still working at being consistent with this, but the more I do it, the more we actually prefer what we bring along. If you don’t ever make it to the “so hungry I can’t see straight” stage, you don’t default to the first thing you see! When all else fails, be SURE to always have water handy. I’m always surprised at how a nice big swig of cool water can prove that I’m not actually hungry yet — just thirsty!
#14 Not Having a Regular Menu
Do you know what your family eats? Really? Can you quickly jot down what you ate LAST WEEK? Voila! You have a menu.It’s really not that complicated, as you will see in # 20.
#15 Saying “We Still Have Some”
I have only recently gotten over the habit of skipping buying something I still have a bit of at home. Warehouse store shopping is a big help. Once you’ve brought home a big enough supply of chicken broth and canned tomatoes that it lasts you for a good length of time, you are hooked. It decreases shopping trips and stress, not to mention it saves you money! Once I came to terms with the fact that there were certain things we usually eat, I could branch out and buy larger amounts of things without thinking, “It’s too much! What if I don’t have enough money for the other things on my list?” By the way, the answer is that you change the menu and next time, you will still have a large supply and be able to readjust your menu!
#16 Not Knowing What’s in Your Fridge
Keeping certain types of condiments and my eggs in fridge cubes and containers has helped me keep my fridge organized enough to actually know what’s in it! I generally put non-freeze-friendly leftovers on the top shelf, leftover meats and main dishes for immediate use on the middle shelf, condiments on the right and in the door, and produce in the very bottom. If you can’t find stuff, you won’t know what you are running out of, nor will you realize what you HAVE. This is a recipe (snicker) for waste and overspending.
#17 Not Planning on Pizza
Let’s face it. Sometimes you just need to order pizza. At least that is the perennial option for many. I say plan it ahead of time, or even make it a regular tradition, either on certain days, or under certain circumstances, such as whenever you get together with family, or whenever you finish a unit study. I love putting a few slices of leftover pizza in the freezer. It’s super to be able to have pizza for a treat, and not for a trial!
#18 Not Involving Your Kids Enough
Let those kids in the kitchen. Let them stir, set the table, pour water, ask for certain meals, and help prepare them. This is a secret weapon if you have a picky husband. Make something from scratch and pour your heart out, and you will still hear from him if it’s not his favorite. Let your child do everything but put it in and get it out of the oven, and rave about their hard work, and he will be hard-pressed to do anything but praise them!
#19 Not Letting Your Spouse Participate
From picking up parts of a not-completely from scratch meal, to asking his mom for his favorite recipe, to grilling out, your husband needs to be involved in what he is eating. Just asking him what he wants to eat when he is not hungry or when he is eating something he loves will help you flesh out your regular meal planning in a way that keeps him happy.
#20 Complicating Your Meal Planning
All the fancy printables and store-bought meal planning tools will be wasted if you don’t keep up with them. When I was going through a special meal plan with my family, I learned the value of simply putting meals right on the calendar. This works with both digital and paper calendars. If you need to look at the whole week at a glance and to be able to switch things around without being distracted by other things on your calendar, a tic tac toe grid such as my Overwhelm Zapper is great. Simply label seven of the squares created by the grid with the days of the week, and fill in the other two with options such as mom and dad’s favorite or the kid’s favorites!
#21 Complicating Your Grocery List
I keep cut in half letter-sized printer paper in a pocket near my fridge, and write in pencil tic tac toe grids for shopping lists. I usually divide them by department and/or store. So one square might have dairy items, another square dry goods, etc. Then a couple of squares might have a store name where I list only what I need to get at those specific stores.
Another way you can complicate meal planning and grocery shopping is by getting too ambitious and trying to do all of these at once. I never do all of these at once, but I consistently keep my grocery lists simple by using tic tac toe. To learn more about how tic tac toe can help you simplify, get your Overwhelm Zapper today!
Want some pretty inspiration for meal planning? Grab your free editable and printable menu planner!
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