Savvy Shopper: How planning your meals can save you $60 a week
Want to make some extra cash? In this current environment, it’s hard to get promoted or find a side hustle. But there is a solution and it only takes 15 minutes out of your week.
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Want to get an extra $60 a week? In this current environment, it’s hard to get promoted or find a side hustle.
But there is a way: Spend 15 minutes a week developing a menu plan.
Before you go shopping, prepare a plan. “But I’m not that organised,” you might think. “And I don’t want to be that regimented. We’re a home, not a military academy!”
When I don’t meal plan I always spend more time and money than planned. I succumb to impulse buying, and often forget to buy little extra bits I need to go with a meal. I might remember, for instance, the beef mince but forget to buy a tin of tomatoes then find myself racing through the shopping aisles at the last minute.
Without a meal plan I also end up wasting food by buying more than we need. In part this is because it is so easy to get tempted. A foodie friend once told me how she loves grocery shopping and gets excited by fresh produce. “The problem is that at the end of the week, I end up finding these limp, tired vegetables I had forgotten about – I buy so much and then I end up not using them.” Yep, that’s me when I don’t have a meal plan!
On average, Australian families spend around $300 a week on groceries. Also on average, one in five bags of groceries are wasted. If you reduce 20 per cent of your weekly grocery bill by meal planning you could save $60 a week – and reduce food waste at the same time.
Some people are meticulously organised and plan their meal in detail – weeks or even months in advance. This can be important for people struggling financially, who have large families to cater for, or who live a long way from the shops.
But I’m less structured. My method takes 15 minutes over a cup of tea, usually drafted on the back of an envelope to save paper.
Having a plan saves us a fortune, yet we often deviate from the plan. For instance, last week I felt too tired to make quiche so we treated ourselves to fish and chips from the freezer instead. This is still cheaper (and healthier) than takeaway and we’ll have quiche next week instead.
SERINA’S SIX STEPS TO DRAFTING A 15-MINUTE MEAL PLAN
1. Get comfortable and sit down with a cup of tea or coffee. Make menu planning feel as enjoyable as reading the newspaper or doing a crossword puzzle. Sit down with a pen and notepaper – or use your mobile phone – and let the creative process flow.
2. Think about the food you need to use up. T this week I need to use up a wombok (Chinese cabbage) so I’ve planned meals to use this up.
3. Incorporate seasonal fruit and vegetables. Plan around the types of fruit and vegetables that are in season to maximise your savings and enjoy the delight of eating when produce is at its best. For instance, now is a great time to eat things like brussels sprouts (my favourite), navel oranges, fresh strawberries, carrots and potatoes.
4. Plan what your week looks like. Many people plan for seven evening meals a week, yet they might not sit down to dinner as a family every night. For instance, we often have dinner with our in-laws on a Friday night. And (now that COVID restrictions have eased in my area), my youngest son has footy training on Wednesday nights so my husband (and other son) cook that night.
5. Place the final menu where everyone can see it. I write my meal plan on a large scheduler on the fridge. I get a lot less ‘what’s for dinner’ questions when it’s written in black and white. And it’s easier for hubby to step in and help me when he knows what the plan is. It’s easier for me as well as it’s one less thing in a busy day to think about.
6. Add meal plan items to the shopping list. Think about what you need to buy to make your meal plan come true. For instance, if you have curry on the menu, do you have rice? Coconut cream? Pappadums or naan bread? Curry paste? Chutney? Think about what you’re serving it with and check supplies before you go.
WHAT SERINA’S COOKING UP THIS WEEK
MONDAY: Lions head meatballs with wombok
TUESDAY: Homestyle chicken soup with parsley doughboys
WEDNESDAY: Spaghetti Bolognese (hubby and eldest son cooking)
THURSDAY: Hokkien noodle stir-fry with spicy pork mince and wombok
FRIDAY: Hubby’s birthday — dinner with inlaws, bake a cake
SATURDAY: Pizza night
SUNDAY: Osso bucco with gremolata
Originally published as Savvy Shopper: How planning your meals can save you $60 a week