Say goodbye to impulse buys and over-shopping
This may be a hard one to swallow, but we really do need to talk about meal planning.
Strangely satisfying to some. Deeply unappetising to others. If your reaction to the words ‘meal’ and ‘plan’ next to each other in a sentence is ‘yuck’, we get you. But here’s the unpalatable truth. Failing to plan really is planning to fail when it comes to you saving money on food.
Commit this coming week to planning at least a few meals, if you’re not already, and see for yourself if you waste less time and money on:
- impulse-buying ‘bargain’ foods that go off before you figure out how to use them
- buying more fresh ingredients than you need so it goes off uneaten
- umming and ahing over what to make at the last minute
If it feels too dull or too difficult, check out the How to make meal planning work for you section below for solutions.
Tip 3
Plan at least a few of the week’s meals ahead.
Fresh produce often comes in bulk-buy packages. These can leave you, at the end of the week, with
- a single ear of sweetcorn
- an off-cut of pakchoi
and - a lonely leek
you don’t know what to do with.
Planning several meals that use the same fresh ingredients means you’re more likely to use up the pack of fresh ingredients and not waste any.
Task
- Check in with your household about schedules for the week including work, school and social commitments. Think about who’s in and who’s out when, and what meals you want to commit to planning in advance.
- Use the food inventory tracker from Tip 1 to see what ingredients you’ve got in already.
- Plug them into your recipe finder tool to find meals that use up the food you’ve already got in your fridge and cupboards.
- Let the recipe finder decide what’s for dinner each night.
- Fill in your FREE Food for thought Plan to Save Meal Planner.
- Try a ‘throw-it-all-in’ buffet day in your meal plan to use up any food that’s left in the fridge before it goes off. Even if it doesn’t fit together like a traditional meal.
Tools
Get your FREE Food for thought Plan to Save Meal Planner.
- Check out Love Food Hate Waste’s Meal Planning Guide. This has more tips and hints on making meal planning work for you. Whether you prefer paper and pen meal planning or something more high tech.
- Digital meal planning tools like MenuMagic, Kitchendary, Pepperplate and Tesco Real Food can
- automate your grocery lists
- track your inventory
and - suggest and keep recipes based on your likes and dislikes.
These can reduce the time and mental effort needed to meal plan.
Keep going!
You’ve made 3 out of 8 Food for thought changes. Make all 8 to save up to £83 a month.
How meal planning means less food wasted and more money saved
Meal planning can help you to avoid impulse buys. Fewer impulse buys mean you’re wasting less money on buying food. That's food that’s only going to go off at the back of the fridge because you’re not sure what to do with it, or you’ve forgotten it’s there.
How to make meal planning work for you
Some of us find the thought of planning all our meals for the week ahead about as appetising as eating all our unwashed socks from the week before. Maybe you’re too busy. You don’t like the lack of spontaneity, or you get decision fatigue.
Here are some suggestions for overcoming those barriers and reaping the savings rewards of a good meal plan:
Too busy?
Many people think meal planning and prep is going to take them more time than they’ve got. Busy schedules can make it difficult to find time for cooking from scratch.
Solution
Start small by planning just a few meals a week. Give yourself the motivation to meal plan by using it to search out recipes that will make the cooking bit quick and easy for you. Think slow cooker, instant pot, or sheet pan meals.
Decision fatigue?
The sheer number of recipes and choices available can be mentally exhausting and that can put you on the slippery slope to ordering take out.
Solution
Invest the time to create a go-to list of 10 meals you like and find easy to make. Adopt regular themed food nights like Taco Tuesday or Meat-Free Mondays.
Lack of cooking confidence and skills?
Cooking comes easily to some. Others have had the benefit of someone to teach them cooking skills when they were growing up - either at home or in school. For some of us, just the thought of meal planning and cooking is intimidating and we may be discouraged by our previous failed attempts.
Solution
Focus on simple, beginner-friendly recipes. Consider using batch-prepared ingredients to make daily cooking easier. These include pre-cooked grains or chopped vegetables. Recipe generator tools can also suggest meals tailored to different skill levels.
Family preferences and dietary needs to consider?
Trying to accommodate:
- eating preferences
- food allergies
- different dietary restrictions
within one household? This can make meal planning feel impossible.
Solution
Involve all family members in the planning process by letting them suggest meals or ingredients. Focus on customisable meals like tacos, pasta bowls, or pizzas, where each person can choose their own toppings.
Need to be flexible or spontaneous?
Life is unpredictable. Meal plans that are too rigid can fall apart when someone in the family’s schedule changes.
Solution
Build flexibility into your plan. Don’t assign a specific meal to each day. Plan a list of meals for the week that you can pick and mix from instead. This allows you to choose what you feel like cooking or eating on any given day. Keep frozen or tinned ingredients that won’t go off at the ready as a back-up meal for busy nights or curve balls.