how to create a weekly meal plan

How to Save Money by Meal Planning Your Weekly Meals

Meal planning seems daunting at a though and most people have a lot of questions; how do I start? Will I actually save money? How will I save money? So, to give you an idea of how to save money when meal planning, we've put together a list of tips and tricks for you to follow.

Create a Weekly Meal Plan

First things first, sit down and create a week-long meal plan. As tedious as this sounds, this can be made a fun activity for the whole family. Instead of one person picking all the meals, get everyone to pick at least one meal they want. Whether it's their favorite or one they want to try this is a great way to get all the family involved and happy for at least one meal. Once this is done, you'll be able to see what ingredients you will need and which ones can be used in multiple meals.

If you have kids/teenagers which need to lunches to take to school, rather than giving them money for the school cafeteria, get them to pick what they would like for lunch each day. That can be any leftovers from dinner the night before or meat from the roast dinner to fill their sandwiches. This way you'll know your kids are getting a good healthy lunch, plus you'll be saving yourself some money.

Write Out Your Weekly Shopping List

Once you have worked out what meals you want to make over the next week, search the internet for ingredients you will need. Write this down into a list, sectioning it into meats, bakery, tins etc. if this will help you shopping in the supermarket. If there are ingredients which you can use in multiple meals this will mean there will be a way for you to save money. Whether it's buying a slightly bigger chicken for the Sunday roast so you are able to have sandwich fillings for a few days or getting that bigger package of ground beef and some beans to turn a spaghetti bolognaise sauce into a delicious chili. That brings us on to our next step.

Use ingredients which Can Be Used for More Than One Meal

When it comes to creating a meal plan, writing all the meals for the week down will help you see what ingredients you will need. Trying to buy ingredients which can be used throughout a number of your meals will help keep your costs down. For example: one family member wants to spaghetti bolognaise and another wants to have chilli. Instead of having one at the beginning of the week and one at the end, why not have them one day after the next. This way you can purchase a large pack of mincemeat (which will work out cheaper than two smaller portions) and use one lot of tomato sauce and puree. Once you have portioned out the bolognaise mix, simply add one tin of baked beans and this will thicken up the left over sauce giving you enough for sauce for the chill the next day.

Stick to Your Grocery List While Shopping

Everyone can be tempted by those extras you walk past in the supermarket. It's important though you try to stick to your list as well as possible if you want to save money when food shopping. The occasional extra or a good multibuy is great everyone once in a while but constant throwing of extras in the trolley is where the money really adds up. If you want to give the kids some treats, ask them what one chocolate bar/ice cream flavour they really want but try not to by any more than that. This way your shopping bill will stay love but your family will stay happy and full.

Buy Cheaper Brands

It's really easy to be sucked in by high branded products with a well-known name. However, by simply going to a store's own brand products rather than popular brand products. Also researching into which supermarket near you is best priced is another great tip. By doing this and all the other tips on this list will save you some money when it comes to meal prepping.

Meal Planning Accessories

When it comes to meal planning, prepping and organizing your meals, food storage is a really big, important factor.

Food storage accessories are so important to making the meal planning process super easy and convenient. So, we've created a list of all the meal planning essentials that you should add to your kitchen. Not to mention that using reusable storage means you've done your part to helping the planet.

Check out our list of our top 10 kitchen must haves to make your meal planning routine even easier than you thought it would be.

Lunch Boxes/Reusable Bags

Lunch boxes are a great way to store the food that you want to eat the next day or later on in the week. If you can, try and get the leak-proof ones. Most of these will have a seal which will stop liquids from spilling out, so whether you're having a fresh, chicken salad or last night left over chili-con-carne, you can be sure the inside of you bag will stay dry.

Freezer Bags

Freezer bags are a must have when doing meal planning. These are an easy and convenient way to keep leftover food and store it in the freezer. Using freezer bags rather than boxes takes up less room which means more meal planning and freezing for you.

Measuring Cups

If you want to make sure you're getting the right portion sizes for meal planning, measuring cups are your friend. Portion control will give you the correct portion sizes and eliminate waste – therefore always saving you money.

Glass Storage Containers

Glass storage containers of different sizes are another helpful piece of equipment to have in your cupboards. Whether you use them for freezing, breakfasts, lunches or as snack holders for your bags, they'll always come in handy.

Tin Foil

Tin foil is one of the greatest but most forgetful cooking accessory. When cooking fish, chicken, chops or vegetables, wrapping them in tin foil keeps the moist and flavorful. It's also great for when it comes to storing food. Simply wrap your half cut onion or tomorrows sandwiches in some and pop them in the fridge and you'll be sure they'll stay fresh and yummy.

Mason Jars

Mason jars are great for cereal. If you find yourself in a rush in the morning before work and sometimes skipping breakfast, look no further. Mason jars are a great way to store homemade granola and overnight oats. Simply prep the night before or a few days in advance and all you have to do is grab and go.

Slow Cooker

If can afford it, purchasing a good slow cooker is a great investment. You can pop all your ingredients for a few days' worth of meals in one go in the morning before you head to work or university and then you're done. Using a slow cooker like this means you don't have to worry about cooking your dinner after a long, hard day of work. With the extra food cooked you can either save it by popping it in the fridge for the next few days or using your freezer bags to save for a few weeks' time.

Thermal Flasks/Containers

Investing in good quality thermal flasks/containers is another useful investment. If you enjoy and want to make homemade soup to take to work but don't want the hassle of having to use a microwave or don't have one in your staff room, these will be your life saver. Simply heat up your soup in a bowl the morning before you leave, then place the hot soup into your thermal flask and you're good to go for up to 12 hours.

Mini Cooler Bags

If you want to have cooked meats or meals that need to be refrigerated but don't have a fridge or work or going on a long trip, mini cooler bags are what you need. Coming in different sizes and cool patterns, you'll be able to keep your delicious food at an even more delicious temperature.

Nutribullet

Though a little more on the pricey side, buying a Nutribullet (or any other smoothie maker) is a really good idea. You don't just have to use this to make smoothies, they are really useful for making homemade soup, hummus and many more. So for a one-time purchase piece of equipment, it'll definitely show you it's worth.

Produce Storage Guide For Meal Planners

Save Money by Learning to Store Food Properly –

Meal planning is a great way to save money AND time, especially if you have a busy lifestyle. Buying food in bulk is a great way to help in this process, though it can seem a little daunting when it comes to storing the food correctly.

We've put together a few lists for you to make those shopping trips less often and less worrying when it comes to prepping your food for the next few weeks.

Produce Which will Last Over a Week

Bulk buying food which will last you more than a week makes the rest of your shopping trips quicker for you and lighter for your wallet. Below is a list of food that can be used in a wide range of meals but that will keep in your cupboards/fridge for a respectable amount of time.

Vegetables:

Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Onions
Celery
Parsnips
Carrots
Lemons
Limes
Turnips

Dairy:

Butter
Eggs
Hard Cheese

Meat:

Chicken
Sausages
Burgers
Cooked sandwich meats (chicken, beef etc.)

As well as lasting well in the cupboards, all these ingredients are a great basis for a large mixture of meals not forgetting being full of great nutritional value. Don't forget – you can also bulk buy the meats and cook them up, ready to each for lunches over the week.

Produce that will last a week (5-7 days)

Another great way to make your shops lighter is buying food that will last the whole week. Whether that's sandwich fillings for lunches, fruit for snacks or meat to have with dinners, this list will have you sorted and full for the whole week.

Vegetables:

Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cucumber
Brussel Sprouts
Aubergine
Mushrooms
Leeks
Bananas
Oranges
Apples

Dairy:

Cottage Cheese
Milk

Meat:

Steaks
Chops
Bacon

The great things about these foods is the fact that they are super easy for snacks, great extras for bigger meals or even meals themselves. Some of these are even great to cook up ready for next day lunches, so you get two meals for the price of one!

Produce which will last a few days (3-5 days):

Vegetables:

Spinach
Kale
Tomatoes
Asparagus
(Cut) Onions
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blueberries

Meat:

Uncooked meats (usually 2-3 days)
Cooked meats

Freezing/Freezable:

Another great way for saving time and money is freezing different foods. This is great for if you have had a hectic week and haven't had a chance to go to the shops. If you have a few essentials in your freezer, it means you don't have to worry if you don't make it to the shops one week.

Vegetables/fruits:

Frozen vegetable packets
Frozen fruit packets
Fruit smoothies

Meats:

Chicken
Fish
Bread
Soup

Tips and tricks:

Buying meat such as chicken, turkey, pork chops, lamb chops at the beginning of the month and freezing them will mean you will always have some ready for you to eat. Simply grabbing the meat out of the freezer the night before or the morning of and letting it defrost ready for dinner means no trip to the busy supermarket. Freezing the meat doesn't change the taste and lightens any other shopping trips you have to make.

Keeping produce in the fridge is also another great way of keeping it fresher for longer. The normal things such as most fruits and vegetables are probably things you put in the fridge without thinking, but next time try putting in your bananas, carrots, berries and avocados and you may just find you get a few more days out of them.
Bread is a staple for most houses, whether it's for toast in the mornings or sandwiches for lunch. Sometimes though, if there is only one or two of you living in the house, the bread does seem to turn bad quicker than you can eat it all. So, why not split the bread into portions in freezer bags and just grab the right amount when making sandwiches? This is a great way to save the bread and your money. If you do find you get through the loaf but it goes a bit stale towards the end of the week, try popping it into the fridge. This helps keeps the bread fresher for longer, just make sure you don't push it too far to the back so it freezes!

Have questions on saving money meal planning? Just let us know!

Also Read The Importance of Meal Planning