Scott and I are working very hard to solidify our budget (more $$ for a house!), and one of the BIGGEST categories we waste our cash on is eating out! Sure, it’s a nice splurge once in awhile, but it is incredible once it is all lumped together, staring at you….YIKES (do you have mint.com? if not, I highly suggest it….!) We needed to cut back.
While we were trying to get in shape for the wedding, we made a conscious effort in the month of January to plan our meals and only eat out twice a month. As a result, we were able to save $2000 IN ONE MONTH!! Crazy, huh?
So, I’ve spent the last two months MENU PLANNING! Initially, this was a daunting task that I DREADED. However, as it’s our third month, the task has already gotten a whole lot easier, so I thought I’d share some nuggets of wisdom I’ve acquired:
- Figure out your “eating out triggers”, and plan for them. For example, ours are: not wanting to cook too much throughout the week, not wanting third-day leftovers on Friday (sounds silly, but you’d be surprised how often we throw our hands up and just go out on Friday!), needing comfort-style food a certain # of times, incorporating old favorites (pizza), and having on-hand ingredients for lunch (another culprit of “I have nothing to eat, let’s just go out!)
- Find one or two 5-10 minute meals (with leftovers!) and eat them twice a month. This is a GODSEND, and gives us absolutely no excuse to eat out if we are tired and don’t actually WANT to make whatever meal is on the calendar. Ours are Soy Tacos + rice and black beans and Chicken Burgers + Roasted asparagus–YUM!
- Do all grocery shopping for the week on Sunday, or just at once (with the exception of some fresh fruits/veggies you’ll need later in the week). I find if I’ve already purchased the ingredients, I’m mush less likely to waste them.
- Save the complicated, multi-step recipes for the weekend. Sometimes I like getting busy, but big meals like Shepperd’s pie (where you have to cook meat, veggies, and make mashed potatoes… THEN bake the darn thing!) are just too much for me after a full day of work. Save those recipes for the weekend and stick to ones that can be done in 30-45 minutes for the weekdays.
- Choose an ingredient theme for the month. While it’s not necessary, this has really helped us manage freezer space. For example, last month was ground turkey; we went to Costco and got a giant pack of it, then made sure to incorporate enough turkey recipes that we would use it all up in a month (side note: we are also limiting our Costco trips to once a month, so this plan perfectly supports that one :))
- On that note, reuse ingredients when possible. I rarely use an entire onion in one recipe, so I make sure to plan two in the same week that need it. Same with herbs and other foods that go bad fairly quickly. Waste not, want not 🙂
- In terms of actually making the meal plan, just print out a calendar, block dates you’ll be out of town/have plans, then star the days you’ll have to cook (budget 1-2 days after for leftovers). Determine the number of meals, and start adding your old standbys. Then add in one or two new recipes you’d like to try this month, and stick with it!!
I know it sounds silly, but a meal plan is just “scheduling” what you eat–it takes your judgment or impulsiveness out of it. It’s like a meeting you have to go to–and with consistency I’ve actually really started to like it! Plus, Scott gets excited to see it each month, it’s like a fun reveal for him 🙂 And the proof is in the pudding–last month we cut down our restaurant bill by about $1000–woooooo!
The Ocean in a Drop 