Why Meal Prepping Is Great for Your Wallet
(And 7 tips to get started today!)
Meal prepping could save you a lot of money… And time. Plus, it could even help you live a more healthy life, too! That’s why I love it. And to be frank, I think you’re going to love it too. Why would anyone say no to something that saves them time and money, and makes them healthier as well, right? Alright, let’s start with the facts and you’ll quickly see why I’m such a fan.
Food expenses probably make up a big part of your monthly expenses. How big of a part? Well, for the average American household, it’s as high as $779 per month (which is 13% of total monthly expenses), only being topped by transportation and housing costs. Of this $779, almost two-thirds of that money is being spent on groceries ($475), and the rest on eating out ($304).
With expenditures on food being one of the biggest spending categories, the potential for saving money here is huge! And before you say, “But I got to eat, right?!” I know. However, the amount of money you spend on food each month could be more malleable than you think…
While most advice you read on saving money is pretty general, I want to make it actionable. That’s why I want to share more about one of my favorite tactics for saving money, which you can start with as soon as today: meal prepping. Below, I’m first going to share why I think meal prepping is great. And after that, I’m going to give you a few powerful tips on how you can make meal prepping as easy as possible. Ready to save money? Read on!
I’ve said it before and I’m going to say it again: Meal prepping can save you a lot of time and money. First, by home-cooking your meals in bulk, you could greatly reduce the cost per meal. How? Well, by being able to buy products in bulk, by reducing food waste, and taking fewer trips to the grocery store (which means fewer temptations to make impulse purchases, too), just to name a few. And, with food that’s read to go in your fridge or freezer, you won’t feel the need to order takeout or eat out as much. Just imagine how much this could shrink your food bill!
Regarding saving time, think about this. Let’s say, if you use your Sunday afternoon to cook up your meals for the upcoming week, you could have dinner ready for the whole week in around an hour. That means you won’t have to summon your inner Gordon Ramsay every night of the week. You’ll cook only once and get to eat multiple times from that batch. Time-wise, this stands in stark contrast with having to cook every night, over and over and over again. How’s that for saving time?
Here’s another reason why meal prepping is awesome. Ever asked yourself this question: “Oh man, what am I going to eat tonight?!” This is a question people ask themselves a lot, which could induce some stress during the week. Sound familiar? Prepping your meals for the whole week means you have to ask yourself this question only once per week, instead of every single day. Next to saving you money, this could save you a lot of headaches, too!
And last but not least, meal prepping has another great benefit. It allows you to eat more healthily, too. I mean, that Indian take-out restaurant probably uses way more oil than you would in your own home-cooked curry. And I probably won’t have to explain in much detail that stopping by a KFC on a Tuesday night has a higher chance of being a little less healthy than eating your own home-prepped meal. By meal prepping, YOU get to choose what you eat. Not the chef in that Indian restaurant. And not the person behind the deep fryer at KFC. You do! Why let others be the boss of what you eat? Prepping your meals yourself means you’re the boss of your body, by taking charge of what you put into it. (And cooking is a lot of fun, too, of course!)
Now that I’ve told you why I’m such a fan of meal prepping, you might be tempted to try it out for yourself, too. I mean, what’s not to like? That’s why I want to share a few actionable tips that you can use to make your meal-prepping journey as easy as possible.
Ever tried to make a big change in life, only to fall off the wagon after a few weeks? Well, it’s the same with meal prepping. If you want to give meal prepping a serious go, my advice would be to start small. Begin with prepping a few lunches or just one dinner recipe in a quantity larger than usual, to get you in the flow. When you’re starting to feel comfortable with your new routine, try to build from there. Then, you can move on to prepping an entire week’s worth of lunch and dinner. That way you give yourself a higher chance of sticking with this powerful method of saving money!
Then on to tip number two: Pick a prep day. Dedicate a specific day of the week to do your groceries and prep all of your meals, put it in your calendar, and try to stick with it. (My favorite day to meal prep is Sunday, as this is the most relaxed day of the week for me!) By doing this you create a routine for yourself, and it also prevents having to prep during busy days.
If you’re going to try meal prepping, another important thing you want to keep in mind is to plan ahead. Before hitting the store, think about what you’re going to cook for the week, the ingredients you need for that, and how much of each you need. (This could be a good time to check what’s on sale at your local grocery store and pick the dishes you want to make based on that!) With that, make a good ol’ grocery list and hit the grocery store. Not only will this give you an easier time in both the grocery store and the kitchen, but you’ll also reduce the chances of making impulse buys in the grocery store—which could help save you some additional cash!
If you’re on a tight food budget, you don’t want to sleep on lentils and beans. These ingredients are great budget-friendly protein sources, incredibly versatile, and cook up quite quickly. They can be used in soups, salads, and all sorts of main dishes. And they are often quite cheap if you buy them in bulk. Do a quick Google search for “easy recipes with lentils or beans” if you don’t know what to make with them, and you’ll be amazed by all the amazing food you can make with them!
When it comes to making the actual cooking as easy and quick as possible, set aside 15 minutes at the beginning of your prep session to chop all your veggies. In fancy terms, this is called doing your mise en place, which is a technique used in professional kitchens, too. And they don’t do it for nothing, because it saves you time and could drastically streamline your cooking process for each dish.
Many prepped meals freeze well. That means you won’t have to worry about cooking up too much food. If you happen to have any leftovers or find that you’ve cooked up too much food, just throw it into the freezer! Having a frozen meal ready in the freezer could help you resist the temptation of ordering takeout when you don’t have anything else prepped for that night. Just let it thaw for a minute, put it in your microwave or frying pan, and you’ll be good to go within 10 minutes!
And lastly, try to not get overwhelmed by fancy recipes. If you’re just starting out, stick to simple, familiar dishes you know you will enjoy. Then, when you have the momentum of meal prepping going for you, you can go all out and experiment with new dishes and flavors. Keeping things simple has saved me more than once in the kitchen… It’s about making it work for you—you don’t have to get all fancy for that.
Plenty of good reasons to try meal prepping at least once in your life, right? I mean, what else is there that could save you both time and money AND help you be healthier? With the 7 tips I’ve shared here, I hope you can confidently kickstart your meal-prep journey, allowing you to reap all the benefits of this great practice as quickly and easily as possible. Let’s start cooking and save money!
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