Why Meal Planning is Important in These Bad Economic Times

Can Planning Meals Save You Money? You Bet!

OK… let’s see a show of hands. How many of you know how much money you spend on groceries per month?

A recent unscientific survey conducted outside a grocery store in San Francisco offered some surprising results. It doesn’t seem most people keep track of how much money they spend on groceries, because trips to the grocery store usually include non-food items such as health and beauty products, pet products, etc., and there are usually several trips per week. Who scrutinizes receipts? Do most of us go to the grocery store armed with a list of just the essentials? The answer is a resounding “NO!”

Multiple trips to the grocery store almost always seem to include purchasing unnecessary items. You have a coupon. You see a new product that looks interesting. You pick up two even though you only need one because there’s a sale, and never get around to using the second item. A federal study conducted in the ‘90s estimated that the average family of four throws away about 120 pounds of food each month in waste- that’s about 1 pound a day per person. Now where do you suppose some of those 120 pounds comes from? From buying food items that are only half used, not used at all, and eventually go to waste…literally.

What does this mean to the average consumer? Very simply, it means you are spending your hard-earned money on food items that you just aren’t using. During these turbulent economic times, we can certainly learn how to avoid wasting some of our money by just following a few simple guidelines. Here’s how, in a nutshell:

• Plan a menu for the week. Decide what meal you would like to prepare each night, and make your shopping list based on the items you need.

• Add the non-grocery items you need. Just the basics.

• Clip coupons. Just do yourself a favor, and only clip coupons for items you know you will use. Anything else is just a waste of your time.

• Watch for sales, and buy multiple items if you have the room for them and know you will use them.

After several weeks, once you have mastered preparing the menu and shopping list, you will begin to see a pattern emerge. You should be spending about the same amount each week. If you follow these simple guidelines, you will be amazed at how much you can lower your grocery bill.

Planning meals in advance not only saves you money, but is also a more balanced, intelligent way of eating. With careful planning, you will also only have to make one weekly trip to the dreaded grocery store! By cutting out the spontaneous shopping trips, you will have more time to prepare the meals from the menu you devise. Eating out and fast-food take-out can also be eliminated. That’s not to say that eating out should totally be eliminated, but it should be something to look forward to, instead of a last-minute necessity.

By planning your dinners ahead of time, you eliminate multiple trips to the grocery store. You have more time to spend with your family, in a time where less than half of American families eat dinner together. Even if you play taxi often after work or school, you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing you have a meal plan, recipe, and ingredients when you get home. Plan your meals! De-stress your life! Save money! What’s not to like?