Many of us don’t really do Menu Planning. We decide what to cook for the day in the morning, usually based on the ingredients we already have or ones that we can get easily from a nearby grocery store. I used to be like this too; cooking was always something I did spontaneously.
That said, I’ve been Planning my menus more seriously in recent months after a friend suggested me to give it a try. As it turns out, Menu planning is more than just about organizing meals. Here are some of the ways menu planning can help you save.
Budgeting Made Possible
When you plan menus ahead for several days – or even an entire month – you have the ability to stick to a budget. In my case, I can take the money I allocate for meals for the month and take the necessary steps to stay within that budget as I plan my meals.
Menu planning is a great budgeting tool too. Thanks to the internet and other resources, you can actually figure out how much the planned menu will cost. It is a lot easier to allocate the right amount of money this way. It is also very easy to do! If you’re not sure how to start, check out pocketchangegourmet.com for some great menu ideas.
On top of that, you can save on your meals if you want to. Since you’re basically creating a menu schedule for the entire period – a week, or a month – you can be more meticulous with the kind of meals you want to cook. You can choose meals with affordable ingredients if you want.
Save on Ingredients
There is another advantage of menu planning, and that is getting the ability to shop wholesale. You already know what you want to cook for the entire month, so you don’t have to buy ingredients every day. Simply pick up the most commonly used, easily stored ingredients in bulk and get discounts for them.
Buying wholesale means you also save on other costs. You no longer have to visit the grocery store frequently, so you save on gas and reduce the wear on your tires. You also don’t have to worry about the temptation of picking up extra snacks and unnecessary items when shopping.
Take it a step further and search for special offers online. There are special discounts for the purchase of 5 or more items – and plenty of freebies to claim when you buy in larger quantities.
Minimize Your Waste
One last way to save with the help of menu planning that we are going review in this article has something to do with the amount of waste we throw away every day. Menu planning allows you to also figure out the right amount to cook, which means you reduce the amount of waste from the start.
You can also stop throwing away unused groceries. Since you know how many ingredients you need, you can buy the precise amount and have sufficient ingredients for every meal. Imagine how much you can save on this alone!
It is easy to see how menu planning can help you save. These three examples should be more than enough for you to start planning your meals and doing menu planning.
