Right now, we are dealing with the highest inflation that we have had since the 1980’s.  I read a tweet from someone who said that magazines printing articles about meal planning or saving money at the grocery store are tone deaf and the issues are far more serious.   I would beg to differ and suggest that in this economy many people need to look at every dollar spent. Planning our meals is not going to move us from poverty to riches, but in concert with other strategies, we can save money that now needs to be used in other areas.  

Other than housing, food is the biggest expense for most families. In this economy, we need to look at all of the things over which we have control: 

• I can’t control the price of housing, but I can control the food choices of my family. 

•  I can’t control the price at the gas pump, but I can control the extra trips to the grocery store or Walmart by planning my purchases.  

• I can’t control the cost of goods, but I can control the extraneous expenses by taking care of what I have and learning the skills of doing things myself and learning to stretch a dollar.  

How often, after a busy day at work do you find yourself veering into the take out line of a local fast food restaurant, spending huge prices for what you could easily make at home for far less?  Or you find yourself heading to the grocery store, to pick up ingredients only to spend another $50 on things that you hadn’t planned on buying? 

Why should I meal plan?

I have taught students for the last 25 years about meal planning, and it seems that it is not something that most households practice. For some people it just seems like it is too time consuming, for others too rigid. You can make your own rules. I know what I have ingredients for, and make changes as to my hunger level and mood for the day. Below are 7 ways that meal planning can be of benefit.

1. Puts Control into your hands

You will be able to make the best choices ahead of time. You are in control of your dietary goals and nutritional goals as well as your spending.  There are many things in our world where we have little or no influence.  Having a sense of order over our eating habits can give us a tremendous sense of peace. 

 2.  Alleviates Stress

 I don’t know about you, but as a working woman I find that I have hundreds of questions and demands that I have taken care of in the previous 8 to 10 hours of work, I want to go home, switch gears, put on casual clothes, go for a walk around the neighborhood, enjoy family and unplug.  Meal planning and prepping helps me do this.  

3. Saves Money

Saving money can easily be placed at the top of this list as a benefit of meal prepping.  Most of us tend to overspend through small allotments, we are $10 and $20 ourselves into debt. If you are buying lunch and coffee everyday and eating out three days a week and visiting the grocery store another three it won’t take long to literally eat your way through your weekly paycheck. 

Meal planning will help you save money by buying larger quantities (a bag of apples is far cheaper than buying them one at a time,) you will make one trip a week into the store and avoid picking up extra things, and gives you options that you love for lunches and even snacks that will save you money.  

4. Helps you lose weight. 

You are pre planning lunches and snacks that will help you meet your dietary goals and also satisfy your cravings.  Many of the most reputable weight loss organizations suggest that meal planning is the tried and true method of  gaining control of your eating. 

Other than merely planning for healthy items you can go a step further and portion out many of your meals and snacks  to give you even greater  sense of control. Having carrot sticks or pretzels and single portions of humus in the refrigerator for that mid-afternoon slump you know is coming,  gives you a sense of control.  

5. Help you save time 

No longer will you suffer from “What’s for dinner-itus.” You know what is on your menu, you won’t feel like you need to stop at restaurants   or grocery stores on your way home.  You have all of the ingredients you need, because you planned before you went shopping. You have a more than nutritious, flavour packed meal waiting to be put together in less time than it would take to wait in the take out line of your closest burger place. 

6. More Nutritious Meals

Meal planning gives you the opportunity to create nutrition packed meals. According to researchers, every cell in our body is replaced every 7 to 10 years, the building blocks of those cells are what we eat.  When we feed ourselves healthy, nutritious meals, then we have the building blocks needed for healthy future cell structures.   When you plan you can easily meet all of your dietary needs.  Meal planning is intentional.  You will ensure that what you prepare is chock full of high nutrient options. 

7. Better for the environment.  

You will find that you will use up all of your food. No longer will you find that you will overbuy (this was my biggest problem)  or throw out food that goes bad before you have had a chance to use it.  You will plan how to incorporate your leftovers.  No longer will you have take-out containers overflowing your garbage can.  When you meal plan part of the process is to take stock of what you have and have and use it.  

Conclusion

For many of us, meal planning has not been part of our usual weekly routine, however, as we move forward in this unsettling financial environment, this might be just the thing to make you feel like you have a bit of control.