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When done right, meal prepping can be the best way to save money on your groceries. Here are my top tips to do it.
Meal prepping can be a great way to save money on your groceries. I base my meal prepping on the vegetables that I’m going to get in my weekly veggie box. This further helps to keep the cost of groceries down each week since I’m not buying too much extra in the way of fruits and vegetables each week. However, if you don’t have a veggie box, you can meal prep based on your preferred diet.
It is worth having a nutrition goal in mind when you are meal prepping. I don’t worry too much about carbs in my meal. My focus is on protein and fiber for that healthier lifestyle. I find when those two are good, my carbs don’t affect too much. Everyone is different, though, so work with your nutrition goals and needs.
From there, you can follow these tips to make sure you meal prep to save money and not add to your costs.
Work with vegetables and fruits that are in season
The benefit of my veggie box is that I work with seasonal vegetables. This is a great way to keep meals fresh, but it is also a great way to keep the costs down. Even if you’re not getting a weekly veggie box, I encourage you to work with seasonal vegetables and fruit.
This is going to be so much cheaper. Your grocery stores aren’t going to be sourcing the vegetables and fruits from out of the country. Plus, you’re supporting the local farmers.
If you can, ditch the grocery stores. Go to farmer’s markets and local farms for your needs. You will get healthier options and you’re supporting the community around you.
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Only buy the items you need for meal prepping
This seems like an obvious way to save money, but you’ll be surprised by how many people end up buying extra just in case. What if they don’t want the meal they’ve chosen on that particular day? Well, suck it up, buttercup! Honestly, if you find yourself routinely getting to a meal and not wanting it, you probably shouldn’t put it on your meal prep list.
Only get items that you need for the meals* that you’re going to make. This includes lunches and breakfasts, by the way. You also want to think about snacks ahead of time. Popcorn Gifts are great for those who love to snack while watching TV. Vics Corn Popper has the best gift boxes.
It can be a little harder with the kids. You need to make sure their lunches are school safe—honestly, there are so many allergies to think about now and so many banned items in some schools. But once you get in a routine with your kids’ lunches, you’ll get on top of what you need each week.
Once you stop buying the frozen fries and the extra jars of sauce, you’ll find that you start saving a lot of money. The only think I would accept buying extra of is some fruits and vegetables if you know that you may need them as a snack. You can look out for those packet veggies that are more like potato chips if you want a fun but healthy snack.
Look out for meals with the same ingredients
You can save a lot of money by bulk buying items. So, it’s time to double up your needs for some vegetables, fruits, and even protein.
One rotisserie chicken could end up working for two or three different meal ideas. You’ve saved a lot of money because you’ve made the most of that chicken instead of buying extra protein for meals that have some sort of different meat. After all, how often does that meat end up going off?
Not sure how to reuse some items. Social media and Google are great ways to get some ideas. I love rotisserie chicken because I’m able to use it for a meal and then I use the leftover chicken for some lunch salads or dips.
I also look out for meat when it is on offer. There are times that I will buy extra because of this, such as right at the start of fall when I stock up on freezer items. Then I’ll work with what I already have in the freezer for a few weeks to help cut down on the costs.
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Meal prepping only works when you store well
Make sure you learn how to store all your items properly. I love saving glass pasta jars. They work to store many fruits and some vegetables to make them last longer. I can also use them for overnight oats and to store some of my salad in a jar meals.
You could opt for plastic or glass tubs* instead. They are cheap to buy, especially if you don’t do jarred pasta sauce (or an abundance of baby pickles and pickled onions like my family does). Just make sure you store the items in there properly so that they don’t go off and are easy to transport.
Look out for those that can be frozen. This is great if you have leftovers and you want to save them for the weekend. Leftover Friday is popular in my house!
Only buy enough for the amount that you need
You don’t want to have too many leftovers when you’re meal prepping though. When you’re doing it to save money, you’re only making as much as you need for the meal. This means measuring out your ingredients and following a recipe.
Of course, there are times that not everyone wants to eat—or they don’t eat as much as you think they will. In this case, make sure you do freeze the leftovers. If you’re going to eat them within a day or two, storing them in the fridge works. I tend to store mine in the freeze either for the coming Friday or the following week on days when I don’t have my kids.
It’s tempting to buy extra when you go to places like Costco. You want to take advantage of the bulk deals. Don’t do this, though. You’re only going to end up spending way more money than you initially planned.
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Do you opt for meal prepping to save money? What do you do to save at the grocery store? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
