An Ultimate Guide to Meal Planning

The average US household wastes nearly 32% of their food, costing them over $1,600 a year.

That is a LOT of money!

On top of that, many find themselves ordering takeout instead of cooking a healthy meal.

Costing them more money and more calories.

So, how can you ensure you save money, eat healthy meals, and do all this in less time?

The answer is simple: meal planning.

How do you meal plan? What’s involved? What are the top tips? Let’s find out, shall we?

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Benefits of Meal Planning

As previously mentioned, there are a TON of great benefits of meal planning, including:

• Save money by decreasing wasted food
• Cut your grocery bill in HALF (or more!)
• Improve your health by adding better meals to your diet
• Save time in the kitchen by pre-prepping your meals
• Decrease stress by knowing what meals are next
• Keep your waist slim by learning portion control
• Easily add variety to your meals

How to Complete the Meal Planning Process

Meal planning can be as easy or as complicated as you want it to be.

Below, I have outlined each of the steps you can take to plan your meals.

Not all of them are required, but each does come with an added benefit.

So, just simply choose the steps that apply to you and toss the rest out the door.

Action Step: Right now, get ready to take some notes. As you read through the steps below, jot down the ones you wish to complete. This way, you can create your very own meal planning routine! Then, add Meal Prep for the Upcoming Week to your to-do list (make sure you make this task re-occurring).

Create and Update the List of Go-To Meals and Recipes

The first step in the meal planning process is to create (1) a list of go-to meals and (2) a recipes reference.

I highly recommend you keep a handy list of meal ideas for easy reference. Just simply list each meal you already find yourself eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

In addition, be sure to keep your recipes at hand for easy reference. This will help you create an accurate grocery list AND make cooking quick and easy.

Some people keep their recipes saved as a Pinterest Board or a document on their computer.

Personally, I use a recipe binder (like this one). I find that it is easier to organize and quickly reference when in the kitchen.

Research New Meal Ideas

Take a few minutes and search for new recipe ideas. Challenge yourself to try at least one new meal a week to add some variety into your life.

If you enjoy the recipe, you can add it to your Go-To Meal Ideas list.

Here are some of the best cookbooks designed specifically for meal planning and prepping. They are great resources to help you find new meal ideas:

• The Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook: Easy and Wholesome Meals to Cook, Prep, Grab, and Go
• The Ultimate Meal-Prep Cookbook: One Grocery List. A Week of Meals. No Waste.
• The Meal Prep King Plan: Save time. Lose weight. Eat meals you love.
• Skinnytaste Meal Prep: Healthy Make-Ahead Meals and Freezer Recipes to Simplify Your Life

Inventory the Food in Your Kitchen

Next, inventory everything in your kitchen.

Simply, pull out a sheet of paper and write down what foods you have as well as the quantity.

Focus on your main ingredients that can easily be turned into meals (skip everything from your Master Ingredients List – see below for details). Don’t forget to check your pantry, freezer, fridge, and cupboards for food!

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Pro Tip: Keep a Master Ingredients List

One great way to ensure you always have the basics on hand is to have a Master Ingredients list and always add these items to your grocery list once you run out.

What is a Master Ingredients list? This is simply a list of ingredients you always want to have on hand such as spices, condiments, oils, dressings, etc.

Lookup Sales and Coupons

Check your favorite grocery store’s website for major sales and coupons. Jot down any deals you’re interested in.

You can also check out websites (my favorite is the Krazy Coupon Lady) and cash-back apps (like iBotta) for other great deals and coupons.

Tip: You can lower your grocery bill by shopping at multiple grocery stores, focusing on the sale items at each location. You can do this by either shopping at multiple grocery stores each week, or alternating which stores you shop at every other week and simply stocking up on sale items. I prefer the latter, it saves on time! 🙂

Related: 57 Money-Saving Tips to Skyrocket Your Savings

Choose Your Meals for the Week

Starting with the ingredients from your kitchen, begin creating a list of meals to eat this week. Be sure to reference your “Go-To Meal Ideas” list, as well as your list of meals to try.

Don’t forget ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

Once you have created meals from the foods you already have, move on to the coupons and sales list you’ve made.

Then, once your meal list is complete, assign a meal to each day of the week (you can easily do this using a printable calendar).

Tip 1: Be sure to take your schedule into consideration so that you are planning quick meals on busy nights.

Tip 2: Double or triple recipes to make meals that will last multiple days. This is a great way to save money and really stretch on-sale ingredients!

Tip 3: Challenge yourself to create a list of weekly meals ONLY from what you have in your kitchen already at least once per month. Before you know it, your savings will skyrocket!

Tip 4: Using themed nights can make meal planning a bit more fun and simple. Here is an example:

• Monday: Italian or Pasta Night
• Tuesday: Taco Tuesday or Mexican Food Night
• Wednesday: Crockpot Meal Night or Freezer Meal Night
• Thursday: Leftovers or Asian-Style Food
• Friday: Pizza or Vegetarian Night
• Saturday: Soup and Salad Night
• Sunday: Try a New Recipe or Host a Chopped! Challenge

Create a Grocery List

Create a grocery list using your meal ideas for the week. Of course, do not include anything you already have in your kitchen!

Tip: If you have chosen to shop at multiple grocery stores, be sure to write which store you plan on purchasing the different ingredients from.

Create, Check-in, or Update Your Grocery Budget

Before you shop, be sure to check-in with your grocery budget. I find it most helpful to set up both a monthly and weekly budget for easy calculation and tracking.

If you need help setting up your budget, be sure to check out this blog post. It will easily walk you through the process, step-by-step.

Related: Budgeting 101: How to Set Up and Maintain a Realistic Budget

In addition, you can grab this helpful free printable to easily create a monthly budget…

Go Grocery Shopping

Next, it’s time to go grocery shopping!

This is pretty straightforward. But, let’s take a look at some of the best tips and tricks for grocery shopping on a budget:

• If you can, try to grocery shop online (for either delivery or pickup). This is not only easier and saves time, but makes it VERY simple to stay on budget, as you can track your total, quickly shop deals, and use coupons hassle-free.
• When grocery shopping in person, keep track of your running total by using a calculator on your phone.
• If you choose to shop at multiple grocery stores, always start with the store that usually has the better prices and deals.
• When you get home, don’t forget to use rebate apps (like iBotta).

Related: Sunday Reset Routine: The Ultimate Weekly Prep Checklist

Put Away Food with Intention

Once your food arrives home, be sure to put it away carefully to ensure each ingredient lasts as long as possible. Here are some tips to help you out:

• Produce to keep on the counter: limes, zucchini, squash, bananas, citrus, garlic, onions, potatoes (all uncut)
• What to keep on the counter, then put in the fridge once ripened: avocado, kiwis, mangos, melons, peaches, pears, pineapples, plums
• Produce that goes in the fridge: apples, blueberries, broccoli, carrots, grapes, lettuce
• Try storing your produce separately, so they don’t ripen each other. Be sure to use a separating container or basket (like this one for your pantry items and this one for your fridge items).
• Once you cut your produce, be sure to use the proper containers to ensure they maintain freshness. These containers are great for that.

Meal Prep for the Week Ahead

One of the best ways to save time and ensure you use up your ingredients before they go bad (saving you money!) is to meal prep 1-2 times per week.

Meal prepping is simply the process of cooking all your meals for the next week, then putting the food in the fridge so it can be easily eaten at a later time.

So, get that booty of yours into the kitchen and get cookin’!

Note: The USDA recommends you eat your refrigerated leftovers within 3-4 days.

Tip: Use Top Meal Prepping Supplies to Save Time

I’ll admit that meal prepping can take some time. So, to significantly cut your meal prepping time, be sure to utilize these amazing kitchen gadgets and appliances. Some can be an investment, but will actually save you time in the long run by making the meal planning and prepping process fit into your schedule.

Top Meal Prepping Supplies (with my favorite brands linked):

• Slow Cooker
• Pressure Cooker
• Air Fryer
• Vacuum Sealer
• Food Processor
• Blender
• Bulk Produce Chopper
• Prepped Meal Storage Containers

Freezer Meal Prep for the Month(s) Ahead

You can also save a TON of time and money by preparing freezer meals for the month (or multiple months) ahead.

This is especially helpful for morning smoothies and dinner recipes.

There are countless recipes that can be prepared in advance and placed in the freezer. But, the BEST freezer meals can be found in my favorite freezer cookbook: Seriously Good Freezer Meals. Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

Note: The USDA recommends you eat your freezer leftovers within 3-4 months. So, be sure to label your freezer foods and inventory them during your meal planning sessions.

Tip: Try to keep at least one extra quick freezer meal on hand as a backup plan for nights when dinner goes poorly or you don’t have time to do what you planned.

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Meal Planning and Prepping Routines: An Overview

As a review, here is the ultimate meal planning and prepping routine:

• Update List of Go-To Meals (Weekly)
• Research New Recipe Ideas (Weekly or Monthly)
• Inventory Food in Your Kitchen (Weekly)
• Lookup Sales and Coupons (Weekly)
• Choose Meals for the Week (Weekly)
• Check-in and Update Your Grocery Budget (Weekly)
• Create a Grocery List (Weekly)
• Go Grocery Shopping (Weekly)
• Attempt a No-Grocery Shopping Week (Monthly)
• Put Away Your Food with Intention (Weekly)
• Meal Prep for the Week (Weekly)
• Freezer Meal Prep for the Month (Monthly or Quarterly)

Tip: Just Getting Started? Start Small.

If you are just getting started on your meal planning routine, start small.

Write down your ideal meal planning routine, but only start with a few of the important steps (such as building your go-to meal list, creating a list of meals for the week, and creating a grocery list).

Then, each week, try adding a new step to your routine. This will help decrease overwhelm and ensure you create long-lasting routines.

Further Reading

Check out these other great related blog posts to help you in your journey to saving time, money, and calories:

• How to Stop Wasting Time: An Ultimate List of Time Management Tips
• An Ultimate Guide to Productivity: 54 Game-Changing Tips and Systems
• 13 Time-Management Tips to Skyrocket Your Productivity
• 57 Insane Money-Saving Tips to Fast-Track Your Financial Success
• How to Build a Successful Morning Routine

Well, there you have it! An ultimate meal planning routine to help you save time, money, and calories. It really is a complete game-changer! I hope you have found this post useful and have fun on your journey. Happy meal planning!