Takeaways
- Meal planning brings structure to your week, providing order and clarity.
- Food costs are one of the largest categories of spend for household budgets.
- Meal planning with the right budgeting strategy can help you control costs.
- Budgeting for food and dining out means controlling variable costs.
- Meal plan at the beginning of the week or month to get the most bang for your buck.
Food is the third largest spending category for American consumers.[1] As a result, one of the most frequent categories for chronic overspending is food and dining out. Adhering to a food budget can be challenging, but creating a meal plan can flip that dynamic.
Whether you are eating out too much, not planning meals, or are unaware of the creeping increase in food costs, spending on food can get out of hand fast. However, sticking to a food budget can put cash back in your pocket and help you reach financial goals. Meal planning allows you to capitalize on controlling this variable expense.
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What Is Meal Planning?
Meal planning is the process of planning out your weekly and monthly food consumption. By mapping out exactly what you are going to eat over the coming weeks, you can give yourself clarity, financial focus, and the ability to allocate when and where you want to be financially disciplined. Meal planning allows you to minimize food costs by thinking strategically about where to cut costs on meals.
10 Steps to Make a Meal Plan
Meal planning can save you time and money. Here are ten steps to contemplate when putting together the perfect meal plan:
1. Review Your Calendar
Before beginning meal planning, it is imperative to review your upcoming calendar for planned activities. Plan around work or social events where meals will already be served. Mapping out your month will give you insight into how many meals you must prepare.
Take advantage of all the free meals throughout the week. Free meals can be lunches, breakfasts served at work, or dinners with clients. Then, write down how many breakfasts, lunches, and dinners you must pay for yourself. Don’t forget to plan out snacks, too. With your week mapped out, you can assign yourself a per diem or attempt to use other cost-cutting methods.
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2. Conduct An Inventory
With the number of meals from step one in mind, take an inventory of your current food supply. Examine what is already in your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. How does this supply of food affect your planning? Perhaps you can use what you already have and be even more efficient with your meal preparation.
Substitute items you already have into your planned meals to help reduce waste and save money. This will help decrease the amount of money you need to spend on new items and allow you to be more efficient with prior purchases. For example, if you already have frozen chicken in the freezer, search for chicken recipes.
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3. Plan Out Your Meals
Armed with a schedule and an up-to-date inventory of your current food supply, it is time to start mapping out meals. For truly cost-conscious consumers, consider ingredients that can be utilized in multiple recipes or decide on meals that require a one-time preparation but can serve multiple meals like spaghetti, lasagna, or casseroles.
Be sure to incorporate variety into your meal preparation calendar so you don’t get burnt out eating the same meal all week. You also want to ensure that you are eating healthy to keep your mind, body, and money goals aligned.
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4. Source Creative Recipes
Don’t know where to start when it comes to recipes? Not to worry, let the chefs help. Companies like the Food Network, Delish, Taste of Home, and The New York Times give weekly meal recipe suggestions with step-by-step guides for meal preparation and provide a list of the exact ingredients you will need.
Explore favorite food curators and get creative with the recipes you use. Adjusting your meals for seasonality can spice up the novelty of meals – think barbecues in the summer, and heavy soups in the fall – and make it more fun to adhere to your meal plan.
5. Utilize Low-Cost Solutions
Meal planning doesn’t mean that you must make every meal yourself. There are plenty of meal delivery services that offer pre-made meals that allow cost and calorie-conscious consumers the ability to meal plan and buy in bulk. For those of you who operate on the go, this can be a great option. Here are some of our favorite meal prep services:
- Factor
- CookUnity
- HomeChef
- Sunbasket
- Splendid Spoon
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Order pre-packaged meals to your office to ensure your lunch is already prepped and ready to eat. This can reduce spoilage and mitigate the headache of having to remember to bring your lunch with you every day of the week, increasing your chance of sticking with your meal plan.
6. Find Discounts
Be creative when it comes to discounts. An entire cottage industry of coupon companies focuses exclusively on providing coupons, discounts, and savings. Companies like RetailMeNot offer online coupon books that let you peruse local savings and deals. Companies like Redplum or Printable Coupons and Deals provide printable coupons and deals that can be used immediately.
Here are some clever ways to get coupon books:
- Subscribe to savings newsletters.
- Find a local newspaper.
- Try multiple newspapers.
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7. Buy in Bulk
Buying in bulk is a favorite Smart Money tip, especially for those used to feeding a family or already have experience in meal planning. Buying in bulk is often the most effective at grocery stores like Costco, BJ’s, or Sam’s. These stores sometimes require memberships. Don’t have one? Either sign up or think about someone you know who might already have a membership.
Savings opportunities are also available at local groceries with different batch-buying offerings. Hunt for “Buy one, get one free” deals. These can save you serious cash. For items that apply to full meals, such as oatmeal or soup, this can be an excellent “two for one” moment. Take advantage of these offerings.
8. Shop Online or In Person
Depending on where you live, shopping for food can be one of the most annoying parts of your week. Cities that attract young professionals often offer services that allow you to shop online, place your order, and pick up your order in-store.
For the more adventurous readers, shopping in person can be time well spent. Selecting the best produce, meat, or fish from your grocery store can increase the quality of your basket and allow you to find the longest-lasting food supply. Throw on your favorite podcast or Audible book and make the shopping journey enjoyable.
9. Review Your Budget
Now that you have planned your meals, it is time to operationalize your plan. Before you do, however, it is vital to review your budget to ensure your meal plan aligns with your financial goals. Avoid over-purchasing, and review your grocery plan so it isn’t too extravagant.
If you spend too much, try substituting higher-cost items for lower-cost items. For example, instead of buying name-brand products, consider going generic. Generic items are nearly identical products for less cost. And if you need even more help curbing overspending, you can use cash only when buying groceries.
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10. Stick To Your Plan
You have done all the hard work. Sticking to your plan for the entire week or month can be one of the most challenging aspects of meal planning, but that is why you want to make your recipes fun, keep the food-making process interactive and social, and gamify the process.
Ultimately, meal planning can be an effective way to cut monthly expenses quickly. Meal planning can also become a way of life to reduce food costs, alleviate pressure to eat out, and enjoy a wonderful meal with friends or family.
Smart Summary
Meal planning can be one of the more enjoyable methods of reducing critical spending. As the third largest category of spendind, behind rent and transportation, controlling your costs in this area will help pave the way for a healthy relationship with your food. Life should be enjoyed. So don’t forget to dine out with friends and family. Keeping meal planning fun and vibrant helps keep this habit at the forefront of your savings routine.
(1) U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Consumer Expenditures 2022. Last Accessed February 16, 2025.
