Meal planning on a budget: the shopping-list method

Plan from what you have

Before writing a single meal, list what is already in the fridge, freezer and pantry on a “use up first” line. The first dinners of the week come from that line. It is the cheapest cooking there is.

Pair the dinners

Two dinners that share their main ingredients cost less than two unrelated ones and leave fewer half-used packets. Write them on consecutive days so nothing waits in the fridge too long.

Price the list before the shop

• Write a rough price next to each line of the shopping list.
• Total it at the bottom and compare it with the weekly budget box.
• If it is over, swap one dinner for something from the pantry, not for something cheaper and new.

Write the real cost after the shop

The receipt goes on the fridge next to the week. Write the real total in the budget box. After four weeks you know what a normal week costs and which weeks blew it; that knowledge is worth more than any single saving.

A planner built for this

The Budget style in Meal Plan Maker adds a cost line to every day, a weekly budget box and a use-up-first line to the list. Everything else is the same planner.

Questions