Save Money with Meal Planning

Posted on 29. Jul, 2009 by Mary Lutz in Archives, Time Management

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photo credit: milesgehm

Saving money is one of the main benefits to meal planning. If you have already established a family budget, you may find that your food bill always runs over the amount you budgeted. Last minute trips to the grocery store, take-out, and pizza delivery can get very expensive.

For example, a family of four can easily spend more than forty dollars on a take-out dinner; if that family only ate two take out meals per week, they would be spending over $300 per month on those meals alone! Now factor in any other trips through the drive-through and the unneeded items your child feels they cannot live without on all those trips to the grocery store. When you begin to plan your meals, you will know in advance what you will be spending on groceries and will have an easier time sticking to a budget. You may be able to cut your food spending by sixty percent – or even more!

You may want to consider taking the difference between what you currently spend on food and the amount you save and put it towards a “family fun fund”. For instance, if you currently $600 per month on groceries but find that you only spend $450 once you start planning your meals, you can use the extra $150 towards family activities each month, such as bowling, roller skating or movies. Another idea is to save the extra money all year and use it towards a vacation during the summer.

Meal planning can also be a great tool when it comes to teaching school-age children about money and budgeting. Have them accompany you to the store. Bring a calculator and enough cash to buy the items on your list. Have your children help you find the items on the list and calculate the total price of the groceries. This may make the shopping process a bit longer than if you did it by yourself, but your kids will learn a lot about economics and the value of a dollar.