Most members of our Nationwide Mums on a Budget group mention meal planning is cheaper. In fact, most the times it can be. However, there are times where it is NOT cheaper. Example, if you have taco Tuesday planned and paid full price for the taco kit, meat and toppings just because your meal plan states Tuesday is Taco Tuesday then meal planning would NOT be cheaper. It could be easier and more convenient but not cheaper.
There are many ways to meal plan. I personally find that the cheapest and most strategic way to meal plan is:
1. Download the free app SUPERCOOK or use their website. It will take all the ingredients you have in your fridge, pantry or freezer and gives you unlimited recipes you could not possible cook them all! I am talking 20,000 recipes! Create your next week's meal plan by using items you already have in your house. No need to pop out to the supermarket and pay $2 for that missing lemon in that recipe you were hoping to make.
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2. Shop weekly by special only with the budget you have. If your weekly budget is $50, that is fine. If it is $300, that is also fine. What I mean is, stock up on that chicken on special and freeze it. Stock up on those 1/2 price taco kits and put them in the pantry. Stock up on that long life milk. By shopping special you are maximising your dollar and not paying full price... ever! A great free app I like to use is called WISELIST. If helps you compare grocery prices between Coles, Woolworths and Aldi easily. Or you can also use the free app called HALF PRICE to help you find specials.
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3. Strategically use meal kit delivery boxes when on promotion like EveryPlate, Dinnerly, Hello Fresh, Marley Spoon, and fruit and vegetable delivery boxes like FUNKY FOOD or FARMER'S PICK or even meat delivery boxes from butchers like OURCOW. Taking advantaging of our community's discount codes like save $7 on your first Funky Food by using discount code " MUMSONABUDGET " box or save 15% off your first Farmer's Pick box by using discount code " MUMSONABUDGET " will literally save you hundreds or thousands of dollars a year. Utilising discount or promo codes, will help bring down the cost but also it helps making dinners easier and more convenient giving you that little bit of extra time and less stress. We have a "*How to Save Heaps Guide*" on our Linktree under "MEAL DELIVERY DISCOUNT CODES 📦🍲" section, or you can see a list of discount offers under "FOOD DELIVERY TOP DISCOUNTS 🏷️" section. A lot of the time, you can get promotional boxes from $1.29 - $2.89/ serve which makes it cheaper than shopping in stores and more convenient as well! You can also see the free guide HERE.
The above takes a little while to get use to but once you get organised, it truly will help you save money without compromising what you like to easy or taste and you get the convenience with out the price tag that comes along with meal delivery kits.
It does not cost anything to try the above method (other than if you opt in for a trial of paid meal delivery kit service at cheaper than the price of groceries when on special). I call this the MOAB Meal Planning method (MOAB a.k.a. Mums on a Budget). I have been using it for years! I personally have invented this method and our members love it! I have tried many others but this one works out to be the cheapest and you are not compromising what you like to eat in exchange for keeping the grocery bill down. Plus you get the convenience once in a while of using meal delivery kits which is a time saver and reduces stress and others can help out with dinner using the easy to use recipe instruction cards.
Feel free to tweak the method after using to what best suits you and your family and lifestyle. Example, some members may love the convenience of meal kit boxes like Everyplate and do not want to rotate and try other kits, even if you can save heaps. That's fine. You can keep using it but you can still utilise #1 and #2 above. You are still utilising #3 just not to it's full potential. The same applies, if you only like to shop at Woolies and not Coles or Aldi as you find you get best bang for buck with Woolies Everyday rewards. That is cool too! You can still use #1 and #3 above on occasion. You just are using #2 based on one supermarket and no need to compare prices but make sure you are always stocking up at Woolies when something is on special. You get the point!
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