Happy Friday, my friends! 🤜🏻🤛🏻
Last week, we chatted about meal planning, and while that practice is a game changer, when paired with meal prep, we’re nearly invincible.
We can have the planning part down BUT if the execution is poor we’re gonna end up eating out and wasting food.
Now, don’t get us wrong, when we say meal prep we don’t mean glass containers lined up on a kitchen island with a week’s worth of meals perfectly portioned and positioned.
We mean, meal prepped ingredients. 🙌
Take shredded chicken for example.
We love it in soups, tacos, salads, beans, rice, and more, but the extra effort it takes to shred it with forks is a deal breaker. We’d rather order takeout.
Try this instead.
Buy big bags of frozen chicken 🍖
Cook it, shred it with a stand mixer, and freeze it in individual containers/bags that can be easily thawed for various meals.
Benefits: Can shred 5 lbs of chicken in less than 30 seconds AND cooking time is down for recipes because the chicken is pre-cooked.
Pre-chop and freeze your onions 🧅
Who doesn’t hate chopping onions? This task is often the barrier to cooking at home (ALL THE CHOPPING!). Jen likes to chop hers all at once in her $20 Ninja Express Chop, and freeze in individual containers.
Benefits: Whenever a recipe calls for an onion, just grab a bag and drop it into the pan, no defrosting required.
Of course, these are just a few examples.
Over time you’ll identify what your barriers are to cooking at home and get creative with how you get past them.
Our brains have a limit to how much energy they can exert.
Saving and spending efficiently preserves that mental energy.
When you pursue efficiency you have the freedom to think less about every single spending decision because you know you’re making better spending decisions when it really counts.
You don’t have to make the best decisions 100% of the time if you’re making the right decisions in the right places 20% of the time.
On Tuesday we talked about Psychological Reasons Why We Impulse Buy – EP 378. We explore 7 common triggers for spending mindlessly and ways we can incorporate better practices.
Today, we’re exploring How to Get Affordable Quality vs. Cheap Quantity – EP 379. This one is particularly exhilarating for Jen and I because it’s become our 2024 mantra. So join us in even more intentional spending this year!
Tune in wherever you get podcasts and let us know what you thought of the episode over on our latest Instagram post!
Jill’s picks for a stellar weekend:
✅ Watch: A video on a new technique you want to learn. I’m in my sourdough era so it’s sourdough scoring techniques for me. BUT maybe it’s knife skillz for you, or Gua Sha facial massage. IDK. you do you!
✅ Fly: Seriously, fly! The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the most lucrative benefits of any airline. However, in order to earn it, you typically need to take 100 flights or earn 135,000 qualifying points. With this limited-time Southwest Companion Pass offer, you’ll get unlimited use of the pass through February 2025 and bonus points with a new Southwest credit card. Apply Here **
✅ Do: Rollover any old 401(k)’s into an IRA of your choosing. Not sure if you have any old 401(k)’s lying around? Let Capitalize do the work for you! They will find and help you rollover any 401(k)’s from previous jobs into an IRA investment account for FREE! Check them out! **
✅ Meal Plan: Salmon and Rice Bowls. Surprisingly easy and quite delicious
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Catch ya later,
⭐️⭐️ P.S. Want to share all this goodness with your friends AND earn cool Frugal Friends merch?
**Means this is a sponsored or affiliate section. We may earn a small fee or commission when you choose to try one of our sponsor or affiliate partners. But opinions are still 1000% our own.
