Food is often our biggest area of budget busts! The solution begins with our meal planning and how we go about grocery shopping. On this episode Ashtin gives us some simple and attainable tips for how we can meal plan effectively and save money on our groceries each week.
Sponsors:
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Check out these episodes for more on meal planning:
Ep 16 Meal Planning and Prep Tips
Ep 79 The Frugal Friends Food Blog Awards
Notable Notes:
We enjoyed asking Ashtin all her tips:
- Tell us about yourself and how you got into meal planning?
- Love budget lifestyle
- Started a blog (budget fashion, home reno, food planning)
- You do custom meal planning, what are some tips you’d give a client whose main goal is to reduce their spending on food?
- HAVE A PLAN – don’t go to grocery store blindly
- Do prep work before going to store
- Use search terms ‘budget meal ideas’ + ‘affordable week night ideas’
- Narrow down ingredients you will eat during the week
- 2 proteins
- 3-4 veggies
- What are some of your go-to ways to reduce your food waste?
- Know what you most time sensitive ingredients are and use them first
- Organize pantry and fridge – take inventory weekly
- When in doubt just freeze it
- For those of us who don’t like cooking, what are some tips to follow through with our meal plan?
- Limited effort recipes
- Search simple, easy, fast when looking for recipes
- Crock-pot, sheet pan (10min meals, 1 pot dinners)
- How long does it take to meal plan?
- 20-30min to meal plan per week
- Monthly calendar template
- Routine hacks: meatless Monday, creative Wednesday, Taco Tuesday, easy Thursday, Saturday celebrate (something tasty)
BILL OF THE WEEK – Thank you Ashtin for sharing your bill about lowering your electric bill by minimizing window drafts
If you want to submit your bill of the week visit frugalfriendspodcast.com/bill to leave us a bill
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Lightning Round
Current fav freezer meal
- Ashtin- sweet potato black bean soup; served with cheese quesadilla (white potatoes don’t freeze as well)
- Jill- frozen fruit; breaded chicken cutlets
- Jen- jambalaya, indian food (curry, chicken tikka masala – use frozen meat in these ‘casserole’ type dishes)
Get more from Ashtin at:
Wrap-Up:
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Thanks for listening! See you next week!
