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One of the most effective ways to save money



Meal planning
One thing I have learned on our frugal and simple living journey is that meal planning is one the most effective ways of saving a staggering amount of money. And not only is it fantastic for saving money, it is also one of the best things you can
do for the environment.

A great resource
A study done by Foodwise Australia has found that in Australia our household food waste is as high as $8 billion dollars. Each family is discarding up to 20% of the food they purchase. The average household is reportedly throwing away $1036 worth of food away each year. However, it is costing us far more than that if we are not planning our weekly meals. Without a meal plan, not only do we waste food, but we are also more inclined to rely on takeaway and eating out. Take away and eating out can cost upwards of $100 per week!

I suggest visiting the Food Wise website at www.foodwise.com.au. They have many awesome and interesting facts related to food waste in Australia. But they also have many resources such as a Meal Planner and many great recipes.

What I do
My personal method is a simple one, I sit down on a Sunday and plan the next 7 days meals. Then I create a shopping list based on what we need and excluding what we already have in the pantry. Although, if a non-perishable food item that we regularly use is on sale such as coconut milk, I will buy it in bulk to use in future meals. Meal planning really helps to reduce wasting fresh produce and wasting money on replacing fresh produce, as you only buy and use exactly what you need.

Stress Less
One of the advantages to meal planning is that I don’t have to think of what to cook for dinner every afternoon at about 4pm. With is already being planned life feels a little bit more organised and simple. And we all need more simplicity in life.

Learn to improvise
 If a recipe calls for kale and all you’ve got is cabbage or broccoli, just use the dang cabbage or broccoli instead. Don’t get in your car and go to the shops just to buy kale. If you find at the end of the week you have a mish mash of left over fresh veg chuck it in a stir fry or a soup to use it all up before your next shop. Left over veg in chicken soup is my all time favourite!

Compost
So what do we do with the carrot ends and the apple cores? Well we don’t throw them in the bin so they can produce toxic methane at the dump. Start your own compost bin! Further saving money on expensive fertilisers for the veggie patch where you grow your own food that saves you money on fresh produce.

So you see, meal planning is not just about being organised with your meals through the week. You will literally save thousands with minimal effort as well as helping reduce your impact on the environment.

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