Money Musings đź’ An end to my battle with meal planning (for now)
With inflation impacting our wallet, I took a look at our budget to see where we could save.
Spoiler 🚨 alert: I asked the Fiscal Femme community the same question. You can find the results below!
Each year I do a big budget clean out where I let go of the unnecessary expenses that don't bring much joy or add much value.
You know the things that show up, or creep in over the course of the year? Those! And it’s such a good feeling to let them go. I wrote about it here.
When I revisited my budget this year, the main area I thought we could save was on food. We decided to cook more meals at home.
In the past J and I have battled with meal planning. We vacillate between extremes. One week we plan intricate meals (with lots of one-off ingredients). It takes time out of our work day and night and we end up tired and burnt out. Then, the next week we have eggs and cereal for dinner. 🍳🤪
This time we’ve taken a much more strategic approach and so far it’s been working!
Over the weekend we look at the week ahead. I take dinner “ownership” of certain days and J of the others. Ideally, we alternate so neither of us is doing two days in a row.
We plan realistically based on the kind of week or specific day we have planned. If I’m going to be with E at therapy until 6 and J is at the office, we’re not going to be making an elaborate dinner.
We write down our meals on the calendar and add any ingredients to a shopping list. Planning in advance gives us time to research and come up with new things to try. This keeps dinner from getting too stale (pun intended).
If we have time on Sunday, we chop or prep anything we can in advance. This is sometimes a pipe dream but when it happens it makes a big difference.
For the busiest or most chaotic days, we plan for takeout. If one of us is away, or someone has multiple nights in a row, it's a takeout night. Planning in advance makes it feel less like a failure and more like a conscious strategy for a wild day.
We make extra. This helps with lunches and even can supplement the next day’s meals. Grilled veggies from burger night become part of the pasta for the next night.
And finally, we recap before starting again this next week. Recapping has become one of my new favorite habits for all areas of my life. It’s something I used to skip over but can make all the difference. Which meals were winners? What are we feeling tired of? This is the time to recap together before planning for the next week.
Side note: On Sunday’s I always batch make breakfast burritos to freeze. I use them to switch up my breakfast a couple times per week.
Do you have a loving relationship with meal planning? I’d love to hear your tips!
MONEY MOVE OF THE WEEK
MAKE YOUR HAPPINESS ALLOCATION (OR BUDGET) FOR NEXT YEAR.
I know… budgeting is so fun. But before you go run and hide, let me say this:
Budgeting is an act of self-love. đź’—
Call them budgets, spending plans, or happiness allocations (my fave term). Planning out your income and expenses by month is a hugely eye-opening and liberating process.
As the end of the year approaches, it’s a great time to put together your plan for next year.
Some things to think about:
How will next year’s income compare to this year?
Are there any lifestyle upgrades you’d like to make? ⏫
Any expenses you are ready to let go of?
Any expenses you’ll have this coming year that will be different from the last year?
Are there any sinking funds you’d like to create?
Remember, you don’t need to have all of the answers. Budgets are living documents. You can change and adjust as you know more.
Here’s a free template to help you get started.
YOU GOTTA SEE THIS
A POLL ABOUT INFLATION’S IMPACT ON YOU.
Curious how inflation (rising prices $$$) are impacting other people's money habits? I asked you, the Fiscal Femme community how increased prices are impacting your budget and goals. Here are some highlights:
40% created a new budget to deal with rising prices
80% said that inflation has impacted major life decisions like moving, buying a home, getting married, having a child, etc.
The area of spending you have had to cut back the most? 43% said entertainment and dining out
22% shared that increased prices has caused a lot of anxiety
50% say that they can't save as much as they used to
Here's the full breakdown.