Most people don’t realize that food is the number one destroyer of budgets.  It doesn’t seem like much to go and pick up a $4 for $4 meal from Wendy’s during lunch, or stop and grab a coffee on the way into work, or pick up dinner because you don’t feel like cooking every once and a while throughout the month. These things are harmless in terms of action. However, they are destroying your budget. It’s killing your budget so much that most people are always shocked or embarrassed when they sit down and calculate how much they spent on food for the month.

Believe it or not, you’re eating all of your money. Even if you don’t fall into the category of someone who likes to go out to eat, think about how much money you spend on food you never eat. You had good intentions for that container of spring mix in your refrigerator, but now it smells sour and is swimming in brown juice. Money wasted. How many other things in your fridge never got to reach their full potential of making it into a meal?

In the past few months that we’ve done a monthly meal plan for our dinner, we’ve found that we’ve spent significantly less on food and it’s increased our communication, teamwork, and overall productivity. It helps to streamline our lives because we don’t have to think about what’s for dinner. We know what we’re having, we know what ingredients we need, and we know what we need to do to make it happen.

When I share our meal plan on Instagram (are you following us there?) I get several messages with pushback about why a monthly meal plan won’t work for them. I totally get it, not every method will work for everyone’s lives, but I find that most people are pushing back before they even try!

Pushback #1

“I can’t do a monthly meal plan, because I can’t plan what I want to eat that far in advance, or what if I want to have something different?”

Here’s my response to that.

Just like your budget, a monthly meal plan is not set in stone. It can be changed to fit your situation should something arise that calls for it. If you find that you can’t commit to an entire month, you can do it by week. Weekly meal planning is just as efficient as monthly meal planning. Think about how much easier your life would be if you knew what you were having for dinner every single day and you could easily grocery shop ( or order your groceries) so that you have everything on hand? I’ve already shared the keys to making a monthly meal plan work here, and these same tips can be incorporated into a weekly meal plan. Also, don’t be afraid to eat a meal twice. Hello, leftovers! Which brings me to the next pushback I continuously receive.

Pushback #2

“I don’t like leftovers.”

I get it. Most of us were forced to eat leftovers consistently growing up. Now you’re an adult in control of your life. You work hard and make good money, so why should you be forced to eat the same meal back to back?

Here’s the thing. Leftovers, even though you may not want to admit it, will help you save money. Think about it, if you eat a meal that you cooked once for two days, that means you’re not spending money on ingredients for a whole new recipe. Money saved means you can use to pay off more debt or build up your savings. It’s a small sacrifice for an even more significant gain.

Also, think about it, what is the worst that can happen if you eat leftover’s once a week? Seriously, what is the WORST that could happen?

This month, I’ve incorporated several days with leftovers. With the hubs traveling with his job, I’ll have plenty of food remaining to eat the next day. I’m also banking only spending $175 of our $250 grocery budget. That additional $75 can definitely be used elsewhere or stashed into one of our sinking funds.

Download your free template to help you create your June Meal Plan below. If you have any questions concerning the meal plan please feel free to shoot me a message in the comments.

June Monthly  Meal Plan Template (download)