The money you spend on food could easily make or break your monthly budget! This is why creating a meal plan + being intentional with your groceries is HUGE for your budget + your sanity!
This step held me back for so many years! I used to do grocery runs and just impulse buy. I'd get home...I'd have no real meals, I'd be missing ingredients, or I bought a duplicate item of something I already had. Plus I was wasting so much time + money!
Spending money on food is just a part of life, we’ve got to eat…but we don’t have to blow our budget or be stressed out in the process. I wanted to bring my friend, Christine from The Mostly Simple Life, on the podcast to share all of her simple tips for meal planning, being intentional with your food budget, + making the most out of your grocery purchases.
In this episode, Sami + Christine talk about:
How meal planning played a role in Christine’s Debt-Free Journey
Why meal planning is so important
How to adapt your food budget to your family’s needs
How to make meal planning a priority
How to trim down the grocery budget
Tips for balancing frugal + healthy meals
How to create a simple + realistic meal plan
How to make the most out of your grocery purchases
Memorable Quotes:
“You can spend so much time, energy, and stress on ‘what we are going to eat, how are we going to afford this, the stress of living in a cluttered disaster home…and when all of those things are taken care of there’s so much more room in your life for the things you want to spend time and energy on.” -Christine
“For anyone that just feels overwhelmed by the idea of meal planning, just write down a list of the meals you can make and go from there…it could be the easiest things…write down frozen pizza on that list, it does not have to be a recipe.” -Christine
“It does take a little bit of time at first, but then you end up saving yourself so much time in the long run.” -Christine
“Over the past year, we’ve both lost pretty significant weight…we eat quite healthy on a budget.” -Christine
“When I became a stay-at-home-mom I didn’t know how to meal plan or grocery shop for a family…I had to learn how to do that intentionally.”
-Sami
“If you’re trying to save money or get healthier or do all of these things on a budget, I think it’s important to decide that maybe meal planning is a priority right now, that does not mean that it’s going to be a huge time and energy priority for years to come. It might be 3-6 months that it takes you to really get the hang of it and really figure out what works for you, and after that it slowly becomes easier + easier because it becomes second nature and it just takes a little while to get your bearings….so deciding that something is a priority right now to save your budget or pay off your debt or whatever you’re trying to do right now…that doesn’t mean that it needs to be this huge priority for years. You’ll get used to it, it’ll get easier, and it’ll eventually just become so second nature.” -Christine
Resources Mentioned:
[Christine’s Meal Planner] Let's Make Meal Planning Simple
[Christine’s Video Series] Meal Planning: Simplified 3-Day Video Training Series
[Free Workshop] The Conquer Your Food Budget Workshop
[Sami’s Blog] How to Grocery Shop Smarter
[Sami’s Blog] Why There is No Such Thing as a Normal Grocery Budget
[Referral Link] Walmart Crib-side Grocery Pickup (save $10)
Who is our guest?
Christine White is the creator of The (mostly) Simple Life. She spends her days helping others get organized, stick to a budget, and create healthier habits.
Free Video Training: Meal Planning: Simplified
Website: themostlysimplelife.com
Instagram: @themostlysimplelife
Facebook Group: The (mostly) Simple Life Community
Email: christine@themostlysimplelife.com
Creating a plan ahead of time is HUGE for your budget + your sanity! If you're brand new to meal planning then I'd highly recommend Let's Make Meal Planning Simple. I love this step-by-step guide that my friend Christine from The Mostly Simple Life created. It's full of expert tips, full pre-made meal plans, + all of the worksheets you need!
Disclosure: There are some affiliate links above, but these are all products I highly recommend. I won’t put anything on this page that I haven’t verified and/or personally used. Read our disclaimer here.
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HEY I'M SAMI WOMACK
I'm the wife to my high school sweetheart, Daniel, + homeschooling momma to our 3 girls. I'm the Budgeting Coach + Motivational Speaker behind
A Sunny Side Up Life.
My family used to be in $490k of debt + living paycheck-to-paycheck, but after we hit rock bottom everything changed for us!
Now that my family has become debt free + gained financial freedom, I want to help your family do the same! My passion is inspiring women to live abundant lives through budgeting, intentional living, and positive thinking.
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