Unpopular opinion: meal planning doesn't actually save me money

I tracked my grocery spending for 3 months and found that my 'planned' weeks cost me $85 more on average because I'd buy ingredients for fancy recipes I never finished, but my unplanned weeks where I just bought cheap staples like rice and beans ended up way cheaper.

2 comments

2 Comments

linda_butler288d ago

That's funny because I've noticed the same thing with so many "life hacks" that are supposed to save you money. People buy all this special gear for meal prep or home organizing or whatever and it ends up costing way more than just doing things simple. It's like we get sold this idea that being organized means spending more upfront, but the real savings come from just using what you already have and not overcomplicating things. I've seen friends drop hundreds on fancy planners and storage bins then go back to their old habits a month later. Sometimes the cheapest way is just the laziest, most boring way.

alexlewis8d ago

Oh man, I totally fell for that one with meal prep containers. I bought like 20 of those glass snap lids and they just sit in my cabinet now. What actually saved me money was just cooking an extra portion when I made dinner and throwing it in a random tupperware I already had. No special system, no fancy labels, just leftovers in whatever container wasn't dirty.