- Basic tricks like writing down my meal plan and cooking food that I actually like made meal-prepping more enjoyable.
- I listened to personal finance podcasts while meal-prepping to keep me motivated on my savings goal.
- I ordered groceries for pickup or delivery to save on time, and to help me stay on budget by cutting out impulsive shopping.
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I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I hate meal-prepping with the fire of a thousand suns. Meal-prepping is messy and time-consuming, and the meals don’t actually end up tasting good during the week. Nothing is more depressing than microwaving the same unsatisfying meals over and over again.
No matter how much I hate it, there’s no denying that having food on hand during the week is a lot cheaper than ordering takeout or dining out with friends. Last year, to save for six-week trip to New York to see family and friends, I saved $700 in six months by diligently meal-prepping, and I plan to continue the habit in 2022 to save even more money.
Here are six strategies that help me stay on track with meal-prepping.
1. I wrote down my meal plan for the week
It seems really basic, but skipping this step caused me to go into the week without a clear picture of how much groceries I really needed to buy. Without writing down my meal plan, I ended up buying too many vegetables that were less enjoyable later in the week when they weren’t crunchy anymore.
With a written plan, I was able to keep track of which meals I actually enjoyed and which ones were not as memorable. A written plan also helps me plan recipes around the same three or four key ingredients so that I’m not shopping for too many different items.
2. I didn’t cook every single meal
I fell into a rabbit hole of watching YouTube videos with chefs and influencers flaunting their picture-perfect meal-prep stations. I had to let go of perfection, and stop comparing myself to their videos very early into the process. I embraced the reality that I don’t have the same infinite counter space and cooking stamina that YouTubers seemed to have.
When my meal-prepping sessions came up short, I relied on instant ramen, frozen dinners, or leftovers from a Filipino dinner with friends.
3. I cooked three nights per week, instead of cramming it all into one day
Congratulations to the people who manage to make 21 meals per week in one afternoon of meal-prepping, but I will never be like you.
Even though I hate meal-prepping, I actually really enjoy cooking. I found that it was easier to make extra servings of one recipe a few times per week. Spreading the cooking out to three nights instead of cramming it all into one day made it so much more manageable, and I was motivated to tweak…
Read More: 7 Strategies That Helped Me Stick to Meal-Prepping and Save Hundreds