Episode 33: Money and Meal Planning
What you’ll learn
Money and Meal Planning (01:02)
The Penny Pinchers (01:33)
The Budget Conscious (05:40)
The Room to Players (08:42)
Recap (09:22)
Invitation (10:19)
In this third episode of the three-part series, we’re talking about the MONEY portion of meal planning. We’ve talked about your ‘Why’, your ‘Time’, and today we’re talking about your MONEY. Consider which of the three categories you’re in, if that aligns with your values, and if not, think about how you can get to where you want to be! When you’re done listening, come follow Brittany on Instagram @thedeliberateday and tag her in a photo of your COMPLETED weekly meal plan! If you don’t have The Deliberate Day Meal Planning Kit yet, send her a DM with the word “meals” and she’ll send you a link where you can get it!
Money and Meal Planning (01:02)
Money is one of those BIG factors in meal planning, you can’t meal plan if you haven’t stopped to consider how much money you have for meal planning. Sometimes we choose those priorities, and sometimes they’re chosen for us. SOMETIMES we have a little more to do with the choosing than we think we do. So considering these three categories, think about where you fall. . .depending on your season, you may dabble in more than one or fall in-between!
The Penny Pinchers (01:33)
This is a time when money may be tight, OR you’re choosing willingly to spend as little as possible. In her early days of being married with little ones, Brittany greatly relied on leftovers from the family she worked for. This helped to stretch the $30-45/week grocery budget that she had at the time. Brittany’s family sacrificed their choice (in what to eat) in order to attain bigger goals (like buying a house).
My own family had a similar time, years ago, when we had to feed 5 people on $40/week. I was never taught how to meal plan, but I figured out pretty quick what we could (and couldn’t) afford. Looking back now, those were times when we had SO much fun, but the lack of money was a constant concern.
Thinking back to my depression-era grandparents, they were fanatic about zero food-waste. To this day, my dad will rifle through the garbage and recycling because this mindset (of zero-waste) is SO deeply ingrained in him.
If you’re finding yourself in this category, the most important part is to know if you’re here because, for now, you NEED to be here? If not, think about how you might get to the level of food & grocery planning you would like to be at (is there another area in your budget that you could re-allocate funds from?)
The Budget Conscious (05:40)
This category includes people who have some wiggle room, like to eat well, but still choose to spend as little as possible in order to save for bigger things.
A good example is when I was working full time in my past life and asked a co-worker to lunch. . .she said she couldn’t because she was building a house (to my YOUNG self-I wasn’t seeing the connection). She was choosing to say no (for now) so she could enjoy something bigger later on.
Currently, Brittany’s family is cutting back some of the extras in her grocery budget in order to save for a new roof. Your grocery budget is the largest portion of your budget that you actually have control of.
In both Brittany and my families, or grocery budgets sit either at, or above, our mortgages.
The Room to Play(ers) (08:42)
Room to play is where food is your biggest priority. Perhaps you only eat organic, or seek out the exotic, or the convenient, and you DON’T mind paying for it. Y’all, if these are your values, this is O.K.
As long as this is a choice, and not an accident, OWN it!
Recap (09:22)
In this series, we’re looking at what you need to do to establish your priorities so that your meal planning is easier, it goes smoother, and you have a really good foundation to work from.
Where do you fall in the different categories?
What are your priorities while you’re working within your category?
You may move within the categories based on different seasons of life.
Finally, meal planning is a VERY personal journey, understanding YOUR family’s priorities is SO vital!
Invitation (10:19)
Go to Instagram, follow @thedeliberateday, and tag us in a photo of your completed meal plan! If you don’t have your meal planning template yet, send Brittany a DM with the word “meals” and she’ll give you a link to get the beautiful “Meal Planning Made Easy” kit she’s created (Image featured below)!
Finally, we LOVE to hear from you! Please consider giving our podcast a rating on your favorite platform (5 is our favorite)!
