I’ve found if I don’t get a head start on meal planning over the weekend, slowly throughout the week my meals start to get expensive and unhealthy. I run to the grocery store every night after work because I don’t think I have anything at home. While my fridge starts to pile up with unused food because I haven’t thought ahead ways to incorporate what I already have.
What a waste.
The closest grocery store within walking distance to me is Whole Foods, otherwise notoriously known as “Whole Paycheck”. I’ve tried for a while now to go out of the way to find a more budget friendly grocery store so I can save money. While briefly successful, I just keep finding myself going back to Whole Foods because of the higher quality produce.
So here’s my plan.
Every Sunday I’m going to create a list of what I want to eat this week, utilizing all my groceries so I can keep the cost of each meal under $5.
Meal Prep
Meal prepping is going to bring my costs down to the $5 mark. When I write out what I want to eat for the week I can visually see and plan on ingredients to cut back on and reuse in other meals.
I have a growing list of meals on my phone that are easy to make and inexpensive that I can turn to if I don’t want to try something new.
But if you need some fresh material, thankfully there are a ton of websites out there today that give you access to thousands of difference recipes. Some of my favorites include AllRecipies.com, SeriousEats.com and my personal favorite Bon Appetit’s Rent Week Specials.
Typically I’m planning for dinner 4 nights a week and lunch and breakfast 5 days a week.
Groceries
Here’s my grocery list from a recent outing at Whole Foods.
| Carrots | $1.29 |
| Snap pea | $2.99 |
| Cherry tomato | $3.99 |
| Basil | $2.99 |
| Hummus | $3.99 |
| Ramen | $5.49 |
| Cannellini beans | $0.79 |
| Noosa yogurt | $4.99 |
| Pasta | $1.99 |
| Lemon x2 | $1.38 |
| Radish | $1.99 |
| Zucchini | $1.70 |
| Spinach | $2.49 |
| Granola | $5.99 |
| Skirt Steak | $7.53 |
| Tomato paste | $0.79 |
| Parsley | $1.49 |
| Garlic | $0.52 |
| Chicken | $10.58 |
| Avocado | $1.79 |
| Ginger | $1.00 |
All of this (only purchased from Whole Foods) for a grand total of $65. This will make 14 total meals for a whopping cost of $4.64 per meal. Goal achieved!
From this list I’m going to make: Bon Appetit’s Pork Noodles, Skirt Steak Chimichurri and Spinach and Cannellini Beans, Chicken Cesar Salad, Spaghetti with chicken and zucchini, Carrots, Snap Peas, Radish and Hummus for after work snacks and yogurt and granola for breakfast.
So There You Have It
This is a pretty typical glimpse of what I’m doing to get the cost so low. Take a few minutes out of your Sunday and get to preppin’. It will save you money in the long run and your taste buds will thank you throughout the week.
My first installment of the $5 Whole Foods Meal. It’s definitely possible to eat well with this approach. It’s not just rice and beans here folks. More to come in the future.