I'm going to be totally transparent with you guys about my grocery budget. It's not very big. For a family of 3 (one being gluten-free), we budget $100/week. That includes three meals a day, drinks, desserts, snacks, dinner parties, fiestas...everything. Back when Judah was drinking formula 73x a day, that was included in the weekly budget with no change whatsoever. It's not that we can't afford to spend more. That's just what it's always been for almost 7 years now. Now, talk to me in 15 years when we have teen boys at home, and I'm sure we'll be singing a different song.
All that being said, I can't encourage meal planning enough. The few times I've gone over on our budget was when I showed up at the store with no real plan and no list. I feel so strongly about it that I wrote a post last year called "20 Tips for Better and More Affordable Meal Planning." I also use {free} money-saving apps like Ibotta to make money on things I'm already going to buy {think milk, cheese, produce, etc.}.
To make meal planning even easier for you, I've designed two completely free printables. One is a weekly meal plan, and the other is a shopping list. You can click on either image below to print and use at your convenience. I do it cause I love you!
I totally get that meal planning isn't the most exciting part of your week, but unless you are seriously raking in tons of money doing whatever you're doing, you can't afford not to meal plan. I've talked with countless readers who have sung the praises of this simple planning technique. I've got nothing to gain here by telling you to plan your meals, but you've got everything to gain. Honestly. I wouldn't lie to you guys.
Hop to it!
Love and meal planning,