HAVE YOU BEEN MEAL PLANNING THE WRONG WAY? | HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON GROCERIES | REVERSE MEAL PLANNING
Вставка
- Опубліковано 16 лис 2024
- Join Thrive Market today to get 25% off your first order AND a FREE gift! thrivemarket.co...
My other channel - / @christineunfiltered
Frugal Fit Dad Channel - / @frugalfitdad
Steven's Channel - / @typicallyhazardous5136
Want to work with me? Contact me at contact@tablerockmanagement.com
FREQUENTLY USED/MENTIONED ITEMS
Get $20 with Rakuten - www.rakuten.co...
Get 20% off your first order - Misen.co/ffm
FREE gift at Thrive Market - thrivemarket.co...
Get 2 free stocks with Webull - act.webull.com...
Get 2000 Bonus points with FETCH rewards: FP9XH
Join Ibotta - ibotta.risj.ne...
Want to send a letter the old fashioned way?
P.O. Box 50472
Idaho Falls, ID 83405
Shop my Favorites on Amazon: www.amazon.com...
Disclaimer
All links are affiliate links and may give me a small percentage by clicking through them. You are not required to click through any of my links.
#mealplan #thrivemarket #frugalfitmom
I’m single, have no children, live in Abu Dhabi and am addicted to these videos!
Omg I think of Garfield when I see Abu Dhabi lol!
I follow her so much.
I don't do much if budgeting. Lol. I do have 4 kids and married to a dude.jjjj😂😂
I'm single, have no children (and no plans of having kids), live in the Philippines. Like you, I am 100% addicted to these videos hahaha
I have no kids but love watching her videos as well
I honestly didn't realize this wasn't the standard way to meal plan. 😄 Occasionally I will come across a recipe I have to try right away, but 99% of the time I plan based around what I already have or what's on sale that week.
I started shopping the clearance food items and freezing them after watching your videos and have saved a TON of money over time. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your tips!
Me too! I was shocked the other day to find a bag of 8 avocados on clearance for $0.99. Yeah they were slightly overripe but I salvaged a pretty decent amount, mashed it up with some lemon juice and salt then tossed a majority of it in my freezer.
Yess I bought a good sized freezer and it paid for itself already! Grocery shopping is often flinging money at impulse buys or hmm I will try this oddball item. I now set foot in a grocery very rarely!
@@GinaKayLandis online shopping is the best for that. Lol Don't have all the stuff that you aren't looking for, in your face.
Poor people already know this out of necessity. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Some
Not all know this... wish they did... but I did when I was broke.. I meal planned based on what was on clearance at the store for meat and veggies and then planned from there.. it’s been a while since I have seen stores with clearance foods... I think everyone has this idea now haha
Yeah, always shop your pantry first!
Not always
Frugal people too
“I have four children and I’m married to a dude.” 🤣😂🤣😂🤣
Yes! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
Gave me a chuckle for sure.
I appreciate the clarification; a lot of the UA-camrs I follow aren't het so it's a legit thing
I'm glad I'm not the only one who laughed at that phrase
Wha??? Lol. She caught me off guard with that. Always a laugh here!
This is exactly how I meal plan! And if I spot clearance meat I stock my freezer back up for the months ahead! It helps soooooo much!
As a Texan, the HEB shirt got me immediately.
That was I noticed. You can take the girl outta Texas, but you can't take the Texas outta the girl. 🤣😂😍
Same lol
I noticed it that too. I only lived in San Antonio 1 year before moving to Tucson, AZ. I fell in love with HEB and totally miss it.
What does it mean?
Heard a rabbi who was giving a lecture in Texas and he was asking the audience, "What's with this grocery store? Heb. Is it kosher? Do you have an Israe-Lite down the street?" People laughed and told him it was H-E-B. LOL.
I’ve been doing this “reverse meal planning” thing since I’ve been watching you! Actually, I’ve adopted a lot of your tips & tricks and overall outlook on meal plans, and they’ve transformed our eating habits & food budget habits tremendously! 💜💜
This is my favorite way to meal plan...watching your channel has encouraged me to be more creative putting meals together from the pantry & totally changed how much we spend on groceries.
I usually browse the clearance things I can freeze like meats, breads and dairy and just go off that. My freezer and most pantry items have a clearance sticker. I use this system almost every week and it saves me money and prevents wasting.
Yes!! This is exactly how I meal plan and it has been a GAME CHANGER. It makes me feel so much better that I’m using up the food in my pantry and also helps me to try new recipes!
Yes!!
This is what I have done for years: check my pantry/freezers, and check the sales/loss leaders of my several local grocery stores, then plan my meals. If I have a craving for chili, I wait until I see a sale or Clearance markdown at my Kroger for pork stew chunks (my preferred cut for crock pot chili), then grab it. I always have beans (canned/dry), canned tomatoes, onions, and spices in my pantry. This was a method of Amy in The Tightwad Gazette in the 1990s, plus she pushed the tip of knowing your grocery prices so you know a good deal when you see one.
Greetings fellow Tightwad Gazette fan here!
@@AWanderingEye Hello! Still love those books and use what I learned there every day.
It's amazing how much you'll save eating from your pantry and stocking up on sale or markdown items when you can. It's SO worth the effort.
Yes this is how I meal plan! I buy our produce first according to whatever is cheapest that week and then plan meals around my veg and what I have in my freezer and pantry.
I'm starting graduate school soon and I will be living alone and meal prepping for the first time. Your videos are so useful for budgeting and planning out meals. Thanks Christine!
ame good luck ✌🏻
@@toaka5568 thanks! 😁
Butter!!
I was grocery shopping at my Aldi yesturday, and they had an in store sale on unsalted butter for 1.29 a pound. I was sooo excited!!!
I second the cook book idea! The kid crawling on the floor when holding up that Buddha bowl 🤣🤣🤣🤣 also we are a huge sandwich for lunch family too! Why fight the kids to make them eat something different when sandwich works?
I had to rewind to see that lol!
Yes, this is how I meal plan too! It saves money and also saves me the mental hassle of not knowing where to start. I get decision fatigue easily if I open up pinterest with no game plan. So checking the ads, freezer and pantry gives me a much better starting point for coming up with ideas.
I need to do this more often. I'm always buying ingredients for UA-cam videos I'm watching, but this is such a great idea to just look at what I already have and make something out of it. Thanks!
You’re the first one who has talked about planning this way. This is how I’ve always made my meals for my family. I used to teach coupon classes and the first thing I said was “ meal plan by what you have and what’s on sale” that way you’re already saving money.
Christine loving your hair! Reverse meal planning works, you save money and no wasting food. I look forward to weekly planning and prep time too as it saves so much time during the week, bonus is you eat healthier and enjoy an indulgence without guilt.
I've always menu planned from my freezer, fridge and pantry. I'm so glad you made this video. And I'm so jealous of your beautiful pantry. 😍 Thank you Christine.
I meal plan the same way you do. I have done this for yrs now. It saves a ton of money! Thanks for the reminder!
I thought this was what everyone did, lol. Who knew I was doing it backwards? (well, you did!)
This is common sense... Why do I not already do this 🤦🏽♀️
Because you’re not really poor (or you would have no choice).
Don't judge, some weren't taught money management like this, others may have mental issues. You aren't necessarily stupid if you don't meal-plan this way. ❤
@@Anonymous-oh7np Yes, and you might have money issues because you don't plan this way, too, no matter if you're poor or not.
@@TheNinnyfee I am not judging anyone. ❤️ I just thought it was funny that I had never thought to do this. I'm not the greatest at meal planning anyway - I just tend to buy groceries and decide what to cook on the day. This will definitely save time being indecisive 😅
@@Chelsea-fy2yo My light clicked on about 10 years ago when i threw out about 2 bags of really expired food. I felt soo guilty that i went the opposite way and inventoried everything i had leftover and did a NO spend however long it took to eat everything in the house before buckling down the budget. I also put us on a meal plan, and a very tight budget to make sure i didnt shop by emotions and truly bought what we enjoy and will eat. To this day we spend about 100 dollars per month per person in the house.
We start from ingredients as well. Monthly meal plan here, and after a month it just rotates. We just very often do cooked potatoes, a vegetable (heaping plate) and a meat of some kind. It works for us!
I do this already... partially bcuz ive had to live pretty frugal....love ur channel
This is how I meal plan too! It keeps you creative 😜 and helps the budget a lot.
I do this with my inventory and adds...its a great way to save money! Christine you are awesome to share this bit of wisdom!
I have been doing this for quite a while, but my biggest challenge and learning point was gathering recipes that my family actually likes... they are a bit picky about what we eat. So a good point is that in order to do this type of reverse meal planning is to know the recipes that will win your family over, and most importantly, KEEP IT SIMPLE!
I've been doing reverse meal planning for a few years now. It helps that I keep a small dry erase board on the freezer with the inventory of the freezer written on it. Helps me instead of searching through my freezer every week. I update it as I purchase and remove items. Defiantly a time and money saver for sure.
I have been working it that way for years. Pantry, fridge and freezer are fully stocked could live a couple of weeks only needing milk & fresh produce from store.
HEB!!! Our freezer is bursting, need to shop our current inventory first.
Lol. I’m i the same boat. I need to go through it and figure out what exactly is in there lol
I do the exact!! I get the loss leaders at my local grocery stores!!
Has worked out for me for years😄
Thanks for the ideas
I’ve been doing this unconsciously for years! Shop sales first, then plan your meals. Works so well.
Cute hair today. I grow a few things in my garden to supplement our summer diets. Chard and Kale are two favorites cause I plant them one time and keep cutting all summer. Fav recipe: chop stems and slice leaves into pieces. Sauté stems with garlic in olive oil, when tender add leaves and stir a few times. Stir in a can of drained cannellini beans, Good add ins: cooked sliced Italian sausage pieces for a main, or chicken broth for a soup.
Definitely sauce. My Italian grandfather called it Sugo ..which is Italian for sauce.
One of my friends is Italian, her Grandmother ( 102 years old) doesn't speak English, they all live together in one huge home .. 5 generations of one family....they call tomatoe sauce Sunday gravy bc a big ol pot gets made for the week on Sundays and I'm talking an enormous stock pot....what they make on a Sunday I would do four of their pots to can sauce for a year.
Mary on Richard's phone from Florida. For every thrive market membership they gift a membership to a needy family I myself and a recipient of a free year membership they do what they say.
How did you get the free membership? I am poor and would mind a free membership.
@@jennoscura2381 first off they do not take food stamps you would have to use income. I called customer service and asked what I needed to do to apply you'll need to send them proof of qualification I don't remember what it is but I think it would be for me it was just the food stamps or whatever they call them in your area it could be Medicaid you have to give them proof of income. I have been getting my supplements through them what you can do is get the minimum of what you want I believe it still has to be over $35 if you want free shipping what I did was I perused their site wrote down everything I would be interested in purchasing after signing up I just waited for the first email to show up then I dull out everything on my list because right after you order they may send you another email pretty much every day you get an email of a free item with an order just don't be in a hurry to order and something you want will show up but you got to be quick because they run out real fast. I have ordered quite a few things that were cheaper than the grocery store for the exact same item such as primal kitchen no sugar products Good luck I know it's not easy
@@richardrybicki749 Thanks!
I've been doing that forever!!! Reverse meal plan is the best.
It is amazing. I started doing that when I cooked while a child at 7 years old and our parents both worked full time. Gotta love some crazy combos that are now favorites.
We always shopped this way growing up and I continued this into adulthood and with my little family. We buy as much local and in season as possible. When we move to our new state soon, a lot of my favorite seasonal produce will still be able to be grown there, which I am thrilled about. I got my husband mostly on board with this way of doing things, though we do more often than not make separate meals, but once in a blue moon he will be excited about what I am making that night. He grew up being forced to eat foods that he didn't like or want to eat and if he refused he would go hungry, so this is more about him having the freedom to make what he wants when he wants it vs bad food.
I never had a term for this. I also prebrown ground beef either plain or with my onions and stuff. Freeze them in quart size bag's for easier meals. I have a small family so I also portion out the chicken for ease and less waste. My son would say he wasn't in the mood for a particular fruit. My answer was your in the mood for what's on special this week. He now appreciates the process and is doing tge same.
This was of meal planning is SO MUCH easier! It’s just me and my husband so we don’t often have a huge back stock of inventory, but we deplete everything the way you’ve shown here and then do a full restock!
I occasionally decide to try a recipe, usually to get into cooking a new type of food, but generally, I've been shopping like this forever. You see what you have & what's on sale and only buy the other things needed to complete the meals. This has served me very well over the years because I always have a reserve of food and even in the leanest times where I get much more frugal, I can still come up with lots of different meals without spending a lot of money.
I made fried chicken the other night and reassured myself it was better than if I had eaten out
Another tip shop the loss leaders first and foremost. I have always meal planned like you do.
I like this! I have been doing this lately and had to tell myself that I was not lazy for trying to use all the things in the house already and not go to the grocery store.
Love your hair styled this way!
I’m from Texas and H‑E‑B is my favorite shopping grocery store like that T-shirt
I’ve been watching your videos. Today I used your tips and tricks. I got over $150 worth of meat for under $60. I was shocked!!!! Thank you so much for teaching me how to shop and cook
Amazing!
Thanks for this! I tend to make the plan then shop ...not inventory, plan, then shop
I sat and wrote down everything in my freezer, fridge and pantry...so I can have a "visual" of what I have. I LOVE lists also. I am on a goal for January of spending LESS! I just finished making veggie stock in my instapot with veggie scraps I normally would have just tossed...
I'm not sure if it's been mentioned or not but there is an app called "Flipp" that will let you view all the ads in one place. You can even search by specific items and it will tell you all the stores that have that item on sale. It has made meal planning so much easier for us.
I do major grocery shopping about once a month to restock my pantry and freezer based on what's on sale and what I need. I have about 30 or 40 meals that I cook regularly in rotation, so grocery shopping is fairly easy. I also do the reverse meal plan based on what we feel like eating and cooking from my stocked pantry, fridge and freezer. We still go to the store for milk, bread and fresh veggies a couple of times a month, but that is all. It saves us a ton of money on groceries doing it that way and we eat well.
Fred Meyer is in WA and OR as well. My grandma worked there. She said Mr. Meyer was very nice.
This week is a great week for sales around here. Meats to grill, fresh fruits and veggies. I’ll stock up on these items, freeze or can excess. Farmers markets begin in a week here, I’m looking forward to the asparagus and other fresh spring foods.
I only meal plan this way. I'm in Montreal Quebec Canada. I'm very lucky to have many many different grocery store very close to home.
Potstickers are a yummo meal with sweet chili sauce, rice on side and random roasted veggies. 😋
My boyfriend and I are joining a CSA for the first time this year so once we get our veggies for the week I will be able to meal plan from that. It will be a fun challenge.
You can save a lot of money on meat by knowing when your stores clearance date is. Buy and freeze for future use gets us deals on quality meats for as low as .49/pound.
I use Yummy all the time to use stuff from freezer. Google if you put what ingredients you have in search engine and it will give you recipe ideas too.
This is how I meal plan. Shop my frig, freezer pantry first.
Then sale ads
I do the same thing. I go a step further and keep a inventory of everything i have. I meal plan for the month with the meat i have on hand we might not always stick with the day i put it on but thats what we eat for the month. I shop bi weekly for veggies and other fresh products. We are always rotating inventory and we are a leftover eating house. We have very low food waste . The scrapes of things either get composted back into the garden or used for stocks
I've been doing this for years. Had 4 kids and low budget! Now kids are grown. But I still meal plan this way!
I’m surprised that other people don’t meal plan this way.
Lol my mother in law at one point had 3 or 4 mayos & 4 ranches because she doesn’t look what she has before she shops. She literally has double of everything
@@dchavezxo yikes!
@@dchavezxo that was me a few years ago.
Same! I watched this and was confused that anyone doesn't do this!
The only reason I go to the grocery store is for fresh veggies. Everything else I buy on sale. In bulk. It's not unusual for me to have 30 boxes of taco shells in my basement, because they were 10/$10 I also buy all my canned veggies at once during the year. They go on sale 2x a year. From that anyone in the house can mix up a meal. I'll look for meat sales also. Check out what goes on sale monthly. It will give you a list of everything and what month the sales will be really good. Buy in those months. During most of the year you will see Green Giant vegetables for up to $1.89 a can. During their sale month, I've seen them at 4/$2, nearly buy 1 get three free.
Gravy has meat base, sauce is vegetable/marinara is what have come to understand. My Gram always made gravy or marinara
I have done this for years. The only difference is since my husband works nights, our big family meal is lunch not dinner. Basically everything else is the same--our suppers are usually leftovers from the lunch meal, and my husband seldom eats breakfast, so my son and I eat very simple meals like peanut butter on a bagel, bacon, eggs and toast, or sometimes oatmeal or other hot cereal. It definitely cuts down on costs and aggravation.
Great way to start my Monday! Thanks for another video Christine. Your hair looks so nice. And, l always appreciate the help with meal planning and options.
This is how I was taught growing up. When I got my driver's license as a teen, my dad and I would go grocery shopping to help. (My dad was blind and mom was working and going to college to better herself. Dad took care of the house and us kids while she did this. He went blind when I was 2. Before that they both worked and on different shifts so they could share kid duties. So I was raised w everything could be done by everybody. Everyone is just better at certain things.)
I love your HEB t-shirt. It reminds me of my time as a missionary.
Just started your video but wanted to say that your hair is amazing.
Meal planning this way makes it easy to load up on sale items. I bought a couple packages of sausage on sale last week. Now I'm planning a couple meals around those in the next 2-3 weeks. ☺️
Every time I see a Christine meal planning/cooking video pop up I literally say out loud “yesssss” & watch immediately.
You are SO funny & entertaining while conveying such useful information. I’ll date myself here by saying “you da bomb!” 😁💓
Loving your HEB shirt. ❤️
Meal planning from the fridge and pantry is a great way to decrease food waste.
Thank you so much for this! I was raised doing this kind of meal planning and have recently reverted to this because planning by the cookbook can be expensive and wasteful.
I’m so glad you shared this video! This is how I plan my meals. Show what I have, shop the sales, and stock up on the deals for future meals.
And when in doubt, freeze it! 😂
Reverse meal plan, clearance or ad deals for years for me. I also do lots of what I call recycling meat or other items that we have left overs of.. It does surprise me how many people say they do not know what to cook or how to reuse leftovers. Thank you for inspiration to keep doing what is working and add new tips into our meal planning!! PS. DUDE, I thought I was the only one that called my hubby that. LOL
I have saved so much money on groceries since we found you Christine. And it’s true you eat healthier and pour your love into your food. And I have definitely become more creative when it comes to the kitchen
Love that!
I have always done " reverse meal planning". I agree, it save lots of $$.
my fridge food is a great site to help meal plan with what you have!! shopping sales and stocking your fridge and freezer is the best way!!
Everything you said I have been doing for 30+ years. It's a great way to make delicious meals without spending a lot of money and reduce food waste. It helps to learn you sale rotations for the stores around you. It's usually 6-8 weeks that something you buy often will be at a rock bottom price. That's the week I make sure I grab several so I'm not paying full price other weeks. I have a budget that is aside from my food budget for this. If I don't find anything that week then I put it aside for when a sale happens and I can stock up. Usually $5 a week. If I don't use it then when the Mega sale happens I have some money aside. There is a week several times out of the year I only use what I have on hand. You always have great videos that are so helpful. Thanks!
I also like writing shopping lists with COLORFUL SHARPIES !!!
We love Tillamook cheese in our house too! 🙌🏻
Butter freezes really well. Shredded cheese does pretty well in the freezer too.
Fellow Texan here!! I love your shirt!! H‑E‑B is the BEST!!! Great video, I’m always looking for a better way to meal plan!
And once every week or two, make s stir fry, soup or frittata. It's a great way to use up all the little leftover bits!
I love shopping my pantry and freezer! I get surprised what I find sometimes lol
I need to menu plan and make a grocery list tomorrow and I'm going to do exactly as you say. Reverse menu plan. Interesting concept.
Have a wonderful day thank you for always sharing your life and loving us all with ours
We've literally seen you meal prep/plan breakfasts a bunch of times!🤣😂
I do all my meals from my stocked pantry, freezer, etc. I have picky eaters, so it makes it hard to try new meals sometimes. I never have planned out meals, because we don't have regular eating schedules/times. I have a pre-made grocery list of the main things I normally buy, but do have areas, where I can add something new to pickup, and I just go through it and mark the items I need. And I usually only do my main grocery shopping about every 3 weeks. It's just my husband, son and I, but I keep a few items stocked for the granddaughter and my daughter, in case they need them. Sometimes, I actually plan ahead and will cook something in the slow cooker.
Thank you for sharing the Kroger affiliated stores! I used to work for them and so many people don't realize they are essentially all (most anyways) the same store just a different name. So you can get a lot of the same deals with ads or coupons.
Thanks for the Thrive Market reference! I have a special diet, and I love all the options.
Christine your hair looks amazing now. Love it!
I literally cant believe😂😂😂 ive been doing this for a while now, and everyones been lookin at me like im the crazy one. I have six different stores around me which have week and weekend offers so lot of material to study and choose from😂
I use the Flipp App to see the flyers on,one and then compare prices in the search function. I can shop 4-5 stores in 1 - 1/2 hrs. Corn on cob, apples, carrots, sausage storeA; milk, spinach, grapes, watermelon, hamburger Store B; yogurt, eggs, chicken Store C; Free products - cheese, bread, toothpaste Store D; 45lbs free pasta w/coupon/sale/rebate Store E. Takes me less then an hour to walk, complete my list and go home. All items at lowest cost, stock up items and in less time with less money then most shoppers.
@@kenyonbissett3512 im very slow and do everything by foot so, with a mid shopping drop off it takes me around 2-2,5 hours, but i do be getting best deals and be set for whole week so its worth it😅
My favourite way to meal plan! Shop my kitchen!
i really thought this is how everyone meal plans 😳 love this method, it’s the only way!
also LOVE your texas shirt!! 🤠 howdy from your home state!
I meal plan and shop just like you do. And buy items i typically use when they on sale. Also pick up a lot of clearance items and make meal out of them also for the week or fallowing week.