Are you frustrated with trying to figure out what’s for dinner each night, and making multiple trips to the grocery store? Meal planning could save both your sanity and wallet!

Plan meals for the week ahead and stick with it – you’ll save both money and consume better when doing this!

1. You won’t overbuy

Every week, taking just a few minutes to outline your meal plan can help prevent overbuying food. Doing this allows you to check what’s already in your pantry and fridge before heading out to the store – for instance if quinoa dinner sounds appealing but there’s brown rice instead, use that instead; or if a recipe calls for kale but there is only chard in your fridge instead – these simple swaps could save money over time by decreasing waste at the end of each week!

Meal planning also allows you to take advantage of deals at the grocery store and reduce impulse purchases. When crafting your weekly menu, be mindful of items on sale and how many meals they can be used in – for instance if sweet potatoes are on special, roast some for dinner on one night, mash the leftovers up into soup for lunch the following day, or use in salad. Or prepare something like roasted vegetables or chicken that works across several dishes so it lasts you all week or month long.

Buy things at a discount or in bulk to save money and get more for your dollar if they are regularly purchased, like pasta, frozen fruit and vegetables, sauces or spices.

American households waste an average of 32% of the food they purchase annually – that adds up to an estimated total wasteful waste of $240 billion! Meal planning can help prevent food waste by making sure only what will actually be eaten is bought, saving both time and money when it comes time to grocery shop. Furthermore, meal planning reduces trips you need to take while also eliminating take-out or fast food costs altogether.

2. You’ll avoid impulse buys

Impulse buys can be one of the largest expenses in your grocery budget. We all make them; walking through a store and buying things we don’t really need is all too familiar! From being lured in by cute packaging of snacks to feeling like adding more ice cream to the fridge, these purchases quickly add up! By planning meals ahead of time and sticking to your budget you can avoid these unnecessary expenses and save yourself from overspending.

Planning out your grocery list helps ensure that you only buy what is essential, saving both time and money in the process. Plus, keeping track of sales for items you love means stocking up when they’re cheap!

Meal planning can also help you maintain a healthier eating style. You’ll avoid buying products high in sugar, fat, and sodium that could potentially lead to health issues that require expensive medical and dental bills – something cooking at home allows you to avoid by selecting healthier meals.

Avoid impulse purchases by using cash instead of credit cards whenever possible, which will give a more tangible reminder of how much you’re spending and force you to slow down and consider each purchase before making it.

If you are an avid shopper, try planning out your purchases ahead of time. Set an amount you are willing to spend each week and stick to it – that way, when an amazing sale item appears, you won’t get seduced into spending all your hard-earned cash on something unnecessary.

Keep an emergency meal handy in your freezer or pantry so that when times get tough and cooking just isn’t an option, having something ready-made to grab will help prevent having to turn to fast food or ordering from take-out services instead of cooking at home. American households waste 32% of the food they purchase annually – having a backup plan will reduce this waste while saving both time and money!

3. You’ll eat healthier

Meal planning allows you to shop according to a list and avoid making impulse buys at checkout, saving both time and money as it keeps you from going into multiple grocery stores during a week; that adds up over the course of months or years!

Meal planning can also help you make healthier choices by providing healthy options for lunch and snacks during the week. Furthermore, this practice may prevent unnecessary dining out or ordering-in, saving hundreds of dollars each year!

Meal planning also can help reduce food waste. Up to 32% of American foods go uneaten and this wasteful practice costs both the environment and us money. Meal planning allows you to use up all the meat and veggies before they spoil, consume leftovers before they go cold or soggy and even save any uneaten food in your freezer for future meals – by freezing.

Meal planning also saves money by helping you purchase higher quality food, since you can plan your menu around supermarket specials, seasonal offerings and items in your freezer and pantry.

Food can become tiresome quickly if left to its own devices; meal planning provides the ideal opportunity to experiment with new recipes while avoiding food fads. Plus, when cooking for more than just yourself, buying in bulk saves on future shopping trips!

Meal planning can also save money on gas by decreasing the frequency of trips to the grocery store and helping you reduce stress levels – two aspects which contribute significantly to both mental and physical wellbeing. Finally, meal planning saves money across your life in general – not only when it comes to groceries!

4. You’ll save time

As is well-known, cooking from scratch requires time, but meal planning can help cut back significantly on that effort. By planning out your meals at the start of each week and creating an agenda of your weekly menus, less time will be wasted trying to decide what’s for dinner and more will be spent enjoying each day without going running to drive-thru or grocery store without proper preparation beforehand.

Spend less time searching through aisles for inspiration or reaching for prepackaged convenience foods that you know are bad for you by creating a shopping list and quickly scanning pantry and fridge to find ingredients you already have, rather than purchasing duplicates; and be less likely to run out by avoiding overbuying and shopping for things you won’t use.

Meal planning saves time by helping reduce food waste. Studies indicate that up to 20% of household food ends up in landfills every year, representing an enormous waste of both money and resources. Meal planning ensures you use everything before it expires – yet another time-saver!

Planned meals allow you to shop more efficiently for items on sale at the grocery store. When planning for meals ahead, it helps you identify exactly what items are on sale so you can cross-reference between your sales flier and coupon sites to find the best bargains – and when shopping at inexpensive stores such as Aldi you could often cut your grocery bill in half using their email subscriber coupons!

Once you begin meal planning for your family, it can seem time-consuming at first to sit around a table together each week to decide on dinner and write out a shopping list. But once you find a rhythm with meal planning, it will quickly and easily become part of your weekly plan – particularly with apps such as Sortifyd that make this task simpler – leaving more time for doing what matters; such as spending quality time together as a family and sticking within your budget while keeping all family members satisfied and healthy all year round!