Meal Prep Your Way To Savings

I'm sure you've all heard of meal prepping by now. It's pretty big in the fitness community and definitely picking up steam with busy moms and professionals. 

So how does one meal prep? First, you plan your menu for the week. Next, prepare your grocery list. Then, pick a day of the week that you want to prepare all of your meals (most people like Sundays). Finally, meal prep like a boss!

Meal prepping saves time and money. At times, cooking dinner after a long day is the last thing on your mind, so you end up ordering a pizza or picking something up on the way home. These stops turn into huge budget busters!

We lead such busy lives, that often what we eat takes a backseat to everything else. That leads to more money leaving your wallet. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the average American household spent $3,008 on restaurants and takeout in 2015. Just imagine what you could have done with all of that money.

Meal prep to the rescue! Here are just some of the ways, prepping your meals for the week can help you save:

• You can plan your meals around what's on sale that week.
• You can buy in bulk from stores like Costco and Sam's Club and not have to worry about wasting all the food you just purchased.
• You don't have to worry about food spoiling, because you're preparing it all at once.
• You've got food ready to pop in the oven or microwave to eat, so no more eating out.

There are tons of online resources to help you get started. Pinterest is a great one, but I take no responsibility for the hours you will spend on there. 

Meal prepping will help you be better at not only saving your money, but budgeting it as well. And all that money you save can be used for your emergency fund or to pay off debt. How about that!