When mums ask me for my best tips to save time and money, my ‘plan-shop-cook system’ is always at the top of the list. It’s simple – although it can require a big shift in thinking for many people – and it really does pay off. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll wonder why you ever did it any other way.

The secret to my ‘plan-shop-cook system’ is found in the order. Lots of mums shop, then attempt to meal plan and then run into a whole world of trouble when it’s time to cook. When you meal plan first, all the other pieces magically fall into place. You’ll shop according to your plan, and then you’ll cook according to your plan. Hectic dinner hours and meals that hit the table far later than you’d like will quickly become a thing of the past.

Here’s a look at 5 ways this approach can save time and money

1. It cuts down on trips to the store

If your family tends to eat the same things, it might be tempting to just stop at a grocery store on your way home from somewhere and pick up the usual staples. But when you get home, you may just find that you’re always missing at least one crucial ingredient for everything you could possibly make with what you’ve bought.

By meal planning first, you’ll ensure you get everything you need and save time and money. Going to the store several times a week to pick up missing ingredients is not an efficient use of your time, and sometimes you’ll also be going to a more expensive store because it’s more convenient. And either way, you’ll probably end up adding a few more things to your cart and spending more money than you planned.

2. It allows you to batch cook

Another huge time-saver and total game-changer for many mums is batch cooking, and it’s pretty much impossible to pull it off well if you’re not using the plan-shop-cook system.

Tripling a recipe doesn’t take that much longer than cooking a single batch, and you’ll only have to do the prep, cooking and cleaning three times instead of one. Any time you’re making a freezer-friendly meal or something that keeps well in the fridge for several days, you can take advantage of this approach – as long as you meal plan in advance and know to buy enough ingredients!

3. It reduces food waste

How many things do you throw away in a typical week because it started going bad in your fridge before you could use it? Besides the financial pain of throwing away food when you’re eating on a budget, it also hurts on a personal level when I think about all the people in the world who would jump at the chance to eat that soggy celery or those browning mushrooms.

With proper meal planning, you’ll be able to make better use of everything you buy. You’ll know, for example, that you’re going to need half a bag of spinach for Monday’s dinner, so you can ensure you make another dish that uses the rest of that spinach on Wednesday. You’ll use everything you buy, and you won’t end up buying things you can’t figure out what to do with before they go bad if you stick to your plan. If you’re wondering how to save money each month, ‘plan-shop-cook’ can get you there.

4. It encourages you to eat healthy meals at home

If you’re someone who often resorts to stopping for takeaway on the way home from after-school activities because you just don’t know what to cook, don’t have the ingredients, or don’t have the time, you’ll find that my ‘plan-shop-cook system; can really curb this.

When you have a plan, you’ll always be able to put together a meal at home, which saves you lots of money compared to eating out or getting takeaway or convenience foods – and is a lot healthier, too! 

5. You’ll always know what to make

How much time do you spend thinking about what to make for dinner? Between looking up recipes, rifling through the back of your pantry to see if you still have that box of couscous, and trying to think of something that no one will complain about eating and won’t be too similar to what you had the day before, the time spent on deciding what to make can really add up.

With my ‘plan-shop-cook system’, you can draw on your own pool of about a dozen go-to meals everyone loves that can give you a good variety every week. You might choose to mix these mainstays up with other meals on days you have more time to try something new, or you’ll use their base ingredients to inspire other meals you’ll have the same week to ensure you use up the ingredients you buy. After making the weekly plan, it’s just a question of following it every day – no brainpower or creativity needed!

Want to learn more? I can guide and support you to ease into this new system without the stress! My ‘plan-shop-cook system’ is one thing I teach inside of Dinner in a Flash. Doors close Tuesday 15th March at 11:59pm!