4 Meal Planning Myths

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Meal planning doesn’t look the same for everyone; there is no one way to meal plan or meal prep.  A lot of people find it hard to get started with meal planning because they think there’s one way to go about it and that it’s a lot of work. In today’s post, I debunk 4 meal planning myths.

Check out my post How to get started with meal planning in 6 steps, in this post I share ways to get started with meal planning.m

Myth: Meal planning takes a lot of time

Have you ever gone to the grocery store without a plan on what you will make for dinner, unsure of what you have in your pantry or fridge? Every aisle in the store seems to have something worth buying, while in the midst of deciding what to buy or what not to buy, you lose a lot of time, you get frustrated and maybe may end up grabbing a takeaway.

Now imagine if you knew exactly what to make and you get to the grocery store with your list and you get just what you need, in no time, you’re out of the store and ready to get started with your dinner.  Even better if you already have your meals prepped at home, you get home and start cooking. Zero stress.

The time spent wondering what to cook, going through the fridge and pantry to see what you have or don’t have every time before making a meal, is way more than the 10/20/30 minutes or the hour you spend once a week or a month, planning out your meals for the week/month(s).

The Truth Is: You decide how long you want your meal planning or prepping to last.  If 20 minutes is all you have, use that time. There’s so much you can do in 20 minutes. I now can plan out our meals for a week in just 10 minutes.

Myth: Meal planning is expensive

Ever since I started meal planning I found that we have been saving a lot on groceries, most time we buy what we need and use. Before I started meal planning, I’d buy a lot of sauces, and vegetables that would end up in the bin mid-month because we wouldn’t use them. Sometimes we’d make the mistake of shopping for a lot of food during weeks when we’d be away visiting family.

Now that I meal plan, I have found that we save a lot because The Truth Is meal planning doesn’t have to cost you more than what you can afford. Sometimes I use sales or buy non-perishable goods in bulk (especially when they’re on special).

Myth: You have to follow the plan to the T.

Again that’s not true, just because you have a meal plan for a specific day doesn’t mean it can’t be moved to another day. It’s okay to switch meals. I usually like to make quick meals for Tuesdays because it’s my laundry day but on some Tuesdays, I may feel like having the lentil curry I planned for Thursday and not the Lasagne, that’s okay to switch the meals.

The Truth Is meal planning is a great way to help you stay organized.

Myth: You need to have a fully stocked pantry or fridge to meal plan

That’s not true. I don’t remember the last time we went to the grocery store and fully stocked our pantry. You can do that if you like but you don’t have to. I now prefer shopping weekly for all the things that we need for that week. You can frequent the grocery store as much as you like. I always advise starting meal planning with what you already have, using the ingredient you have to come up with meals that you can make then shopping for what you don’t have.

More tips

  • Meal plan according to your family needs.
  • Use leftovers in your plan.
  • Plan eating out days too.
  • Make use of PBA-free containers and Ziploc bags to save space.

What can you add to this list?


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    4 Meal Planning Myths

    Meal planning doesn’t look the same for everyone; there is no one way to meal plan or meal prep. A lot of people find it hard to get started with meal planning because they think…

Editor's Picks