My grocery budget dropped $80 a month after I started meal planning backwards

I used to plan meals around what I wanted to eat then buy ingredients for that. But I'd always end up with random leftovers going bad in the fridge. About 3 months ago I started looking at what was already in my pantry and fridge first then building meals around that stuff. Last week I added up my grocery receipts and realized I went from spending about $450 a month down to $370. The big change was I stopped buying duplicate items I already had half a jar of. Has anyone else tried flipping their planning process like this and seen similar numbers?

2 comments

2 Comments

henderson.oscar1mo ago

Might work for some people but I'd rather just buy what I'm actually craving.

sarah_mason1mo ago

My sister tried that whole "swap your craving" thing during her weight loss phase. She REALLY wanted a burger and fries one time, so instead she made a quinoa salad with grilled chicken. She sat there staring at it like it personally offended her. Ended up caving at 10pm and ordering the biggest fast food meal she could find. So yeah, I'd rather just have the small version of what I actually want and move on with my life.