This simple strategy can save you 50% on your next grocery bill

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Whether you have no idea how much you’re spending on food, or spending more than you’d like, this super simple strategy can help. 

If I asked you what you’re going to eat for dinner in 3 days’ time, what would you say? If you’re anything like most people, you probably have no idea. You might shrug and say ‘whatever’s in my fridge’ or, ‘Deliveroo’. What you’re not likely to say is, ‘well for starters I’m going to make Cacio e Pepe, followed by Chicken Cesar salad with Tahini dressing and then a slice of Apple Crumble’. Because that sounds a lot like planning, meal planning in fact, and let’s face it, you’ve got more important things to be thinking about right now, right?

Well, not so fast. It may sound like extra work, but creating a meal plan has to be one of the most simple ways you can save yourself time, money as well as the drudgery of having to think of what to eat every single day. A reporter from Vice, Niccolò, documented how he attempted meal planning for 30 days.

“I’ve never been a moderation guy. Measuring, economising, rationing – these concepts don’t sit well with me. And this lack of discipline is particularly evident when it comes to the food I eat….So I decided to try a strict regimen of “meal planning”, to see if it could save both my cash and my conscience. For 30 days, I planned five meals a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks) using spreadsheets and graphs. Here’s what I discovered.” Read more.

TL;DR, he cut his food bill in half and so can you! And as we’re all spending more time at home right now than we want to be, you’re probably already having to think a bit harder about what you’re going to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In fact, UK grocers saw a 92% increase in purchasing of flour. Now is a perfect opportunity to get creative, and a little more structured about it all. Give it a go, your bank account might just thank you.

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To help you get inspired and get organized, here are some of our favourite content creators and a few free meal planning templates!

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These content creators will help you get inspired

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(PS: we've listed some great mom & pop shops that you can get products delivered from and support them through this time)

These free templates will help you get started

To help you kick things off, we’ve pulled together 3 free, pre-built templates that you can use right now. 

Notion Meal Planner

A super simple template. Just duplicate it to make it yours.

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Airtable Meal Planner

If you want to get really serious about planning your meals, this restaurant inspired planner is for you.

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Trello Meal Planner

For those who like their planning a little more visual. This is nice and simple, with recipe cards and calendar views.

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You can get more budgeting tips, money hacks, and track your spending with the Quirk app. Download now on the App Store or Google Play.

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Illustration by: Kirbie Koonse