Plan Cooking At Home
The best way to stay within your budget is to shop for cheap ingredients you can use to cook at home. Compared to purchasing ready meals or eating in restaurants, cooking at home is much healthier and inexpensive! There are many recipes you can cook at home without needing the skills of a master chef and you can find many inexpensive and easy recipes online.
Although you can cook simple meals with a basic saucepan and frying pan, getting a good broiler pan or slow cooker will make cheaper cuts of meat tender and delicious. It all depends on the type of equipment you use as well to prep batches of meals!
Keep Track Of What You Eat
Keeping track of what you eat is essential not only to stick to your budget but for ensuring you are eating enough to stay energized while losing weight. Additionally, it’s best to stop guessing out your portions and measuring them accurately. Through doing this, you’ll be able to evenly divide your meals, count your calories, and cap overeating.
Tracking your calories and macronutrients can quickly be done through mobile apps or a trusty notebook. Studies have shown that doing so will help you lose weight since you’ll be more conscious of what you’re eating. Joining a community or finding a weight loss buddy will help as well!
Learn When and What To Shop For
Learn to shop wisely by scheduling it when groceries have sales! You can also search for discounts or begin “couponing”, which can help you save a few dollars while getting free things.
Furthermore, plan out meals and create a shopping list before you head out to the store, which can help curb any spontaneous purchases. I recommend that you add these inexpensive ingredients and staple foods to your meal plan:
- Dark leafy greens
- Carrots
- Onions
- Bell peppers
- Garlic
- Tomatoes
- Potatoes
- Beans
- Bananas
- Chicken breasts
- Eggs
- Canned tuna
- Nuts and seeds
- Greek yogurt
- Milk
- Whole grain bread
- Cereal
- Olive oil
- Vinegar
Getting The Most Of Your Food
Make sure that you do NOT have any food wastage. You’ll be surprised how often we forget about food or ingredients spoiling in the fridge, which wastes a lot of money in the long run. Ideally, you should not waste any food at all.
Before you head on out to go grocery shopping, I recommend that you check out the ingredients you still have and utilize them, creating a meal out of them. Additionally, packaged food with expiration dates can still be used, so long as they as the time falls within weeks of the “best before” date. Note that “use by” dates should be followed, as some foods can cause food poisoning if left too long. But “best before” dates generally mean that the food will taste better before the date, but still be edible and nutritious after.
Also, if you plan on meal prepping or have leftovers, you can have your dishes last longer by freezing them for a week or so before consuming again.
Creating An Effective Schedule
Lastly, you should create a schedule not just for your meal plans but your exercise as well. Through setting meal times and hours when you will work, exercise, and sleep, you will be able to stay busy and resist the temptation of going out to purchase anything outside your meal plan. Plus, with proper exercise and adequate sleep, you’ll be able to be at your healthiest, gaining muscle while losing fat.
I would recommend that you stick to one routine for a whole week, playing around with what works best for you. Aim for between seven and nine hours sleep each day, and do 30 to 60 minutes of exercise a few times a week.
Wrapping It Up
Did you know that losing weight without signing up for expensive programs or investing in pricey meals IS possible? As long as you know what to purchase and efficiently plan, you’ll be able to lose the excess fat and reach your goals!
I hope that this article on budget meal planning while losing weight helped you find out what you need to begin doing. Use these tips as a starting point for your weight loss journey today!
For those who have any questions or would like to share their tips and experiences, do comment below. I would love to hear your thoughts.