I landed my family in so much debt because I wasn’t meal planning. I didn’t have a meal planning for beginners guide to help me through in the very beginning.
So every time I would try to follow a plan I would give up and just go back to the fast food lane to pick up something for dinner. That would be at the very least 30 bucks every trip for my family of four.
Think about that. I would go through that dang fast food lane at least three times each week for dinner. I would visit it EVERY DAY for lunch and then also a few times for breakfast.
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So let’s add this up. That would be at least 3 dinners times $30 on the low end plus 5 lunches at $7 plus 2 breakfast at $7. Just for that it would be $139. This doesn’t even count that my husband did the same for his breakfast and lunch so add another $49 for $188 per week just in fast food. This didn’t even count the groceries I bought at the store that ended up ruining in the fridge because I didn’t do anything with it.
It’s embarrassing to even think about the pounds of hamburger I let go to waste because I waited too long to cook it. Not good. Not good at all…
Not only did I waste so much money but this is not even considering the poundage we also put on. Let’s not talk about that part.
READY TO LIVE WITH LESS CHAOS?
Ever feel like you will never get to that place where you will cook meals every night instead of going through the drive thru and wasting money? The Meal & Money Toolbox as the tools you need to learn how to stop torturing yourself!
Then I Found the Steps for Meal Planning for Beginners
Finally, I found a plan that just made it click and I didn’t even realize it. I kid you not I looked back one day and thought to myself, “Heck I don’t even go to McDonald’s much anymore!”
Now I only go to fast food for dinner when it is planned. I ain’t gonna lie I am still working on lunch but dinner is completely taken care of. Which the guide teaches you to start slow so that you can get to that place where you look back just like I did.
Here are the steps that are outlined in the guide. I will give you a brief description of each here so that you can get started even if you don’t want to grab the free guide. But having the guide also means you will get some extra help by emails of discussion for each step so that you can understand it even better.
The emails are spaced out by a day for every two steps so that you don’t get overwhelmed. This is how it will happen:
- Day 1: initial welcome email with guide download
- Day 2: Discussion email for Steps 1 and 2.
- Day 3: Discussion email for Steps 3 and 4.
- Day 4: Discussion email for Steps 5 and 6.
Remember this is very abbreviated. The free guide is actually 34 pages filled with suggestions and tips for each step so that you walk away knowing exactly what you need to do. There are also some bonus tips to help make it easier too.
Let’s get started…
Step 1: Choose your meal.
You will choose only one meal. With this plan you are to start out slow and easy. If you get overwhelmed then you will never be able to stick to the plan. Just by choosing to plan my dinners I was able to put more than $4,000 back in my pocket and this is being conservative.
Step 2: Brainstorm your meals.
Here is where you will think through all the easy meals you can come up with. You don’t want anything too complicated. Easy is always better. If you are used to going through the fast food lane then that means you are used to not putting a whole lot of effort into your meals. If you decide to start doing this thing by fixing big elaborate meals then you will quit before you even get started. Remember you are a beginner meal planner. We go through some ideas and ways to brainstorm.
Step 3: Mark your calendar.
In this step we will have you thinking about what you and your family have going on through the month. Knowing this will help you plan meals to fix according to how much time you have available. So, mark it all in your calendar.
Step 4: Plan your meals for each day
Here is where you will start putting it all together. You will think about what meals you want to fix on what days based on your calendar. We will discuss some different types of meals so that planning can be easier for you and you will also start thinking about ways you can save even more money on your groceries.
GET 78 DINNER THEME NIGHT IDEAS
If you struggle trying to figure out what to put on the table Every. Single. Night. then grab these dinner theme night ideas to make this much easier and fun. You also get the How to Meal Plan Checklist and the What’s for Dinner worksheet.
Step 5: Write down what you need.
In this step we will write down everything you need for your meal plan. We will also decide what you don’t necessary need.
Step 6: Choose a shopping day.
This step talks about how important it is to develop a habit. Remember in the beginning where I talked about how I just realized one day that I wasn’t going through the fast food lane like I was before? Well, this is because I had developed a habit and didn’t even know I did it. That is what I want for you. I want so badly for you to develop those habits and not even think about fast food anymore unless it is planned of course. Oh did I say that out loud. YES! There is even a place in this plan for you to still have fast food as long as it is planned. This is the last step and in the email discussion I give you something a little extra for finishing the steps.
And then there’s more
It doesn’t end there. There are also tips that will help you with organization of your meals and to help your family stay in the know of everything going on with your meal planning.
You could take what I’ve given you here and be able to start meal planning but having the guide and additional discussions will allow you to get more ideas, and help.
Mission? What Mission?
I was THAT GIRL. I was exactly where you are right now. I feel you. I felt the frustration. I felt the defeat. I know what it’s like to pull up to the fast food window and hand over my last 30 bucks because I’ve spent everything I had on food. Not groceries, but fast food. I know how it feels to think to yourself that your family could have eaten for two weeks on what you spent in one week of fast food.
I know the gut wrenching sickness you feel when you look at your credit card bill and secretly scold yourself because you spent so much money. I know how it feels to know that “if only” you hadn’t spent so much money in the past then you wouldn’t be paying off so much right now.
I get it.
I got out of that rat race and I want to help you get out of it too.
I’m at a place where I don’t even think about picking up dinner at fast food unless it is planned. I want you in that place too.
I am finally in a place where I can start paying off my debt and actually start thinking about working towards the fun things I want to do. I want you to start thinking about getting the things you deserve too. So go ahead and grab your free guide while it’s available and let’s do this thing!
If you want this guide with the emails then you can get it now by clicking right here.
IT’S UP TO YOU NOW
If you are ready to change the path of your future and starting working toward your money goals and desires. Do you want to pay off debt? Do you want to make new memories with your family? Do you simply want a spending cushion? Whatever it is, it is possible. All the tools are available in the Toolbox.
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