5 Benefits Of Meal Planning

We've all been there, it gets to 7pm and you realise you haven't got anything in for dinner. You drive to the supermarket half starved and end up getting to the self-service with lots of food you wanted but nothing that quite consists of a meal (discounted bakery cookies? Yes please!). It's cost you a lot and wasted an evening and most annoyingly could be avoided with a little meal planning! 

Here are my 5 benefits of meal planning...

1. Less Food Waste

When you're planning meals you have less food waste, you only buy what you've planned for so say goodbye to horrible rotting food at the back of the fridge and pouring away lumpy milk! 

2. Money Saved

They say it can cost up to 5x more to eat a meal out rather than home, so it's a no brainer to meal plan! Not only that you can wave goodbye to unnecessary purchases. When you go into the supermarket with a plan you won't be buying products you don't actually need. 

3. Time Saved 

We've all been there, wandering round the supermarket deciding what to get. Realising suddenly you want that meal which means you have to walk all the way back down to aisle number 1 to pick up that vegetable only to realise that actually you also need that spice on aisle 9. Going in with a plan and precise shopping lists stops you wasting time both at the supermarket and when it comes to cooking. 

4. Healthier Choices 

Meal planning leads to healthier choices. If you've planned out your meals and stick to them you are less likely to be swayed by junk food when out shopping or to resort to take away or fast food. 

5. Reduces Stress

Decision fatigue is a thing and staring at your empty kitchen cupboards trying to work out what to eat when it's getting late or you have hungry children is not the one. Planning out your meals on a day and time that suits you means you can walk into the supermarket with ease, be in and out, and never have that dreaded feeling of 'what am I going to cook this evening?'.

So there we have it, 5 good reasons to start planning your meals! Once you get into the habit of doing it each week you will wonder how you ever went without it...

Lucy x