how to meal prep to save big bucks
It's time to start meal prepping!
Do you want to be a diehard meal prepper?
Do you have dreams of neatly stacked tupperware meals in your freezer?
Well, you too can make your own Instagram reel entitled "meal prep with me" to show off to your broke workmates who still buy lunch for $21 at the cafe near the office. Love you guys!
To run the maths let's pretend you spend $15 every day for lunch, and buy take away for dinner twice a week for $50. That's $175 a week on bought-out food. That's $9,100 a year. That's $45,500 over 5 years. Epic!
Here's our step-by-step guide to creating your own meal prepping rhythm without the overwhelm.
Step 1: mindset and pre-prep
It's all about sustainable habits. You’ll be more effective in changing your meal process over time, if you make small and consistent changes. Don’t try to overhaul everything overnight. Choose one meal to prep and get into the habit of doing that really well over a few weeks. Then add in the next meal, and so on. Read one of our favourite books Atomic Habits by James Clear to also be inspired by how habits bring about amazing results.
Change your language - be confident. "I'm pre-preparing meals at the moment". Own what you’re doing! Say phrases like “I’m not buying food out at the moment”, or “I’m getting organised with my meals”. Talk yourself into the zone! It might also inspire others around you.
Find your time. Carve out (haha get it?) a specific time in your week when you order/buy food, and when you will cook in bulk. Put those times in your calendar on your phone like a meeting request and show up! That’s now your dedicated meal time.
Aim to prepare 2-3 days of meals first. Don't aim for 7 days straight off the bat, especially if you haven't found recipes you love yet! You'll end up having to eat a heap of food you don't enjoy. Again this falls into the sustainable aspect of meal planning.
Keep it simple. Do not try to make complicated recipes! The simpler, the better. Keep it achievable and work your way up to those bigger/complex recipes when you’re practiced and ready.
Write down your food plan. This might mean grabbing a pen and paper, the notes on your phone, or a meal planner to really get practical. Writing it down holds some strange form of accountability, but it also looks like you have a plan! You’re not going in flailing - you’re actually doing this.
Keep variety for the weekend. You don’t need to have a completely different meal every lunch or every dinner during the week. Keep variety for your weekends and get comfortable eating the same delicious chilli from Monday to Wednesday (or however many days you want to prep for).
Get inspired by some foodies! Food is a vibe, so be energised and inspired by some amazing food people. Some of our favs are Jess Spendlove (hey Jess!) and Pro Home Cooks - great people to follow with some tasty food ideas to get you started.
Step 2: equipment
Audit what equipment you already have. Start by using the equipment you already own. If all you have is one fry pan and one saucepan, just get started with these. You don’t need to go and buy a whole new set or 7 new cooking appliances. Focus on building the habit of bulk cooking first, and expand your toolkit over time.
Assess your storage space. Do you have fridge and freezer space available for the bulk meals you’ll be preparing? Do you also have pantry space available? Maybe clear out your space and get organised! Look into cheap fridge or freezer space, maybe buy an old bar freezer second hand or simply clear out the 7 year old peas from your current freezer.
Source containers for storage. See what meal containers you already have tucked away in that hot mess of a tupperware cupboard, and start there. If you need to invest in some new ones, consider what will fit in your bag for work, or what will store well when stacked in your fridge or freezer.
Step 3: select some recipes
Write down some recipes you think you’ll love. You may start with meals you’re currently already cooking, but just need to scale up so you make a few at once. Use some inspo from some foodies to try some new ideas and give them a run!
We recommend starting with a breakfast dish because that can set the trend for your first day, and it feels like you're really doing it! Get a win straight off the bat. You might prep some overnight oats, or have a go at this breakfast burrito (um YUM).
A great way to start sourcing recipes you may enjoy is to think through all kinds of cuisines and food cultures out there! Mexican, Thai, German, Brazilian, British, Italian, Greek, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Polish - whatever looks and sounds delicious to you! A lot of the ingredients these cultures use are available even in mainstream supermarkets, so go (a)broad and try them out.
Also - ask your friends! “Hey, what do you cook and eat at home? What’s a staple meal for you?” This is a sweet free way to connect with friends, and be inspired to cook new things at home.
You could also look into what produce is currently in season and therefore cheaper - Google what recipes you can make with those discounted items and get cooking!
Step 4: invest in flavour
Stock up on staple pantry items. These items are an investment in flavour. You might want to purchase these over a few grocery shops as they can end up being a bit expensive if all bought at once.
Things you might consider include:
Oils
Salt
Sugars
Flours
Crumb
Herbs
Spices
Seasonings
Vinegars
Grains
Rice
Pasta
Sauces
Tinned foods
Onions
Garlic
Whatever other pantry items your recipes of choice require!
These items can typically be stored for a while and usually you only use a smallish amount each time you cook.
Step 5: get started!
Choose your first recipe and incorporate it into your rhythms. Master this one recipe over a few weeks and prove to yourself you can meal prep. Slowly dribble in the remaining recipes over the next few weeks and months. Identify which recipes you love, and which may need to go back to the drawing board.
You’re on a roll! Keep going.
Step 6: make your Insta reel to make others jealous
Jokes. But srsly, do it.
Top Kitchen hacks
Make your own veggie stock from scraps! Keep and freeze your offcuts when you’re preparing meals, boil them up and enjoy the stock in future meals! Here’s a quick guide on how to do it.
Grow your own herbs or produce inside, on a window sill, balcony or backyard.
Always have a meal back up plan - keep a few meals stored in your freezer for the weeks you’re unable to batch cook or you’re sick. Store up a good supply if you’re about to have a baby or recovering from surgery and won’t be able to cook.
Instead of trashy gifts at Christmas or birthdays, ask for cooking classes! Get skilled up so cooking at home is fun and you improve with every dish.
