Meal planning and prepping: key for budgeting success? Or something someone too organised might do with far too much free time?

I find it’s both, if I’m honest.

So, meal prepping? An activity for people who have too much time?  My definition is that I prepare all my meals for the next 3 days; I do three breakfasts (3 omelettes), 3 lunches  for college and try and get my dinners ready so they can go straight in the slow cooker or into the oven. And I chop all my veggies.  It takes me on average about 2 hours. It also means I have to be quite organised when I plan my meals for the week.

My shelf is the middle one; and it’s so satisfying.

So first thing you’ll need is a plan for the week for meals. My meal plan for the next few days is shown here:

My breakfasts and lunches are the same while I’m in college, making it easy to make 3 at one time of breakfast and lunch. The result for the omelettes is a ready prepped omelette mix. Then you have to do when you get up and you’re still half asleep is heat up a pan with a splash of oil and leave it till it’s really hot then add in the mixture. Super easy for when you’re only semi awake.

I can’t think of something better to start my day.

Lunch is similar, I’m out a lot during the week in the evenings so it makes a real difference to have my lunches made.

I’m out this Tuesday so I only needed two dinners for Monday and Wednesday. Prepping curry for Wednesday was super easy and I’m making Mexican enchiladas tomorrow so all I had to do was make the filling, portion it up and keep out of the freezer what I needed. Tomorrow will just be an assembly job.

So, to summarise:

-Prepping meals is easy, you just need a plan of what you’re eating in the next few days

-Do meals that have similar ingredients or can be prepped easily to a certain level for example

-You’ll need about an hour at least so set it aside and get everything ready first

-Listen to music or an audiobook, it makes it a lot less boring

-You’ll be so grateful when you’ve had a long day and you come back and all you have to do is just pop your food in the oven and sit back and wait.