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Bad with money meal plans?

Deleted member 21411

Account closed at user request
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
4,907
So I'll be blunt I have a terrible terrible time budgeting and my reason is simple.... I got bad impulses with my bpd. I have trouble with self control on impulse spending, now I'm getting better about it but I have one objective weakness.... Food. I don't cook like I should and I get alot of fast food from depression and ease.

I think I need "an adult" or something, I actually cheated and tried out nutrasystem.... Which was mostly successful because I had to follow a program. Problem is food is over priced. Is there like a good tool or something that can help me plan out a week meal wise? I'm doing pretty good lately but I don't wanna spend so much money on something that probably doesn't need it
 
truncated_pachyderm

truncated_pachyderm

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,367
Scheduling stuff in advance and trying really hard to follow the schedule has helped me with some of my issues. I wonder if following an elaborate meal plan is the best route if it's mostly comprised of recipes (requiring ingredients) that you aren't familiar with. A lot of my frustration and hesitation to cook comes from the unfamiliarity and the extra time it takes to make new recipes for the first time.

Why not start by writing out two weeks worth of meal plans, based only on recipes/dishes that you already know how to make? Then start to gradually experiment by maybe adding in one new, simple recipe every week. Keep what you like, get rid of what you don't.

Another suggestion is to over budget meal prep/cooking time. If a recipe calls for 30 minutes, give yourself a full hour the first time you make it! Also don't be afraid to cook big batches of food if it can be kept safely without going bad.

I can say from experience that trying to "get into" cooking by tackling a recipe that goes wrong is a sure fire way to default back into eating fast food again.

Edit: Money-wise, something that might help is trying to segregate your money. Your bank might let you create multiple checking accounts, use multiple debit cards, etc. If you take your food budget and put it into a separate space every pay cycle, it's easier to know the impact of your spending. When you just have one big checking account with all of your money it can be more difficult to convince yourself that $5 or $10 here and there is actually hurting you.
 
geomon

geomon

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,007
Miami, FL
Monkey DTT said:
So I'll be blunt I have a terrible terrible time budgeting and my reason is simple.... I got bad impulses with my bpd. I have trouble with self control on impulse spending, now I'm getting better about it but I have one objective weakness.... Food. I don't cook like I should and I get alot of fast food from depression and ease.

I think I need "an adult" or something, I actually cheated and tried out nutrasystem.... Which was mostly successful because I had to follow a program. Problem is food is over priced. Is there like a good tool or something that can help me plan out a week meal wise? I'm doing pretty good lately but I don't wanna spend so much money on something that probably doesn't need it
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Try the Carb Manager app. It's helped me tremendously with meal planning.
 
OP
OP

Deleted member 21411

Account closed at user request
Banned
Oct 28, 2017
4,907
These are both really good advice
truncated_pachyderm said:
Edit: Money-wise, something that might help is trying to segregate your money. Your bank might let you create multiple checking accounts, use multiple debit cards, etc. If you take your food budget and put it into a separate space every pay cycle, it's easier to know the impact of your spending. When you just have one big checking account with all of your money it can be more difficult to convince yourself that $5 or $10 here and there is actually hurting you.
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Huh, I'll have to check with chase that would be amazing
 
UltraGashInferno

UltraGashInferno

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
3,050
Eat more boring and functional. Find stuff you like that is nutritional and stop caring if you had it the day before. Learn to cook a few things and as your familiarity with cooking grows, your meal diversity gets to grow with it.

Like learn a slow cooker recipe for chili (and buy a slow cooker) and you got about 8 satisfying lunches with beans+meat+veggies in a bowl.

Breakfast-- overnight yogurt+granola thingies are wonderful. Or a thing of 2% fage yogurt, which has some impossible protein content with some honey.

Dinner - learn to cook chicken in a million different and easy ways. This will also just get you some great general cooking skills.


Once you start noticing things like "oh i couldve gotten a steak for cheaper than that mediocre Big Mac meal" and that you feel better about yourself and your new cooking skills, you'll hopefully start eating out less.
 
skeptem

skeptem

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,745
I use Mint to track all our spending and have a set budget for groceries and eating out.

In terms of keeping to that budget, we really stick to buying the essentials at the grocery store and then just get creative with what we have. Our groceries always look like protein, vegetables, fruits, dairy, carbs. The exceptions might be like sparkling water or beer. But I think if you get in that mindset that you are buying to cook it helps.

Our family grocery budget for a family of 4 is $450 a month and we tend to hit it.
 
Wubby

Wubby

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,849
Japan!
Do you have an instant pot? What I do is make a big pot of stew, curry, split pea soup (lots of fiber in this to keep you feeling full), black bean soups and the like. Usually cook it on Sunday before the week. I also have a rice cooker so I'd make a few cups of rice in that and then freeze them in small packs. $20 or less and I've made enough to feed me for the week. Only works if you don't mind eating the same thing daily. I don't have a problem with it since my stews are so damn good. Meat sauce and pasta is another one I can make a big batch of for the week if I want to mix it up. If I need or want something different for dinner I keep frozen chicken and vegetables in the freezer. Can pop those in the air fryer for a quick and easy dinner.
 
JilloftheJungle

JilloftheJungle

Member
Oct 27, 2017
360
I'm in a similar boat. I never cook and eat out due to full time work and school rn. I buy premade meals from a local chef. They are stupid simple and I'm planning to recreate them later, and they are pricey. But I figure I'm going to use them to get my taste buds back to normal and just have something healthy to eat.
 
porcupixel

porcupixel

Member
Oct 26, 2017
324
I don't really have any budgeting advice per se, but back when I made a lot less I learned to cook with a lot of recipes from Budget Bytes. They're pretty good even though use simple and cheap ingredients and a lot of them (especially one-pot or skillet meals) make enough servings to meal prep. Just hope you're OK eating the same thing 4 days in a row.
 
Jeremy

Jeremy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,639
I think the instant pot idea is a really solid one. I am a good cook, but that thing is a gateway into learning to cook, for sure.

- Make a grocery list in advance and stick to it.

- Don't grocery shop while hungry. Ideally have your meals planned before you even get hungry.
 
Cyberclops

Cyberclops

Member
Mar 15, 2019
1,439
Apologies if you're already doing this OP but I highly recommend that anyone struggling with saving money records every single dollar that they spend. I make a monthly Google Sheet that I can easily add new entries to when I spend money. I also added categories so I can break it down even further. I could tell you exactly how much money I spend on food in February 2020 for example.

When you have a clear idea of how much money you're spending currently, it becomes easier to set a goal for spending below it. If you're spending $600 on food every month, a simple goal could be to just spend $550. Start with something manageable and build from there.
 
truncated_pachyderm

truncated_pachyderm

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,367
Monkey DTT said:
These are both really good advice

Huh, I'll have to check with chase that would be amazing
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I have a friend who listens to Dave Ramsay, and apparently Ramsay suggests paying cash for a lot of things. My friend will take out cash every week or month, and put it into envelopes marked for each expense. So if you can't keep your money separated when it's in your account, maybe you could try taking out cash and putting it in an envelope marked "Food."
 
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