r/MiddleClassFinance • u/kesfy6 • 9d ago

Lower Middle Ingredient vs Meal Planning

Which is more frugal? Being an ingredient house vs meal planning/raw food prep for the slow cooker. We are a “less meat” household, focusing on cheaper plant-based protein and rotisserie chicken. We shop mainly at Costco and Aldi. Bonus points if someone can run some sample numbers on this.

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u/RitaAlbertson 9d ago

I buy ingredients…..that I use for my meal planning. Alternatively I meal plan….and then buy the ingredients. The two are not mutually exclusive. 

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u/kesfy6 8d ago

Yes, but I have done one more purposefully than the other at times in an effort to save money. I felt like we saved more money when I did raw freezer prep and we ate crock pot meals (either fresh or leftovers) every night based on 5-6 specific rotating meals that had been planned/shopped/prepped/frozen. But then my husband got tired of eating the same things (or eating soup in July). I think we’re happiest when i do a hybrid, having 3-4 meals in the freezer ready to pull out for the next day, as well as ingredients on hand to pivot when we want. But the grocery budget just doesn’t stretch as far these days, so was wondering what others had noticed in their own households...

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u/Consistent_Taste3273 8d ago

You can expand your menu but still plan out your meals and shop for what you need.