For leftovers, I also say reduce the amount of storage containers you have too. You’ll find you have to eat the older food so you can free up the containers for more food. If you have endless containers, the fridge fills up with rotting food.
Ahhh! Now that's something I hadn't thought of before. If you have endless containers, you'll just keep throwing more and more into the fridge that inevitably ends up in the back, out of sight! Good thought. I was just thinking the other day that we needed more, but now I'm reconsidering... 🌻 Hannah
Or keep the containers, freeze the leftovers and add the date/type onto your inventory list. Many a final few days of a month have been about “eating down the freezer”!
That's some really sharp insight. I have to give credit where credit's due because I definitely wouldn't have thought of that. I know I have those occasional Tupperware wash days where I have to freeze before I wash or the smell knocks you out. I prefer to cool and freeze leftovers I won't eat in the next 3-4 days because I can freeze them in portions, but hey, we all let things slide once in a while. We certainly aren't watching this video because we're perfect.
Thanks so much for this video. Even the survey at the beginning of all your coworkers’ grocery budget was helpful. I recently became totally debt free and am learning how to readjust my budget to a non-rice-and-beans diet. So many options now 😅
Yesssss!! WOW, way to go Rebecca!! That is an amazing, amazing feeling! And yeah, play around with it-it helps me to remember that food (being the thing that keeps us alive) is *allowed* to have a bigger budget. I think we're about bump ours up because we end up overspending most months, but hey-good food is important! It's worth it. 🌻 Hannah
If you’re on the fence about buying generic, start with things that get cooked or mixed into other things, where you won’t easily notice subtle flavor changes of one item. Think canned tomato sauce that’s going in a pot of chili, salsa going into taco meat, broth going into soup. As you learn to like those items just as well, you can expand into things you eat by themselves, like pre-made soup or cookies.
Couldn't agree more on generic/store brand food! Someone told me once that because name brands make way more product than they actually sell to consumers, they started selling to stores too and letting the store slap their name on it and sell in turn at a huge discount. I have no idea if that was true, but it inspired me to buy my first store brand item. It tasted EXACTLY the same, so I started buying more and more store brands. Eventually I found a few that I didn't care for, but I just didn't buy them and saved a ton of money on everything else. Even now that I can afford to buy name brand stuff, I still buy the store brand because THAT's what I know now :)
The only place I seem to notice the difference between brand names and store brand is when it comes to crackers and chips. Seems like they usually differ in how they're baked or seasoned or something along those lines. But everything else?! Might as well be twins! 🌻 Hannah
I worked for several multinational branded food companies (I’m UK based) which also make supermarkets’ own-label products and there are differences: lower prices mean that the ratio of ingredients are often different (more of the cheaper stuff, or lower quality/type, e.g. tomatoes versus tomato purée) . That doesn’t always mean that the difference is that noticeable or that the difference is worth paying extra for. I definitely mix and match in my shopping. Crackers & chips: cheaper ones are often - not always- made using extrusion machines which are cheaper machines to buy and run, and can produce more product per hour. Just not as nice an end result.
In my country (Poland), own brands are always outsourced to external companies. The product label will have the store's logo, and then in small font "Commissioned by , produced by ". And they're often (depending on store) just as good as the named brands.
One thing I love to do is go on Pinterest and print out recipes I like and buying my grocery based on that recipe list. Over time of doing this I have a huge folder of recipes I love and have a stocked pantry because I use the same ingredient for multiple meals. I’m a weekly shopper which makes it easier. I also bought a vegetable chopper on Amazon that makes prepping onions, peppers, carrots soooooo Much easier!
Niiiice! I love that! I keep trying new recipes but then I don't really track them (I pull them up on a web browser on my phone and then they inevitably get deleted by me later), so I'll have to start printing and pop them in a folder! Thanks for the tip! 🌻 Hannah
I live in rural area and honestly between price increases and scarcity of item; I was getting frustrated. I saw my food budget jump from 500 for family of 4 to double that. I make meal plans and eat leftovers. Then one day scrolling though facebook I saw a friend got southern foods. I got to select all the food my family eats. They deliver to my home and even they stack the food in the freezer. The cost was $403 a month for six months. That is well within my budget. Now I have chest freezer filled with steak, pork, chicken, and veggies. Now I just put $50 a week for milk and what not. I am trying my best not to go out to eat.
The once a week route means at least 4 grocery trips a month and typically excludes bulk shopping. We do 2 trips for the month and it works great for us.
Thats seems to be a severely north American phenomena i feel like. I’m from Germany and couldn’t IMAGINE going shopping less than once or twice a week. If you don’t make it a bulk trip every time you train yourself to really only get the essentials I feel like. Like last week. I went in to just grab milk and spinach on my way home from work Tuesday afternoon. I didn’t even think about what else I could buy since I was 1. walking and didn’t wanna carry a ton and 2. did a bigger grocery trip with a list on the Saturday before that and knew I had all I needed. Just the fresh milk ran out already and spinach doesn’t last longer than a few days so it doesn’t make sense to buy in a Saturday if we eat out on Sunday. I feel like the availability of grocery stores really plays into this. I can walk from home to 3 different stores in 5-10mins so it’s always available to me to just hop in and out for one item. Makes us eat more fresh produce and makes me less anxious about needing to plan out the entire week with groceries before my Saturday shopping trip.
I have been thinking for a while now that I need to break my grocery budget up into food and household cleaning supplies and pet supplies. I used to buy them all in the same place in the same trip, but now I order them online from different suppliers and I feel like I don't have a handle on it anymore. Definitely time to upgrade that budget category. Thanks for the inspiration!
@@nosirrahm yes, I needed something like that, and then pet food and cat litter. Hopefully it will give me a more accurate way top project the expenses since most of them are on subscription now.
Yes, breaking it up into different categories gives you so much more clarity and insight! I have four grocery categories (one for each week), a "household items" category (for things like paper towels, dishwasher pods, laundry detergent), a "personal items" category (for things like toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant), and don't even get me started on the pet categories... my dog Julep has her own whole category GROUP in my budget. Seven categories. Should I be embarrassed? Probably, yes. Am I? Absolutely not. She lives a better life than I do! 🌻 Hannah
Thank you Hannah. I’m going to Aldi this month, making a meal plan and also splitting my monthly budget into weeks. I have £15 left to spend for the week so looks like it’s working so far 😊.
FYI - very often store brands are made by name brand companies. Del Monte cans the Great Value (Wal-Mart) fruit. Sometimes it's just the company quality requirements aren't met that are superficial - like too many broken cherries in the fruit cocktail so it gets rejected for Del Monte, but is fine for Wal-Mart. Or it's a slightly different recipe. I worked for a bacon company that made over 100 brands of bacon. Same recipe. Different label.
Now THAT is fascinating. I had heard that, but didn't know the reasoning behind it! Makes total sense. Oh, that gives me a WHOLE new perspective on store brand foods!! Kroger brand, here I come. 🌻 Hannah
Emergency meals FTW! One of our favorites - buy either chicken or pork roast, add some marinade, then freeze. When we need it, just toss in the instapot. I love the pantry list idea; hopefully the app you mentioned will be available on android at some point. In the meantime, got my trusty pen and paper when doing the grocery shopping online. 💜
I'm a pen and paper kinda pal, too!! Occasionally I'll get fancy and make a spread sheet, but having something tangible makes all the difference for me. I definitely want to start a price book, especially with prices being a little on the wonky side right now! Every little bit matters. 🌻 Hannah
My "one-adult $375" grocery budget seems ridiculous now. On the contrary, I do have a roommate and people think it's odd we don't split groceries. Some stuff we buy for the both of us like breads, paper towels, soaps, etc, but we have vastly different schedules so we don't combine dinner ideas I do love making dishes that can be frozen for later: chili, soups, stews, tomato sauces; etc.
No friend, you do you! The grocery budgets I shared in the video don't give any insight to location, cost of living, any of that stuff. $375 in one part of the States might take someone only as far as someone else only spending $250 a month somewhere else in the States! Not to mention, if solid groceries are one of your top priorities, then your budget should show that! You know your needs better than anyone else! 🌻 Hannah
For meal prepping: I often used canned vegetables for recipes when they require vegetables. I have a back stock of canned goods to easily whip up a simple meal. For example: I ran out of my favorite fancy spaghetti sauce so I use canned tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes and add dried basil, canned garlic, and Italian seasonings. I usually have canned pesto on hand to whip up a delicious pesto pasta dish with the canned garlic and frozen pre-cooked shrimp. This method works very well for me and I have a lot less fresh produce waste but one thing to note is that canned goods often have a high amount of sodium so this method would be risky for someone sensitive to sodium.
Smart!! I just learned that it's pretty easy to keep all the ingredients you'd need to make a homemade pizza on hand all the time. We've had a LOT more of that around here lately! 🌻 Hannah
I have a simpler system for inventory. A whiteboard on the fridge with 2 sections: "to cook" and "to eat." I also keep a freezer inventory these days. I don't bother putting staples like eggs or milk, but I do note meats and fresh foods. I clean out my fridge and plan my meals before going to the store. I buy only ingredients I need for my menu that week, not stuff to stock the pantry.
We do freezer meals once a month. We make 18 meals for our family of 5. We add small things through the month. This has helped us get our groceries category under control !
Yes, money and planning for meal for the week is the way to go for me. I recently got into a program called Anywhere Nutrition where the Nutritionist creates meal plans for the week but , you do batches of food that last like 3 days at a time and they are healthy. This is not an ad, it is what has helped me. I am working on eating at home more, I am pretty much a eating out kind of person but as I get older I want to know what is in the food I eat more.
Hey, that's sounds super neat! What a great way to take your health and your finances into your own hands. The cost difference between homemade meals and restaurant prepared meals is kinda 🤯 But rightly so-gotta pay those chefs and cooks! Now YOU get to be the chef 😎🧑🏻🍳 🌻 Hannah
I keep my inventory and shopping list in Trello. When I run out of something, I can just drag the card from one column to another, and the same when I’m shopping.
Oh wow!! There's an idea! I like the idea of just being able to drag cards around. Makes it easier to keep a visual in your head of how much you really have and how much you really need! 🌻 Hannah
We have rotation system. We created four lists for meals, each list has two types of breakfasts, 5 types of dinners and 4 types of sandwiches. All meals in each list have interchangeable ingredients, so for example if we make vegan ramen for Monday dinner and need peppers and tofu for it among other things, we will be making three bean chilli that week too, as it uses beans AND peppers in our house and because we are making chilli, we would be having beans on toast for breakfast at least three times that week... you get the gist. It helps us buy in bulk without throwing food away and we love that. Plus, we were able to bring our food shopping down to 65 euro a week for two and that is just wonderful :) When we get fed up of one list, say after two weeks, we switch it for another and rinse and repeat the process. And we highly recommend AnyList because we plan meals, shopping and it updates for both of us. Loving it!
WOW. Whew, that must've taken quite a while to perfect those lists. 🥵 Sounds like you're absolutely making the most out of every grocery trip and I am ALL for that. Teach me your ways!! 🌻 Hannah
@@YNABofficial I think it's easy to make those lists to be honest 🙂 our fridge is lighter too now! We simply first set lunches into the list, from first two lunches, based on ingredients,we spun three other lunches. Then looking at ingredients again, we looked for two breakfasts we love based on those. And as we eat sandwiches for dinner, we just looked again at all ingredients and based all sandwiches on those lists. And then we repeated the process creating all four lists. And next week I will add two more lists, making them autumn seasonal so we are ready 🙂 seasonal vegan eating is very cheap too 🙂
Our emergency meals are leftovers. I love to make double batches of freezer friendly foods like lasagne, chicken pot pie, chili, broth based soups, etc whenever we have them. That way, the next time I'm too exhausted to cook, there is something easy to have and I know exactly what's in it.
We do something similar except we (two parents, two kids) do $400 the first week of the month (for Costco, bulk, etc.) and $200 for each of the subsequent weeks. The other thing we do is use Costco same-day delivery via Instacart (which I know doesn't exactly save us money optimally as the same-day delivery prices are a little higher, plus we have to tip--but worth it to not waste 2 hours at Costco), and we almost always go the the "buy again" tab and re-buy our usual staples, which naturally discouraged impulse buying.
Smart! That's interesting... I usually load up the *last* week with extra grocery money because of the extra days, but now that I think about it, the week we truly always overspend in is ALWAYS the first week, not the last. So maybe I should frontload that first week of the grocery budget so we can afford to restock all of our non-perishable staples with the start of the new month, and then the next there weeks use the budget to keep bringing in fresh produce and meat. Very smart!! I shall pass that back to the husband :) 🌻 Hannah
I like choosing my own produce so I don’t order groceries online often, but I’ve found that using my store’s app to build my list gives me a running total so I can stick to my budget… then I just have to go and only buy what’s on the list. I give myself room for swaps for things that are out of stock, and 1-2 “bonus” items, but so far it’s working great (and I was baaaad for impulse grocery purchases before YNAB).
Definitely doing the $/week method in my head, but that's inexact. When times were *really* tight, I'd only buy with cash, and I'd only get the budgeted amount of cash out of the ATM right before heading to the grocery store. That really concentrates the mind wonderfully: if I go over budget, I can't pay at the cash register. That's embarrassing and something's got to go back. Times are not so tight anymore (more income, better budgeting), but that's still how I set my monthly goals - how many Saturdays will I buying groceries on? YNAB sets that up for me with my weekly target, which determines my monthly budget, and then I can see my progress bar and assess if I'm ahead or behind.
Thank you for the Pantry Check app suggestion. I downloaded it and am easily adding all my barcoded ingredients. I may be able to keep track of food as well as my money now!
Many moons ago my little brother worked in a store. An item had been 26cents a can for a long time. The price raised to 32 cents a can and the shoppers were complaining about the increase, saying they just wasn’t going to pay that much for it. His boss told him to move the items up next to the register and make a sign saying, “Special!!! 3cans for $1.00”. He came home laughing and said the same people who were complaining were grabbing 3, 6 or 9 cans talking about what a great deal that was and wish they had seen it when they first came in the store. Need to be leery of specials and sales.
Exactly! It’s all psychological. I worked at a grocery store years ago and looking back now on how silly the sales were “BUY 2 GET 2 FREE” but the customer ended up paying the same amount of money if not more if they just got one lol.
My least favorite sale tactic is "Buy One, Get One 50% Off." That sounds like SUCH A DEAL. But really, in the end, it's just 25% off both items. Not as appealing. Still a lot of money. It took me a long time to realize that deal was NOT as much of a deal as I thought it was! 🌻 Hannah
@@YNABofficial my brother told me that on them kind of sales that it’s a product that they have a huge amount of that isn’t selling very good. A few days before the sale that they raise the price enough that when the sale goes on they can at least brake even or make a small profit. It’s just to get rid of overstock that isn’t selling much.
@@YNABofficial I just bought towels, socks, and bath rugs YESTERDAY. I bought two towels, two six packs of socks AND two bathroom rugs. Now that I think about it, I may have SAVED some money, but I also spent MORE than I needed to spend.
To account for having family over, holidays, Superbowl, birthday dinners, I have a category called Family Celebrations. (Gifts are a separate category). This keeps my monthly grocery intake at a "reality" level as it won't include the special foods.
This is smart!! These expenses are always SO much more than we think they'll ever be. Everyone really needs a non-gift holiday fund-it truly is a real expense!! 🌻 Hannah
LOVE the idea of an Eat-me-first bin! I might have to do that in my crisper as well, because produce seems to often be forgotten, especially when I just need a half bunch of cilantro then forget about the other half.
UGH. Yes. I love cilantro. Buy a bunch, use a fourth of it in one recipe. Feels like I blink and the rest of it has gone bad. I recently heard cutting all the ends of the stems and storing them in the fridge in a glass of water keeps them going strong much longer! I gotta try that! 🌻 Hannah
Soup! Many a manky carrot and suspect spud have ended up cooked and blended (and often portioned and frozen). Great way to use up the slightly saggy herbs too. Failing that, tear up the herbs, put a dollop into an ice cube tray, fill with water or leftover (!) wine, freeze and you’ve got a herby stock cube for cooking with.
We’ve turned a shelf into fruit and veg central. I put everything in clear containers to remind us to eat that first. Leftovers are now in our fruit drawer because every Sunday is leftover night.
@You Need a Budget yep storing in a glass of water definitely helps! I don’t always remember to do it but it’s shocking how much longer stuff like cilantro and parsley can last that way.
I actually paused the video on the screen with the food budgets for your coworkers. We have two adult parents, one 12 year old, and 4 adult sized children ages 14 to 21. We have been spending $2,200 a month for all food including eating out. I totally thought it was excessive, but the family with two adults and 7 kids actually spend close to what we do. So I am not crazy, but I would like to shave it back a bit! Thanks so much for posting this video!
Oh my gosh, food (after shelter) is arguably our MOST IMPORTANT expense!! Nothing to be ashamed of, especially with a family so large and growing!! And there's also a lot to say about the quality of food you're comfortable with. There's a whole range from pantry-stable store brands to grass-fed organic everything, so that variable alone could make for HUGE fluctuations in grocery budgets from family to family! No shame!! Just full, satisfied bellies :) 🌻 Hannah
@@YNABofficial I should clarify that we lump things like toilet paper and shampoo in this category. Honestly, we don't eat much organic foods, but we do like our avocados, raspberries, and chocolate!
I’d like to suggest The Lazy Genius with Kendra Adachi as a great resource for meal planning. She can definitely take someone through the baby steps from winging it to planned-but-flexible. She has a podcast and two books.
I was literally JUST looking at Kendra Adachi's material last week! I LOVE the way she thinks!! I'll definitely listen to her meal planning stuff. I saw she recently came out with some sort of Lazy Genius book specifically pertaining to the kitchen?! I gotta go see if it's at the library! 🌻 Hannah
Yessss came here to say this too! And yep, her new book is about this - I am halfway through and it’s been really good so far. Her recipe and meal planning content is consistently excellent (but I love a lot of her other stuff too).
I loved your videos and you before this, but all your mentions of Aldi made me love you even more!! Thanks for all your videos. They are always so fun!
Had to make a fresh start with my YNAB budget after neglecting it for a month. Already made grocery categories for each week for the remainder of July. I may only do Walmart curbside pickup since it is so easy to see how much I am spending.
For everyday meals if some part of it that is non perishable goes on sale I buy more so when the perishable goes on sale and it becomes a weekly meal I can make more of it and freeze them. Chili, marinaded chicken and vegetables and stews all live in the freezer for quick meals. It saves my husband when I am incapacitated from some injury or illness
@@YNABofficial it's so nice! My husband made fun of me until I got COVID and then a month later I'm on crutches. Now he can whip out one of the bags of chili or marinaded meat and heat up rice and dinner is done. I always try to make at least double or Triple of marinaded meats when on sale and double or trip soups and stews. Some dairy gets a little funky if not thawed gently though
I was gonna say, the phrase "when I am incapacitated from some injury or illness" made me think you've been through quite a whirlwind lately 😂 So glad y'all have found a system that works for you, even when everything else in life gets thrown off by COVID and crutches!! Hope you get to healin' up soon!! 🌻 Hannah
Thank you, friend!!I I LOVE being able to toss a bunch of tips out there-mostly because I often discover a bunch of new ones for myself along the way!! 🌻 Hannah
Confession time... We are spending $1200/month on three people. I switched us to a primarily rice and beans diet, and I meal plan and stick to the list religiously, but inflation just keeps getting higher and higher and I haven't seen a dent. My husband has multiple allergies and my kid has feeding issues so we are buying a lot of specialty foods. This video actually gave me some hope that we can get this spending under control. I liked the advice to take it one step at a time. I think I am going to try breaking down the categories from monthly to weekly and using an inventory list. We prefer to buy fresh produce, but a lot of it goes to waste. It would be better if I could meal plan based on what we still have left over. I will just start generously and slowly pare down the amount of budgeted money over time. Great tips, thank you!
Oh 🥰🥰 My heart just grew three sizes! I LOVE that. Specialty diets are *hard,* and unique circumstances are *hard.* Don't beat yourself up over what can't be controlled. BUT, almost undeniably, there have to be at least a few little things in there we could control. It may not be huge drastic changes or results seen overnight, but every tiny change will make a difference in the long run, and good habits stack! So yes-be kind to yourself, be patient with yourself, and experiment with what you *can* control!! 🌻 Hannah
As an Aldi fan my whole life is store brands. There used to be a few name brands I wouldn’t budge on (Campbell’s tomato soup, JIF peanut butter, Cheez-It’s, and Takis) - but I’ve even come to like the Aldi versions of those over time.
Nice!! You really just can't beat Aldi's prices. It's amazing. We went and bought a HUGE haul of food the other day, and the ONLY item over $4 was the chicken drumsticks and thighs! WOOT. 🌻 Hannah
I am a dedicated Aldi shopper, but I've had to increase my grocery budget by about 40% over the last six months and we are not buying anything out of the ordinary or more of anything.
Don't just assume Aldi is cheaper than Wegmans anymore! Greek yogurt in family packs, as well as pasta, sauce and some meats are some things actually cheaper at Wegmans right now in my area.
Surprised it wasn't mentioned, but to cut down on the cost of meat look for the manager specials. The store wants to sell it quick because it is close to the expiration date, but that is fine just buy a bunch and freeze it. Thaw as needed.
Oooh!! Duh!! I'm not a big meat eater myself, but I'm wanting to start eating more meat, so this was a great tip for me to stick under my belt!! Thanks Michael!! 🌻 Hannah
Agreed - the woman who does Naptime Kitchen (I forget her name but that’s how to find her content) suggests thinking of the freezer as a “magic pause button” for most food. So true and helps me save a lot of almost-donezo food from my fridge!
Would recommend! Plus, making those categories a little more granular can help you more easily figure out things like how often you buy toilet paper or when you might need to restock on cleaning supplies. I love it! 🌻 Hannah
I love meal planning but I work in a grocery store. My plan ends up going out the window and everything I planned rots until I throw it away. The fuzzy stuff I call “Frank” 🤣😂🤣
It's been SUPER helpful for us! And, I can't lie-we still overspend in one week ALL the time. But then, we know to cool our jets the following week or just buy half of what we normally do. Would highly recommend for clarity and self-control! It's been super helpful to us! 🌻 Hannah
After looking at the “Two adults, Celiac friendly $650/ mo” I feel like I’m in the right ballpark. I spend more money than other people I know, but I’m gluten-free, dairy- free. Even with not buying GF/DF snacks, junk foods, and bread, it’s still expensive. I try to limit meat and poultry, but have you seen the cost of eggs and fish??
Oh yeah!! Those with dietary restrictions should definitely be given more grace when it comes to grocery budgets-100%. You're fighting a battle at the grocery store that most of us don't have to. Your food is your medicine! You have to feed yourself well with what nourishes your body! That can look a whole lot of different ways. 🌻 Hannah
Hi. Why is everyone (including Hannah!!) treating 4 weeks as being a month?? If you want to convert a weekly cap into the monthly total, you need to multiply by 4.33. Works slightly in your favour for February and the 30-day months but is the best “constant” to use. Likewise, divide your monthly target by 4.33 to reach your “true” weekly figure. This error might be part of the problem for some people who are wondering why they are off kilter for their final “week” of the month. It’s because it’s not a week…
Ya know, I had never actually thought of that before 😂 Multiplying or dividing by 4.33 makes a lot of sense! I also just divide by four and then tack a bit extra on in the final week. But your method makes a lot more sense! Also, though, if you use weekly targets in YNAB, it accounts for this! It asks you which *day* of the week you want your "week" to start on, and depending on how many of that day are in that month it'll either have you save for 4 or 5 weeks. This works great for expenses where you have due dates (like paying doggy daycare every Monday morning), but then for more flexible expenses like groceries it serves as a really handy way to cover those final days in the month *and* create a little extra "rollover" for the next month. Nobody ever hated a little extra cushion, right?! 😂 🌻 Hannah
We always used to throw out lettuce/greens until we made sure there was a specific meal that required it. "I should eat more salad" is less effective than, "I'm eating this type of salad on this night."
You left out the big one. Bulk cooking is so important to a food budget. On the weekend, I like to do one big cooking for all of my work meals. There's almost always enough to have it for dinner once or twice too. On a good week, I can have all of my work meals made for anywhere between $12 and $20. These aren't cheap garbage meals either. Chicken and rice, chili, soups and stews, meatloaf and many other really tasty options that fill me up. I'm a big man, closer to 300lbs than I'd like to admit, and I work in a factory. I know what it takes to feed an active worker. Still, it's not nearly as hard as it seems, and making cheap, nutritious food in bulk is a time saver as well as a money saver. I also make a point to buy my spices in bulk. I buy a lot of them by the pound. For example, I can buy 3oz of turmeric for $5, but I can buy a pound for as little as $7. Somebody is trying to jerk us around. We use a lot of garlic powder. I got almost a pound and a half for less than $10. Even the dollar stores cost more than smart bulk shopping. Even if you're not that confident in your cooking, you came on RUclips for your budget. Surprise surprise, dear sweet RUclips will teach you how to cook cheap food too. We are fortunate to have so much info at our fingertips in this day and age. If you really want to change your day to day, the tools are there. You can eat even better than you are now for less. You just have to look up how.
Yessss!! I just got a cookbook from a friend with recipes for bulk cooking healthy meals that you can freeze or store in the fridge to feed you the rest of the week! Tried my first recipe last night-chicken rice casserole, in the instant pot no less! It was so easy and we have... like, a LOT of it to take as work lunches this week 😂 And I *totally* agree about RUclips! We have almost everything we could ever need on here!! Why not learn how to bulk cook too?! 🌻 Hannah
When I make a meal, I plan on us eating the leftovers the next night. After night #2, everyone is pretty much done with that meal and there probably isn't enough left for all of us, anyway. So, I put the leftovers into single-serving sized freezer containers, label them, and use them for emergency meals. On nights when I don't have time to cook, I announce that it is "freezer surprise" night and everyone goes into the freezer and finds a single-serving sized container of leftovers that looks good to them, they pop it in the microwave and . . . . presto . . . dinner is complete and leftovers aren't wasted.
I'm curious how you go about thawing pre-cooked frozen meals! Do you put them back in the oven? How do you keep them from getting soggy or mushy?? I want to do this, I feel like I just need some more insider tips to nail it!
True story-- my family used to have a contract to produce and pack cage free organic eggs for the largest retailer in the US. We produced and packed the exact same eggs into their branded carton (shiny & expensive) and private label carton (cheaper alternative brand). Like.. the eggs came from the same flock of chickens. It's just a numbers game with retailers-- they know a certain amount of people will pay premium for a flashy brand, and others will always buy the private label. So you might as well save some money!
That is shoccccckkkkking. And terrifying. I wonder how much I've overpaid for the same product I could've bought for half the price. Fascinating. 🌻 Hannah
Alternatively, instead of an inventory list, just "go shopping" at your pantry/fridge first, checking off your shopping list items; THEN go to the store!
That works too! I usually make a list of what I need based on the recipes I want to make that week, and it feels like I'm saving tons of money when I walk in my pantry or fridge and get to cross a few things off the list 🤣 🌻 Hannah
I feeeze leftovers to eat for work lunch or any other time. Okus, there are apps and websites that will help you create a menu with ingredients you already have. I buy more frozen veggies and fruits there are frozen bananas and avocados.
We're twinsies! I don't usually have that issue with broccoli because this year I discovered how DELICIOUS sautéing broccoli in butter is. Throw on a little salt. Get it a little crispy. Oh my gosh 🤤 🌻 Hannah
There is a weekly email from ‘mashupMom’ who puts together a menu based on Aldi’s weekly ad. The aim is to feed four for $70/week. It is diet style agnostic so may not work for all.
All depends on eating habits and where you live! As a single girl living in Kansas, I only budgeted $50-$75 a week for groceries. Now as a married couple, we budget $100 a week for groceries, but I KNOW that wouldn't fly in a bigger city or closer to the coasts. We're also not big meat eaters, and I want to change that-I know we accidentally save a lot of money by just never buying or eating meat 😂 🌻 Hannah
"Zero Dollars a month." That's not at thing. That's just them coping because they're adult children that are incapable of grocery shopping, so they have to spend an exorbitant amount of money on eating out.
Yes! We actually make a *separate* category for that in our budget because it costs so much and we don't want it to take away from groceries. I feel ya, there! 🌻 Hannah
Only eating out is crazy especially if they use apps because of the crazy ass fees. I would order out like crazy months ago but now when I see the fee they charge I just go and make a sandwich lol 😆
I'll have to ask! It's all about what you prioritize, man!! They live in the middle of a bustling city, are kidless, and both work full-time. I think they just highly value convenience and efficiency, so they budget for things that help them stay efficient-like dining out! No dishes, no hours cooking-makes sense when you think about it, and if your budget can swing it, go for it! Whatever floats your boat! 🌻 Hannah
Add more fruits, veggies, legumes (beans & lentils), whole grains and less meat, dairy, eggs, and oil. This should result in significant savings for most people.
Oh, but you know what's actually better? Aldi's Frosted Chocolate Fudge Toaster Tarts. Oh my gosh, they're better than all PopTarts ever made. 🌻 Hannah
@@YNABofficial Borwn banana tip: Recipe to use up brown bananas: 1 c. quick oats (I used Old Fashioned without any problems); 1 large overripe banana (mashed to liquid-like consistency); 1/2 c. chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, craisins, etc. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl add oats and bananas. Mix with folk. Add any add-ins you like. Make 8 round balls out of the batter. (I use parchment paper so no mess!). The cookies do no really spread much. Bake for about 15 minutes until lightly brown and set. Cookie bottoms should also be brown and come off baking sheet/parchment paper easily. Store uneaten cookies in the fridge. I LOVE these. They are healthy and nutritious and without added sugar. No more wasted bananas.
Okay, whaaaaat?!?! I'm trying this!! I may even have to test out my first batch on the YNAB Instagram... 🤔 So easy and so little ingredients!! I love a nice clean recipe :) 🌻 Hannah
@@YNABofficial - Hannah, I must tell you how much I enjoy your videos. I have also enjoyed seeing you grow as a person, get engaged, married, etc. We lived in Kansas and spent 15 years in Ohio. We retired and moved back to KS a year ago. My son is also a YNABBER and lives in Minneapolis. He reached out to you last year and found out where/how you made your Banksy. He made one for me for Christmas! He lives on the top of my computer desk. He hangs out with me and helps with my YNAB activities. (I had a garage sale in July so he is nice and FAT with coins right now.)
If it makes anyone feel better, I just went to Aldi and spent two weeks worth of grocery money in one fell swoop. There's always next week 😂
🌻 Hannah
That actually did make me feel better 😂. I did the exact same thing last week and I was like.....uggggggghhhhh lol. Next week is another week lol.
Amen!!
🌻 Hannah
I may try out the gift card way :)
ruclips.net/video/rABTwNg_0VM/видео.html
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For leftovers, I also say reduce the amount of storage containers you have too. You’ll find you have to eat the older food so you can free up the containers for more food. If you have endless containers, the fridge fills up with rotting food.
Ahhh! Now that's something I hadn't thought of before. If you have endless containers, you'll just keep throwing more and more into the fridge that inevitably ends up in the back, out of sight! Good thought. I was just thinking the other day that we needed more, but now I'm reconsidering...
🌻 Hannah
Or keep the containers, freeze the leftovers and add the date/type onto your inventory list. Many a final few days of a month have been about “eating down the freezer”!
That's some really sharp insight. I have to give credit where credit's due because I definitely wouldn't have thought of that. I know I have those occasional Tupperware wash days where I have to freeze before I wash or the smell knocks you out. I prefer to cool and freeze leftovers I won't eat in the next 3-4 days because I can freeze them in portions, but hey, we all let things slide once in a while. We certainly aren't watching this video because we're perfect.
@@willcook6967 I thought I was the only person who did the "Freeze & Wash" thing. Thanks for affirming my choices! 😎
It’s the same problem with laundry baskets and silverware. You think having more is better but it actually creates more work
Love the color coordination with your shirt and the mug 😂
I was going to mention that, too!
I love it
THANKS. Total accident 😂
🌻 Hannah
Can't believe I never thought to divide my budget into 4 separate weeks for groceries. That's so much more intuitive (for me). Thanks Hannah!
Divide it by 4.33, not four: more than four weeks in a month (excluding February, of course).
Thanks so much for this video. Even the survey at the beginning of all your coworkers’ grocery budget was helpful. I recently became totally debt free and am learning how to readjust my budget to a non-rice-and-beans diet. So many options now 😅
Yesssss!! WOW, way to go Rebecca!! That is an amazing, amazing feeling! And yeah, play around with it-it helps me to remember that food (being the thing that keeps us alive) is *allowed* to have a bigger budget. I think we're about bump ours up because we end up overspending most months, but hey-good food is important! It's worth it.
🌻 Hannah
If you’re on the fence about buying generic, start with things that get cooked or mixed into other things, where you won’t easily notice subtle flavor changes of one item. Think canned tomato sauce that’s going in a pot of chili, salsa going into taco meat, broth going into soup. As you learn to like those items just as well, you can expand into things you eat by themselves, like pre-made soup or cookies.
Now thaaaat's a super helpful and achievable tip. I love that. So easy and shows you there's nothing to be afraid of!
🌻 Hannah
Couldn't agree more on generic/store brand food! Someone told me once that because name brands make way more product than they actually sell to consumers, they started selling to stores too and letting the store slap their name on it and sell in turn at a huge discount. I have no idea if that was true, but it inspired me to buy my first store brand item. It tasted EXACTLY the same, so I started buying more and more store brands. Eventually I found a few that I didn't care for, but I just didn't buy them and saved a ton of money on everything else. Even now that I can afford to buy name brand stuff, I still buy the store brand because THAT's what I know now :)
The only place I seem to notice the difference between brand names and store brand is when it comes to crackers and chips. Seems like they usually differ in how they're baked or seasoned or something along those lines. But everything else?! Might as well be twins!
🌻 Hannah
I worked for several multinational branded food companies (I’m UK based) which also make supermarkets’ own-label products and there are differences: lower prices mean that the ratio of ingredients are often different (more of the cheaper stuff, or lower quality/type, e.g. tomatoes versus tomato purée) . That doesn’t always mean that the difference is that noticeable or that the difference is worth paying extra for. I definitely mix and match in my shopping. Crackers & chips: cheaper ones are often - not always- made using extrusion machines which are cheaper machines to buy and run, and can produce more product per hour. Just not as nice an end result.
In my country (Poland), own brands are always outsourced to external companies. The product label will have the store's logo, and then in small font "Commissioned by , produced by ". And they're often (depending on store) just as good as the named brands.
One thing I love to do is go on Pinterest and print out recipes I like and buying my grocery based on that recipe list. Over time of doing this I have a huge folder of recipes I love and have a stocked pantry because I use the same ingredient for multiple meals. I’m a weekly shopper which makes it easier.
I also bought a vegetable chopper on Amazon that makes prepping onions, peppers, carrots soooooo Much easier!
Niiiice! I love that! I keep trying new recipes but then I don't really track them (I pull them up on a web browser on my phone and then they inevitably get deleted by me later), so I'll have to start printing and pop them in a folder! Thanks for the tip!
🌻 Hannah
I have a binder on the kitchen counter with my most-cooked recipes. I put them in plastic sheet sleeves for easy clean up.
I live in rural area and honestly between price increases and scarcity of item; I was getting frustrated. I saw my food budget jump from 500 for family of 4 to double that. I make meal plans and eat leftovers. Then one day scrolling though facebook I saw a friend got southern foods. I got to select all the food my family eats. They deliver to my home and even they stack the food in the freezer. The cost was $403 a month for six months. That is well within my budget. Now I have chest freezer filled with steak, pork, chicken, and veggies. Now I just put $50 a week for milk and what not. I am trying my best not to go out to eat.
The once a week route means at least 4 grocery trips a month and typically excludes bulk shopping. We do 2 trips for the month and it works great for us.
Most vegetables just barely last 2 weeks. Leafy greens barely last 2 days. How do you deal with that?
Thats seems to be a severely north American phenomena i feel like. I’m from Germany and couldn’t IMAGINE going shopping less than once or twice a week. If you don’t make it a bulk trip every time you train yourself to really only get the essentials I feel like. Like last week. I went in to just grab milk and spinach on my way home from work Tuesday afternoon. I didn’t even think about what else I could buy since I was 1. walking and didn’t wanna carry a ton and 2. did a bigger grocery trip with a list on the Saturday before that and knew I had all I needed. Just the fresh milk ran out already and spinach doesn’t last longer than a few days so it doesn’t make sense to buy in a Saturday if we eat out on Sunday. I feel like the availability of grocery stores really plays into this. I can walk from home to 3 different stores in 5-10mins so it’s always available to me to just hop in and out for one item. Makes us eat more fresh produce and makes me less anxious about needing to plan out the entire week with groceries before my Saturday shopping trip.
I have been thinking for a while now that I need to break my grocery budget up into food and household cleaning supplies and pet supplies. I used to buy them all in the same place in the same trip, but now I order them online from different suppliers and I feel like I don't have a handle on it anymore. Definitely time to upgrade that budget category. Thanks for the inspiration!
I recently created a category for household consumables that covers those items.
@@nosirrahm yes, I needed something like that, and then pet food and cat litter. Hopefully it will give me a more accurate way top project the expenses since most of them are on subscription now.
I break it up and it’s much easier. A category for household items, toiletries and groceries completely separate. Way better
Yes, breaking it up into different categories gives you so much more clarity and insight!
I have four grocery categories (one for each week), a "household items" category (for things like paper towels, dishwasher pods, laundry detergent), a "personal items" category (for things like toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant), and don't even get me started on the pet categories... my dog Julep has her own whole category GROUP in my budget. Seven categories. Should I be embarrassed? Probably, yes. Am I? Absolutely not. She lives a better life than I do!
🌻 Hannah
Thank you Hannah. I’m going to Aldi this month, making a meal plan and also splitting my monthly budget into weeks. I have £15 left to spend for the week so looks like it’s working so far 😊.
Yesssssss!! Amazing! Encouraged to hear that!
🌻 Hannah
FYI - very often store brands are made by name brand companies. Del Monte cans the Great Value (Wal-Mart) fruit. Sometimes it's just the company quality requirements aren't met that are superficial - like too many broken cherries in the fruit cocktail so it gets rejected for Del Monte, but is fine for Wal-Mart. Or it's a slightly different recipe. I worked for a bacon company that made over 100 brands of bacon. Same recipe. Different label.
Now THAT is fascinating. I had heard that, but didn't know the reasoning behind it! Makes total sense. Oh, that gives me a WHOLE new perspective on store brand foods!! Kroger brand, here I come.
🌻 Hannah
Makes sense
Emergency meals FTW! One of our favorites - buy either chicken or pork roast, add some marinade, then freeze. When we need it, just toss in the instapot.
I love the pantry list idea; hopefully the app you mentioned will be available on android at some point. In the meantime, got my trusty pen and paper when doing the grocery shopping online. 💜
I'm a pen and paper kinda pal, too!! Occasionally I'll get fancy and make a spread sheet, but having something tangible makes all the difference for me. I definitely want to start a price book, especially with prices being a little on the wonky side right now! Every little bit matters.
🌻 Hannah
Agreed - emergency meals have been a game changer for us!
Okay I swear Hannah is just literally speaking straight to me. Just found these videos and loving them!!
Woohooooo!! Well keep comin' 'round! Plenty more videos to come!
🌻 Hannah
My "one-adult $375" grocery budget seems ridiculous now.
On the contrary, I do have a roommate and people think it's odd we don't split groceries. Some stuff we buy for the both of us like breads, paper towels, soaps, etc, but we have vastly different schedules so we don't combine dinner ideas
I do love making dishes that can be frozen for later: chili, soups, stews, tomato sauces; etc.
No friend, you do you! The grocery budgets I shared in the video don't give any insight to location, cost of living, any of that stuff. $375 in one part of the States might take someone only as far as someone else only spending $250 a month somewhere else in the States! Not to mention, if solid groceries are one of your top priorities, then your budget should show that! You know your needs better than anyone else!
🌻 Hannah
This is a truly unique video on the subject. Thank you for another great video Hannah and YNAB.
Woo hoo! Thanks friend!!
🌻 Hannah
Loved the options you gave in this one. Thank you!
Thanks!! There are way more ways to lower our grocery spending than I ever thought!
🌻 Hannah
For meal prepping: I often used canned vegetables for recipes when they require vegetables. I have a back stock of canned goods to easily whip up a simple meal. For example: I ran out of my favorite fancy spaghetti sauce so I use canned tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes and add dried basil, canned garlic, and Italian seasonings. I usually have canned pesto on hand to whip up a delicious pesto pasta dish with the canned garlic and frozen pre-cooked shrimp. This method works very well for me and I have a lot less fresh produce waste but one thing to note is that canned goods often have a high amount of sodium so this method would be risky for someone sensitive to sodium.
Smart!! I just learned that it's pretty easy to keep all the ingredients you'd need to make a homemade pizza on hand all the time. We've had a LOT more of that around here lately!
🌻 Hannah
I have a simpler system for inventory. A whiteboard on the fridge with 2 sections: "to cook" and "to eat." I also keep a freezer inventory these days. I don't bother putting staples like eggs or milk, but I do note meats and fresh foods. I clean out my fridge and plan my meals before going to the store. I buy only ingredients I need for my menu that week, not stuff to stock the pantry.
We do freezer meals once a month. We make 18 meals for our family of 5. We add small things through the month. This has helped us get our groceries category under control !
WOW!! That's a lot of prep and intentionality!! LOVE that, very impressed!
🌻 Hannah
I like your tips. They are not the typical ways to save. 🌻
Your content is some of the best out there! Keep up the great work! Thanks for sharing all your experiences!
Thank you, Steve!! Glad it's helpful!!
🌻 Hannah
Yes, money and planning for meal for the week is the way to go for me. I recently got into a program called Anywhere Nutrition where the Nutritionist creates meal plans for the week but , you do batches of food that last like 3 days at a time and they are healthy. This is not an ad, it is what has helped me. I am working on eating at home more, I am pretty much a eating out kind of person but as I get older I want to know what is in the food I eat more.
Hey, that's sounds super neat! What a great way to take your health and your finances into your own hands. The cost difference between homemade meals and restaurant prepared meals is kinda 🤯 But rightly so-gotta pay those chefs and cooks! Now YOU get to be the chef 😎🧑🏻🍳
🌻 Hannah
I keep my inventory and shopping list in Trello. When I run out of something, I can just drag the card from one column to another, and the same when I’m shopping.
Oh wow!! There's an idea! I like the idea of just being able to drag cards around. Makes it easier to keep a visual in your head of how much you really have and how much you really need!
🌻 Hannah
We have rotation system. We created four lists for meals, each list has two types of breakfasts, 5 types of dinners and 4 types of sandwiches. All meals in each list have interchangeable ingredients, so for example if we make vegan ramen for Monday dinner and need peppers and tofu for it among other things, we will be making three bean chilli that week too, as it uses beans AND peppers in our house and because we are making chilli, we would be having beans on toast for breakfast at least three times that week... you get the gist. It helps us buy in bulk without throwing food away and we love that. Plus, we were able to bring our food shopping down to 65 euro a week for two and that is just wonderful :) When we get fed up of one list, say after two weeks, we switch it for another and rinse and repeat the process. And we highly recommend AnyList because we plan meals, shopping and it updates for both of us. Loving it!
WOW. Whew, that must've taken quite a while to perfect those lists. 🥵 Sounds like you're absolutely making the most out of every grocery trip and I am ALL for that. Teach me your ways!!
🌻 Hannah
@@YNABofficial I think it's easy to make those lists to be honest 🙂 our fridge is lighter too now! We simply first set lunches into the list, from first two lunches, based on ingredients,we spun three other lunches. Then looking at ingredients again, we looked for two breakfasts we love based on those. And as we eat sandwiches for dinner, we just looked again at all ingredients and based all sandwiches on those lists. And then we repeated the process creating all four lists. And next week I will add two more lists, making them autumn seasonal so we are ready 🙂 seasonal vegan eating is very cheap too 🙂
Our emergency meals are leftovers. I love to make double batches of freezer friendly foods like lasagne, chicken pot pie, chili, broth based soups, etc whenever we have them. That way, the next time I'm too exhausted to cook, there is something easy to have and I know exactly what's in it.
Oh, I love that idea! Put in the work when you have the energy, so that you have an easy back-up plan when you don't. Thank for sharing!!
🌻 Hannah
We do something similar except we (two parents, two kids) do $400 the first week of the month (for Costco, bulk, etc.) and $200 for each of the subsequent weeks. The other thing we do is use Costco same-day delivery via Instacart (which I know doesn't exactly save us money optimally as the same-day delivery prices are a little higher, plus we have to tip--but worth it to not waste 2 hours at Costco), and we almost always go the the "buy again" tab and re-buy our usual staples, which naturally discouraged impulse buying.
Smart! That's interesting... I usually load up the *last* week with extra grocery money because of the extra days, but now that I think about it, the week we truly always overspend in is ALWAYS the first week, not the last. So maybe I should frontload that first week of the grocery budget so we can afford to restock all of our non-perishable staples with the start of the new month, and then the next there weeks use the budget to keep bringing in fresh produce and meat. Very smart!! I shall pass that back to the husband :)
🌻 Hannah
I like choosing my own produce so I don’t order groceries online often, but I’ve found that using my store’s app to build my list gives me a running total so I can stick to my budget… then I just have to go and only buy what’s on the list. I give myself room for swaps for things that are out of stock, and 1-2 “bonus” items, but so far it’s working great (and I was baaaad for impulse grocery purchases before YNAB).
These are so practical, thank you! ❤️❤️
Definitely doing the $/week method in my head, but that's inexact. When times were *really* tight, I'd only buy with cash, and I'd only get the budgeted amount of cash out of the ATM right before heading to the grocery store. That really concentrates the mind wonderfully: if I go over budget, I can't pay at the cash register. That's embarrassing and something's got to go back.
Times are not so tight anymore (more income, better budgeting), but that's still how I set my monthly goals - how many Saturdays will I buying groceries on? YNAB sets that up for me with my weekly target, which determines my monthly budget, and then I can see my progress bar and assess if I'm ahead or behind.
Oh for sure, that'll keep you on budget! Gotta whip out that calculator while shopping!
🌻 Hannah
Thank you for the Pantry Check app suggestion. I downloaded it and am easily adding all my barcoded ingredients. I may be able to keep track of food as well as my money now!
Is this only for Apple? I can't find it in the Google app store.
Many moons ago my little brother worked in a store. An item had been 26cents a can for a long time. The price raised to 32 cents a can and the shoppers were complaining about the increase, saying they just wasn’t going to pay that much for it. His boss told him to move the items up next to the register and make a sign saying, “Special!!! 3cans for $1.00”. He came home laughing and said the same people who were complaining were grabbing 3, 6 or 9 cans talking about what a great deal that was and wish they had seen it when they first came in the store. Need to be leery of specials and sales.
Exactly! It’s all psychological. I worked at a grocery store years ago and looking back now on how silly the sales were “BUY 2 GET 2 FREE” but the customer ended up paying the same amount of money if not more if they just got one lol.
My least favorite sale tactic is "Buy One, Get One 50% Off." That sounds like SUCH A DEAL. But really, in the end, it's just 25% off both items. Not as appealing. Still a lot of money. It took me a long time to realize that deal was NOT as much of a deal as I thought it was!
🌻 Hannah
@@YNABofficial my brother told me that on them kind of sales that it’s a product that they have a huge amount of that isn’t selling very good. A few days before the sale that they raise the price enough that when the sale goes on they can at least brake even or make a small profit. It’s just to get rid of overstock that isn’t selling much.
@@YNABofficial I just bought towels, socks, and bath rugs YESTERDAY. I bought two towels, two six packs of socks AND two bathroom rugs. Now that I think about it, I may have SAVED some money, but I also spent MORE than I needed to spend.
@@YNABofficial Yes, but 25% off IS a good deal, isn't it? That is, if you actually need 2 of the item.
To account for having family over, holidays, Superbowl, birthday dinners, I have a category called Family Celebrations. (Gifts are a separate category). This keeps my monthly grocery intake at a "reality" level as it won't include the special foods.
This is smart!! These expenses are always SO much more than we think they'll ever be. Everyone really needs a non-gift holiday fund-it truly is a real expense!!
🌻 Hannah
LOVE the idea of an Eat-me-first bin! I might have to do that in my crisper as well, because produce seems to often be forgotten, especially when I just need a half bunch of cilantro then forget about the other half.
UGH. Yes. I love cilantro. Buy a bunch, use a fourth of it in one recipe. Feels like I blink and the rest of it has gone bad.
I recently heard cutting all the ends of the stems and storing them in the fridge in a glass of water keeps them going strong much longer! I gotta try that!
🌻 Hannah
Soup! Many a manky carrot and suspect spud have ended up cooked and blended (and often portioned and frozen). Great way to use up the slightly saggy herbs too. Failing that, tear up the herbs, put a dollop into an ice cube tray, fill with water or leftover (!) wine, freeze and you’ve got a herby stock cube for cooking with.
I just bought a dry erase board to write what I have and have it hanging on the fridge - produce is my biggest offender as well.
We’ve turned a shelf into fruit and veg central. I put everything in clear containers to remind us to eat that first. Leftovers are now in our fruit drawer because every Sunday is leftover night.
@You Need a Budget yep storing in a glass of water definitely helps! I don’t always remember to do it but it’s shocking how much longer stuff like cilantro and parsley can last that way.
I actually paused the video on the screen with the food budgets for your coworkers. We have two adult parents, one 12 year old, and 4 adult sized children ages 14 to 21. We have been spending $2,200 a month for all food including eating out. I totally thought it was excessive, but the family with two adults and 7 kids actually spend close to what we do. So I am not crazy, but I would like to shave it back a bit! Thanks so much for posting this video!
Oh my gosh, food (after shelter) is arguably our MOST IMPORTANT expense!! Nothing to be ashamed of, especially with a family so large and growing!! And there's also a lot to say about the quality of food you're comfortable with. There's a whole range from pantry-stable store brands to grass-fed organic everything, so that variable alone could make for HUGE fluctuations in grocery budgets from family to family! No shame!! Just full, satisfied bellies :)
🌻 Hannah
@@YNABofficial I should clarify that we lump things like toilet paper and shampoo in this category. Honestly, we don't eat much organic foods, but we do like our avocados, raspberries, and chocolate!
Really appreciate YNAB. And big fan of Hannah! Both are more amazing each year! Thank you and keep up the Great work!
Woo hoo!! Always aiming to grow and flourish!!
🌻 Hannah
I’d like to suggest The Lazy Genius with Kendra Adachi as a great resource for meal planning. She can definitely take someone through the baby steps from winging it to planned-but-flexible. She has a podcast and two books.
I was literally JUST looking at Kendra Adachi's material last week! I LOVE the way she thinks!! I'll definitely listen to her meal planning stuff. I saw she recently came out with some sort of Lazy Genius book specifically pertaining to the kitchen?! I gotta go see if it's at the library!
🌻 Hannah
Yessss came here to say this too! And yep, her new book is about this - I am halfway through and it’s been really good so far. Her recipe and meal planning content is consistently excellent (but I love a lot of her other stuff too).
I loved your videos and you before this, but all your mentions of Aldi made me love you even more!! Thanks for all your videos. They are always so fun!
HA! Aldi lovers unite 🤙🏽
🌻 Hannah
That ending had me chuckling 😂
Same. And I still don't even know how to say caveat!! 😑
🌻 Hannah
Life changing!
Thanks boo. I need these.
You're welcome, boo.
🌻 Hannah
So amazingly helpful! Thank you Hannah!!
Had to make a fresh start with my YNAB budget after neglecting it for a month. Already made grocery categories for each week for the remainder of July. I may only do Walmart curbside pickup since it is so easy to see how much I am spending.
For everyday meals if some part of it that is non perishable goes on sale I buy more so when the perishable goes on sale and it becomes a weekly meal I can make more of it and freeze them. Chili, marinaded chicken and vegetables and stews all live in the freezer for quick meals. It saves my husband when I am incapacitated from some injury or illness
I've been seeing a lot of comments about freezer meal recipes that I had never even considered. I need to expand my freezer meal repertoire!
🌻 Hannah
@@YNABofficial it's so nice! My husband made fun of me until I got COVID and then a month later I'm on crutches. Now he can whip out one of the bags of chili or marinaded meat and heat up rice and dinner is done. I always try to make at least double or Triple of marinaded meats when on sale and double or trip soups and stews. Some dairy gets a little funky if not thawed gently though
I was gonna say, the phrase "when I am incapacitated from some injury or illness" made me think you've been through quite a whirlwind lately 😂 So glad y'all have found a system that works for you, even when everything else in life gets thrown off by COVID and crutches!! Hope you get to healin' up soon!!
🌻 Hannah
THANK YOU!!!
Always a pleasure to watch your videos Hannah ^^
Thank you, friend!!I I LOVE being able to toss a bunch of tips out there-mostly because I often discover a bunch of new ones for myself along the way!!
🌻 Hannah
Confession time... We are spending $1200/month on three people. I switched us to a primarily rice and beans diet, and I meal plan and stick to the list religiously, but inflation just keeps getting higher and higher and I haven't seen a dent. My husband has multiple allergies and my kid has feeding issues so we are buying a lot of specialty foods. This video actually gave me some hope that we can get this spending under control. I liked the advice to take it one step at a time. I think I am going to try breaking down the categories from monthly to weekly and using an inventory list. We prefer to buy fresh produce, but a lot of it goes to waste. It would be better if I could meal plan based on what we still have left over. I will just start generously and slowly pare down the amount of budgeted money over time. Great tips, thank you!
Oh 🥰🥰 My heart just grew three sizes! I LOVE that. Specialty diets are *hard,* and unique circumstances are *hard.* Don't beat yourself up over what can't be controlled. BUT, almost undeniably, there have to be at least a few little things in there we could control. It may not be huge drastic changes or results seen overnight, but every tiny change will make a difference in the long run, and good habits stack! So yes-be kind to yourself, be patient with yourself, and experiment with what you *can* control!!
🌻 Hannah
As an Aldi fan my whole life is store brands. There used to be a few name brands I wouldn’t budge on (Campbell’s tomato soup, JIF peanut butter, Cheez-It’s, and Takis) - but I’ve even come to like the Aldi versions of those over time.
Nice!! You really just can't beat Aldi's prices. It's amazing. We went and bought a HUGE haul of food the other day, and the ONLY item over $4 was the chicken drumsticks and thighs! WOOT.
🌻 Hannah
I am a dedicated Aldi shopper, but I've had to increase my grocery budget by about 40% over the last six months and we are not buying anything out of the ordinary or more of anything.
Don't just assume Aldi is cheaper than Wegmans anymore! Greek yogurt in family packs, as well as pasta, sauce and some meats are some things actually cheaper at Wegmans right now in my area.
Surprised it wasn't mentioned, but to cut down on the cost of meat look for the manager specials. The store wants to sell it quick because it is close to the expiration date, but that is fine just buy a bunch and freeze it. Thaw as needed.
Oooh!! Duh!! I'm not a big meat eater myself, but I'm wanting to start eating more meat, so this was a great tip for me to stick under my belt!! Thanks Michael!!
🌻 Hannah
Agreed - the woman who does Naptime Kitchen (I forget her name but that’s how to find her content) suggests thinking of the freezer as a “magic pause button” for most food. So true and helps me save a lot of almost-donezo food from my fridge!
Just remembered I’ve been counting supplies as groceries and should probably go back to my old way of having more categories
Would recommend! Plus, making those categories a little more granular can help you more easily figure out things like how often you buy toilet paper or when you might need to restock on cleaning supplies. I love it!
🌻 Hannah
You are hilarious I love your sense of humor
Oh geez, blushing 🥰
🌻 Hannah
Is there an app for price books???
Whoa, I am fascinated to know more about the two adults who strictly eat out and have no food in the house! 😲
I love meal planning but I work in a grocery store. My plan ends up going out the window and everything I planned rots until I throw it away. The fuzzy stuff I call “Frank” 🤣😂🤣
Could the guy who spends $0/mo and strictly eats out do a video like this too? 😂
😂😂😂
🌻 Hannah
I love this. Is this list written down somewhere?
You can copy and paste the time stamps from the description box! It's a complete list of all the tips.
🌻 Hannah
Yeah I gotta do the weekly budget helps my money last longer for food
It's been SUPER helpful for us! And, I can't lie-we still overspend in one week ALL the time. But then, we know to cool our jets the following week or just buy half of what we normally do. Would highly recommend for clarity and self-control! It's been super helpful to us!
🌻 Hannah
Checking what was that groceries stock keeping app?
Answer : Pantry Check
What’s the monthly budget for the two adults that only eat out? I’m so tired of cooking😅
Haha, I'll ask!! I'll letcha know if he gets back to me 😂
🌻 Hannah
After looking at the “Two adults, Celiac friendly $650/ mo” I feel like I’m in the right ballpark. I spend more money than other people I know, but I’m gluten-free, dairy- free. Even with not buying GF/DF snacks, junk foods, and bread, it’s still expensive. I try to limit meat and poultry, but have you seen the cost of eggs and fish??
Oh yeah!! Those with dietary restrictions should definitely be given more grace when it comes to grocery budgets-100%. You're fighting a battle at the grocery store that most of us don't have to. Your food is your medicine! You have to feed yourself well with what nourishes your body! That can look a whole lot of different ways.
🌻 Hannah
Amazing!
Hi. Why is everyone (including Hannah!!) treating 4 weeks as being a month?? If you want to convert a weekly cap into the monthly total, you need to multiply by 4.33. Works slightly in your favour for February and the 30-day months but is the best “constant” to use. Likewise, divide your monthly target by 4.33 to reach your “true” weekly figure. This error might be part of the problem for some people who are wondering why they are off kilter for their final “week” of the month. It’s because it’s not a week…
I think she subtly covered that problem when she said she puts $75 into each of the first three weeks and $100 into the fourth week.
Ya know, I had never actually thought of that before 😂 Multiplying or dividing by 4.33 makes a lot of sense! I also just divide by four and then tack a bit extra on in the final week. But your method makes a lot more sense!
Also, though, if you use weekly targets in YNAB, it accounts for this! It asks you which *day* of the week you want your "week" to start on, and depending on how many of that day are in that month it'll either have you save for 4 or 5 weeks. This works great for expenses where you have due dates (like paying doggy daycare every Monday morning), but then for more flexible expenses like groceries it serves as a really handy way to cover those final days in the month *and* create a little extra "rollover" for the next month. Nobody ever hated a little extra cushion, right?! 😂
🌻 Hannah
$200/month (*1.3 for the currency conversion = 260 a month)... makes me cry. Good luck with that here in Canada 😢
ty
We always used to throw out lettuce/greens until we made sure there was a specific meal that required it. "I should eat more salad" is less effective than, "I'm eating this type of salad on this night."
True. Eating a salad is always such a valiant choice, but almost never actually happens in execution 😂
🌻 Hannah
Anyone know of an app like Pantry Check but for Android? 🥺
Aldi's prices may be going up too, but best all hands down.
You left out the big one. Bulk cooking is so important to a food budget. On the weekend, I like to do one big cooking for all of my work meals. There's almost always enough to have it for dinner once or twice too. On a good week, I can have all of my work meals made for anywhere between $12 and $20. These aren't cheap garbage meals either. Chicken and rice, chili, soups and stews, meatloaf and many other really tasty options that fill me up. I'm a big man, closer to 300lbs than I'd like to admit, and I work in a factory. I know what it takes to feed an active worker. Still, it's not nearly as hard as it seems, and making cheap, nutritious food in bulk is a time saver as well as a money saver.
I also make a point to buy my spices in bulk. I buy a lot of them by the pound. For example, I can buy 3oz of turmeric for $5, but I can buy a pound for as little as $7. Somebody is trying to jerk us around. We use a lot of garlic powder. I got almost a pound and a half for less than $10. Even the dollar stores cost more than smart bulk shopping.
Even if you're not that confident in your cooking, you came on RUclips for your budget. Surprise surprise, dear sweet RUclips will teach you how to cook cheap food too. We are fortunate to have so much info at our fingertips in this day and age. If you really want to change your day to day, the tools are there. You can eat even better than you are now for less. You just have to look up how.
Yessss!! I just got a cookbook from a friend with recipes for bulk cooking healthy meals that you can freeze or store in the fridge to feed you the rest of the week! Tried my first recipe last night-chicken rice casserole, in the instant pot no less! It was so easy and we have... like, a LOT of it to take as work lunches this week 😂
And I *totally* agree about RUclips! We have almost everything we could ever need on here!! Why not learn how to bulk cook too?!
🌻 Hannah
When I make a meal, I plan on us eating the leftovers the next night. After night #2, everyone is pretty much done with that meal and there probably isn't enough left for all of us, anyway. So, I put the leftovers into single-serving sized freezer containers, label them, and use them for emergency meals. On nights when I don't have time to cook, I announce that it is "freezer surprise" night and everyone goes into the freezer and finds a single-serving sized container of leftovers that looks good to them, they pop it in the microwave and . . . . presto . . . dinner is complete and leftovers aren't wasted.
I'm curious how you go about thawing pre-cooked frozen meals! Do you put them back in the oven? How do you keep them from getting soggy or mushy?? I want to do this, I feel like I just need some more insider tips to nail it!
Digging the longer hair
Thannnnnks :) It just keeps on growing, I didn't even ask it to.
🌻 Hannah
True story-- my family used to have a contract to produce and pack cage free organic eggs for the largest retailer in the US. We produced and packed the exact same eggs into their branded carton (shiny & expensive) and private label carton (cheaper alternative brand). Like.. the eggs came from the same flock of chickens. It's just a numbers game with retailers-- they know a certain amount of people will pay premium for a flashy brand, and others will always buy the private label. So you might as well save some money!
That is shoccccckkkkking. And terrifying. I wonder how much I've overpaid for the same product I could've bought for half the price. Fascinating.
🌻 Hannah
I would love a list of YNABs sister apps
Heard that shoutout to StL's Schnucks
Oh, heck yeah! I spent a week in STL every summer in high school and college and the group would take almost *nightly* trips to Schnucks!
🌻 Hannah
Alternatively, instead of an inventory list, just "go shopping" at your pantry/fridge first, checking off your shopping list items; THEN go to the store!
That works too! I usually make a list of what I need based on the recipes I want to make that week, and it feels like I'm saving tons of money when I walk in my pantry or fridge and get to cross a few things off the list 🤣
🌻 Hannah
Don't need groceries if you don't eat! Idk about you guys, but groceries prices have gone up in Canada
ALDI rules!
The "caveat" guy at the end sounds just like GreatScott the youtuber :D
Leftovers are lunches the next day. Who throws them away?
I agree. Leftovers even taste better the next day!
That reminds me that I have creamy shrimp pasta in my fridge right now... 🧐
🌻 Hannah
Yeah Hanna, thanks. Nice to know I am not the only one whose struggles with words like Cave-E-OT, should be Cave-E-NOT!
😂😂😂 My man.
🌻 Hannah
I feeeze leftovers to eat for work lunch or any other time. Okus, there are apps and websites that will help you create a menu with ingredients you already have. I buy more frozen veggies and fruits there are frozen bananas and avocados.
brussels avocado and broccoli are mine. I never quite realized what they all had in common until you spelled it out. 🤦♂️
We're twinsies! I don't usually have that issue with broccoli because this year I discovered how DELICIOUS sautéing broccoli in butter is. Throw on a little salt. Get it a little crispy. Oh my gosh 🤤
🌻 Hannah
I wish we had Aldi's I'm WA State. 😪
Ah!! That's a crime! I wish you had an Aldi's in WA State too 😭
🌻 Hannah
Seeing these budgets from people makes me laugh in Canadian, the grocery prices here hurt.
There is a weekly email from ‘mashupMom’ who puts together a menu based on Aldi’s weekly ad. The aim is to feed four for $70/week. It is diet style agnostic so may not work for all.
WHAT. I have never heard of such a thing!! I want to try!!
🌻 Hannah
How does one survive on $400/month for grocery? Don’t know how they do it. I just can’t.
All depends on eating habits and where you live! As a single girl living in Kansas, I only budgeted $50-$75 a week for groceries. Now as a married couple, we budget $100 a week for groceries, but I KNOW that wouldn't fly in a bigger city or closer to the coasts. We're also not big meat eaters, and I want to change that-I know we accidentally save a lot of money by just never buying or eating meat 😂
🌻 Hannah
I need to budget for only three days, even week is too long
"Zero Dollars a month."
That's not at thing. That's just them coping because they're adult children that are incapable of grocery shopping, so they have to spend an exorbitant amount of money on eating out.
Avocado = guacamole. Asparagus = salmon side. Both things you should be eating every week. You could just learn how to cook.
how do i be like you?
Grow up homeschooled, love dogs more than humans, learn from relentless money mistakes, and don't be above frozen pizza 🙃
🌻 Hannah
You know where I do spend a lot of money in my groceries? Liquor an wine
Yes! We actually make a *separate* category for that in our budget because it costs so much and we don't want it to take away from groceries. I feel ya, there!
🌻 Hannah
It’s interesting to see the wide range of grocery budgets. And what’s with the people that only eat out?!
Only eating out is crazy especially if they use apps because of the crazy ass fees. I would order out like crazy months ago but now when I see the fee they charge I just go and make a sandwich lol 😆
I'll have to ask! It's all about what you prioritize, man!! They live in the middle of a bustling city, are kidless, and both work full-time. I think they just highly value convenience and efficiency, so they budget for things that help them stay efficient-like dining out! No dishes, no hours cooking-makes sense when you think about it, and if your budget can swing it, go for it! Whatever floats your boat!
🌻 Hannah
Two adults and three teens = $200???!! What are they eating?
Add more fruits, veggies, legumes (beans & lentils), whole grains and less meat, dairy, eggs, and oil. This should result in significant savings for most people.
Do not buy generic smores poptarts. They DO NOT taste the same. 😂
Oh, but you know what's actually better? Aldi's Frosted Chocolate Fudge Toaster Tarts. Oh my gosh, they're better than all PopTarts ever made.
🌻 Hannah
@@YNABofficial Thanks for the tip, I'll have to try them!
PRO TIP: shop at the dollar store for canned items.
She’s eating both an apple and a banana in the thumbnail. I can see why her grocery bill might be high.
*joke
😂😂 Yeah, thossssse definitely came from the Eat Me First bin... 😉 That banana was brown brown brown brown brown.
🌻 Hannah
@@YNABofficial Borwn banana tip: Recipe to use up brown bananas: 1 c. quick oats (I used Old Fashioned without any problems); 1 large overripe banana (mashed to liquid-like consistency); 1/2 c. chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, craisins, etc. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl add oats and bananas. Mix with folk. Add any add-ins you like. Make 8 round balls out of the batter. (I use parchment paper so no mess!). The cookies do no really spread much. Bake for about 15 minutes until lightly brown and set. Cookie bottoms should also be brown and come off baking sheet/parchment paper easily. Store uneaten cookies in the fridge.
I LOVE these. They are healthy and nutritious and without added sugar. No more wasted bananas.
Okay, whaaaaat?!?! I'm trying this!! I may even have to test out my first batch on the YNAB Instagram... 🤔 So easy and so little ingredients!! I love a nice clean recipe :)
🌻 Hannah
@@YNABofficial - Hannah, I must tell you how much I enjoy your videos. I have also enjoyed seeing you grow as a person, get engaged, married, etc. We lived in Kansas and spent 15 years in Ohio. We retired and moved back to KS a year ago. My son is also a YNABBER and lives in Minneapolis. He reached out to you last year and found out where/how you made your Banksy. He made one for me for Christmas! He lives on the top of my computer desk. He hangs out with me and helps with my YNAB activities. (I had a garage sale in July so he is nice and FAT with coins right now.)
Hey, with the caveat pronunciations it's probably just different accents.