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I switched from buying lunch every day to making a big pot of rice and beans on Sundays, and my grocery bill went from $340 to $190 a month | Budgeting Wins - The Community Guide

the_hannah•27d ago

I switched from buying lunch every day to making a big pot of rice and beans on Sundays, and my grocery bill went from $340 to $190 a month

For years I was that person at the drive thru near my office in Columbus spending $9 or $10 a day on lunch without even thinking about it. I told myself it was just convenience, but when I actually added it up last fall it came to around $220 a month just for weekday lunches. So I tried something dumb and simple: every Sunday night I cook one big pot of rice with black beans, onions, and whatever veggies are cheap that week, and I portion it into five containers. The first couple weeks were boring, not gonna lie, but then I started switching up the sauce and adding a fried egg on top so it didn't feel like the same meal every day. The math blew my mind when I checked my bank app in January, my total grocery spending was $190 for the month while my coworker who still buys lunch is easily over $300. The real win wasn't even the money at first, it was that I stopped making a decision at noon when I was already hungry and grumpy, because hungry me always picks the expensive option. Now I'm wondering if anyone here does a similar Sunday prep thing, and what cheap meals actually hold up by day four or five? Because my rice is fine but the veggies get sad by Thursday and I need ideas.

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1 Comment

singh.blair25d ago

Meal prepping is something I talk a big game about every single Sunday and then somehow end up eating cereal for dinner by Wednesday, so you are already winning in my book. Your point about not deciding at noon when you are hungry is the part nobody talks about enough, because that hungry brain will absolutely rob you blind at the drive thru. For veggies holding up, I have had good luck roasting the harder stuff like carrots, squash, and broccoli and keeping them in a separate container from the rice so they do not turn to mush. Cabbage and onions actually get better as the week goes on, which sounds like a lie but it is true. Also freezing half your portions on Sunday means Thursday you are eating fresh food instead of sad food, and it costs nothing extra.