I watched my monthly food spending drop from $750 to under $400 in three months after switching to a meal plan app (Mealime, specifically). | Budgeting Wins - Free To Speak
Wait, that's a huge drop though. Are you sure you weren't just throwing out a ton of food before? I tried a meal plan thing once and ended up buying weird spices I never used again (still have that sumac, actually). Cutting your bill in half feels like there's more to the story, like maybe your old shopping had a lot of impulse buys or ready-made stuff.
Honestly, that list can backfire big time. What if you see a great deal on chicken or your favorite fruit is on sale? Sticking to a rigid plan means you miss out on actual savings. Plus, sometimes you just don't want the meal you planned for Tuesday. Then you order takeout anyway and the planned groceries go bad. Feels like it just trades one kind of waste for another.