How to make a food planner

“When you look at a billboard for a value meal and it’s $1 for a burger, it seems really cheap to feed your family,” says Allison Davis, who visits homes as a part of Pennington’s DRIVE program. “But when you look at it, what you would pay $5 for at a fast food restaurant, you can get the components of a meal for $5 [at the grocery store] and feed your family for several meals.”

Tips for preplanning meals:

Keep staples (herbs and spices) on hand. This will save you from going to the grocery store every week.

Look at the weekly grocery ads. Grocery shopping can get expensive, so plan meals based on what’s on sale.

Buy a whole chicken. It will often be the cheapest option, resulting in several days’ worth of meals.

Buy whole pieces of fruit rather than pre-cut. Buying whole watermelons, pineapples or melons will save you money.

Visit your local farmers market. There you’ll find tasty, in-season produce.

Use your pantry. Create meals using what you have.