Prioritized Living

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Meal Planning for Beginners: How to Save Money on Your Family’s Food

Meal Planning for Beginners - How to Save Money on Your Family's Food

For average Americans, roughly 15% of their income is spent exclusively on food. And, with the average household income sitting around $60,000, the typical family spends $9000 to keep everyone fed.

That’s no small chunk of change.

But what if you could slash your food expenses? What a massive difference that would make with your money!

After all, what could you do with the extra cash if you could whittle your food costs down to 12% every single month? To 10% month after month???

That’s precisely where meal planning comes in — a simple exercise that takes just minutes a week. And doing nothing more than sticking with a meal plan can keep your food budget small while freeing up your cash for other financial goals!

And it’s great for everyone — supermoms, busy retirees, cash-strapped students, kitchen-loving dads, and anyone looking to save money and save time.

If you’re new to the scene, you may not even know how to meal plan. No worries! This guide will take you from beginner to meal planning expert in no time. [Read more…]

How Much Should I Spend on Groceries?

How Much Should I Spend on Groceries?

Is your food spending normal?

Maybe you’re a die-hard fan of outsourcing your food prep. You eat nearly every meal out and use your oven for storage.

Or, on the flipside, you’re a frugalista — someone who shops for the best deals in-store and online, stocks up on discount groceries, meal plans like a pro, and whips up 40 inexpensive freezer meals in a day.

But everybody wants to know . . . How much should I spend on groceries? Is my family’s food budget on target, or are we way off?

Get ready to see whether your spending is in line with the average grocery bill in America. Learn how to create a custom food budget for your family. Plus, grab the FREE food budget calculator down below for calculating your family’s ideal grocery budget!

Here we go! [Read more…]

Eat Up and Save Big Money on Vacation Dining

Eat Up and Save Big Money on Vacation Dining

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my policy here.

You’ve got the vacation bug!

You’re ready.  To ride the waves, relax in the mountains, or take in the culture of a new city.

But eating out on vacation is a major expense.  If you’re used to planning your meals and sticking to a food budget at home, heading out to restaurants three times a day is bound to give you palpitations!

Think that you need a big budget for your family’s vacation meals?  Think again!

Food-related costs are one of the easiest to minimize when it comes to travel.  Even better, there are some painless ways to do it without feeling as though you’re pinching pennies!
[Read more…]

4 Easy Ways to Organize Your Recipes Quickly

This post is part 2 in the series How to Organize It.

4 Easy Ways to Organize Your Recipes Quickly

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my policy here.

Are you buried under a mountain of recipes?  Piles of cookbooks, boxes of gravy-stained recipe cards, printouts of recipes you want to try – where does it end?  All you really want is a system for honoring your family’s special recipes and organizing new favorites. Try these four methods to bring order to your recipe chaos.

Piles of cookbooks, boxes of gravy-stained recipe cards, printouts of recipes you want to try – where does it end?

All you really want is a system for honoring your family’s special recipes and organizing new favorites.  If you’re ready to create a simple, effective, and foolproof system for keeping on top of your recipes, try these four methods to bring order to the chaos:   [Read more…]

8 Everyday Products You Can Make for Big Savings

8 Everyday Products You Can Make for Big Savings

There are some things you buy over and over again.  And every time you buy them, you’re handing their manufacturer and your retailer a nice profit.

So it stands to reason that you can save a nice wad of cash by skipping the middle men and making those items yourself!

Think you can’t do it?  These 8 everyday items are not only inexpensive but easy to make right at home!   [Read more…]

10 Easy Ways to Slash Your Monthly Bills

10 Easy Ways to Slash Your Monthly Bills

How often does this happen to you?  You cash your paycheck only to have it disappear.  After paying your landlord, insurance guy, utility company, and everyone else, you’re left with next to nothing.

But what if you could hold on to more of your heard-earned money?  Pocket some extra in case of emergency?  Save hundreds or even thousands a year with these easy-to-implement tips.  [Read more…]

5 Amazing Kitchen Tools That Make Healthy Eating Easy

5 Amazing Kitchen Tools That Make Healthy Eating Easy

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my policy here.

Is your greatest obstacle to healthy eating the effort required to do it?

Washing, chopping, cooking fruits and vegetables . . . eating a healthy portion . . . keeping it all fresh — how do you do it?

These handy kitchen tools are just what you need to make storing, preparing, and eating healthy foods even easier:  [Read more…]

You HAVE to Do It . . . or Do You?

You HAVE to Do It or Do You

There’s just so much stuff you HAVE to do in life.  You have to go to work.  You have to make dinner and clean yours house.  You absolutely have to do your taxes each year.

But do you really?

Are you a victim of a massive list of must-do items . . . or are you unconsciously choosing to do those things?  Your to-do list may actually be a reflection of your priorities and goals.  If you look at each item on your list as something moving you one step closer to your goals — financial health, family relationships, a welcoming home, pursuit of your career dreams — you’re no longer a slave to your list.

You’re the master.

But what if your must-do list is out-of-whack with your goals?  Then it’s time to consider some alternatives!  Realign your life with your priorities.  What’s right for someone else may be totally wrong for you.  Reserve judgment, and ask yourself whether these common have-to tasks are activities you want to do or activities you’re prepared to change. [Read more…]

Your Money in the Trash: How to Stop Wasting Food (Part 2)

This post is part 1 in the series Your Money in the Trash: How to Stop Wasting Food.

Your Money in the Trash - How to Stop Wasting Food

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my policy here.

In Part 1 of this series, we looked at how you can stop food waste — and money waste — by making a meal plan, being realistic about what you eat, and making your food visible.

I even recommended some food storage containers that not only allow you to see your food as it happily awaits your return to the fridge but also double as dishes for reheating.  Speaking of which . . . [Read more…]

Your Money in the Trash: How to Stop Wasting Food (Part 1)

This post is part 2 in the series Your Money in the Trash: How to Stop Wasting Food.

Your Money in the Trash - How to Stop Wasting Food

Note:  This post contains affiliate links.  Read my policy here.

Is it refrigerator clean-out day at your house?  You know that day . . . you dig through the recesses of your fridge, pull out forgotten-food-turned-moldy-science-experiment, and toss your unrecognizably icky food into the trash.

Most of us don’t like to handle stinky, bacteria-infested mystery foods . . . but we also hate to throw away money!  That food in the dumpster was something you bought and possibly even something you spent time preparing.

Waste no more!  It’s time to get serious about keeping your food — and your money — from winding up in the dump.  Here’s how: [Read more…]