80% of People Don’t Do This When Grocery Shopping (and it's an easy fix!)

Summary

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Frugal Friends Podcast

Episode: 80% of People Don’t Do This When Grocery Shopping (and it's an easy fix!)
Hosts: Jen Smith & Jill Sirianni
Guest: Sarah Conklin (Frozen Pennies)
Date: November 4, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode zeros in on a grocery shopping habit that most Americans skip—reverse meal planning—and its powerful potential to save households thousands each year. Jen and Jill invite money-saving pro Sarah Conklin (Frozen Pennies) to detail her simple, practical system for slashing grocery costs, wasting less food, and resisting impulse buys. The discussion is lively and personal, blending relatable stories and actionable advice for frugal-minded listeners.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Grocery Dilemma in America

• Current Stats:
  • 4 in 5 people overspend on groceries by ignoring a crucial step.
  • Median grocery spending in the US: $200 per person, per month; $504 per household.
  • 30-40% of the US food supply is wasted, costing the average family up to $1,500 per year in food that is bought but never eaten.
  • Impulse spending and takeout due to wasted food adds approximately $50/person/month in extra costs ([11:00]-[13:00]).

Personal Grocery Spending Honesty

• Jen:

  • Averages $772/month for 2025, despite using many frugal strategies.
  • "Last month I spent 615 because I do use this method, but my average for 2025... is 772 per month." ([07:06])

• Jill:

  • Varies between $250-$800/month; emphasizes that she prioritizes not wasting food over minimizing grocery bills ([09:06]).

• Relatable Reality:

  • Both admit to challenges: "I spend a lot of money on food." ([07:37])
  • There is no shaming; it's about transparency and gradual improvement.

Introducing Sarah Conklin (Frozen Pennies)

• Who is Sarah?
  • Financial coach for midlife women, spends just $450/month for a family of three ($150/person), even less than Jen and Jill ([01:58], [15:26]).
• Her Approach:
  • Shops every two weeks, splits grocery budget between regular runs and bulk buys at BJ’s ([15:26]-[16:03]).

Reverse Meal Planning—The Game Changer

Sarah Conklin's Explanation ([18:54])

What Is Reverse Meal Planning?

• "Instead of starting with recipes and then shopping for ingredients, you flip it around. You start by checking your pantry, cupboards, fridge and freezer to see what you already have on hand. Then you build your meal plan around that." – Sarah Conklin ([19:16])

Example from Sarah:

• She found bone-in chicken wings, ground pork, cube steak, egg noodles, gravy mix, and a half-bottle of BBQ sauce at home.
• Meals created included BBQ chicken wings, cube steak with mushroom gravy, and a breakfast pork casserole. Total new purchases: carrots, peas, mushrooms, potatoes, peppers ([19:30]-[21:14]).

Advanced Tip:

• Stockpile planning: "Start buying more of the items you use most often when they're at their lowest prices... You're simply replenishing what you've already eaten." ([21:06])

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4 Steps to Successful Reverse Meal Planning

Step 1: Inventory ([22:10]-[23:29])

• List what needs using up—at least 20 items across fridge, freezer, pantry.
• Highest priority: fridge (perishables), then freezer (older items), then pantry.

Step 2: Meal Plan Around That Inventory ([23:29]-[25:06])

• Match ingredients to recipes/meals you can make.
• No need to start from scratch—let what you have dictate the menu.
• Use ChatGPT or similar AI for inspiration:
  • "Here's everything that I have on hand. Make me five lunches and five dinners... listing out even down to garlic and condiments..." – Jill ([24:22])
• Jen's tip: Use overlooked items like spice blends or salad dressings/sauces as inspiration.

Step 3: Fill in the Blanks ([27:06]-[29:07])

• Make a grocery list only for essentials not already at home.
• Keep the list lean; this is where major savings occur.
• Add restock items during the week as they run out, not just during planning.

Step 4: Follow Through & Grocery Shop Only What’s on the List ([29:07]-[30:42])

• "Gamify" it by sticking strictly to your list; allow yourself very few, if any, impulse items.
• Fewer shopping trips = fewer opportunities for impulse spending.
  • "If you are shopping every other week... that's 26 opportunities you have taken away for you to impulse buy at the grocery store." – Jen ([30:02])
• Online shopping helps cut out tempting displays and unplanned purchases.

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Tips for Making It Sustainable

Budgeting ([31:43]-[32:22])

• Set and honor a clear grocery spending limit.

Shop for Sales and Stockpile ([32:22]-[34:19])

• Buy in bulk or on sale when possible, especially non-perishables.
• Build your own “store” at home, replenished as needed.

Use Technology Smartly ([25:06]-[27:06])

• Photos of pantry/fridge/freezer can speed up the inventory process.
• AI tools can generate meal ideas and shopping lists rapidly.

Meal Prep for Success ([35:28]-[37:48])

• Make/prep meals in batches:

  • "I've always been a huge advocate for meal prepping. Like a bodybuilder... When I'm doing some cooking, I do as much of it as possible in one fell swoop." – Jen ([35:28], [35:52])

• Divvy up portions in advance to avoid accidental overconsumption and extra takeout meals.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Once reverse meal planning clicks, grocery shopping feels less like a financial burden and more like a strategy you're winning at." – Sarah Conklin ([21:12])

• "The fewer times you are shopping, the fewer times you have available to impulse spend." – Jen ([30:02])

• "It's really the follow through—sticking to that grocery list—that saves the money." – Jen ([29:07])

• On Using Technology:

  • "ChatGPT has been really helpful with this... Here's everything I have on hand. Make me five lunches and five dinners." – Jill ([24:22])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Episode Setup & Stats: [01:01] – [13:00]
• How Much the Hosts Spend: [06:10] – [09:04]
• Food Waste in America: [11:00] – [13:11]
• How Reverse Meal Planning Works: [18:18] – [21:14]
• Step-by-Step Reverse Meal Planning: [22:10] – [30:42]
• Tips for Sustainability: [31:43] – [37:48]
• Meal Prepping & Final Advice: [35:28] – [38:12]
• Fun/Personal Section (Weirdest Groceries, Spending Confessions): [44:59] – [51:05]

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Listener Call-In: Bill of the Week ([41:07] – [43:41])

A caller thanks Jen & Jill for their advice, sharing how a quick call to her internet provider revealed a missing 20% billing discount and led to an additional $10/month savings per bill.

“Thank you, Jen and Jill, for reminding me to call them and saving me some money.” – Caller ([41:53])

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Final Takeaways

• Reverse meal planning is a simple but rarely practiced method that can slash waste and grocery bills—potentially saving a family of four nearly $4,000/year.
• Start with what you have, plan around it, shop minimally, and prep meals in advance.
• Use digital tools (apps, AI, cameras) for inventory and planning efficiency.
• Shopping less often (every other week or online) drastically reduces impulse spending.
• The hosts' transparent, humorous, and practical approach makes frugality feel achievable and fun.

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Resources Mentioned

• Emergency meal list/free resource: frugalfriendspodcast.com/meals
• Sarah Conklin (Frozen Pennies): Find her article and more tips at frozenpennies.com
• Ultimate Meal Planner Spreadsheet (with code): see episode description
• Jen & Jill’s book: Buy What You Love Without Going Broke (BuyWhatYouLoveBook.com)

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For Community & More Tips

• Drop your weirdest grocery purchase and best money-saving tip in the YouTube comments.
• No spending shaming—just encourage, share, learn, and save together!

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Transcript

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[Jen]

Four out of five people make the same mistake every time they grocery shop, and it is costing them hundreds, if not thousands of dollars every year.

[Jill]

We've been there too. Meal planning, sticking to the list and still walking out of the grocery store wondering, why is my receipt so big? And turns out it's not about what we bought, but what we didn't do before going to the store.

[Jen]

So we're gonna break down this one simple fix why people don't do it, and how you can so that you can save almost $4,000 a year, potentially.

[Podcast Host Introduction]

Welcome to the Frugal Friends podcast, where you'll learn to save money, embrace simplicity, and live a richer life. Here are your hosts, Jen and Jill.

[Jen]

Hi Frugal Friends. I'm Jen.

[Jill]

I'm Jill.

[Jen]

And last month we met a very, very cool person named Sarah Conklin. If you're on YouTube, you probably recognize her as Frozen Pennies. She helps midlife women save money, find work, and just be better with their finances. And she is a powerhouse. We thought that and then found out she also only spends $450 a month on groceries. So $150 per person. And that's more than even we spent.

[Jill]

Yeah, so we're gonna bring her in for some of her tips on that. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 80% of Americans are spending more per person, again, us included. And so we've been talking about grocery shopping for a long time. Episode three was all about groceries. It's one of the things you all are most interested in. Out of 560 episodes, we've probably done 30 or 40 episodes just on groceries, but we've never done one specifically about what we're talking about today. So that's very fun.

[Jen]

Yeah. And we did the math, and for a family of four, this could easily save the average American $4,000 a year. That is your annual family vacation. That is all almost maxing out one Roth ira. So if you are finding it hard to save money, then this is the episode for you. I think you're going to get a lot out of Sarah's method for grocery shopping.

[Jill]

But first, let me talk to you about the help you need and want. You know, kind of like someone saying, I brought snacks. We love that. Or here's a funny meme when you're having a sad day, that's fun, makes me laugh. Or a sad day saying to you, here's 15 emergency meals for free for you using ingredients you're almost guaranteed to have on hand. So if you are constantly wondering, what in the world am I going to make for dinner? I'm so exhausted. I don't have time to grocery shop. I don't have time to plan. I don't have time to cook. Here you go. These meals are going to take you, like, less than 15 minutes to prepare, and there is no grocery shopping required. So we did that for you. You're welcome. It's the help you need and want. Go get yours for [e-mail] meals.

[Jen]

Did we mention it's free? It's just free. Yeah. Everyone should get their copy.

[Jill]

Yeah, it's.

[Jen]

No.

[Jill]

No costs included. We just are helping you.

[Jen]

Speaking of the help that you want and memes, my friend Sarah tried to encourage me yesterday when I sent her a screenshot of my track run. And I was really proud of it. Yeah. And she sent me a gif, and it was of a little girl, and at the bottom it said, you're so fat. And then she followed it up and I wasn't getting it in real time. And she's like, I thought it said fast.

[Jill]

And so why does that other meme exist, though, right?

[Jen]

Why does that exist? And B, I was like, I will never let you forget this. So in the comments, can you, if you're on YouTube, just be. Just leave a comment and be like, oh, my gosh, Sarah. Why would she do that? Sarah is unhinged. Sarah needs poor Sarah. And I want to show her the comments completely out of context. I want to. I want to just. I want her to just think, my friend sent me.

[Jill]

She really called her out.

[Jen]

But I followed it up with the gif from stepbrothers of the older brother popping up into the treehouse and being like, I haven't had a carb since 2004. Do you remember that? No. I also had an anchorman reference that I don't think you got that I got.

[Jill]

No. And I probably didn't. I'm so sorry. You're just out here doing it for the people.

[Jen]

You can also be like Sarah. She hasn't had a carb since 2004.

[Jill]

Talk. How much do you spend on groceries?

[Jen]

All right, so it's not. So Sarah does 150 per person. And I'm close.

[Jill]

This different Sarah is the different Sarah.

[Jen]

Oh, yeah, that's going to be confusing.

[Jill]

Poor Sarah from saving pennies.

[Jen]

Okay, just be like, your friend should not be calling you fat. Sarah that sent me the gif has an H and Sarah that we're talking about has just an A.

[Jill]

So wow, this is a lot for them to.

[Jen]

I just realized maybe Sarah's going to look at this video and if she thinks that I think she called me fat, she's going to be sad. Yeah, I have.

[Jill]

There's a lot to explain. You dug yourself into this hole.

[Jen]

It's a big hole. And I'm trying to, I'm going to dig myself back out by saying I'm not at 150 per person. For me, that would be 600. And I don't even think my two year old counts as a whole person. So I should probably be under. But I'm close.

[Jill]

Okay.

[Jen]

Last month I spent 615 because I do use this method. But my average for 2025, I can't lie, is 772 per month. So that's closer to the American average. And we don't eat out much, maybe twice a month. So we do eat a lot. Mostly groceries.

[Commercial Voice/Announcer]

Food.

[Jen]

So that is our life. How about you, Jill?

[Jill]

I spend a lot of money on food.

[Jen]

You do. And the thing is, is you also eat out, like more frequent. Not a ton, but more frequently than we do. And you have half as many people in your house. Yeah. Atlas may not be a whole person, but he's still there.

[Jill]

But it's still kids. Like even both of your kids are not eating as much as you, Travis.

[Jen]

So many snacks. Prepackaged snacks are so expensive.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

And I got to get them prepackaged. Don't come at me.

[Jill]

Yeah. This is, this is the area where I, I, I just spend. Okay. We wrote a book on values based spending and this is an area that is of high value to me. I do not waste food. I would say when it Comes to food, that's my priority.

[Jen]

But I do. You've got two half eaten chocolates and in your fridge right now. Yeah. And in my house we would have just been like, oh, we're not going to save this. We're just going to eat them. And you were like, oh, we were going to throw them away.

[Jill]

And then Eric was like, how about I save it? Anyways, I'm skirting around the issue here. Last month I spent $600 just on groceries. Part of that did include a Costco run. So some of that is going to be meat that carries over into other months. But don't be fooled. I am very. I spend a lot of money.

[Jen]

Mine include Costco too.

[Jill]

But my, my average per month is about 450. So obviously there's some months where I've done way less than that. I am closer to that $300, sometimes 250. And then there's other months where it is. There was one month where it was 800 on groceries. Just on groceries. And I don't know what are you saying to them over here? Oh my goodness. It's funny because we got a bad review on our book, which we don't have many of those. There's like only one. And this is what they said. And I found it funny that it was like, I don't think these girls are as frugal as they think they are. Which was very funny. And right now I think people probably could say that about me. Like, that's a lot of money to spend on food for two people. Hundred percent. But I am hardly spending money on in any other category.

[Jen]

Yeah, but also the thing they were referencing was my talking about like getting a car and saving $4,000 by going to a dealer that did not charge as many fees. And it was like, but what if that thing was as much as, you know, what you saved? And it's like she didn't finish the whole paragraph before she left a review. Because I was saying the feature that I wanted in the other car was 2000. So even if I wanted to install it, I still saved 2000.

[Commercial Voice/Announcer]

Right.

[Jen]

Which I never end up doing.

[Jill]

Anyways. We digress.

[Jen]

We digress. As we, as we sometimes do. But let's not talk about just us. Let's talk about everybody. Let's talk about everybody.

[Commercial Voice/Announcer]

The median us, baby.

[Jen]

Median takes into consideration, it takes out outliers. So the very lowest and the very highest take out, takes those out. So it's a more accurate average. So the Median American spends $504 per household per month. And that's a two and a half person household. And per person median is 201. So we're going to say most people are spending $200 per person per month on groceries. And the USDA estimates that about 30 to 40% of the US food supply is lost or wasted. And if we're looking, most of that is in supply. So if we're. They're also estimating that the average American family loses about $1,500 to uneaten food. So we contribute about $31 per month per person to lost food, which I would estimate if you're buying this food, you're planning to eat it and then you end up throwing it away. You're not just throwing away money. You also had to still eat. And where were you eating out? Out 100%. So you're probably going to be spending about $50 per person per month on takeout. That wasn't planned due to food waste.

[Jill]

These stats of people dining out, I don't, I'm not sure who this is. This does not feel realistic. But it says 31. About $31 per month per person extra on, on eating out.

[Jen]

Well, that was what.

[Jill]

That was like, that, that's, that's one time eating out for one.

[Jen]

That was just my like, if it's takeout because of wasted food, that was kind of my like, not just what people are spending. Right. No, that has no backing to the Bureau of Labor Statistics on like takeout. I'm just like, this is probably how many dollars per month I am wasting. Like expound. Expounded. Like, yeah, I plan some takeout every month, but there are some times where I'm buying groceries and then don't end up eating it. So I'm wasting money on top of wasting money.

[Jill]

Right.

[Jen]

That was my, that's, that's, that 31. It's the family of four kind of. That's my.

[Jill]

Right.

[Jen]

Analysis, which was crazy data. I would have said, what am I doing?

[Jill]

I'm spending so much on food and I'm wasting none of it.

[Jen]

I don't know.

[Jill]

I gotta, I gotta do a deep dive.

[Jen]

Honestly, I'm buying all this food and I don't know where keeping it. It's not going into the trash can. Where does it go?

[Jill]

No, I am eating it. So, yeah, but to me that says, okay, if, if people are spending $200 per month per person, but they're wasting, you know, what did you say? $1500 a month, $100 of it a month. That doesn't even equal. Cause you're not even spending that amount per month.

[Jen]

I'm sorry, it's just a math that I made up. Oh, 15 per. Maybe was per year.

[Jill]

That might have been.

[Jen]

So whatever it is, I just copied the quote, but I did not copy the code.

[Jill]

But I'm like spend and not wasting any of it.

[Jen]

All right, bragging. Quit bragging. Okay.

[Jill]

I don't think that that's something to brag about.

[Jen]

But Sarah, on the other hand.

[Jill]

Let's get back to Sarah with no age.

[Jen]

Sarah spends $450 per month and she shops every two weeks, which I think we will go into. You know, her method, but I think that is a component to her success is only shopping every two weeks. And what she does is she allows 125 to $150 every other week for groceries, and then the rest is her BJ's haul at the beginning of the month. So that's what she does. And I try to do that. I try to make one Costco haul per month. Sometimes it ends up being two, but then I'm spending like less than $100 at the grocery store for that week. And I will also say that my groceries include the tip to the driver who delivers my food too. Like I get delivery included in Walmart plus, but so it's all encompassing of the grocery delivery.

[Jill]

So with this in mind, with what we're going to talk about is Sarah's method, a family of four could stand to save $200 per month, spend at least $150 less in takeout every month, and then have about $4,000 in savings. So that's significant. That is hundreds of dollars a month, thousands of dollars a year.

[Jen]

Yeah. I mean, like I was saying before, that's your family vacation.

[Commercial Voice/Announcer]

Yeah.

[Jen]

That is a significant portion of your Roth IRA.

[Jill]

That is the 529, the Roth IRA. Yeah. If you're having trouble maxing out your Roth IRA, here it is.

[Jen]

It's right there. It's at the grocery store. It's. You're having trouble fitting in saving for your child's college fund. It's right here in this episode.

[Jill]

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[Jen]

So let's get into it.

[Jill]

Let's talk about it.

[Jen]

Okay, so it's what Sarah calls reverse meal planning. And we actually asked her if she would explain it for us. She has a article on it on her website, which we will link to. But we were like, please explain this in your own words because I'm sure also the article was written a while ago. So like in 2025, are you still doing this? Is it still working? Has it changed at all? Help us understand. And so she did this just for.

[Jill]

Us, our Frugal Friends community.

[Jen]

Yeah. So here she is.

[Sarah Conklin (Frozen Pennies)]

I absolutely believe that grocery prices feel like they're going up every single time I step into the store. And honestly, I'm certain that packages are getting smaller too. That's why we need to get creative and have a plan of action to start our dollars as far as possible. One of my favorite strategies, something I've been doing for years, it's reverse meal planning. Instead of starting with recipes and then shopping for ingredients, you flip it around. You start by checking your pantry cupboards, fridge and freezer to see what you already have on hand. Then you build your meal plan around that. Let me give you an example. In my freezer, I had bone in chicken wings that had been sitting there a little bit too long. I also found a package of ground pork and some cube steak in the cupboard, I spotted some egg noodles and a packet of gravy mix. In the fridge there was half a bottle of barbecue sauce. And I always seemed to have random veggies hanging around that need to be eaten up. Here's the plan I came up with. Chicken wings with that barbecue sauce in the air fryer, plus cut up raw veggies and everyone's favorite dip, Marie's blue cheese.

[Jen]

I bet you thought I was gonna.

[Sarah Conklin (Frozen Pennies)]

Say ranch, didn't you? For that meal, all I needed was to buy some carrots. Next, for the cube steak, I made a mushroom gravy to pour over that and the egg noodles, I picked up some fresh mushrooms and also a bag of frozen peas to round it out. And with the ground pork, I turned it into breakfast style casserole with eggs and diced frozen potatoes, plus some peppers to give it a little color and a little flavor. So instead of spending a fortune buying all new ingredients, my grocery list was just carrots, peas, mushrooms, potatoes and peppers. That's it. This keeps costs to a minimum while still giving me the wiggle room to grab sale items or clearance fines to stock up for later. And here's a pro tip. The advanced level of reverse meal planning. Stockpile planning. As you're able start buying more of the items you use most often when they're at their lowest prices. That way you're not planning meals and then scrambling to buy ingredients at full price. You're simply replenishing what you've already eaten. It takes time to build that habit, but once you do, it becomes second nature. And let me tell you, once reverse meal planning clicks, grocery shopping feels less like a financial burden and more like a strategy you're winning at.

[Jill]

So this is brilliant. Yeah, and I always love the specific examples of. Okay, how are we using these things because I think that can be a big barrier for a lot of us. I've got all this stuff on hand, but what do I do do with it all? And I think that's a muscle we can exercise. But the Internet can be really helpful too.

[Jen]

Yes. So this is something like I've been doing for a while, but I never had a name for it is this reverse meal planning. And it's something that I've been utilizing a lot recently, which is how I've been able to lower my grocery spending like month over month. And I will add at the end like my own little twist on it that's really helped me execute it. Because you can do the plan and you can have the best intentions. Following through with it is what is really going to save you the money. It's really. It's what's going to save you that extra $150 in takeout every month. So we're going to go through the four steps of reverse meal planning and then give a few tips for follow through at the end. So the first step is to do an inventory. And this does not have to be a super thorough inventory. We do have our ultimate meal planner which we'll link to in the Description with a 30% off code. This has a place, it's a spreadsheet for meal planning and it has a place for a pantry, inventory, freezer, fridge. But if you don't want to be that thorough, you can just write down 20 items that need to get used across your pantry, fridge and freezer. And so I would typically start with fridge. This is highest priority. And if you don't want to use something, then moving it to freezer at this time that you're doing the inventory. So like five things from your fridge that have to get used, then we move to freezer. We're looking. These are the things that have been in here for a few months that need to get used and then looking at our pantry things that need to get used and then working off of that.

[Jill]

So I think that's the part that we are missing. Right. Because we are not doing that before we go to the grocery store. We can end up spending so much more. So that's really pivotal about this reverse meal planning approach. But then the next thing you're going to do is meal plan around what is already on your inventory. So once you've got that list compiled, whether you've written it down in your phone or on a piece of paper to look through and see what kind of meals can I create with this so that maybe you are stellar at cooking and you kind of know how things are going to pair together. And you can know, here's what I'm going to do for breakfast, lunches and dinners for the rest of the week. If you're like me and sometimes this isn't going to go flawlessly and you need a little bit more help, this is when we to the Internet and specifically I know this isn't going to be everybody's choice. So fine, do do what you think is going to be best for you. But ChatGPT has been really helpful with this. I actually did just do this yesterday of here's everything that I have on hand. Make me five lunches and five dinners, can do leftovers or incorporate leftovers. Here's what I have and listing out even down to garlic and condiments that you have the things that you wouldn't really think, oh that that matters that much. But does. And so I asked for specific recipes. I asked for a grocery list as well. And so it gave me five lunches, five dinners and then supplemental grocery list.

[Jen]

And we've given this tip before and you guys have come back at us and been like, this is awesome. I did it. I loved it. It was great. This can be a great method. If you do keep that really well inventoried list on a spreadsheet. You can copy that spreadsheet right into chat GPT or whatever AI you use and then it can give you an even more accurate like idea based on like amounts and stuff. Again, you don't have to be that thorough only if, if you want to be or maybe you do it four or five times, six times a year. You do it that thorough and the rest is just kind of willy nilly. What I do is I look in my spice cab because spices are, I love them, but I rarely use them when I'm doing a recipe from online because it's using like custom spice blends. And then sometimes I don't know how I end up with these spice blends that never get used. But they look so great and I want to use them. So I will use those as my inspiration fun for what to make. And that has really helped me go through my spices inventory before the spices lose all of their flavor because those things do expire even if you feel.

[Jill]

Like you don't have a ton of time. This, this is actually what I did this week was I took pictures before I ran out the door to the office, took a picture of my fridge, took a picture of my freezer. Took a picture of my pantry. So then when I was eating lunch at work, I was able to look at zoom in, use the zoom function and know what do I have in all these places? Plug it into ChatGPT so that then on my way home from work, I've got the plan that I made at lunch from the inventory that I took by taking pictures. Like it was not complicated.

[Jen]

Did you just plug in those pictures to ChatGPT?

[Jill]

I didn't even think about that.

[Jen]

You probably could just plug in the pictures. Yeah, it'd be something to try. Something else that I will use salad dressings and sauces because those are other things that just get accumulated through random recipes and then used once or twice, never used again. And so I will meal plan just based off of salad dressings or sauces that I have and use those as marinades or just like total meal ideas so that I can start using those up too. So so many options to meal plan around what you already have. And then you fill in the blanks. So if you're doing a really thorough meal plan from, from an inventory, then you might be able to fill in the blanks with even more than, you know, like side dishes for veggies and stuff. Like you can fill in from there. If you're doing, you know, just five from here, five from there, five from there, then you can go back and look and be like, okay, this is what I've planned from my top priority stuff. What can I fill in? And then what you don't have, then you put on the grocery list. And so that has been so helpful for me because I don't know how I end up with things that just sit there. I try not to, but inevitably it already always happens. So yeah, then filling in the blank and then I have found my grocery, actual grocery bill to be so much smaller. And through the week I'm adding things to the app that I run out of. Like I ran out of maple syrup this morning. And so I was immediately added that. So that is also part of that grocery bill that you're not necessarily thinking about when you're meal planning, but they just start to add up.

[Jill]

Yeah, it was shocking to me how few things I actually need to get to supplement having made a meal plan with the things that I already have on hand. But then the fourth and final step is the clincher. It's the follow through, it's the grocery shopping. But sticking to that list when you are grocery shopping, I'm sure many of our longtime listeners have heard me describe before How I will kind of gamify it where I won't allow myself to add any more things to that list. Once I cross the threshold of the grocery store and challenging myself to not add anything else other than what's on the list, sometimes I'll give myself the parameter of you, you get two impulse buys while here, that kind of thing. You decide what the rules are going to be. But the sticking to that list is what's going to be really important for not overspending.

[Jen]

And I think this is one of the reasons why Sarah's every other week system really works. This helps her stick to the grocery list because the fewer times you are shopping, the fewer times you have available to impulse spend. If you are shopping every other week 26 times a year, that's 26 opportunities that you have instead of 52 times a year. So that's 26 opportunities you have taken away for you to impulse buy at the grocery store. And that is powerful. We cannot control the state that we are in on any given day to an extent, if we're tired, if things have happened to us, if family is crazy, whatever. There are so many things around us that we cannot control. So we have to put up as many barriers as possible to be able to stick to the goals that we say we have. So one of those is shopping less so bulk shopping once a month, grocery shopping every other week, if that's possible. I do shop every week, but I do it online. I do it in the app. So I'm not browsing the store and letting myself be impacted by the pretty packaging and all that. I don't. I just don't allow myself to go into a grocery store. And so it's only what I have to essentially search for it. There is no browsing anymore. I have to search for what I want and add it. And that is, that is my barrier. So. And now I get it delivered. So I'm not even near a grocery store anymore.

[Jill]

When we're thinking about how do we actually implement this and it work long term, because these ideas are really exciting. Oh yeah, I want to try it out. How do we make sure that this is something we stick to and become sustainable for the long term? And we think part of that has to do with creating a budget, certainly knowing how much are you able to willing to spend on groceries every month and allowing that to be one of the parameters that goes into this, this reverse grocery shopping technique.

[Jen]

Yeah. Another is when you do this, then you can afford to shop the flyers or to shop the sales so something I'll do is at Costco, when I see something on sale that I use a lot, I can stock up on it even if I don't need it because I know I will use it. So this comes down to non perishables, right. So last time I went in, these oatmeal bites that my kids love were $3 off a bag. So I grabbed two bags instead of one. I and those are like treats. So it's not like stocking up, but dishwasher, like pods and tissues, soaps, diapers, all, all of that stuff that all factors into your overall grocery bill. So these are the things when we meal plan, we think of a budget and then we don't add in these other things that, you know, we want to get on sale or I run out of maple syrup and I don't need it this week, but I do need it. So keeping the list, keeping the list as low as possible gives us room to add these things. And I was just talking last episode how I spent quite a bit of money on shampoo so that I could get the really big giant one and save a dollar an ounce. And so I was able, you know, to do that because I had that extra money from, you know, not for my grocery budget, but overall.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

So, yeah, this definitely allows you. And that's like what Sarah was saying about then you can kind of stockpile, like essentially eventually shop from your stockpile because you've been shopping sales periodically and you're able to do that and still stay in the monthly budget.

[Jill]

But also if you're looking at the flyers, even for fresh produce and meats and that kind of a thing, it's probably going to incorporate in season stuff, which is excellent as well. And that's another thing that you can utilize ChatGPT or software like that to be able to say, hey, make me this. Supplement it with in season produce and kind of know, or if you know, here's what's on sale, supplement with, you know, this meat that I know is going to be at a discounted rate per pound. So that's another thing you can kind of incorporate. And then like Jen already said, staying out of the stores, it's not something that I do, although I will say when I have done it, it has helped me to spend less. But when you're not going up and down every aisle and having all of those opportunities for those impulse purchases, it's going to go a lot better for you. When you are only going online saying, typing in the ingredients that you need, adding it to your cart and then rolling up to the front door and putting that stuff in your back seat. That is saving you time and it's saving you money.

[Jen]

Oh, my gosh. The time. Yes. Okay. And the last one is my personal tip for how I make this sustainable and is through meal prepping. I've always been a huge advocate for meal prepping. Like a bodybuilder. Like, you're one of those fitness junkies that's just stack, stack, stack, stack, stack, stack, stack, stack, stack, stack, stack, stack, stack.

[Jill]

And you're just really going for it lately.

[Jen]

Yeah, well, because I hate to cook. I just hate to cook.

[Jill]

So you just stack it all in one day.

[Jen]

I hate to do dishes. I hate to chop things. I don't like any of it. So I will do. When I'm doing some cooking, I do as much of it as possible in one fell swoop. So I can get all the dishes out of the way. I can reuse some of those dishes. Like, if I'm going to be cutting raw meat, then I'm going to be cutting raw meat for three different meals at the same time. Well, like, the same. Like the chicken, right? Like, if I'm doing chicken breast. Breast, I'm cutting all the chicken breast and going to town. So I'm pulling out my griddle and I'm cooking it all and then just divvying it up. And that has been the biggest help for then following through, because I can make a perfect meal plan and do this reverse meal planning and have everything set up. And then Tuesday night comes, and I don't feel like following through with it. I feel like getting McDonald's or Taco Bell. You know, I don't let that happen to me anymore. I divvy it all up. And it has also helped me from overeating because I feel like another issue that a lot of people have is that we will buy ingredients that should theoretically last from four meals. And then we just overeat without thinking. And so then that meal only lasts for three meals. So then somebody, you know, if it's for me and Travis, somebody doesn't have lunch for tomorrow. So what do we do?

[Jill]

Who is it? It's not me going without a lunch, right?

[Jen]

Who's going to Wendy's? You know, so that is another thing that meal prepping helps is that you have. If you are buying for four portions, you are making four portions.

[Jill]

Are you doing this on Sunday? Is that your day of the week?

[Jen]

Sometimes, yes, but sometimes it's on a Monday or a Tuesday. So it's usually typically earlier in the week on a Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday. But I don't have a set meal prep night. It's just the night that I happen to be cooking.

[Jill]

How many. How many meals are you making when you're doing this?

[Jen]

It depends, but I'll try to do at least. Least eight or ten.

[Jill]

Meaning servings.

[Jen]

Servings. Eight or ten servings. So that would be four to five days of lunches and dinners for everyone.

[Jill]

For you and Travis, Correct?

[Commercial Voice/Announcer]

Yeah.

[Jen]

I can't meal prep for the kids, but I'm meal prepping for Travis and I. So if I've got eight servings. Yeah. Then that. That's four. So that's two days.

[Jill]

How long will it take you?

[Jen]

Not really longer than doing a regular cook, because if I'm. If I prep and then I put it in the oven or on the stove, then I'm standing there and waiting for it to cook. So instead of just waiting, I'm prepping something else. So. And yeah, I. The other night, I. I guess this was Monday or Tuesday.

[Jill]

Can't remember.

[Jen]

I started prepping around dinner, and then I just got carried away with myself, and I put everything away into containers, and Travis is like, what's for dinner? And he's. And I'm like, I don't know, Fen. Figure it out, because these meals are for. For lunch and dinner for the next day.

[Jill]

So this is not for today. Yeah, that's where frozen pizza comes in.

[Jen]

That typically doesn't happen.

[Jill]

But we do have an emergency meal plan, right?

[Jen]

We do have emergency meals that we always keep, like a sandwich or a wrap. So I think that's what we did that night. And I'll always make extra rice for stuff. So we did eat, and it was fine. So, yeah, we have the emergency meals again, that emergency meals document that is free for [e-mail] meals we use that like we came up with it because these are the emergency meals we use. And then we also have the prepped meals, and they're all planned by reverse meal planning.

[Jill]

Do you know what's always planned and prepped and ready to go and always.

[Jen]

With the follow through. Always ready to follow through.

[Jill]

Inexpensive. The bill of the week.

[Podcast Host Introduction]

That's right. It's time for the best minute of your entire week. Maybe a baby was born and his name is William. Maybe you paid off your mortgage. Maybe your car died and you're happy to not have to pay that bill anymore. Duck bills, Buffalo Bills, Bill Clinton. This is the Bill of the week.

[Bill of the Week Caller]

Good morning, Jen and Jill. I just wanted to come on and say thank you for reminding me to call my Internet and cell phone provider and wonder why my bill was creeping higher and higher every month. And I gave him a phone call yesterday and a wonderful woman, Candice, picked up and she looked at my account and she said, hey, you haven't been receiving your 20% discount for having your services together with us. So I'm going to make some elaborate notes and hopefully they will back pay you that 20% you were supposed to be receiving. And on top of that, she lowered both my Internet and my cell phone bill by $10 a month. So thank you, Jen and Jill, for reminding me to call them and saving me some money. So thank you.

[Jill]

Yeah, we love it when I've been.

[Jen]

Did you hear the birds in the background? Like, it sounded so idyllic, so serene.

[Jill]

Such a nice environment.

[Jen]

I've saved money. I'm sitting outside with the birds and life is everything.

[Jill]

I wonder if this is why Candice from the Internet cell phone provider company was so kind to her because she was outside with the birds.

[Jen]

Oh, I bet she heard the birds.

[Jill]

That's why she got such a discount there.

[Jen]

You think kids screaming or birds singing in the background? One of those two, not both, I think will help you.

[Jill]

This seems to be our number one call. I'm just off the top of the dome. I'm making this up. It does feel to me like statistically and factually that in my mind, most Bill of the week callers are telling us that they have lowered an Internet and or cell phone bill. So there you go. It is one of the easiest things to do. It's a great intro to negotiating. You are almost guaranteed to drop that bill. Usually these phone calls do not take a ton of time. So if you've not tried this, please do it and then call in and raise those statistics higher to give us that bill. But also, if your name is Bill, we would love to love to hear from you. You're our favorite kind of bill. People named Bill frugalfriendspodcast.com Bill we can't wait for it. The weather is cooling down, even for us Floridians, and it's making us crave coziness. And quince delivers just that. They've got layers that last, including sweaters, outerwear, and everyday essentials that feel luxurious, look timeless, and make holiday dressing effortless.

[Commercial Voice/Announcer]

Quint's has it all, which makes them perfect for gifting or upgrading your own wardrobe. And most importantly, by Working directly with ethical top tier factories, Quince skips the middleman and offers prices 50% less than similar brands.

[Jill]

Their Mongolian cashmere and washable silk are closet staples. In addition to the cotton tees and linen dress I have been layering with all season, their items feel comfortable and timeless.

[Commercial Voice/Announcer]

Step into the holiday season with layers made to feel good, look polished and last. From Quince. Perfect for gifting or keeping for yourself. Go to quince.com frugal for free shipping and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Q U-I-N C E.com frugal.

[Toyota Commercial Narrator]

You hear that? That's not just a Toyota truck. That's the sound of no crowds, no alerts, no distraction actions and no telling what you'll find next. You know, like a detour. So why would you ever take a tour? And you could take a detour. Toyota trucks.

[Jill]

And now it's time for the lightning crown.

[Commercial Voice/Announcer]

Puke.

[Jen]

Puke. Puke. All right, I had a last minute change on this. Oh. So Jill may not be prepared for it, but I just wanted to know what is the weirdest thing you bought on your last grocery trip?

[Jill]

Okay. If you have an answer, go for it. I'm gonna think about it.

[Jen]

Okay. I will give you. I will my out of frame. My phone always sits out of frame. Or it should. Sometimes it sits in frame. That's embarrassing. So I won't go with the typical diapers and wipes.

[Jill]

Yeah. Cause that's not weird.

[Jen]

Yeah, it's. It's you there. You. Okay, so it is weird. Cause you buy them to put poop on them and throw them away. I want that to be.

[Jill]

I just need to say that. You just need to note that for.

[Jen]

Some reason I wanted to note that. So it is weird.

[Jill]

Okay.

[Jen]

I am going to say the.

[Commercial Voice/Announcer]

Okay.

[Jen]

Not weirdest, but I think most unique. Maybe I'll change it to most unique.

[Jill]

Okay.

[Jen]

Smoky fire roasted salsa. Hot. I got that. I also got a Super Mario Kids toothbrush. So those are the two. But I have salsa in my fridge. But I saw this and I love a smoky salsa. I love a hot salsa. And I was like, I am gonna get this and I'm gonna put it on my chicken. My batch prepped chicken. And put a little pepper jack on top with some rice. Yum.

[Jill]

Yeah.

[Jen]

And I will say most of my meal prepped meals are literally like a bodybuilder meal prep. Because I have no imagination. Like, we're not going into this being like, look at my beautiful prepped. Meals. Not it's a lot of chicken and rice and vegetables. Not because I have to. Because I want to. Because I don't have a big imagination, and I don't have a big desire to do anything different.

[Jill]

You know what you like and you know how to make it.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

Might as well stick to it. Yeah. Honestly, I don't think our bodies need or are prepared for just a slew of different ingredients and meals. I think that we are mostly conditioned for some simple simplicity, basic routine.

[Jen]

Now, if somebody wants to make me a complex meal, I will eat that.

[Jill]

She will.

[Jen]

She will eat that, and it will not be me. Yeah. No.

[Jill]

The most unique thing. So the last time I went to the grocery store was Costco two weeks ago. How do I spend so much money on food? I have not been to the store in two weeks. That's another episode.

[Jen]

And you wanted me to stop putting my Costco run on the business card.

[Jill]

Well, I want both of us to not be putting our Costco runs on.

[Jen]

The business card because it's illegal. I found out. It's okay. I'll get there. I'm learning.

[Jill]

Wow.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

But, well. Oh, dang it. So this doesn't even count because it was. I bought this camera that you're watching us on. On from Costco.

[Jen]

This was an. Costco is a. A business membership, and we buy business things for the business at Costco, like said camera, but can't buy our groceries.

[Jill]

Can buy groceries. I did. I. I did put the camera on the business card, and then I did a separate transaction. Because you're able to do that at.

[Jen]

Costco, you legally have to.

[Jill]

For us personally.

[Jen]

It sounds dumb when I say it out loud. I'm gonna be. I'm gonna, like, be vulnerable and say.

[Jill]

That it's just nice when the business can buy your $400 worth of groceries.

[Jen]

Let's move on. That's in my past.

[Jill]

I would never do something like that anymore.

[Jen]

I would never do that again without permission.

[Jill]

Yeah, it was strange putting, like, a camera in with chicken.

[Jen]

Raw chicken.

[Jill]

It is what we did. I can't really think of anything else odd that I got from Costco.

[Jen]

You got some disgusting protein bars.

[Jill]

You know, I don't eat protein bars that often. I actually don't find them to be the worst. They are. Okay, I'll. I will eat them.

[Jen]

When you were eating it, you said, why is it so.

[Jill]

I said. What I said was, why is the last bite of a protein bar so disgusting? This is how I feel about all protein bars. Doesn't matter which one it is. The last bite is just so hard to stomach.

[Jen]

Well, let us know the weirdest thing you bought at the grocery store in the comments and how much you spend on groceries. Let's not shame each other for overspending, but if you have any grocery saving tips or if you've used reverse meal planning, let's have the comment section be a resource for more grocery saving tips for and from everyone. And if you haven't subscribed to the channel, please please do that on YouTube. Even if you're a Spotify or Apple listener, we'd love for you to pop on over to YouTube, hit subscribe and just head back to your podcast player. We would so appreciate that. And if you've read our book Buy what yout Love Without Going Broke, which is [e-mail] wherever books are sold, we would love if you would let us know what you think. Leaving an Amazon review even if you didn't buy it from Amazon like Courtney LB did. She said 5 stars. I recommend buy what you love without going broke. The personal anecdotes, organization of the book and prompts for further personal reflection will help anyone, regardless of age. The overall overarching goal is for the readers to make informed spending decisions and look at personal finance as a mindful practice. They share many ways in which our brains can help or hinder our goals of living mindfully and how that can affect us financially. I would add that the information in this book could be applied to other areas of our lives, not just the financial ones.

[Jill]

Wow Courtney, I'm just gonna say it.

[Jen]

That's a good catch.

[Jill]

That's just a good review.

[Jen]

Thank you.

[Jill]

Well done. And if you have read the book, please also leave us a review. If you are watching us on YouTube, hit that subscribe button comment again. Let's just form community where we're giving each other tips in those comments. And if you're listening to the podcast, leave us a review of the podcast.

[Jen]

Yes. And if you're here on YouTube, check out our last episode on Buy Now, Pay Later. Horror Stories.

[Commercial Voice/Announcer]

Oh my gosh.

[Jen]

I think you're gonna enjoy them. Creepy.

[Jill]

See you next time.

[Jen]

Frugal Friends is produced by Eric Sirianni. Jill he is hell me. I went to a dinner at a friend's house on Friday.

[Jill]

Fun.

[Jen]

And Travis and I were invited to share a bit about our story when we're recording this. Our 10 year anniversary is tomorrow.

[Jill]

Happy Anniversary. Thank you.

[Jen]

When this episode comes out, it'll have been a month ago but we shared a little bit about our debt payoff story afterwards. An acquaintance, like, we've talked several times, but, like, I wouldn't say we're close friends. She comes up and. And she's like, do you budget for Botox? And I was like, well, you can budget for Botox. And she's like, no. Like, do you. Do you get it? Oh. And I was like, oh, I don't. I don't. She's like, you are glowing.

[Commercial Voice/Announcer]

Yes.

[Jen]

And I was like, like. And she did not follow that up with, are you pregnant? And I was the beautiful. I was like, I am on cloud nine beautiful.

[Jill]

I mean, you really do have such flawless skin. There's, like, no wrinkle said that.

[Jen]

Yeah. I mean, they're there. They're there. They're covered up with some makeup right now.

[Jill]

But, I mean, there's certain things makeup can't cover up. I'm looking at you just so close.

[Jen]

So deep.

[Jill]

And on that note, what's for lunch? Yeah, I'm hungry.

[Commercial Voice/Announcer]

Thank you.

[Jen]

Yeah, I know.

[Jill]

What a compliment, though. I feel people thinking you're getting plastic surgery.

[Jen]

I mean, it's not plastic.

[Sarah Conklin (Frozen Pennies)]

No.

[Jen]

I mean, I wouldn't be against Botox at one point in my life, but I am not currently doing it.

[Jill]

Yeah. Don't need it.

[Jen]

Yeah, I guess not.

[Jill]

Yeah. Wow.

[Jen]

Yeah.

[Jill]

I'm so proud of you.

[Jen]

It just. It makes me think that how often do we think we ourselves need to alter our appearances when really we just need to hear from other people that we don't? Which is why we can't live in an echo chamber or isolated. We need to be around people to say, you are glowing and not follow that up with, are you pregnant?

[Jill]

Beautiful words of wisdom for all of us.