Money Saving Hack #54 – Meal Planning

Money Saving Travel

Planning for your meals while on house and pet sits will help you save money. Sounds simple, right? While most of us can appreciate that meal planning is a great way to ensure we don’t waste the food we buy, few of us go that extra step to physically writing down our meal plans – and stick to them!

Meal planning is particularly useful when you have back to back house and pet sits. It will help you manage the fresh food you need for a particular period and, as time goes by, you will get better at estimating how much you will need for any meal for any period.

Fresh fruit such as bananas, can ripen very quickly, so only buy enough to last you for your house and pet sit period.

Meal planning not only helps you plan for meals on the go, it saves you money because you only buy items that you’ll be cooking with, and it will encourage more healthy meal choices.

Here are a few ways to make meal planning work for you.

Start with a Weekly Calendar

Create a calendar for every day of the week. On this calendar, include the days that you will be transitioning from and to different house and pet sits and the times you’re expected to arrive and depart. Based on your movements, write down the meals you plan to make, take out or eating out options and the days and times you’re going to be able to shop for groceries and other items.

Make a Shopping List

Once you’ve created your meal plan, write down the ingredients you need to make your meals. By having a list, you will know exactly what you need so you only have to make one trip to the shops and can enjoy living like a local as a house and pet sitter the rest of the time.

Don’t Impulse Buy

You have a list for a reason. Don’t stray from your list and you won’t overindulge in unhealthy snacks and foods. Being in almost holiday-like mode for a house and pet sit, you may be tempted to indulge every now and again but having a list and sticking to it is a great way to stay healthy during your travels.

House and pet sitting is an adventure. Book your next position anywhere across Australia.