Eating on a budget? We know what that's like. Next Door Experience Coordinator, Justine, shares her #1 tip for staying on track - the weekly meal plan. By planning meals ahead of time you can get creative, stay on budget, and reduce stress at home and at the store. Here's how:

1. Plan your meals out just like you plan out your budget! With a little extra time and preparation, you'll find it's easy to stick within your food budget.

2. Create the habit. By continuously meal planning from week to week, you begin to learn when you can budget to buy larger ticket items like expensive olive oils, spices, and fancy cheeses.

3. Use the same ingredients for more than one meal. If you're buying chicken, be sure to portion it for a few different dinners! Why not have chicken tacos one night and roasted chicken the other?! Check out the sample weekly meal plan in the image for inspiration.

4. Shop your pantry to get creative and save money! If you already have rice and beans on hand, add them to the chicken above and have yourself a Taco Tuesday.

5. Stick to your list. We know this one is hard, so don’t go grocery shopping hungry. The closer you are to your actual shopping list, the better you can plan and account for your spend.

6. Finally, don't buy something you are not going to eat - we're looking at you package of spring lettuce mix that always gets thrown out. Spoiled food = garbage can = money wasted. If you know you don't like it, don't force yourself to buy it - or eat it! It’s that simple.

These are just a few tips and tricks for meal planning as a way to maintain your budget. Do you have other ideas? Share them in this thread! #statefarm #goodneighbor #financialwellness #financialcoach #budgeting #mealprep