Millionaire on the Prairie

Tag: Meal Prep

  • An easy way to keep money in your wallet!

    An easy way to keep money in your wallet!

    When my family members moved into their new abode, they purchased a new stand-up freezer right away. They’re both avid cooks. Having a freezer meant they could take advantage of sales on meat, frozen vegetables, bread, etc… It cost them a pretty penny at the time but it seems to have paid off for them.

    Even if you’re a Single, I want you to consider whether a stand-alone freezer would be wise for you.

    I’ve talked before about the money-saving magic of my kitchen. Truth be told, I should have also been talking about how much I love my chest freezer. (It came with my house!) My fridge’s freezer is usually filled with my stash of emergency dessert, ice cream, coffee, and baking ingredients that last longer when frozen. My chest freezer is where I load up on things like bread and meat.

    See, I’m a huge fan of Costco. However, it cannot honestly be said that Costco’s food sizes were intended for those of us who live alone. Costco designed their food’s sizes with the family in mind! For single folk like me, grocery shopping at Costco only makes sense if I use my freezer. Every three months or so, I make the trek so I can load up on my proteins. Then I come home, portion everything out into amounts that will tide me over for 2-3 days, and put those portions in my freezer.

    It’s awesome! When I’m ready to do my meal prep on Sundays, I can just pull something out to thaw and then I create delicious meals that will make enough leftovers for lunch during the week. Getting myself organized and using my freezer has helped me to save money while expanding my culinary repertoire. I enjoy my own cooking far more than whatever I can buy at the food court.

    You might want to consider doing this too. And if your current fridge’s freezer is too small, think about whether a portable freezer would be of use to you. One of the hassles of being an adult is cooking every single day! I really think that’s a huge reason why people love to eat out. However, we all know that eating out isn’t cheap or necessarily healthy. I found thata, after awhile, it all started to taste the same. Cooking your own food is cheaper (so long as you don’t let things spoil), much healthier, and always seasoned to your particular taste.

    So many things can be frozen ahead and used later! If all goes well, my rhubarb patch will come back this year. I’ll be able to eat some of the stalks over the summer and freeze the rest to enjoy during the winter. If you’re a berry fan, then the freezer is a friend of yours. Strawberries, blueberries, black berries, raspberries, peaches, apricots, nectarines, pears! All of these wonderful fruits freeze beautifully until you’re ready to use them. The same goes for whatever vegetables tickle your fancy. Use your freezer!

    Maybe you’re a fan of making your own bread? I’ve made loaves before and I have to be honest. There’s nothing quite so heavenly as fresh-baked bread! Yet, I’ll admit it was a challenge to eat the loaf before it went stale. My mom suggested that I slice the bread then thaw as many slices as I needed on a given day. Great idea! Perhaps you’re fond of homemade tortillas? They freeze beautifully. Pancakes and waffles are delicious! Make a full batch, eat what you want, and freeze the rest. There’s your breakfast throughout the week. When coffee goes on sale, I buy extra jars and store them in my freezer. I never have to pay full price and I’m not stopping at a drive-thru on the way to work every morning. Every morning, I enjoy a cup of go-juice from my very own kitchen.

    When used properly, a freezer will help you save money on food. It can also cut down the amount of time you need to spend in the kitchen every day to feed yourself. Cooking and freezing leftovers ensures more opportunities for you to eat what you enjoy the most. And if you need ideas of what to cook, the internet is at your fingertips. There’s an entire subreddit about meal-prep, often with mouth-watering photos. It’s so easy to find many, many recipes that can be prepped and frozen ahead of time for cooking in a slow cooker or the Instant Pot. Personally, I love watching YouTube videos of people meal prepping all sorts of different things – like this one or this one.

    Use your freezer. Cook at home and keep more of your hard-earned money. You’ll eat better and you’ll feel better too!

  • Do Some Meal Prep & Keep More of Your Money!

    Do Some Meal Prep & Keep More of Your Money!

    Remember how I’ve talked about the money-saving magic of your kitchen?

    Well, I’ve upped my game. You see, I really hate grocery-shopping. It’s a recessive gene. I know this because both my mother and my brother love grocery shopping, and even my father didn’t mind doing it. My mother loves it so much that one time she complained that I went through the store too fast. “It was like you were on roller-skates! I didn’t get a chance to look around!”

    Look around?!?!! It’s a grocery store! You’re here every week – sometimes twice. Exactly what is there to see that you didn’t see 48 hours ago?

    Anyhow, I’ve had to adjust my perspective over the past year…

    Step 1 – Saving Money While Grocery Shopping

    We all know that inflation has impacted the prices we pay for food. As a result, I’ve cut back on dining out. Instead of it being a casual, spontaneous thing, I’m far more meticulous about planning my restaurant visits. Dining out is now a treat, rather than a weekly staple. That said, I still get hungry with alarming regularity. Going to the grocery store is no longer optional. Meal prep is now mandatory in my home. My belly demands satisfaction!

    Currently, my credit card of choice is issued by PC Financial. This card allows me to accrue points that can be used to pay for groceries and it doesn’t have an annual fee. I pay the balance in full every month so I never pay interest. If you’re the sort who carries a balance, then stop using your credit cards and pay cash for everything until you’re out of credit card debt.

    Accruing points to pay for groceries is one way to lower my grocery bill each month. At a minimum, I earn 10 points for every $1 that I spend on the card. Every time I accumulate 10,000 points, I get $10 in free groceries. By running nearly all of my expenses through my card, I earn a substantial number of points every month. There’s something especially sweet about leaving the store with several bags of groceries and only paying $5.76 for them!

    Getting the groceries is only half the battle. The next step is figuring out how to create tasty things for myself.

    Step 2 – Cooking at Home Way More Often

    Finding recipes I love isn’t that hard. I’m a fan of TikTok and YouTube. My favourite creators are the ones who cook and bake. I’ve discovered some really fantastic things to eat just by watching videos then finding the recipes online. Now that I’m back in the office several days a week, I’m doing a lot more meal prep on Sundays. A couple of hours in the kitchen results in a several meals at the ready during the week – lunches, dinners, snacks, even dessert! One small change to my weekend routine allows me to take my lunch to work instead of spending $20 or more each time I go into the office.

    I’ve even taken to making my own muffins for snack breaks. The coffee shop in our building makes delicious food, but their menu isn’t set. Sadly, there’s no way to know in advance if the carrot loaf with cream cheese that I love ever so much will be available from one day to the next. So I’ve started making my snacks. Right now, I’m quite happy with the morning glory muffins from Baker by Nature. They’re so damn delicious! They’re easy to make and I only need one bowl to make the batter. (By the way, Damn Delicious is the name of another fantastic recipe blog that you may want to check out!)

    I love chicken and am always looking for new ways to prepare it. A few weeks ago, I discovered how easy it is to make cajun chicken pasta. Like all of my favorite recipes, this one is simple & straightforward. It takes maybe 10 minutes to prepare the chicken before it’s left to marinate in the spices. After a little bit of time in the oven, I pair it with whatever I want if pasta’s not calling to me that day. And so long as I don’t adjust the recipe, there’s always leftovers so I need not cook every single day. Meal prep for the win!!!

    Is is my turn to host book club? Then let’s head to the World Wide Web for some appetizer ideas? Surely there’s one or two recipes out there to make finger food that is suitable to please my guests. How about some buffalo chicken pinwheels from Cooking for Keeps?

    Same principle applies to sporting events. As a guest, I don’t like to show up with my hands swinging. A few minutes in the kitchen means I always have something to bring. Grey Cup parties & Superbowl Sunday are perfect opportunities to share my favourite appetizer cheeseball from Natasha’s Kitchen.

    Even when it’s my turn to bring dessert, I find that there’s no reason to hit up a bakery. I can make something delicious in the comfort of my own home. Whether it’s a marble cake, a bumbleberry pie, or a cookies, I’m ready to spend some time in the kitchen with my handy-dandy KitchenAid stand mixer. In the past year, I’ve overcome my fear of making mini cheesecakes. This recipe for mini pecan pie cheesecakes, also from Baker by Nature is one of the best things I have ever made! If you like pecan pie and you also like cheesecake, then this dessert will make you very happy.

    Everyone needs to eat. And we all enjoy eating delicious foods. Don’t let inflation stop you from doing so! Meal prep is an effective tool to minimize inflation’s impact on your wallet. Sure – you might have to spend a little more time at the grocery store and in the kitchen. Big deal! Trust me – you will not regret improving your culinary skills and expanding your repertoire of recipes. Doing so means eating very well while still keeping more of your money in your pocket. And who can complain about that?

  • Taking it Day By Day

    Taking it Day By Day

    It’s been 4.5 months since the World Health Organization declared that the globe was in the grips of a pandemic. Since then, there has been much upheaval in people’s lives due in no small part to the financial impacts of lost jobs, the inability to travel, and social isolation. What are we supposed to do when going outside means taking the risk that we’ll contract a disease about which so much is still unknown?

    We have to take things day by day.

    By nature, I’m a planner. For example, I enjoy planning my travel. It’s fun to peruse all the websites, read up on the various sites, figure out where I want to go. In 2018, I went to Ireland for the first time. I crossed an item off my Bucket List – booking my time off then looking for a good travel deal. My biggest regret about that trip was that it was somewhat last-minute, in that I booked it only 6 weeks before getting on a plane. In the deep recesses of my travel-planner heart, I hadn’t given myself enough anticipation-time. Six weeks wasn’t enough time to dream about my upcoming trip and to imagine all the cool things I’d be seeing & doing.

    Of course, in hindsight, I should have taken more time off and visited Northern Ireland and Scotland while I was over there. Who knew that a global pandemic would crush the airline & travel industries?

    COVID-19 has changed things…

    Today, I’m not doing as much travel planning. As you can well imagine, it’s difficult to get excited about flying anywhere when my personal view is that airplanes are the petri dishes of the sky. Similarly, long road trips are in the not-just-yet category since I’m not keen on staying in a hotel or going to restaurants.

    Right now, I’m taking things day by day. My natural urge to plan has been channeled into cooking and baking. I’m already at home. My kitchen is right there. I have the ingredients and the tools to cook and bake delicious things for myself. Meal-planning is finally receiving the attention that it’s due. Trips to the grocery store are less frequent, but I do buy a lot more when I go. Once home, I start figuring out what to eat right away and how to meal-prep for the upcoming week.

    As for investing, I have no choice but to take things day by day. The last time there was a big drop in the stock market was in 2008-2009. I made a huge mistake by stopping my contributions to my investment account!!! Thankfully, I was smart enough not to sell anything but I wasn’t smart enough to keep investing on the way down.

    To date, the highest point of the Toronto Stock Exchange was reached on February 21, 2020. Then the market plunged, and kept plunging until March 23, 2020. The TSX has been slowly re-gaining ground since then. (Man oh man was I glad that I didn’t have access to cable TV during this time. I would’ve been a basket case listening to all the “experts” talking about investing.)

    Sticking to the Plan

    This time around, I stuck to my saving and investing plan. I ignored the headlines. I trusted the example set by history that the stock market will recover. No one knows precisely how, nor can anyone guarantee when the recovery will happen. This time, I decided to take things day by day and to continue to save & invest for my future.

    I had a few things going for me. Firstly, I’m still fortunate enough to have my job. There are millions of people who aren’t in the same boat so they’ve had to decide whether to eat today or eat tomorrow. Secondly, I was already debt-free before the pandemic hit. I don’t have to worry about creditors or missing my mortgage payments. My financial foundation is firm. Thirdly, I don’t have cable so I missed a great many of the interviews with the people who predicted that “this time would be different.” I didn’t hear the stories from people who believe that the market could not possibly recover from COVID19.

    Finally, I’m older and wiser today than I was in 2008-2009. I’ve learned from my mistakes. Had I continued to invest back then, I’d be so much closer to my retirement goals. My inexperience and fear caused me to sit on the sidelines while the market recovered. In other words, I wasn’t investing when the stock market was on sale. When I finally did re-start my investment program, I’d promised myself that I would continue to invest during the next downturn.

    So when COVID19 came long and took a great big bite out of the stock market, I kept my promise. Money earned – money saved – money invested – repeat!

    My portfolio still hasn’t recovered completely but I’m much farther along than I would have been had I stopped investing. I’ve been able to my more units in my dividend exchange traded funds. As a results, my monthly dividend payment has gone up considerably. This is a very good thing. I was fortunate enough to be able to make a contribution to my Registered Retirement Savings Plan. As per the advice of an independent financial planner, I invested those funds into a global equity ETF. Boom! I firmly believe that my choice to follow his advise will add a nice little kick to my RRSP in the coming years.

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    Weekly Tip: Allocate your money in a way that allows you to invest in the stock market for atleast 15 years. Use broad-based ETFs to invest your money in equities. ETFs move in the same direction as the stock market. They simultaneously eliminate the risks of trying to cherry pick the next Apple/Tesla/Facebook stock. If you absolutely cannot stop yourself from stock picking, then please limit this hobby to only 5% of the equity portion of your portfolio. The other 95% of your equity investments should be allowed to chug along in a broad-based ETF for a long period of time.