I feed my family of five on $120 a week — here’s what a week of groceries and meals looks like for us

In meal planning, preparation in advance is key — but it’s also the most challenging. Here are some tips and tricks I use every week:

1) Choose recipes that contain ingredients that can be used for multiple meals (and in multiple ways). This also includes getting creative with leftovers. Sometimes eating leftovers all the time can get old, but I try to remember that I can always use different ingredients from leftovers to make new meals.

2) I prioritize what’s on sale. For example, this week I was able to find a variety of cheeses, ground beef, potato chips, and many other pantry and produce items for sale.

3) Clip your digital coupons! You can find lots of extra savings by clipping digital coupons (found on store websites or apps). Some items may not be on sale, but you can make big savings by using a coupon. Conversely, some advertised sales state that you need the digital coupon to take advantage of this feature. This is easy to miss, especially if you’re shopping in-store. When you look at the fine print, you often see that even though the item is advertised as “on sale,” if you don’t clip that digital coupon, the price could be much more expensive!

4) I buy the cheapest brand in the store most of the time. Unless it’s something I can’t use due to a peanut allergy, or an item I absolutely love (or if there’s a different brand on sale), it’s store brand.

5) I ask my children to help me. Feeding children is a challenge. They are constantly changing their minds, and seem to get new taste buds at every meal. When I ask them to help choose recipes (usually when they look at pictures), I find that they are more excited to eat them. I’ll also let them choose what they want for their fruit and veggie lunch/snack for the week!