Welcome to my 52 Ways to Save $100 a Month series. We’re serious about saving money in 2016. Sometimes it’s the little things and sometimes it’s the big things. I’m here to walk you through some little things that can add up to BIG savings. 52 little things to be exact. Every week, join me back here for another small money saving tip or idea that might not seem like significant savings until you see the overall yearly savings. It might just blow your mind. So pop in each Tuesday and read a new tip that will help you on your way to save $100 a month!
The Girl has decided to give up meat {well, she’s not going completely vegetarian as she cannot give up her sacred sushi!}. This got me thinking about how much money an average household can save on groceries by eliminated meat a few times a week {or even altogether}. Speaking in averages, you can spend nearly $100/month on meat every month {I buy in bulk to help reduce this!}. That seems crazy high to me, since that’s my whole budget. But I know families that spend well over this, too!
So let’s say you decide to eat less meat. Studies show it won’t only save you money, but just might improve your health, too! Here are some tips to help you get started:
Have a Meatless Monday: Start small with one day a week. It seems meatless breakfast are the easy part, what with oats and cereal and pastries galore. Your main meals are the ones that might require a bit of tweaking. Go for Vegan Burritos or Fajitas for dinner, and grilled cheese or soup for lunch.If you like your one day meat-free menu, look to increase it to 2 or 3.
Gather Your Ammo: If you’re looking to reduce your meat intake, these 10 Vegetarian Cookbooks are a MUST!
Don’t Compromise Your Health: While this post I wrote talks a tad about chicken, for the most part it gives great insight into The Best Foods for Eating Well on a Tight Budget and that includes a lot of meatless options!
Eat These Recipes: Since we do meatless meals a lot, I have a small arsenal of delicious recipes to choose from! Check out these vegetarian and vegan recipes I love!
Overall, we don’t miss meat in our meals on occasion. I’ll keep you posted on how The Girl’s vegetarian experiment goes.
How Much Can You Save: $1,000. Studies have shown that the average vegetarian meal plan will save you about $750-$1000 more than a meat diet meal plan.
More Ways to Save:
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Clean Out Your Closet {Week 1 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Break Up with Cable {Week 2 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Barter Better {Week 3 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Change Your Own Oil {Week 4 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Adjust Your Thermostat {Week 5 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Take Advantage of Your Perks {Week 6 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Pack Your Lunch {Week 7 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Make It Yourself {Week 8 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Preserve Your Bounty {Week 9 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Keep the Change {Week 10 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | The Art of Borrowing {Week 11 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Ditch the Gym {Week 12 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Clip a Coupon {Week 13 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Start Your Garden From Seed {Week 14 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Learn to Cut Hair {Week 15 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Become a 1 Car Family {Week 16 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Make a Phone Call {Week 17 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Shop Christmas in July {Week 18 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Grow a Garden {Week 19 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Just Say No {Week 20 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Go Generic {Week 21 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Make a Budget {Week 22 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Use the Library {Week 23 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Kick the Soda Habit {Week 24 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Improve Your Credit Score {Week 25 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Shop Online {Week 26 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Save on Lodging {Week 27 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Play for Free {Week 28 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Save Big on Birthday Parties {Week 29 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Back to School Clothes on the Cheap {Week 30 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Inexpensively Entertaining {Week 31 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Buy Used College Textbooks {Week 32 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Buy Used {Week 33 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Buy In Bulk {Week 34 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Skip a Meal {Week 35 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Save on Medical Expenses {Week 36 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Save on Christmas Spending {Week 37 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Reduce Convenience Foods {Week 38 of 52}
52 Ways to Save $100 a Month | Stop Paying Interest {Week 39 of 52}
Linda says
Good Morning Mavis,
I am a vegetarian and have never made a lentil stew before. It’s now bubbling away in the crock pot and it smells amazing. Can’t wait until dinner. Thanks for the recipe
Teresa says
O-o-o! perfect timing for the pumpkin bars. Birthdays at work on Friday. Thank you so much!!
Marcia says
Eating less meat is cheaper for sure. Buying in bulk (or getting it free with credits, or learning to fish or hunt) can certainly help with that, and lets you eat more for less.
The thing that I struggle with – well, 2 things:
1. The quality of the meat – in other words, how did the animal live? CAFOs vs free range, that sort of thing. Is it better to eat the free range – but yes that is more expensive. You can get around it by eating less.
2. Carbs. Sadly, as I’m now in my later 40s, I simply have difficulty eating too many carbs. So, in my younger days we were very nearly vegetarian – eating meat maybe once a week. Now, though, I simply cannot maintain a reasonable weight. Replacing meat (or eggs or cheese) with rice, beans, etc. is cheaper, but comes with additional carbs. Carbs spike my blood sugar, mess with my insulin, and make it much harder to maintain a healthy weight.
I’m still trying to work out the proper balance. I don’t spend $100 a month on meat. But I do probably spend $30 at least.
Deborah says
We eat a lot of meatless meals. We have a lot of vegetable dinners. I grew up eating beans and corn and potato meals. We might have some breakfast meat, but didn’t have any for dinner. We’d have chicken or something like that on holidays and Sunday’s. I still love a fresh vegetable dinner. We almost always had cornbread or biscuits with it. Good home cooking.
Carrie says
I’ve had a bumper crop of eggplant this year. I’ve been replacing the meat in spaghetti sauce with diced eggplant.