How I Cut My Food Budget by 40%, Meat Consumption by 50%, and Food Waste by 99%, Without Giving Up A Thing

The life-changing magic of NoAusterity meal planning

IN THE BEGINNING, when I was single, I was a busy boy with a busy life.

I had a computer science degree, was upwardly mobile, and after spending the first 22 years of my life being awkward and funny-looking, I’d finally matured into both my face and my personality, giving me a halfway decent shot at dating. All that to say that I wasn’t all that concerned about food beyond dives and diners near the bars where I got wrecked with my friends multiple times a week.

I did my meal planning — if you could call it that — on the fly, right there in the grocery store. I bought the staples I knew I’d need like milk, eggs, bread, etc., and from there I’d toss things into the cart that I thought I should be eating (fresh produce) and things that looked good when I walked by them (that rotisserie chicken or those ribeyes on sale).

The only “plan” was to have stuff in the fridge and the pantry in the off chance that I wound up cooking dinner instead of eating out, or wanting a late-night snack. Meanwhile, while I did most of my eating outside the house, that fresh produce sat decomposing in the crisper drawer, as did…