This 24-Year-Old Trader Joe's Shopper Is Sharing How She Stretches $75 Into 10 Meals, And It's Really Smart
As anyone who has been to the supermarket lately can confirm, the price of groceries continues to soar.
For example, egg prices jumped 60% in 2022 — and that percentage doesn't seem to be dropping anytime soon.
Whether you grocery shop for just yourself, you and your partner, or for an entire family, it can challenging to do so while on a budget.
Luckily, 24-year-old Jenn Lueke is helping people learn how to shop, prepare, and cook budget-conscious, veggie-packed meals that won't break the bank over on her TikTok page, @jenneatsgoood.
The Massachusetts resident — who often posts easy recipe ideas on her TikTok and Instagram pages — recently posted a TikTok series called "Budget Groceries Series."
In the six-part series, Jenn shows how to make five balanced meals for two people — which comes to 10 meals in total. In each video, she posts the recipe and shows how to make everything from ginger, sweet potato, and kale chicken soup to curry chicken meatballs — using $75 worth of groceries from Trader Joe's.
Jenn lives in Boston — a city that is now considered the second most expensive US city to rent in — so she has to be strategic in how she approaches her grocery runs from a budget standpoint.
"I live in Boston, so I totally understand this struggle. In some cases, it may make sense to utilize a few different grocery stores. I like to buy my meat in bulk to save some money, so I try to go to Costco once a month to stock up and keep it in my freezer," she said.
"I use stores like Aldi and Trader Joe’s for my produce because they tend to have the best prices. Also — shop the sales. If there’s something on sale I know I like, I make a meal out of that," Jenn added.
In her first video in the series, Jenn shared exactly which groceries she bought and how much of each. Then, each day after, she cooked a different recipe — with the details posted in the captions — using the original groceries she bought.
Jenn drew inspiration for the series based on her own food shopping and cooking experience. "I always sit down and plan four to five meals I’m going to make for the week, and write up a list of everything I need. My goal is to use up everything I buy so there is no food waste and so I save money," Jenn told BuzzFeed.
"That’s why each meal features similar produce, spices, oils, and proteins. Like many people, I don’t want to eat the same thing every day, but I still want to meal prep and save money," she continued.
"This way, I can have meals on a budget without getting bored. It just takes a little bit of planning! I love that I can help people by giving them the list and showing them how to utilize their ingredients," Jenn told BuzzFeed."
In the comments of some of her videos in the series, people are sharing how helpful Jenn's budget meal planning ideas have been for them.
If you're someone who is intrigued by the idea of meal planning but isn't sure where to start — or even a little intimidated by it — Jenn shared a few helpful tips with BuzzFeed.
"Take the time to plan. Don’t go to the grocery store before you know what you’re going to buy and what meals you’ll cook. Even if you don’t want to plan every single meal, pick 1-2, and then batch prep ingredients individually so you can add them to meals throughout the week," she told BuzzFeed.
"As soon as you get home from the store, prep everything — chop your veggies and fruits and store them properly, portion out your proteins or freeze some of them, store your herbs correctly, and organize your fridge so you see everything. It’s worth your time and will prevent food waste, save you money, and leave you with options when you get busy during the week," Jenn said.
Jenn also advises to not overcomplicate meal planning.
"I start with whatever protein source I want to use — whether that be ground turkey, chickpeas, eggs, tofu, salmon — and build from there. I always add at least one veggie to every plate, and then I think about what would make it taste great, be satiating, and be budget-friendly. I also love to use produce that’s in season whenever possible and take advantage of those components," she said.
