Meal Planning + Green Dot® Reloadable Prepaid Visa® Card = Sticking to Grocery Budget

For the past 30 days, I have been participating in the Visa Clear Prepaid Shopping List Challenge. Grocery shopping can be tough, especially when you are trying to stick within a set budget. With the help of the Green Dot® Reloadable Prepaid Visa® Card, I was easily able to stick to my grocery budget for my family with very little stress. Thanks to the Visa Clear Prepaid program and the Green Dot® Reloadable Prepaid Visa® Card for sponsoring this post, so I can show you how easy it is to manage your grocery budget!

Last month, I discovered it was simple to purchase and register my Green Dot® Reloadable Prepaid Visa® Card. All of the fees are clearly communicated on the package and on the registration website. I simply found the prepaid card at a retailer in my town. Green Dot® Reloadable Prepaid Visa® Cards can be purchased at retailers like CVS, 7-Eleven, Kmart, Family Dollar, Dollar General, Rite Aid, Walgreen’s, and Walmart as well as many others.

Direct Deposit is available on the Green Dot card , which makes it easy for me to reload my card. I submitted a direct deposit enrollment form to my employer to have them directly deposit $75 per week to my Green Dot card. When you are logged into your account, find the direct deposit tab to have access to the routing number and account number, which you will need to give to your payroll department.

To stick to my weekly grocery budget, meal planning is KEY! Here’s a few basic meal planning tips to help you stick to your own grocery budget:

Meal Planning Basics

1. Plan Out Meals a Week at a Time: Spend a little time planning out your meals for the upcoming week. Make sure to include breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a few snacks for your family.
2. Make Use of What You Already Have: When you are making your meal plan for the week, think about what you already have in your pantry and freezer. If you are like me, you probably have a few things that haven’t been used that you can include into your plan. This will save you money by making use of things you have already purchased but it will also clear some space in your pantry. {Happy Dance!}
3. Make a List Based Upon Planned Meals: After you have created your meal plan, it is time to create your grocery shopping list. Before you head out, make sure you have included everything you need on your list. You don’t want to make additional, unnecessary trips as each shopping trip means more temptation to buy extra things not on your list.
4. Buy Only What You Need: In the beginning, you should only buy the items that you need and have on your list. Once you get in the habit of shopping this way, you will start seeing the savings that comes along with it. Then you can adjust your budget to allow for extra spending like stocking up when you come across a great sale.

Planned meals result in less stress as you will know exactly what you will be eating every night. The dreaded question of “What is for dinner?” will be no more as you will know exactly what is on your meal plan. This means more dinners at home instead of calling for expensive take-out.

We have also created this simple FREE meal plan and shopping list PDF to help you get organized. Download this Weekly Meal Plan (PDF) here:

Why Use Green Dot® Reloadable Prepaid Visa® Card

With the Visa Clear Prepaid program, there is less stress in choosing and using a prepaid card. It can be confusing and overwhelming seeing all of the different options available. Cards meeting the Visa Clear Prepaid standards provide you with transparency and protection, meaning you have more time to do the things you love. To learn more about Visa Clear Prepaid, visit visa.com/visaclearprepaid.