Meal Planning Saves Time, Money and Sanity. Here’s How You Can Make It Happen in Your Home.

Ever follow an Instagram account just to see regular posts of amazingly perfect food photos? Yeah, us too!

Add in all those time-lapsed videos of the cooking process, and you’ll be salivating before your kids can interrupt to say, “What’s for dinner?”

But there’s food fantasy and then there’s reality. And while almost no one can whip up dinner in 60 seconds flat, you can make the journey from store to table a whole lot easier with meal planning.

What Is Meal Planning?

A meal plan is like a budget for your food. You decide up front and on purpose what you’ll eat for dinner throughout the week. You can have pizza seven nights in a row, go out to eat on odd-numbered days, or cook every single meal at home. It’s totally up to you!

Meal planning done right can change the game for both your family and your budget. Read on to learn how.

Anybody can have dreams. But it takes guts to turn those dreams into goals and get things done. Are you ready to get things done with your money—to set and reach your financial goals?

Part of being an adult is realizing there’s no fairy godmother who makes your money wishes come true. You’ll have to work to reach these financial goals. But you can do this—because it’s worth it.

You’ve set your holiday budget (bravo to you!). But then you’re tempted by all things festive, and before you know it, you find yourself in a whirlwind of tinsel and overspending. It happens to us all, but you don’t have to get caught in this trap. You just need to be aware of what’s coming and have a plan to stand against it. Here are four super common holiday budget busters and a game plan for how you can stop them in their tracks.

Americans plan to spend $997.79 on holiday purchases for themselves and their families this year. That’s down from last year’s $1,048, but it’s still a big chunk of change.1

Is that all on presents under the tree? Nope—here’s a breakdown:

Gifts: $650
Food and decorations: $230
Other holiday purchases: $117

Yeah, Christmas can get expensive. But remember: Those are averages based on what the average American plans to spend.

‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through that day, the adults kept on swearing, “It shouldn’t be this way! We shouldn’t be so flustered—we hate all the hoopla!” Then they stress ate the cookies the kids made for Santa.

Most of us can relate to this story. Christmas stress denies us the true joys of the season. But no more! It’s time to say “Bah! Humbug!” to holiday hassles and actually enjoy Christmas this year.

Try out these 10 money tips to prevent Christmas stress.