According to Investopedia.com, a return on investment (ROI) is a financial metric that is widely used to measure the probability of gaining a return from an investment. So, in layman’s terms, it’s looking at what you stand to gain from investing in something. ROI usually refers to actual financial investments but it doesn’t have to.
ROI Redefined
In recent months, I’ve not shied away from investing in the stock market. But I’ve learned sometimes the most valuable ROI take place in my home. This is either in the time I spend with others or that I complete activities that can save me stress or money. This in return can give me my maximum Return on my Investment of time and energy. Ultimately, this saves me money in my budget. This in turn allows me the opportunity to have money to invest in my family’s future. This is done by way of my Emergency Fund or my Roth IRA.
As a single, working mom, I do a big grocery shopping trip about once a month. I make a few trips in between the big ones to get fresh produce and milk. My grocery budget is rarely difficult to keep under $500. Actually making it work means I have to work to meal prep and avoid eating out as much as possible.
Meal Prepping
Weekends are essential to making my meal budget work, so weekends that are packed with activities, trips to pick up the kids at their dad’s, or times that I work can feel like they’re derailing but they don’t have to be with a little bit of planning. My goal is to try to prep as much food as I can for the week ahead- for at work and at home- on the same day that I get my groceries or pull things from the freezer. If heads of lettuce, cucumbers, and berries get stuck in the fridge straight from my grocery bags, I may as well just toss them in the trash right then because they will get lost in my packed fridge and never see the light of day until they look like a science experiment.
I promise you that none of this has to be complicated and to show you how easy it is, I set aside 90 minutes today after unloading my groceries from my trip to Aldi to show how easy it is to get a great ROI for the money I spent on my groceries, the quality of meals my kids get, and the time it’ll take me to make the meals later in the week as I get home from work at 6:00 and wondering how I’ll get a meal on the table before my kids are gnawing on their arms.
Maximize Shopping Trips
Most of my groceries are bought for the month with a heaping Aldi cart. This includes most of the snacks and meals for the next few weeks. I do have some extra inventory from other months thanks to a large pantry and an extra freezer. If you lack storage, please don’t fret that you could never provide for weeks with one trip to the store. The point I’m trying to make is that a short investment of time on the weekend can reap major rewards through the week when the pace of life isn’t in your favor. If your storage requires weekly or bi-weekly trips to the store, plan wisely. Do what you have to do to provide for your family.
Mississippi Pot Roast 
Marinating Salmon 
Beef Au Jus Sandwiches
Make Meals in Advance
Since I only have one Instant pot*, I opted to put my bigger roast for my Mississippi Pot Roast into the crockpot*. I will pull that out in 8 hours. I’ll put it in the fridge for tomorrow night’s meal and leftovers will go into a baggy in the freezer. I’ll use it for Vegetable beef down the road or it’ll go into the fridge for leftovers later this week.
I mixed a quick marinade for salmon and threw the frozen patties into the marinade. I put it right back in the fridge for Tuesday’s meal. If I have a bit of time later, I’ll make some rice up to serve with that meal. I can also make it the night of or serve it with another, quicker side. Either way, my kids will have some nourishment that’s not courtesy of the local pizza parlor or Mickey D’s. Lastly, I threw a small roast into my Instant pot* and walked away so I could prep my produce.
2 heads of lettuce 
1 cucumber 
Lunch ready to grab n go
Cut, Slice, Bag
The key is to prep my produce and put them in the bags or containers from which they’ll get used. I know myself well enough to know that when it’s time for me to leave for work, I’m not going to sit and ponder what I can prep for lunch. I’m ready to go NOW! So I prep bags of healthy snacks and sometimes not so healthy snacks. Even junk is better than the money and the empty calories from Kwikstar or fast food along my work route.
As a home health nurse, I’ve learned that this prep can make or break my Eating Out budget. I try to make a point to boil eggs, have beef jerky on hand, and have ready to go veggies, fruits, and chicken salad that I can just spoon onto bread as I pop out the door. And yes, I usually buy the chicken salad pre-made at Aldi. That makes one less thing I’m taking time to do. It can easily be made from scratch, but I do try and pick my battles. I like to limit my time in the kitchen. ROI is very important for me!
Time is Your Greatest Asset
I know beyond a realistic shadow of a doubt that time is our greatest asset. Maximizing our ROI so that we have more time can also make for more opportunities to save money, decrease stress, spend time enjoying our loved ones and the activities we enjoy. This can even allow us opportunities to make more money. Try to invest in yourself and your family by setting aside a couple of hours a week to set up a meal plan. I guarantee it’s one of the biggest ROIs you could get and you will thank yourself daily! 💛
*DISCLOSURE: I have links to products I regularly use and think you might find helpful. Wherever possible I use these affiliate links. This means if you click one of the links in this blog and make a purchase I may receive a small commission.