Welcome back to Home Economics for Men, the series that teaches you – the single man of the 21^st century – the ins-and-outs of culinary self-sufficiency.

If convenience food is burning a hole in your pocket and giving you that Homer Simpson physique you never dreamed of, then this is the series for you.

In last week’s lesson, we introduced the concept of the meal plan – perhaps the most important tool to mastering home economics. But, while we only scratched the surface in lesson one, we’re going deep in lesson two.

This week, we’re looking at advanced meal planning. Specifically, how meal planning for one actually works.

The things you will need:

There are two very important things that you’ll need to make advanced meal planning a success.

Number one, and most obvious, is a freezer. I assume you already have one of those, but if you don’t, then please invest in one. You can’t meal plan without one and the purchase will pay off in dividends down the line.

Number two is plastic containers. Lots of them. They can be Tupperware, they can be off-brand Tupperware, or they can be those cheap plastic cartons that your Chinese take-out comes in. Whatever they are, you want them to be roughly the size of a meal portion for one person. The reasons why will become apparent momentarily…

Right. Now that you’ve got the necessary equipment, let’s dive in.

Think about your base ingredients

Photo by Katie Smith

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Welcome to Home Economics for Men, the series that teaches you – the single man of the 21^st century – the ins-and-outs of culinary self-sufficiency.

If convenience food is burning a hole in your pocket and giving you that Homer Simpson physique you never dreamed of, then this is the series for you.

In lesson one, we’re introducing the fundamental principle in home economics mastery: the meal plan.

Without one of these bad boys, you’re up home economics creek without a paddle. So sit up, take note and no talking at the back. This is where the important stuff begins.

Scheduling your shopping

How often do you visit the grocery store? Once a month? Twice a week? Every day?

Assuming you’re a single man, I’ll hazard that the answer is “every day.” You probably hit the convenience store or supermarket on your way home from the office after a full day’s work. And, you probably do so knowing that – save for a jar of out of date pickles and three sachets of left over Szechuan sauce from last week’s Chinese takeout – your refrigerator is completely empty.