In this day and age, where peer pressure, marketing and temptation are around us to spend money, there has always been my one “go to” to keep myself in financial check. Food typically is a higher expense on a monthly budget and I have found a recipe for success that works for me, to keep that expense category down through the majority of a month. How do I keep this significant line item in check? One of my recipes for financial success boils down to nothing other than peanutbutter, bananas and oats! What am I talking about? Let’s dive into the fun details to see where I am coming from with this trifecta of awesomeness.
For those that truly know me, know of my obsession with bananas and peanutbutter. The interesting part is that I never ate peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches at a young age. It wasn’t until I was in my Junior year of high school that I truly started to eat the delectable sandwich. This was driven by two focused areas at that time of my life, well maybe 3 areas – eating healthier, saving money and time. That was some 13-14 years ago and if it wasn’t for peanutbutter, as well as oats & bananas, I really don’t know if I’d be where I am today! I know, crazy, right? How can this be? Well, I’ll break into the cost and how this has been possible for me, especially because food takes up approximately 20% of my monthly expenditure.
Peanutbutter, Bananas & Oats cost
The cost of a 40 ounce jar of peanutbutter at Aldi cost $2.89. The suggestive serving size is 40, but I’ll say I do at least 50% more per serving than normal (can’t get enough of it), therefore, I’d conclude that this jar holds 30 servings for me. The cost per serving for me is $0.0963 or $0.10 rounded.
Bananas are typically $0.44 per pound for me lately. When buying 2 pounds of bananas, this can be around 6-7 bananas or $0.135 per banana. This varies depending on the size, but the average weight per medium-sized bananas comes in at 4-5 ounces. Sometimes a banana to me can be a dessert and at only $0.135 per pop, I am all over it!
Oats, also, only cost $2.39 at Aldi as well and is the two pound & ten ounce container (42 ounces). You have to maximize your efforts here! The servings per container, which I would state I stick with what’s prescribed, is 30 servings. The cost per serving for me is $0.0796 or $0.08 rounded.
THe Meals
Oatmeal with Peanutbutter and a Banana – It’s true. These three ingredients or items combine to form one powerful meal. 1 serving of oatmeal has 150 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 28 grams of carbs, 4 grams fiber & 5 grams protein. 1 normal serving of peanutbutter for me is 285 calories, 22.5 grams of fat, 10.5 grams of carbs, 3 grams fiber & 10.5 grams protein. 1 medium sized banana has 105 calories, no fat, 27 grams of carbs, 3 grams fiber & 1 gram protein. When I combine these three, the total nutrition comes to 540 calories, 25 grams of fat (19.25 unsaturated), 65.5 grams of carbs, 10 grams of fiber & 16.5 grams of protein. Talk about a mean, powerful bowl of energy here! I typically add these together, with water and cook in the microwave for between 60-70 seconds. I will either have this for breakfast and/or for lunch; because to me, it’s damn delicious and provides the energy that I need for multiple hours, keeping me full from the fiber and focused. Due to taking around two minutes for total preparation (cutting the banana takes the longest at 30-45 seconds), this allows me to make the most out of my lunch hour, each and every day. Oh and cannot be the cost of $0.32 for my lunch! Just typing that out makes me smile and nod my head baby!
Banana with Peanutbutter Topping – Another one of my favorites. It will be 2:30/3:00 PM in the office and a craving, small meal internal clock dings. I will open the banana, place on plate and place my servings on peanutbutter over the top. This typically takes me about 30 seconds to a minute to complete this preparation, as I don’t cut the banana into slices (literally, just slicing each bite with a fork). Further, this comes in at around 390 calories, containing over 10 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. This is a fairly expensive snack at $0.24… budget breaker? I am kidding. No chance that this is a very inexpensive snack that will fuel your craving & metabolism in a healthy & cost efficient way. I know I continue to beat this saying to a pulp, but, every dollar counts in the journey to financial freedom!
Banana-less Oatmeal – Don’t have any bananas left? No problem. Luckily my jar of peanutbutter and container/tin of oats lasts me almost the same amount of time. This cuts down the time by a little bit, not having to slice & add the banana. Further, the nutrition comes in at around 435 calories & over 15 grams of protein, with 38 grams of carbs and 7 grams of fiber. Lastly, this only costs me around $0.18 per occasion.
Recipe for financial success conclusion
During a given week, I will have these at least 6 times (sometimes I do end up eating this twice per day and some days I may never have it). Why do I want to eat this? It’s damn delicious! I am dead serious. My favorite above is the first option, once the peanutbutter is warm/silky, it’s phenomenal. Also, eating this around 6 times per week on the maximum end is LESS THAN $2.00!!! I’ll say that again, THIS COSTS ME LESS THAN TWO DOLLARS! Do you want to save money? Look at your food budget and aim to introduce one of these meals above to your diet and financial statement! I promise you will see results in a matter of one week. Dividend Dynasty recently talked about the brown bag lunch and Jason Fieber talked about what oatmeal & brown sugar means to him with a twist; and it was my turn to show the technical impact of my eating habit!
I promise you this isn’t a bland lunch option. I also promise you that you will save money. I can also state that you will feel full for an extended period of time from this meal, purely because of the nutritional facts. Maintaining a steady helping of the servings above allows me to stay at or above the 60% savings rate on a monthly basis. On top of that – I do not feel like this puts me in a position of missing out on anything, as these meals are typically when the other option is to eat out with co-workers for lunch (not what I typically want to do, when I see them 50-60 hours per week already) or to go out to grab food from a restaurant by myself, etc..
What do you think of the concoctions above? Do you eat peanutbutter, bananas and/or oats on a regular basis? If so, are you able to second the amount of money and time one can save? Do you love the taste? Actually, this brings up an even better question – do you have other lower priced meals that are quick, healthy and delicious? Please share those, as I believe it won’t just benefit me, but hopefully will benefit the community! Also, if you have other variations of using these delicious items above – post them below. Thanks again everyone, save money and invest often.
-Lanny