Takeout creeps up when nobody knows what is for dinner. A 15 minute Sunday plan fixes most of it.

The Sunday routine

Check what you already have. Look in the fridge, freezer and pantry first. Plan meals that use it up.

Pick 5 dinners, not 7. Leave two nights open for leftovers or plans changing.

Mix one cheap, one fast, one batch meal. Rice and beans, a 20 minute stir fry, and a big pot of soup cover three nights.

Write the grocery list by aisle. Produce, meat and dairy, pantry, frozen. You walk the store once and skip impulse trips.

Cook the base on Sunday. Rice, a roasted tray of vegetables and one protein cut the weeknight work in half.

Keep a pantry list

Ten staples you always keep: rice or pasta, canned tomatoes, beans, oil, spices, eggs, broth, flour, frozen vegetables, bread or tortillas. With these you can always make something.

Track the spend

Write the weekly budget at the top and the real total at the bottom.…