I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I approach weeknight cooking, and honestly, it’s a bit of a mess. There’s this post I came across from someone in WA who’s managed to prepare 26 meals for about $55 – roughly $2.10 per serve – through bulk meal prepping and strategic shopping. And look, I’ll be upfront: my initial reaction was a mix of genuine admiration and mild defensiveness about my own kitchen habits.

There’s something about Sunday evenings that makes you pause and think about the week ahead. Tonight, I found myself scrolling through a discussion thread where someone was asking for frugal dinner inspiration for their family of three. The responses were a beautiful mix of practicality and creativity - from Adam Liaw’s cauliflower and ricotta spaghetti to homemade dumplings with the kids lending a hand.

Reading through these suggestions got me thinking about how much our relationship with food and money has shifted over the past few years. When someone mentions they can feed a family of five with a whole chicken and vegetables for under $20 and calls it “reasonable in this day and age,” it really hits home just how much our expectations have had to adjust.