Food Budgeting for Busy Brains with Meghan Splawn
Food writer, recipe developer, and longtime meal-planning expert Meghan Splawn joins Catherine Smart to talk about the emotional, practical, and very real work of getting a food budget under control.
After realizing her family had spent more than $32,000 in a year on groceries, dining out, coffee, Costco runs, and food in general, Meghan began publicly documenting her effort to cut that spending in half. In this conversation, she shares why tracking is the first step, how food spending can get tangled up with shame and identity, and why budgeting does not have to mean giving up good food.
Catherine and Meghan talk about impulse grocery buys, ADHD-friendly systems, low- and no-spend weeks, freezer meals, and meal planning without perfectionism. They also get into the joy of using up what you already have, the “sludge of shame,” unidentified frozen objects, pantry roulette, and why a plate of frozen dumplings and edamame can sometimes save the whole week.
For listeners interested in ADHD cooking, this episode offers a calmer, more realistic way to think about food spending, meal planning, and feeding yourself or your family without shame. It is also a conversation about ADHD creativity: how constraints, leftovers, freezer finds, and imperfect systems can become the starting point for better meals.
This food podcast episode is for anyone who loves food, feels overwhelmed by food spending, or wants a more sustainable way to cook at home.
In this episode:
Why tracking your food spending comes before setting a budget
How money and food shame show up in the kitchen
Meghan’s food budget diary and weekly tracking system
Low-spend and no-spend week strategies
Meal planning for people who hate meal planning
ADHD-friendly fridge, freezer, and pantry systems
Budget-friendly emergency meals to keep on hand
How to spend less without taking the joy out of food
Not From Concentrate is a food podcast for busy brains from host Catherine Smart — a cook, writer, mom, and creative entrepreneur with ADHD.
Tune in for conversations with chefs, authors, creators, and food lovers about sparking creativity, calming chaos, and finding joy in (and out) of the kitchen + subscribe to the Not From Concentrate newsletter on Substack
