Menu planning on a budget? Let me help! Get ideas and inspiration from the frugal meals that our family enjoyed recently.
If you working at meal planning on a budget but are new to my menu plan posts, it’s probably helpful to know a couple of things first:
- Our family of six consists of two adults with fairly big appetites, an 8 ½ year-old boy, a 5 year-old girl, a 2 ½ year-old girl and an exclusively breastfed baby boy.
- I buy lots of fruits and veggies in bulk from local farmers/orchards in the summer and then freeze or can them. This is not only much cheaper it is also healthier too.
- I have a stockpile. My cupboards are full from previous shopping and here’s why. When I can get pasta for free with coupons, I buy as much as I have coupons for. If I’m able to get flour for $0.50/bag like I did last fall, I’ll buy half a dozen and put them in the freezer to use as needed. I do this as much as my budget allows, on as many items as I can and as a result save lots of money. Then when I go to plan menus, I simply plan our meals around what I already have in my cupboards and freezer, as much as possible. Obviously, I still might have to buy a few things at regular price here and there, but by stocking up when the price is at rock bottom I save a lot.
- I cook almost totally from scratch. That means when I make a cake, I rarely use a cake mix. I make my own bread totally from scratch. I rarely use pre-packaged sauces. I make my own cream soups and pie crusts. Making your own food is typically less expensive and healthier too.
- We rarely snack. By eating “heavy” food like granola at breakfast we don’t get hungry until lunchtime. And the same goes for the afternoon. Our lunches are big enough that we usually are fine until dinner time. When we do need a snack, I try to keep it mostly healthy by offering fruit, nuts or maybe No Bake Energy Bites. We don’t always do it perfectly though, and sometimes end up having chips or cookies instead.
- Our breakfasts consist of Homemade Granola or Baked Oatmeal, the occasional bought cereal that I was able to get for $0.50/box and sometimes some fruit too. I know that might seem awfully boring to some of you, but we actually all really enjoy it and prefer it over other breakfast food. I also have a homemade iced latte, homemade frappe or some other fun beverage every morning. It’s just one of the little things that I do to add a bit of sunshine to my days!
Below you will find our lunches and dinners. (If we ate something other than our usual breakfast, I’ll note that too.) My husband is working at renovating our house currently and we homeschool, so right now the whole family is here for every meal.
Ideas for Menu Planning on a Budget
WEEK 1
Sunday
- One Pan Balsamic Sausage & Veggies; Homemade Applesauce; Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies (bought from a fundraiser supporting a local drug rehabilitation center)
- Homemade Tuna Salad on 100% Whole Wheat Bread; Homemade Popcorn; Easy Fruit Smoothie
Monday
- Leftover One Pan Balsamic Sausage & Veggies; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Canned Peaches; Frozen Blueberries
- Turkey Burgers (bought from Aldi); Annie’s Organic Mac & Cheese (got free with coupons); Green Beans; Homeamde Applesauce; Blonde Brownies
– Curious how I got the Annie’s Mac & Cheese free? You can learn more about how I shop and save money on groceries here.
Tuesday
- Meat & Cheese Sandwiches made with 100% Whole Wheat Bread; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Oranges; Frozen Blueberries
- Velvety Chicken & Onion Soup; Lettuce Salad; Homemade Applesauce; Leftover Blonde Brownies
– I couldn’t find any recipes online that were quite like the Velvety Chicken & Onion Soup. It’s kind of like recipes that I came across for Chicken Velvet Soup but has more ingredients and pretty sure would be more flavorful. It’s quite tasty, so I suppose I’ll have to just post the recipe here on my site sometime so you all can enjoy it too!
Wednesday
- Refried Bean & Cheese Quesadillas; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Oranges; Frozen Blueberries
- Crustless Bacon & Egg Quiche; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Applesauce; Leftover Blonde Brownies
Thursday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Canned Peaches; Frozen Blueberries
- Dr. Oetker’s pizza (got free with coupons); Green Beans; Homemade Applesauce; Healthy Double Chocolate Muffins
Friday
- Leftover Crustless Bacon & Egg Quiche; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Oranges; Bananas
- Homemade Vegetable Soup; Cheese; Leftover Healthy Double Chocolate Muffins
Saturday
- Meat & Cheese Sandwiches made with 100% Whole Wheat Bread; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Canned Peaches; Bananas
- Salsa Ranch Chicken Wraps; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Applesauce; Leftover Healthy Double Chocolate Muffins
WEEK 2
Sunday
- We were invited away for lunch
- Homemade Chicken Salad on 100% Whole Wheat Bread; Easy Fruit Smoothie
Monday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Bananas; Oranges
- Creamy Crockpot Mexican Chicken; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies (had in the freezer)
Tuesday
- Meat & Cheese Sandwiches made with 100% Whole Wheat Bread; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Canned Peaches; Bananas
- Easy Chicken Curry Soup with Rice; Lettuce Salad; Crazy Chocolate Cake with Old Fashioned Caramel Frosting
Wednesday
- Eggs; Toast; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Clementines; Frozen Blueberries
- Poor Man’s Steak (my recipe is similar to this one); Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes; Bacon and Onion Green Beans; Leftover Crazy Chocolate Cake
Thursday
- Leftover Creamy Crockpot Mexican Chicken; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Clementines; Canned Peaches
- Taco Soup (my recipe is similar to this recipe); Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies (had in the freezer)
Friday
- Meat & Cheese Sandwiches made with 100% Whole Wheat Bread; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Canned Peaches; Frozen Blueberries
- Rice & Bean Wraps (rice/beans/diced tomatoes/seasonings with sour cream and shredded cheese); Peas; Leftover Crazy Chocolate Cake
Saturday
- Meat & Cheese Sandwiches made with 100% Whole Wheat Bread; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Canned Peaches; Bananas
- Homemade Pizza (used homemade pizza crust); Lettuce Salad; Homemade Applesauce; Leftover Crazy Chocolate Cake
– This homemade pizza crust recipe is awesome! Not only does it need no time to rise, you can have it ready to go in the oven in 30 minutes! And it’s really tasty too. The only thing I do differently is pre-bake the crust a bit before putting on the toppings.
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Megan
I need more of this kind of thing in my life! I’m generally very frugal – I hardly ever spend money on anything. However, food is my weakness. I usually eat all organic and buy a lot of my produce from the farmers market or health food stores in my area. I cook all my meals and use simple ingredients, but I still haven’t been able to cut my grocery budget as much as I would like.
Do you have any coupon sources for organic food that you’d recommend?
Thanks you for the helpful post!
ThriftyFrugalMom
Hey, we all have our weaknesses and spendy spots, right? 🙂 We’d love to eat organic too, but with 4 kids and a husband who’s pursuing schooling, it just isn’t very feasible most of the time. However, I applaud anyone that’s able to make it work!
As for coupons, I mention the sources for organic coupons as well as other ways to save on organic foods in my post about Eating Organic on a Tight Budget. Hopefully that will help you out!
Megan
I just finished reading the post in your comment above (Eating Organic on a Tight Budget) and loved it! I love that you mentioned shopping online – I think it’s becoming more common for food these days, but it seems like many people still don’t realize it’s an option, let alone a huge money-saving one.
I also use Vitacost, and I use another site called Tropical Traditions. They’ve both been super helpful so far! I think I’m going to look into meal planning soon too and see if that helps.
I’ll have to take a look at the coupon sources you mentioned. Thanks a ton, Lydia!
ThriftyFrugalMom
Thanks, Megan and you are so welcome! Yes, I think you’re right that online food shopping is becoming a bigger thing. I know I shop more online than I ever have- it’s just so convenient and often I can get great deals too. I’ve heard of Tropical Traditions, but I don’t think I’ve ever checked it out. I’ll definitely have to. And yes, meal planning can be a great way to save money! Hope it helps you save. 🙂
Justin
Wow i just love this post. This is the first time i am commenting on your blog. Its lovely. Gonna bookmark it.
ThriftyFrugalMom
Thanks, Justin!
Kelly
Totally loving this monthly menu planning! This is amazing! I will have to utilize this into my meal planning for sure. XOXO 🙂
ThriftyFrugalMom
Thanks, Kelly! Glad it could help.