Looking for some cheap meal ideas? Check this out! Here are the inexpensive meals that our family of 5 have enjoyed recently!
Whew, these two weeks were rather busy and as you’ll see, I kept meals super simple. We even went out to eat one night as a sweet treat from my kind husband who knew that I was kind of needing a little break from the never ending “what should we eat tonight” question. No, that’s not the most frugal solution, but sometimes you just need to do it- at least if you can at all make it work with your budget!
If you are new to these menu plans of mine, it’s probably helpful to know a couple of things first:
- Our family of five consists of two adults with fairly big appetites, a 7 year-old boy, a 3 ½ year-old girl and an 20 month-old girl.
- 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 Easy 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.) Monday through Friday, 3 days a week the lunches are just for the two youngest and me, the other 2 days my husband joins us. Our son gets lunch at school and 3 days a week my husband takes a packed lunch with him to school/work. His lunch typically consists of sandwiches, fruit, homemade yogurt and sometimes random leftovers too.
Get my FREE $50 Aldi Meal Plan here! It has 7 easy dinners for a family of 5.
Cheap Meal Ideas
WEEK 1
Sunday
- Ham Loaf (comes pre-made- I just make a glaze for it); Sweet Potatoes/Potatoes/Carrots (with brown butter and bread crumbs); Homemade Applesauce; Crumbly Pumpkin Bread
- Eggs; Easy Fruit Smoothie; Homemade Popcorn
Monday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Frozen Peaches (I preserved) and Frozen Blueberries
- Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup; Dinner Rolls (store-bought); Gingerbread Biscotti with White Chocolate Icing (from the freezer)
– I got the organic dinner rolls for $0.50 months ago at a local discount grocery store. Such a handy, fun find!
Tuesday
- Meat & Cheese Sandwiches made with Homemade Bread; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Frozen Peaches (I preserved); Frozen Blueberries
- One Pan Chicken & Rice; Green Beans; Homemade Applesauce
Wednesday
- Meat & Cheese Sandwiches made with Homemade Bread; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Frozen Peaches and Frozen Fruit Slush
- Salsa Chicken Soup; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Irresistible Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes
– Some neighbors brought us these pumpkin pie cupcakes last year and they were amazing! I knew I had to make them at least once this year. Of course, I topped them with my Homemade Real Whipped Cream.
Thursday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Frozen Peaches (I preserved)
- Homemade Chicken Alfredo Pizza (used homemade Alfredo sauce and homemade pizza crust and topped with chicken, tomatoes and caramelized onions); Lettuce Salad; Homemade Applesauce; Leftover Irresistible Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes
– This homemade 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.
Friday
- KidFresh Chicken Nuggets; McCain Smiles Shaped Potatoes; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Applesauce; Leftover Irresistible Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes
– I was able to get the KidFresh nuggets free with coupons recently….instead of using them as kid only food, we all enjoy them! The McCain Smiles were also free after coupons. I love having stuff like this on hand for quick meals on crazy days.
Saturday
- Leftover One Pan Chicken & Rice; Easy Frozen Fruit Smoothie
- Eggs; Bacon; Apple Cinnamon Pancakes with homemade syrup and peanut butter; Homemade Applesauce
– We loved the pancakes! My husband who is not a huge pancake lover even said that I should make them again.
WEEK 2
Sunday
- Ham Loaf (comes pre-made- I just make a glaze for it); Sweet Potatoes/Potatoes (with butter and sour cream); Green Beans; Homemade Applesauce
- Homemade Egg Salad on crackers/bread; Homemade Popcorn; Easy Frozen Fruit Smoothie
Monday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Banana; Frozen Blueberries
- Red Robin- We had a lot going on, so my husband said he’d treat us all to a meal out at one of our favorite restaurants. I always tell him that for me, that is way better than flowers! 🙂
Tuesday
- My sister-in-laws’ put on a birthday brunch for my mom-in-law. They did a fantastic job and the food and decor were amazing! So fun!
- Homemade Cream of Tomato Soup; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Blonde Brownies (from freezer)
Wednesday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Frozen Blueberries; Apples
- Ball Park’s Finest Beef Franks; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade White Bean Dip with Corn Chips; Homemade Applesauce; Homemade Peanut Butter Cream Pie with Homemade Pie Crust (similar to this recipe, but I use real whipped cream instead of meringue)
Thursday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Frozen Peaches (I preserved) and Frozen Blueberries
- Cream Cheese Potato Soup with Ham; Lettuce Salad; Leftover Peanut Butter Cream Pie
Friday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Bananas
- Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Apple Goodie; Turkey Hill All Natural Ice Cream
– Had 2 good friends join us for dinner.
– The soup kind of ended up being a bit of a flop, which was unfortunate since we had guests here. (I suppose that’s why you don’t try new recipes out on guests! Thankfully it was good friends and they were great about it.) Maybe I did something wrong- which is possible because my day was rather crazy- but it was just pretty bland and not at all like the picture on the blog shows.
Saturday
- Crustless Quiche with bacon, spinach and caramelized onions (used my Homemade Bisquick to make it!); Oranges; Frozen Peaches (I preserved); Homemade Grape Juice; Fresh Apple Coffee Cake
– We had a friend that shared Brunch with us.
– The coffee cake was so yummy! And I love that it’s easy to make and can be frozen too. - Attended a wedding and ate there.
Kelli {A Deeper Joy}
These are really great tips! I’m saving this for when I have kids. Thanks!
ThriftyFrugalMom
Thanks, Kelli! 🙂
Chris Carter
WOW! I’m impressed with how well you manage your food and meals in such an affordable way… You have inspired me to try harder to maintain a better budget with our meals. Pinning!
ThriftyFrugalMom
Thanks, Chris! It is amazing how just being intentional and planning a little bit can make a big difference!
Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom
Oooh, you’ve shared some great tips here!
I love that you shared your menu too – it shows how saving money on groceries IS possible.
Thanks for sharing (and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop).
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
ThriftyFrugalMom
Thanks Jennifer! Yes, I always hope that these menu plans show that you can actually eat pretty decent on a tight budget if you just work at it a little bit.