Not sure what to eat on a tight budget? Here’s the menu that our family of 5 enjoys. It even includes links to simple, easy, healthy recipes!
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Yes, these past two weeks were rather busy and I had some unexpected things come up that took more time than I had anticipated. As a result, meals were kept very, very simple. Not that we ever eat very fancy meals…but still.
I realized as I was typing this up that most lunches were a main food and then homemade yogurt, peaches and blueberries. I know that might sound awfully boring to some of you, but honestly, that routine simplifies our life and makes lunchtime so much easier.
But more than that, our children actually love it so much that if I say that we aren’t going to have peaches, blueberries and yogurt, most days mutiny breaks out! Well, not quite. But there are typically major protests.
I think it’s partly the routine that they love (kids thrive on routine you know) and partly the fact that they truly do enjoy the food itself.
Also, if you are interested in trimming your grocery budget, I highly recommend checking out these money saving apps! Using these apps is one of the things that helps me keep our grocery budget so low! Here are the ones I use:
- Ibotta
- Checkout 51
- Fetch Rewards (use referral code GE0EG to get $2.00 in free points!)
– This one is the absolute easiest to use…you just scan your receipt and that’s it. I’ve only used it for a couple of weeks and I already have earned $9 in Amazon gift cards! - Shopkick (use promo code THRIFTY5 at sign up to get an extra 3000 point)
– This one isn’t really a grocery app per se, but I like to use it when I’m at the grocery store to earn points (or kicks as they call them) that I can redeem for gift cards. It only takes a couple of extra minutes and if I’m not pushed for time it’s worth it for me!
Oh, and if you are new here, it’s probably helpful to know a couple of things first:
- Our family of five consists of two adults with fairly big appetites, a 6-year-old boy, a 3 year-old girl and a 14 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. But that is why if you look at my Weekly Spending Summaries you won’t always see lots of produce.
- 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. (Why should I when this super moist chocolate cake takes all of 5 minutes to mix up?) I make my own bread totally from scratch. I almost never use pre-packaged sauces. I make my own cream soups and pie crusts and lots and lots of other things. Making your own food is almost always less expensive and healthier too!
- We rarely snack. By eating “heavy” food like granola at breakfast we don’t get hungry until lunch time. 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 coffee, homemade frappe or some other fun beverage every morning. It’s just one of the little things that I do to make my morning routine a bit easier and more fun!
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 I, 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 work. His lunch typically consists of sandwiches, fruit, homemade yogurt and sometimes random leftovers too.
Ideas of What to Eat on a Tight Budget
WEEK 1
Sunday
- Breakfast- had grapefruit in addition to our usual granola and baked oatmeal
- Herb Roasted Chicken & Potatoes; Peas; Homemade Pickles; Homemade Applesauce
- Toasted Tuna Salad and Cheese Sandwiches (used homemade bread); Potato Chips; Easy Fruit Smoothies; Easy 3 Ingredient Healthy Fudge; Mandarin Oranges
Monday
- Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup; Classic French Bread; Oranges; Home Canned Peaches & Frozen Blueberries; Easy Homemade Yogurt
– a friend and her children at with us and she brought some coleslaw - Salsa Ranch Chicken Wraps; Green Beans (I preserved); Homemade Applesauce; Homemade Peanut Butter Pie (made with a homemade pie crust)
Tuesday
- Various leftovers; Home Canned Peaches & Frozen Blueberries; Easy Homemade Yogurt
- Salmon Soup (sort of like oyster soup but uses canned salmon); Toss Salad with hard-boiled eggs/mushrooms/cheese & Mexican Dressing; Homemade Pickles; Homemade Applesauce; Leftover Peanut Butter Pie
– I was away for the afternoon and ended up being gone longer than I had expected. This was the dinner that my husband surprised me by having ready when I got home. He doesn’t enjoy working in the kitchen, so it’s always a true labor of love when he does something like this. 🙂
Wednesday
- Leftover Vegetable Soup; Cheese; Home Canned Peaches & Frozen Blueberries; Easy Homemade Yogurt
- Cheeseburger Casserole; Peas; Homemade Pickles; Homemade Applesauce
Thursday
- Various Leftovers; Home Canned Peaches & Frozen Blueberries; Easy Homemade Yogurt
- Homemade Breakfast Sandwiches (eggs, cheese, sausage & English muffins); Frozen Fruit Salad Slush; Chocolate Covered Doughnuts
– Also made the following and shared with 2 friends, one who just had a baby: Herb Roasted Chicken & Potatoes; Green Beans; Homemade Bread; Frozen Fruit Salad Slush; Homemade Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
Friday
- Leftover Cheeseburger Casserole; Frozen Peaches (I preserved) & Frozen Blueberries; Easy Homemade Yogurt
- Easy Chicken Pot Pie; Homemade Bread with Homemade Apple Butter; Homemade Applesauce; Homemade Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
Saturday
- Leftover Salmon Soup; Cheese; Home Canned Peaches & Frozen Blueberries; Easy Homemade Yogurt
- Pepperoni Pizza Quesadillas (basically pepperoni pizza toppings between 2 tortillas); Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Applesauce; Milk Shakes (used up some ice cream that had somehow been slightly thawed and then refrozen….couldn’t taste it in the shake though!)
WEEK 2
Sunday
- One Pan Chicken & Rice; Peas; Homemade Applesauce; Homemade Bread with Homemade Strawberry Jelly; Leftover Triple Chocolate Cheesecake
- Toasted Tuna Salad and Cheese Sandwiches (used homemade bread); Potato Chips; Easy Fruit Smoothies
Monday
- Various leftovers; Home Canned Peaches & Frozen Blueberries; Easy Homemade Yogurt
- Vegetable Soup (I canned); Cheese; Classic French Bread; Oreos and Milk
– I was having technical issues with the blog and ended up spending a ton of time working on that, so I ditched my original plan and threw this meal together. I had French Bread in the freezer, just waiting for a night like this.
Tuesday
- Leftover One Pan Chicken & Rice; Home Canned Peaches & Frozen Blueberries; Easy Homemade Yogurt
- Chicken Alfredo Pizza (used Easy Healthier Alfredo Sauce and a homemade pizza crust); Lettuce Salad; Homemade Applesauce; Homemade Hot Cocoa
Wednesday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Oranges
- Farmers Breakfast Hash; Leftover Veggies; Homemade Applesauce; Ice Cream
– The Farmer’s Hash was a new recipe for me. Kind of carb overload, but quite good! 🙂
Thursday
- Leftover pizza; Home Canned Peaches & Frozen Blueberries; Easy Homemade Yogurt
- Salsa Chicken Soup; Lettuce Salad with beans/almonds/cheese and Mexican Dressing; Homemade Applesauce; Chocolate Chip Shortbread
– I’ve always love shortbread but have never made it before. This recipe was so incredibly easy and good too! It was pretty rich stuff with the chocolate chips, so a little went a long way.
Friday
- Various Leftovers; Home Canned Peaches & Frozen Blueberries; Easy Homemade Yogurt
- Country Potato Soup; Lettuce Salad; Homemade Applesauce; Leftover Chocolate Chip Shortbread
Saturday
- Away all day celebrating my husband’s aunt’s life at her funeral and then hanging out with extended family.
Missy
My kids eat cheese, crackers and fruit almost every day for lunch and they love it. We call it our snacky lunch.
ThriftyFrugalMom
Oh, my kids would love that lunch, Missy! 🙂 And doesn’t it just help simplify things so much to just have that same thing usually?
Julie@FrugallyBlonde
Your salmon soup sounds delicious, is it a family recipe? My son and hubs love oyster stew, but I am not a big fan of oysters. However I love salmon, I think I could eat it every night. You do a great job of feeding your family healthy foods on a great budget! I am always so impressed. This summer I am going to try to preserve more foods. 🙂
ThriftyFrugalMom
Julie, it’s kind of a family recipe. It’s from an old cookbook that both my Mom and Grandma used and was a recipe we had frequently growing up. I’ve thought of posting it here, but wasn’t sure people would really enjoy it. 🙂 I can send you the recipe though if you want it. Or you could probably just use your oyster soup recipe and instead of putting in oysters, add canned salmon- just be sure to remove the little bones and skin, unless you don’t mind them. And yes, preserving foods is a great way to eat healthy and it usually saves money too- especially if you grow your own or have an inexpensive place to buy your produce.
Joan
Hi, I would also like the salmon soup recipe. Thanks!
ThriftyFrugalMom
Joan, sorry for the slow response! I emailed you the salmon soup recipe. 🙂
Cass
I would love that recipe please!
ThriftyFrugalMom
Cass, are you referring to the Salmon Soup recipe? If so, I just emailed it to you. 🙂
Gail Akeman
I really need to make homemade bread more often
ThriftyFrugalMom
Gail, it’s a great way to save….and it typically is so much yummier too!
Stephanie
I have a 2 adults an 3 growing boys. Ages 17,18&21. They snack a lot an eat a big supper. We spend at least $100 a week.
ThriftyFrugalMom
Yes, I am sure 3 growing boys those ages make a big difference in the grocery bill! I already am seeing a difference as my kids get older and am suspicious that next year we’ll be forced to up our budget to compensate. There are so many variables that affect grocery budgets and I definitely think it’s totally okay if the amount that people spend varies! In fact, I think it’s only good and right if the number is different for everyone.
dee
Love to read thrifty ideas. however I find it hard to follow as I am allergic to rice and oats which seem to be an almost every meal staple. But I keep reading as I do get some very helpful hints!
ThriftyFrugalMom
Oh, food allergies always make it so much harder, don’t they? I’ve been very grateful that we haven’t had to deal with any so far, but I know it would make meal planning a lot trickier. Glad you were still able to find some helpful hints!
Anne in Canada
My husband has to keep reminding me that our youngest children, now 9 and 11, eat ‘real people’ portions!! Our son, in particular, age 11, has developed a huge appetite. I’m now teaching both little ones to make bread in the bread machine – since they eat a tonne of it! They also eat lunch at school throughout the school year and we make that at home. The thermos helps a lot so they can have a hot lunch; I found that even grilled cheese sandwiches can go in the thermal container.
We only serve juice to the children at lunch at school since the milk warms up in their lunch and they don’t like it much. We eat most food at home, and even for my son’s birthday dinner, we are making homemade pizza and watching a movie at home (his choice of movie).
ThriftyFrugalMom
Anne, I often wonder how much food I’ll need to make once our children get a bit older. Already our 7 year old sometimes eats as much as my husband and I. I love how you are teaching your kids to make bread- such a valuable skill to have. I never thought of putting grilled cheese in a thermos, but it totally makes sense. Sounds like you have the whole creative lunch thing down, which is saying a lot I think, because it can be so hard to be creative with packed lunches.
Barbara
Can I make the French bread in my bread machine!
ThriftyFrugalMom
I would think so, but honestly, I have never used a bread machine in my life, so I’m not much help to you as far as knowing how to make the changes that you’d need to make.
Frances Quinn
Hi. I love your site and great meal tips. I would love your salmon soup and vegetable soup recipes.
Thanks!
ThriftyFrugalMom
Thanks so much, Frances, for your kind words! I’m so grateful and encouraged that you are enjoying what you find here. 🙂
I just sent you an email with the recipes that you requested. I hope you enjoy them!