Wonder what in the world we eat on a $200 grocery budget? Here’s our frugal menu plan for the last two weeks. It shows exactly what our family of 5 ate!
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I’ve found that a lot of people are really curious to know just what exactly we eat on our $200/mo. grocery budget. I mean, do we mainly eat rice and beans with the occasional side of chicken? Or can we actually eat rather normally?
So if you are one of those people who has been skeptical or if you simply want ideas for frugal meals, hopefully, this frugal menu plan showing what we ate the last 2 weeks will be helpful! Maybe you won’t consider our menu plan normal, but I think we eat pretty well and we are happy with our meals. So that’s good enough for us! 🙂
If you are interested in learning more about how we eat and grocery shop on a $200/mo. grocery budget, here are a couple of other posts you might enjoy reading too:
- All of my $200/mo. Menu Plans.
- All about how I plan my $200/mo. grocery shopping trips and do my shopping.
- The easiest way to save money on groceries.
Also, before you actually read our budget-friendly menu plan, here are a couple of things that are helpful to know:
- Our family of five consists of two adults with fairly big appetites, a 6-year-old boy, a 3-year-old girl and a 13-month-old girl.
- I buy lots of fruits and veggies in bulk from local farmers/orchards in the summer and then preserve them by canning or freezing. (Check out my step by step photo canning tutorials here!)
- 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 yummy chocolate cake takes all of 5 minutes to mix up?) 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 foods. I also have a homemade iced latte, a 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 work. His lunch typically consists of sandwiches, fruit, homemade yogurt and sometimes random leftovers too.
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Our Frugal Menu Plan for Our Family of Five
WEEK 1
Sunday
- At my in-laws all day
Monday
- Homemade Breakfast Burritos (from the freezer); Oranges
- Creamy Crockpot Mexican Chicken served with rice; Green Beans; Homemade Applesauce
Tuesday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Home Canned Peaches and Frozen Blueberries (I preserved)
- Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup; Sheetz Philly Cheesesteak; Homemade Applesauce; Homemade Chocolate Brownies (my recipe is similar to this one)
– A new Sheetz gas station opened up nearby and we got a bunch of coupons for free food items. One of them was this Philly Cheesesteak that I was planning to send with my husband as part of his lunch. But he insisted that we all enjoy it, so we did! We don’t often get this kind of thing due to our tight budget, so it was kind of a treat.)
Wednesday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Home Canned Peaches and Frozen Blueberries (I preserved)
- Macaroni Beef Skillet; Cooked Carrots (with a sweet and sour sauce on them); Homemade Applesauce; Homemade Chocolate Brownies
Thursday
- Leftover Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup; Cheese; Home Canned Peaches and Frozen Blueberries (I preserved)
- Leftover Creamy Crockpot Mexican Chicken; Leftover Cooked Veggies; Homemade Applesauce; Blonde Brownies (an easy chocolate chip brownie)
Friday
- Various Leftovers; Oranges; Easy 3 Ingredient Healthy Fudge
- Homemade Chicken Alfredo Pizza (used homemade Healthier Alfredo Sauce and homemade pizza crust and topped with chicken, caramelized onions and of course cheese); Peas; Homemade Applesauce; Ice Cream Bars
– This homemade pizza crust recipe is awesome! Not only does it need no time to rise, but you can also 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.
Saturday
- Leftover Creamy Crockpot Mexican Chicken; Leftover Beef Macaroni Skillet; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Home Canned Peaches; Easy 3 Ingredient Healthy Fudge
- 15 Minute Cream of Tomato Soup; Sweet Potato Rolls (bought at a local discount store); Cheese; Homemade Shortcake with Frozen Crushed Strawberries (I preserved)
WEEK 2
Sunday
- Had a shared lunch at our church—didn’t take anything!
– I was to help my mother-in-law make a big roaster full of scalloped potatoes and ham, but she insisted on doing it all and letting me have a break. So sweet of her! - Spent the evening with my husband’s family- took enough hot dogs for everyone and 2 qts. of ice cream
Monday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Apples
- Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole; Green Beans; Homemade Shortcake with Frozen Crushed Strawberries (I preserved)
– I really loved this chicken and rice dish! So many of these types of casseroles take cream soup, but this was just a great from-scratch recipe. The Parmesan cheese and Ritz cracker topping really make it yummy!
Tuesday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Home Canned Peaches and Frozen Blueberries (I preserved)
- Leftover Homemade Pizza; Salad with Homemade Mexican Dressing; Homemade Applesauce; Oreos and Milk 🙂
Wednesday
- Kids: Eggs in a Nest (eggs made in toast); Me: Leftover Cream of Tomato Soup; Cheese; Apples
- Cream Cheese Potato Soup with Ham; Salad with Homemade Mexican Dressing; Bread Pudding (skipped the sauce and sprinkled with brown sugar instead)
Thursday
- Kids: Eggs in a Nest (eggs made in toast); Me: Homemade Breakfast Burrito (from the freezer); All: Easy Homemade Yogurt; Oranges
- Leftover Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole; Green Beans; Homemade Applesauce; Cheese; Best Ever Chocolate Cake with Ice Cream
– This was actually a small birthday party for our 1 yr. old and my parents and a good neighbor/friend ate with us. And yes, I totally served them leftover casserole! I added fresh Ritz crackers to the top and no one was any wiser. Not that they would have cared anyway. That’s the beauty of family and good friends- they don’t mind!
Friday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Home Canned Peaches and Frozen Blueberries (I preserved)
- Scrambled Eggs; Sausage; Toast with Homemade Apple Butter; Frozen Fruit Slush; Decadent Frosted Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
– We had guests who joined us for the cheesecake dessert.
Saturday
- Home Canned Vegetable Soup (this is a similar recipe); Cheese; Home Canned Peaches and Frozen Blueberries (I preserved)
- Ate out
– Ended up getting a free meal because the restaurant we went to was understaffed and was out of a bunch of things, so they offered to refund us our bill!
Margaret Derbyshire
Your menu was especially inspiring. I’d love if you’d give a tutorial on canning. It seems overwhelming for me to do as I’ve never done it before (Scottish folk don’t seem to can). I am a frugal shopper though and make lots of soups and other sauces from scratch. And oatmeal? That’s a given for us :-).
ThriftyFrugalMom
Thanks, Margaret, for your kind words! So glad you enjoyed the menu plan. And I appreciate the suggestion for canning tutorials. I always love knowing what my readers would enjoy and find helpful. I have one tutorial that I didn’t get moved over yet from my blog on Parents.com. And I’m hoping to add some more this year as I do my canning and freezing. So stay tuned! 🙂
Sara
Thank you for the inspiration! I really need to get our grocery budget under control. Food is the only thing we spend a lot of money on. In all other aspects of our life we are very frugal. I will definitely be using some of your tips.
ThriftyFrugalMom
We all definitely have our different areas of strength when it comes to saving and spending, Sarah! Thanks for stopping by!
Nikki Frank-Hamilton
Wow! Great job! There are only 4 in our family but we are all adults. We try to spend about $300 on all things: food, toiletries, cleaning supplies etc. for the month. I am gluten-free so that has impacted our bottom line a bit. We also can from the garden & do a lot of soups and leftovers. Your post gave me some new ideas. Thanks!
ThriftyFrugalMom
Nikki, $300 a month is awesome, especially for a gluten free diet! Do you use coupons or is that strictly by being a savvy shopper otherwise? And yes, we love our soups around here, as you probably noticed. 😉
Jennifer
I have a family of 5 and would love to be able to get my grocery bill down to $200. I am really going to start checking around our area for local produce when in season and stocking up using coupons again. This is great that you can feed your family for $200 and the foods are healthy. Thank you for sharing your menu.
ThriftyFrugalMom
Jennifer, thanks for your kind comment! There is no way that I would be able to have this low of a grocery budget if I hadn’t started stockpiling several years ago. It does take time and work, but over time the savings really do add up! If you’ve couponed before, you probably already know about coupon match-up sites. But if not, definitely find a a blog that does coupon match-ups for the stores you shop at. (My favorite is Forthemommas.com) It makes it so much easier! And yes, buying produce in season can be a great way to save. I’m lucky enough to live in Amish country where there are lots of inexpensive produce stands. 🙂
Jann
Very smart to buy your produce in the summer and freeze it. When I was growing up, my mom did the same with produce from our gardens. Great tips!
ThriftyFrugalMom
Jann, I have great memories of helping my mom and grandma can and freeze lots of produce. That experience has definitely helped me now that I’m doing it myself.
Tyler
Is there produce that freezes better than others? For example, I don’t imagine throwing an apple in the freezer would be a good idea.
ThriftyFrugalMom
Yes, Tyler, you are right, whole apples don’t freeze very well! 🙂 Berries/Cherries are something that freeze really well and they are super easy to freeze too. Just wash them, drain them and once they are dry you can put them in a bag or container and freeze. Peaches can be frozen too, but you’d want to peel them first and then cut them into slices or small pieces. Most people like to first lay them on a cookie sheet to freeze before putting them in a freezer bag because that helps keep them from sticking together. Bananas can be frozen too, although you’ll probably only want to use them in smoothies or baking once they have been frozen. Grapes are a yummy snack frozen too.
As for veggies, you can freeze lots of veggies but they freeze the best and have the best flavor if you blanch them first. Basically this means that you just slightly cook them and then cool them down quickly. This stops the process of the vegetable maturing or aging, keeping the flavor much more “fresh” tasting. I explain how to do this in more detail in my post on how to freeze green beans. I have frozen peas, cauliflower, broccoli and corn (I cut it off the cob after it’s been cooked). I also have sometimes frozen cooked carrots if I’ve been worried that they’ll go bad on me and then used them in soup.
Not sure if that totally answers your question or if that is the info you were looking for, but hopefully it gives you a little bit of an idea of what you can freeze and how it works!
Kristen
Wow! I’m impressed that you wrote down your meals for the whole month! I’ve had people question what we’re eating on our budget as well, but I think when you have a good stockpile, that really helps! I’m also impressed at all you’ve canned! I’m looking forward to the summer produce and canning again.
ThriftyFrugalMom
Yeah, it takes a bit to get in the habit, but I’ve had a lot of people ask me what we eat, so figured I’d give it a try. And yes, having a stockpile definitely makes it much easier….it’s one of the biggest ways that we keep our grocery budget so low! And yes, I love canning and can actually go overboard if I don’t watch it. But it’s definitely getting harder to do as I get busier and have more kiddos. 🙂