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.
Get my FREE $50 Aldi Meal Plan here! It has 7 easy dinners for a family of 5.
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!
Jill
Our grocery bill is our biggest expense and I’m always trying to get it down. We cook from scratch and try to buy in bulk or when things are on sale. Thanks for all of the inspiration! Also, that Crockpot Mexican Chicken looks delicious and I pinned it so I can try it!
Jill
ThriftyFrugalMom
Sounds like you are doing some great things to be mindful about how you spend your grocery money. That’s awesome! And the Crockpot Mexican Chicken is such a great, easy dish. I need to note on the recipe though that it makes a large amount! So either cut it in half or be prepared to have enough for several meals. It does freeze pretty well too!
Rach D
Wow..inspiring post!! Pinning this one 🙂
ThriftyFrugalMom
Thanks Rach! And thanks too for hosting the link up.
Cathy
I am marveled by this! We are also a family of five and I am constantly looking for ways to cut down our continually growing food bill! These tips with the meal plan are great!
ThriftyFrugalMom
Glad this could give you inspiration, Cathy! And thanks for letting me know about the link up- I ended up doing it. 🙂
Cathy
I love your blog and this post, and I am motivated to achieve this for my fam of five! Thank you so much for sharing!
Helene
We’ve been stockpiling too. And buying in bulk (25 pounds of pintos is a lot!!!) and cooking from scratch. But I have to admit we’re not down to 200 dollars a month at the Supermarket!
ThriftyFrugalMom
Helene, 25 lbs. of pintos! Wow! 🙂 I keep thinking of trying to buy beans and oatmeal in 25 lb. bags but so far haven’t bit the bullet. I know it would save us more though. The storage part is my biggest issue at this point. And obviously everyone’s needs and preferences when it comes to food/groceries is different. But you obviously are being thoughtful about your purchases and not just shopping mindlessly- and I think that is what really matters.
Becky Wright
I’m sure you know about freezing dry goods such as flour, but in case you didn’t think of it, you can also freeze oatmeal. It’s actually a good idea because no matter how clean the processing site is, there are still always a few insect eggs (such as the miller moths) that manage to get through the screening process. By freezing the oatmeal you also kill any eggs that MiGHT be in your oats.
ThriftyFrugalMom
Thanks for the suggestion, Becky! I do sometimes freeze flour and oatmeal when I get a large quantity just to make sure it doesn’t get buggy on me, but sometimes I don’t have a lot of freezer room to do it. I never thought about it killing eggs though. Good point! I’ve had flour get buggy on me once or twice, but have so far never had an issue with oatmeal, thankfully!
Heather
It’s incredible how much buying in bulk, on sale, and cooking from scratch saves, isn’t it?
It isn’t always easy but it sure saves money.
Thanks for sharing your tips and your menu with us. Love that your mother-in-law gave you a break. So sweet!
Blessings to you and yours.
ThriftyFrugalMom
It makes a big difference, especially over a long period of time! And yes, I have a wonderful mother-in-law. I know not everyone can say that, but I love her and wouldn’t trade her for anything! 🙂
Lauren
wow I dont think I could ever be this organized to make it work, but you have def inspired me!
ThriftyFrugalMom
This made me smile….because I don’t usually think of myself as an organized person. But I guess you are right, in some ways I actually am. And so glad to know that the post was inspiring. That is my goal and so those words mean a lot! I realize not everyone is going to have this kind of budget or eat this kind of food, but my hope is that it can still motivate people to think about ways that they can make their own budgets work more efficiently.