Trying to save money but also eat well? Me too! Here’s the latest meal plan showing what I’m feeding my family of 6 on a budget!
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I often get asked how I feed my family of 6 on a budget as small as ours. And it’s that question that first inspired me to start these menu plans several ago. It’s also why I did a small series that was all about how I shop with our then $200/mo. grocery budget.
If you looking for some frugal family meals to add to your weekly meal plan ideas 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, a 9 ½ year-old boy, a 6 year-old girl, a 4 year-old girl and a 1 ½ year-old boy.
- 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 almost always make them from scratch. 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 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 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 help me have a productive day!
Feeding a Family of 6 on a Budget
WEEK 1
Sunday
- Easy Chicken Pot Pie; Homemade Chocolate Brownies
– We had a carry in at church and this is what I took. - Homemade Grilled Chicken Salad Sandwiches; Easy Fruit Smoothie
Monday
- Meat & Cheese Sandwiches; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Oranges; Bananas
- Hearty Hamburger Soup (my recipe is similar to this one); Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Crazy Good Carrot Cake
Tuesday
- Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Oranges
- Kid Fresh Chicken Nuggets; Herb Roasted Potatoes; Roasted Spiced Sweet Potatoes; Green Beans; Homemade Chocolate Brownies
– We love these “healthy” chicken nuggets and since I get them free or super cheap with with my couponin, I love using them for a quick and easy dinner on busy days.
Wednesday
- Meat & Cheese Sandwiches; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Oranges; Bananas
- Breakfast Burritos (sausage/eggs/cheese and toppings); Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies (from the freezer)
Thursday
- Refried Bean and Cheese Quesadilla (used my homemade refried beans); Easy Homemade Yogurt; Oranges; Bananas
- Homemade BBQ Chicken Sandwiches; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Applesauce; Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies (from the freezer)
Friday
- Leftover Hearty Hamburger Soup; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Home Canned Peaches; Bananas
- The Best Chili on Earth; Quick and Easy Breadsticks; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Chocolate Brownies
– We babysat for a couple of friends and as a result, had 6 kids join us for dinner.
Saturday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Home Canned Peaches
- Homemade Pulled Pork Sandwiches; Lettuce Salad; Leftover Chocolate Brownies
WEEK 2
Sunday
- Herb Roasted Chicken and Potatoes; Green Beans; Turkey Hill All Natural Ice Cream
- White Bean Dip (similar to hummus) with tortilla chips; Deer Bologna
– We’re going though a video series at church right now once a month and then afterwards we all eat a light finger food meal together. Oh and the deer bologna was given to us- my husband is very much not a hunter! 🙂
Monday
- Meat & Cheese Sandwiches; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Bananas; Oranges
- Various Leftovers; Peas; Candy Bars
– Occasionally I get candy free with my couponing and this night we split a couple and had them as our dessert.
Tuesday
- Leftover Chili Soup; Pizza Hut Book-It Pizza (our two oldest kid’s got these); Easy Homemade Yogurt; Home Canned Peaches; Frozen Blueberries
- All Beef Hot Dogs; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Cheese
Wednesday
- Meat & Cheese Sandwiches; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Home Canned Peaches; Oranges
- Crockpot Tuscan Bean Soup; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies (from freezer)
Thurday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Home Canned Peaches
- Chicken “Burgers”; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Applesauce
Friday
- Meat & Cheese Sandwiches; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Home Canned Peaches; Frozen Blueberries
- Salsa Chicken Soup; Lettuce Salad; Homemade Mocha Cheesecake
Saturday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Home Canned Peaches; Frozen Blueberries
- Homemade Chicken Alfredo Pizza (used homemade Healthier Alfredo Sauce and homemade pizza crust and topped with chicken, caramelized onions and of course cheese); Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Applesauce; Leftover Mocha Cheesecake
– 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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