$225/MONTH MENU PLAN FOR OUR FAMILY OF 6 (POST #44)

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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 years ago.  It’s also why I did series a while back that was all about how I shop with our $225/mo. grocery budget.

One of the very easy things that I have done though to help lower our grocery budget has been to use various money saving apps!  These apps aren’t typically going to save you loads of money each week, but they are a simple way to save a little extra.  Plus, I find them rather fun to use too, especially Fetch Rewards and Shopkick (finding the items to scan for this one is like going on a treasure hunt!)

Here are the money saving apps that I use and love if you want to check the out and give them a try too:

• Ibotta 
• 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!

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