Looking for some inexpensive menu ideas? Here are the meals on a budget our family of 6 has been enjoying!
I recently had a reader commenting about the fact that these menu plans don’t really guarantee that you’ll be feeding your family for $225 if you follow them, which is obviously quite true! The thing is, that has never been my intention in posting these menu plans at all.
I first started posting menu plans back when I shared my weekly grocery shopping trips. I had lots of people commenting and asking what kinds of meals we eat with the foods that I buy, and also had quite a few snarky comments that pretty much said I must be feeding my family garbage to be able to eat this inexpensively.
So, I decided to start posting periodic menus showing exactly what we’ve been eating. And they quickly became quite popular, so I’ve continued to post them for you all to enjoy!
My hope is that my menu plans will provide you with lots of inspiration, whether you are like me and need meals on a budget for 6 or are just a family of 3 looking for some inexpensive meal ideas.
Because I know how hard it can be to come up with delicious, family-friendly, budget-conscious meals!
If you 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, a 9½-year-old boy, a 6-year-old girl, a 4-year-old girl and a 1½-year-old boy- all of our kids eat more than pretty much any other kids I know. It’s not uncommon for any of the older 3 to eat as much as I do.
- 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 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 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!
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Meals on a Budget for 6
Week 1
Sunday
- Chicken Potato Bake; Homemade Chocolate Brownies
– We had a carry in at church and this is what I took. - Homemade Grilled Tuna Salad Sandwiches; Easy Fruit Smoothie
Monday
- Meat & Cheese Sandwiches; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Home Canned Peaches; Apples
- Chicken and Pesto Quesadillas; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies (from the freezer)
– The quesadillas are a recipe that I’m experimenting with. They were okay…but I think I still have a lot of tweaking before they ever are ready to post here! 🙂
Tuesday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Home Canned Peaches; Apples
- Salsa Chicken Soup; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Best Ever Chocolate Cake with Quick Caramel Icing (from the freezer)
Wednesday
- Meat & Cheese Sandwiches; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Clementines; Bananas
- Creamy Sausage and Potatoes; Green Beans; Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies (from the freezer)
Thursday
- Meat & Cheese Sandwiches; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Clementines; Bananas
- Creamy White Chicken Chili; Lettuce Salad; Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies (from the freezer)
Friday
- Refried Bean and Cheese Quesadilla (used my homemade refried beans); Easy Homemade Yogurt; Home Canned Peaches; Clementines
- Various Leftovers; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Turkey Hill All Natural Ice Cream
Saturday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Clementines; Home Canned Peaches
- Seasoned Rice and Beans; Lettuce Salad; Homemade Applesauce; Fresh Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies
WEEK 2
Sunday
- One Pan Chicken and Rice; Green Beans; Leftover Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Buffalo Chicken Tortilla Roll-ups; Clementines
– We’re going through a video series at church right now once a month and meet early, then afterward we all enjoy a light finger food meal together. This is what I took to that.
Monday
- Meat & Cheese Sandwiches; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Clementines; Home Canned Peaches
- 1234 Casserole; Homemade Applesauce; 5 Minute Mandarin Orange Jello Salad; Turkey Hill All Natural Ice Cream
– The casserole is one that is in a small family cookbook that I have. You layer raw ground beef, potatoes, carrots and onions in a dish and then top it with a sauce. It’s super simple but good!
Tuesday
- Meat & Cheese Sandwiches; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Clementines; Home Canned Peaches
- BBQ Chicken; Baked Potatoes; Green Beans; Homemade Mocha Cheesecake
– My husband wanted to give me a night off and make a special dinner and this is what he made. He just kind of concocted his own recipe for the chicken. It was all super tasty!
Wednesday
- Meat & Cheese Sandwiches; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Clementines; Grapes
- Haystacks/Taco Salad (taco meat, rice, beans, cheese, lettuce, salsa, salad dressing etc.); Homemade Applesauce; Leftover Mocha Cheesecake
Thursday
- Meat & Cheese Sandwiches; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Clementines; Grapes
- Velvety Chicken & Onion Soup; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Applesauce; Doughnuts
– I couldn’t find any recipes online that were quite like the Velvety Chicken & Onion Soup. It’s kind of like recipes that I came across for Chicken Velvet Soup but has more ingredients and pretty sure would be more flavorful. Also, the doughnuts were shared with us by some friends that get leftovers from a local doughnut shop.
Friday
- Leftover Taco Salad; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Clementines; Home Canned Peaches
- Creamy Italian Sausage and Pasta Soup; Lettuce Salad; Leftover Mocha Cheesecake
Saturday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Clementines; Home Canned Peaches
- Leftover Creamy Italian Sausage and Pasta Soup; Lettuce Salad; Favorite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
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Amanda
Sounds great! I love having a stockpile and some freezer meals to work with. There are just 2 of us and I’m trying to stick to $60 a week on groceries but it is tough! Thanks for the ideas!
ThriftyFrugalMom
Stockpile and freezer meals are the best and help so much! Love how intentional you are with your grocery budget, Amanda!