Trying to menu plan on a budget? Check out the easy recipes that our family of six enjoyed!
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Obviously, being able to successfully menu plan on a budget starts at the grocery store. I’ve shared with you all the process of how I make our $225/mo. grocery budget work and I’ve mentioned different times how much I love using apps like Ibotta to save a little more money on my grocery bill. But I don’t think I’ve ever told you about Fetch Rewards, another money saving app that I sometimes use.
Fetch Rewards is super simple to use. All you need to do is to scan your grocery receipts when you get home from the store and you’ll earn points that you can then redeem for gift cards to places like Amazon, Target, restaurants or even Visa gift cards!
You earn points just for scanning your receipt plus if you buy participating brands, you’ll earn additional points. They also have special offers that are sort of like coupons that you can activate too, but you don’t have to use those to make this app work. It’s so simple and I love the ease of just scanning my receipt and Fetch does the rest.
Want to use Fetch Rewards to save money on your grocery bill too? Go ahead and sign up here!
Now….. on to our menu plan!
Menu Plan on a Budget
If you are new to these menu plans of mine, it’s probably helpful to know a couple of things first:
- Our family of six consists of two adults with fairly big appetites, an 8 ½ year-old boy, a 5 year-old girl, a 2 ½ year-old girl and an exclusively breastfed baby boy.
- I buy lots of fruits and veggies in bulk from local farmers/orchards in the summer and then freeze or can them. This is not only much cheaper it is also healthier too. But that is why if you look at my Weekly Spending Summaries you won’t always see lots of produce.
- 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. 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 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, the lunches are just for the three children and I. My husband takes a packed lunch with him to work and it typically consists of sandwiches, fruit, homemade yogurt and sometimes random leftovers too.
WEEK 1
Sunday
- Kidfresh Chicken Nuggets; Baked Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Applesauce;
- Homemade Tuna Salad on 100% Whole Wheat Bread; Easy Fruit Smoothie
Monday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Apples; Bananas
- Creamy White Chicken Chili; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Chocolate Cobbler; Turkey Hill All Natural Ice Cream
Tuesday
- Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches with 100% Whole Wheat Bread; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Apples; Frozen Blueberries
- Creamy Crockpot Mexican Chicken; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Easy Apple Dumpling Dessert; Turkey Hill All Natural Ice Cream
Wednesday
- Refried Bean & Cheese Quesadillas; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Apples; Canned Peaches (I preserved)
- Amish Turkey Stuffing; Peas; Leftover Easy Apple Dumpling Dessert
Thursday
- Eggs; Fresh 100% Whole Wheat Bread; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Canned Peaches (I preserved); Frozen Blueberries
- Leftover Creamy Crockpot Mexican Chicken; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Applesauce
Friday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Canned Peaches (I preserved); Frozen Blueberries
- Cheddar Cheese Chowder (similar to this recipe but without the corn); Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Applesauce; Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies (from the freezer)
Saturday
- Leftover Creamy Crockpot Mexican Chicken; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Canned Peaches (I preserved); Frozen Blueberries
- Eggs; Toast made with 100% Whole Wheat Bread; Lettuce Salad
WEEK 2
Sunday
- Oven Ready Lasagna (had in freezer); Green Beans; Homemade Applesauce
- Tuna Quesadillas (my recipe is similar to this one); Later we had some guests and I served White Bean Dip with Tortilla Chips and Easy Fruit Smoothies
Monday
- Meat & Cheese Sandwiches on 100% Whole Wheat Bread; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Canned Peaches (I preserved); Frozen Blueberries
- Salsa Chicken Soup; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies (from the freezer)
Tuesday
- Breakfast Wraps (eggs/bacon/potatoes); Easy Homemade Yogurt; Bananas; Frozen Blueberries
- Leftover Oven Ready Lasagna; Peas; Homemade Applesauce; Easy Apple Dumpling Dessert; Turkey Hill All Natural Ice Cream
Wednesday
- Refried Bean and Cheese Quesadillas; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Canned Peaches (I preserved); Frozen Blueberries
- Creamy Italian Sausage & Pasta Soup; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies (from the freezer)
Thursday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Apples; Canned Peaches (I preserved)
- Homemade Cream of Tomato Soup; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Homemade Applesauce; Blonde Brownies
Friday
- Refried Bean and Cheese Quesadillas; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Canned Peaches (I preserved); Frozen Blueberries
- Eggs; Toast made with 100% Whole Wheat Bread; Lettuce Salad; Turkey Hill All Natural Ice Cream
Saturday
- Various Leftovers; Easy Homemade Yogurt; Canned Peaches (I preserved); Frozen Blueberries
- Homemade Vegetable Soup; Lettuce Salad with Mexican Dressing; Apples; Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies (from the freezer)
Cathy Leclerc
Thanks so much!! I’m a single mother to one child, single income and no support. I’m about to cut off my cell phone service to save $300 per month and switch to a $6/month cheaper cell phone plan. I’m about to return to school to get my BSN in Nursing and will be working only 25 hours per week. Just enough to pay bills — though not much room to clear debts — mostly medical on my credit report. I am really trying to work with what I have and still be a provider, and a fun, creative mother. I hope other mothers will follow in your footsteps and realize IT CAN BE DONE. We don’t need to live in excess and can get by on what we have. Thanks again! 🙂
ThriftyFrugalMom
You are so welcome, Cathy! And wow! Kudos to you for your can-do attitude and working hard to make the best of your situation. You inspire me! All the best to you as you pursue that BSN.
Casey Newman
My friend started a similar group to help spread ideas that keep the budget down. We noticed right away that a lot of her low budget is due to her location. I live in the North-north -East and we spend over a hundred a week to also cook from scratch! IDK where you are but its crazy who relative food prices are depending on location
ThriftyFrugalMom
Yes, you are right, Casey. Food prices do vary a lot and depending on what area you live in, you are definitely going to find it a lot harder to save as much as some areas. I live in an area (Eastern Pennsylvania) that some people would say is a higher cost area when it comes to food. State minimum for milk is over $4 a gallon- whereas I know lots of states it’s half that. The thing I’ve become convinced of is that while food prices might vary a lot, pretty much anyone can find ways to lower their grocery budget if they are willing to. But that is obviously going to look different for every family and that’s okay!
LaTrice
My monthly menu is completely different, because I’m living alone. Plus, I go to work five days a week (overtime when necessary).
In order for me to plan my menu for two weeks, I look through my pantry to determine how I can utilize the ingredients that I have in my kitchen. For example, I made chicken and dumplings using my sister’s slow cooker. I have left over celery, chicken breasts, onions and garlic, but had to purchase some carrots. Now, I have some carrots and celery available for a future use. I look for recipes that have more than six servings, so I can have left overs for dinner every night. Sometimes, I’ll have more than enough left overs to enjoy for breakfast, especially on my days off. Since I don’t have access to a microwave at my job, I can make sandwiches, bagels and cream cheese, wraps and noodle cups (I’ll ask for a cup of hot water at Starbuck’s Coffee).
My goal is to enjoy homemade meals on a budget without sacrificing any flavor. I want to feel good saving money every month. 🙂