Here’s what our meal plan looks like this week:
Budget Friendly Meal Planning
Monday
Avocado Grilled Cheese (Delish) – served with a tossed salad.
- Serves 4 (1 sandwich per person)
- Cost Cutting Tips:
- Don’t buy the bags of salad, instead purchase salad ingredients separately, it’s cheaper and you’ll get more for your money.
- Make your own salad dressing, it’s cheaper and tastes better. Bonus, you only have to make what you’ll use so no more wasted space in the refrigerator.
- Purchase avocados when they are on sale and freeze them for future use.
Tuesday
Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas (Budget Boost)- served with Spanish rice and seasoned black beans (Allrecipes).
- Serves 6
- Cost Cutting Tips:
- Make your own cream of chicken soup, it’s tasty, easy and inexpensive.
- Make your own flour tortillas for a inexpensive and delicious replacement.
- Make your own Spanish rice, it’s simple to make, tastes amazing and uses items you probably already have in your pantry.
- Cook up your own black beans, it’s a cheaper option and it’s easy. Make up a big pot and freeze to use later.
Wednesday
Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Ranch Pork Chops (Eating on the Dime) – served with stuffing and buttered cauliflower.
- Serves 6
- Cost Cutting Tips:
- Keep an eye out for pork tenderloin, it often goes on sale for less than $2 per pound. You can have the butcher cut it into boneless chops.
Thursday
Leftovers – cheesy chicken enchiladas and ranch pork chops.
Friday
Garlic Honey Ginger Glazed Salmon (Sally’s Baking Addiction) – served rice pilaf and broccoli.
- Serves 4
- Cost Cutting Tips:
- Purchasing frozen salmon, instead of fresh, will lower your grocery bill significantly.
Saturday
Hawaiian Hot Dogs (Mom Endeavors) – served with chips, baked beans and grilled pineapple.
- Serves 4
Sunday
Southern Fried Chicken & Gravy (The Spruce Eats) – swerved with mashed potatoes, corn, biscuits and for dessert rocky road parfaits (Midwest Living).
- Serves 4
- Cost Cutting Tips:
- Instead of purchasing prepared biscuits, try making biscuits from scratch. They’re cheaper, more delicious and super simple.
Download – Week 22: Menu & Shopping List
Budget Friendly Tips
✔ Keep a well stocked pantry, it is an essential part to feeding a family on a small budget. Plus it’s comforting knowing that there is always something at home to cook.
✔ Stock up when prices are at there lowest. Sales usually go in a 3 month cycle, so if you see an item at it’s rock bottom price, buy enough to use between now and the next sale.
✔ Another way to keep your grocery bill low is by using coupons for the items that you need. I rarely plan my menu around coupons that are available, I find that I end up spending more. Instead I create my menu first and then look for coupons that will lower the bill.
Time Saving Tips
✔ Do your grocery shopping online, you’ll save so much time because someone else does the shopping for you. It also allows you more flexibility for staying on budget, you don’t check out until your total is just right. Use my Walmart Grocery Pickup link and get $10 off your first order of $50 or more.
✔ A simple way to save yourself some time in the kitchen is by prepping your food for the week. This can be done by simply washing your fruits, chopping your vegetables or portioning the food for each meal. It’s up to you how much you want to do to save yourself sometime later in the week.
Related Posts You’ll Love
Budget Friendly Meal Plan (Week 21)
Budget Friendly Meal Plan (Week 20)
Budget Friendly Meal Plan (Week 19)
Budget Friendly Meal Plan (Week 18)
About the Author 
Robin
A mother to three amazing boy, wife to an incredible husband and a former finance manager who traded in her spreadsheets for cookie sheets. I blog about things that make life a little more fun, a bit more manageable, slightly prettier, a great deal tastier and considerably cheaper.
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