Budget Friendly Meal Planning Week 6

If you are looking to save money, meal planning is a great place to start. Putting a little time towards planning can save you thousands a year.

This weeks menu is a pretty simple one. You probably won’t have to spend much because a number of the items are things that you probably already have in your pantry. 

Here’s what our meal plan looks like this week:

Budget Friendly Meal Planning

Broccoli & Cheese Baked Potato – served with cottage cheese and orange slices. I try to serve at least one meatless meal per week, they are a great way to lower your grocery bill. Also, most meatless meals take no time to make so they are perfect for nights when you don’t have time to spend in the kitchen.

Chicken & Dumplings – served with cucumber slices. This is one of my favorite winter meals. There’s just nothing better than that rich creamy broth topped with those little pillows of deliciousness. 

Leftovers – or as I like to call it, mom doesn’t have to cook night!

Fried Eggs – served with sausage and toast. Breakfast for dinner, simple, delicious and never a complaint from the peanut gallery. Admittedly, I make breakfast for dinner often, it’s a really inexpensive meal and it’s easy. I really like easy sometimes.

Crispy Baked Tilapia – served with couscous and Brussels sprouts. Tilapia is a inexpensive fish that is a great addition to a budget friendly meal plan. This crispy baked tilapia recipes is one of my favorites, I like really like the crunch that it has without having to fry it.

Fiesta Lime Chicken – served with cilantro lime rice and caramelized cumin carrots. You can never go wrong with Mexican food, everyone likes it and it’s budget friendly. The caramelized carrots are the thing that makes this meal over the top amazing though. You have to try them to see what I mean.

Meatloaf – served with mashed potatoes and corn. I love meatloaf, I have since I was a kid, but I don’t make it very often because one of my kids can’t stand it, something about , so meatloaf is on the menu. For dessert I’m making my no-bake cherry cheesecake that is something that everyone likes.

Download – Week 6: Menu & Shopping List

Budget Friendly Tips

✔ Instead of using fresh limes use lime juice, it’s the cheaper option, especially when limes are out of season.

✔ 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. 

✔ One way that I keep my grocery bill low is by using coupons for the items that I need. I rarely plan my menu around the 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 my bill.

Time Saving Tips

✔ You’ve heard that carpenters should measure twice and cut once, well the opposite is true for home cooks. Home cooks should cook once and eat twice. Freeze the leftovers for another meal it will save you a great deal of time as well as money, buying in bulk is always cheaper.

✔ Spending a little time meal planning can make your life so much easier. It’ll save you time and money, improve your nutrition, it’ll make cooking more manageable and it will give you more control over what you put on the table.

✔ 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.

About Our Meal Plan

✔ Our menus are designed to feed a family of four, two adults and two teenage boys. It can also feed two adults and 3-4 young children.

✔ Many of the meals included in our meal plan are budget friendly to begin with, however we do offer tips that will reduce the grocery bill even further. 

✔ Our menus do not include breakfast or lunch, but there is space for you to fill in what your family likes. Our family eats a pretty simple meal for breakfast and lunch, like cereal or sandwiches and sometimes leftovers. We don’t make to much of a fuss over it.

✔ Sunday dinner is our biggest meal of the week, that’s when all of the family gets together, so we tend to spend a little more money and include dessert. I try to make enough for leftovers during the week.

Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a commission. I only recommend products or services that I personally believe will add value to my readers. All opinions stated are strictly my own. Read our full disclosure policy for more information.