Family Meal Planning on a Budget - #35

This week we are featuring family meal planning on a budget as part of our Weekly Meal Plan.  Many families are looking for ways to save money anywhere they can. This often means looking at the grocery bill. With printable menus available for you to customize for your family’s dinner, you can use these recipes to inspire your meal planning while trying to save money.

Don't forget there are printable menus available to help inspire your meal planning this week as well as a few helpful tips for 10 Essentials Pantry Items and  Freezer Meal Planning Tips.

Times are tough. It’s not uncommon for a family to spend $500 to a $1000 dollars on food each month.

If you can save money at the grocery store, you can really help balance your family budget. Here are five ways to save money at the supermarket.

Read the Store Ads

Every week, most grocery stores publish ads. These ads highlight what’s on sale for the week. Use this information to create your meal plan for the week. Also look for items you can buy and freeze.

For example, if bread is on sale you can buy several loaves and freeze them. If apples are on sale you can buy several pounds. You can then make apple butter, apple sauce and apple bread, all of which you can store in your freezer.

Buy in Bulk

Often, bulk foods cost much less. Look at bulk produce. Is it cheaper to buy a bag of apples than to buy them individually and pay by the pound?

What about potatoes and onions? Tomatoes? Buy your grains, nuts, cereals and snacks in bulk too. Most grocers now have a bulk food section.

You can buy peanut butter, honey, syrup and of course grains, baking ingredients, cereals and snacks here. Explore the family packaging in the meat section too. Large packages of chicken, beef and fish are often cheaper by the pound than the smaller packages. Compare prices and freeze the extra.

Even pet food and treats can be purchased in bulk quantities. Don’t forget the coffee, tea and spices. Buying them in bulk can save money too.

Join your Store Loyalty Program

Most large supermarkets and grocery stores now have loyalty programs. You sign up for the program; it should be free. Then you receive member pricing on the store-sponsored items. This can save you several hundred dollars each month.

Buy Store Brand

There’s often very little difference between a name brand food item and a store brand, except price. Store brands have become very savvy. They taste great.

They are healthy, often even organic. And they can save you a lot of money. Look for store meats, store soup, store brand cereal, store brand sauces and pastas.

Use Coupons

Today there are more coupon websites than ever before. You can save tons of money on basic household items. You can also save on packaged food like cereal, nutrition bars, snacks and beverages.

With a little advanced planning and a strategy you can save hundreds each month at the grocery store. In addition to these five tips, experts recommend planning your menu for the week.

Make a shopping list based on that menu plan. Then shop from the list. If you use these money-saving strategies combined with your menu planning strategy, you can cut your grocery bill by 50% or more each month.

Budget Meal Planning Recipes

• Monday - Crock Pot Salsa Chicken
• Tuesday - Vegetable Chow Mein
• Wednesday - Slow Cooker Chicken Italian
• Thursday - Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil
• Friday - Black Bean Soup
• Saturday - Crescent Roll Pizza Braid
• Sunday - Roast Chicken - use the leftovers for soup the next week.

More Meal Planning Ideas

Make sure you check out previous Weekly Meal Plans or  Family Favorite Chicken Recipes available. Here are a few of the popular meal plans:

There are quite a few printables to help you get dinner on the table for your family.  The Weekly Meal Plan Printable, Pantry List Essentials, even the Keto Friendly Food Lists are all available once you sign up for my weekly newsletter, you’ll be able to download and print them out. 

• Easy Dinner Recipes
• Frugal Dinner Ideas and Recipes
• Crock Pot Recipes
• Family Favorite Chicken Recipes

If you’re already a subscriber, check your email for this week’s newsletter. I included the password to enter the WOS Printable Library. Or just leave me a comment below and I’ll send the link directly to your email.