Money Saving Meal Plan to Slash Your Grocery Budget
If you’re hungry and tired at the end of the day it’s so easy to get takeout, go to a restaurant, or just slap something together. Meal planning takes a bit of effort but it saves money and helps you eat healthier on a budget too!
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I have had a super busy couple of weeks. I’m looking forward to this weekend where we have absolutely nothing on the agenda! I’m sure things will get filled in but I’m hoping to spend lots of time at home, do some reading, and I also want to meal plan!
I don’t meal plan all the time. It’s something that comes and goes because it does take that extra bit of time. If I haven’t put in the time ahead of time, there is no way I’m going to meal plan or prep after a long day of work. That’s why I’m looking forward to having a clear schedule and lots of kitchen time this weekend!
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Save Money By Meal Planning
If you meal plan based on what ingredients you already have on hand or what you need to use up, you’re not only cutting down on food waste but you’re saving money too. You’ll be using ingredients you have already bought, or some kitchen staples that you usually have in, and not wasting the money you spent on food by throwing it away if it’s expired.
Related post: 5 Borderline Genius Ideas For Stocking The Pantry On a Budget
A couple of the meals in this week’s meal plan I picked because I wanted to use food that I already bought. Because I didn’t have any plans for those ingredients, they were just sitting around getting closer to being expired and I didn’t want that. So I sat down and figured out some recipes to use up those ingredients.
(Later on I learned about HelloFresh – a SUPER simple way to solve the problem of wasted food and not knowing what to cook for dinner.)
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- 7-Day Family Meal Plan on a Budget
- Healthy Meal Planning Hacks
- 7 Simple ways to save money on coffee
- Meals for Large Families: Tips to Save Time, Save Money, and Dirt Cheap Meal Ideas
Money saving meal plan for the week
I usually plan about four or so dinners for the week if I do meal plan. I am a HUGE fan of leftovers so I am not making 7 different dinners every week. There is definitely no time for that!
Here are the dinners I’m meal planning for this week:
Related post: 10 Cheap Meal Ideas That You’ll Want to Make Again and Again.
This recipe is called ‘Dragon Noodles’ but I’m going to be modifying it a lot and taking the heat out of it so it will be much tamer. I made this recipe a lot years ago (with the kick in it) and it’s really good and fast to throw together. I’ll add spinach to this one to give it a healthy veg and I might also add some shredded rotisserie chicken to this for more protein.
I love having a one-pot meal that’s packed with protein and veggies and this recipe is all that. Plus I want to save some potatoes that we seem to be storing for too long, before they start growing more eyes than I’m comfortable with.
I picked a tofu recipe for this week because I bought a pack of tofu a month ago after realizing it’s been years since I’ve had any. The tofu has sat in the fridge and I’ve been totally uninspired to use it and now it’s going to expire in a few days. I found this yummy recipe that I am going to modify. I’m going to add a shredded zucchini to this and serve it on Ezekiel toast (yum!)
Sumac Chicken with Cauliflower and Carrots
This is the recipe I am most excited about in this meal plan. Sumac is a new-to-me spice that I’ve been wanting to try to cook with. It’s this beautiful red color and it’s supposed to taste bright and citrusy! Since I’m not having citrus right now I’m really looking forward to trying sumac as a substitute.
So that’s the plan! Those recipes all look so good and I’m looking forward to eating this week 🙂
Other yummy dinner recipes that work well with weekend meal prep:
I hope you have a great weekend and let me know what’s on your menu for this week! I always love inspiration!
Money saving meal plan for families: two easy options
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Let me know what recipe you want to try first from this money saving meal plan!
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