Ya, not a lot for my big family but with time and effort I have been able to create basic healthy meals that my kids will actually eat. Most of the menu’s under the $5 family meals tab will feed a family of 4 people.
I have found simple ways to add more ingredients to make sure there is enough to feed everyone and make ahead freezer meals.
How To Make That Recipe Feed A “BIG FAMILY”
- Spaghetti – I add an 1/2 extra package of noodle, 1 can tomato sauce and extra seasonings.
- Pasta with white sauce – 1 add 1/2 extra package of noodles, 1 cup sour cream and extra seasoning.
- Casseroles – again I add extra noodles or rice, double the can ingredients and extra seasoning.
I buy canned fruits and vegetable the case each month. The main reason being they are great fillers, the kids can have 2nd’s or even 3rd’s (yes I’m dreaming I know that such a request would never be made in my house). I only buy fresh fruits and vegetable that are in season and on sale otherwise I could not afford them.
Whenever possible I always make extra. This serves 2 purposes. First you never know who is going to stop by for a visit so there is always enough for an extra plate or two and second (a term that makes my kids cringe) LEFTOVER’S! I make ahead freezer meals for the rest of the week. I package left overs in those Ziploc plastic containers and my husband will take them for lunch the next day or I freeze them then the kids and I will eat leftovers throughout the week for breakfast or lunch depending on what the left over is.
With these suggestions dinner doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. It just takes a little planning and some effort and you will have simple cheap recipes for big families and a little extra money in your wallet.
If you have any cheap and easy dinner ideas I would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment or shoot me an e-mail.
Take a look at this article for more Family Meal Tips and Tricks : Kitchen Tips and Recipe Rescues
This is very up-to-date information. I think I’ll share it on Facebook.
Hey Samuel…Thanks for the visit and I would love for you to share this site with Facebook!!
thanks for the info and the help…im trying to feed a family of 9 on a mcd’s budget and this helps tremendously…im sharing it with family and friends as well
We have a relatively small family.. but I like to cook in bulk so that we have leftovers to do another meal, or to use as lunches. thanks for the tips.. they really help!!
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yummmy… thanks for your points , i’d adore to adhere to your blog as frequently as i can.possess a great day~~
Got any tips for $5 meals for a family of 6 that can’t eat gluten (wheat, barley, or rye) or sugar?
Love your tips! I routinely feed 4 adults, 1 teen boy, and 2 tweens on $52 – $55 a week. I follow a lot of the same ideas: plan ahead, cook in quantity, cook from scratch, etc. and I try to do it with as great a variety in meals as possible. Some of the things we’re planning for the next 4 weeks are taco salad, teriyaki chicken, chicken alfredo, porcupine meatballs, chicken jambalaya, and wet burritos. We should get together!
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I have the BEST quality meat, seasfood, chicken & pork for CHEAPER than your local grocery store. I will also hand deliver or mail the product to you no matter where you live in the country. I will beat ANY price at your local grocery store. This is great for anyone, but especally for large families. If you would like to see our budget and prices, please give me a call on my personal cell at (949)630-7174 any day of the week from 11am-11pm. I will be happy to help you and your family save money on your food budget. Ask for Chad.
I have a big family and I agree that it’s quite expensive to cook for so many people. Thank you for sharing these great recipes. These can surely help my budget.
a great way to save on food is angel ministries you can find them all over the states. They offer box deals for way cheap and it is good wholesome food.You have to preorder but it is well worth it. they do not have income guidelines and they take foodstamps.
https://www.angelfoodministries.com/menus/menu_2010-09_en.asp
When you make the soup, combine all the other ingredients, except the noodles, make them separately, drain. Then just add 1/4 cup of noodles into the bottom of your bowl, then ladle hot soup over. Same when freezing, freeze the soup and noodle separately.
I feed a family of 6 and when I need something cheap and quick I buy the twin pack of Hamburger Helper (most the time you can get them on sell for $1.50) and only use 1 pound of ground beef instead of the 2 pounds it calls for… My family doesnt even notice and we always have leftovers!
I feed 6-9 people, depending on what grandkids are in-house. I haven’t bought a boxed hamburger helper in 15 years. Brown whatever ground meat you have to work with, add cream of whatever soup (2 cans for 6, 3 for 9) add noodles to fill the pot and water to cover noodles. Serve veg on the side or in the pot. No one’s gone humgry around here yet.
One of our favorites, as many pototoes as you need (I feed 7 here)so about 5 pounds, 3 carrots and one onion, all peeled, rinsed, diced. Put in a greased pan, then in a small bowl mix 1 packet dry onion soup mix, 1/4 c oil and 1/4 c water. Mix and pour over veggies. Bake, covered about 40 min or until veggies are tender. I throw in meat if I have any leftover in the fridge, but it’s great without. I figure it costs about $3 to feed us all, then fruit for dessert.
i have a family of 7 so we have to create meal that last. i have found if u make out your menu for however often u get paid it helps not to waste money. chili is always good u can stretch that for a couple days. also beef stew if u sliver up stir fry meat and use beef stew mix and brown gravy mix with frozen veggis and lots of potatoes it all cost bout 10$. tortilla pizzas with cheese sause and ground meat is a fun and cheap idea. i have plenty more lol just email me for more ideas.
Yeah,sanity!! I was very glad to find your website. I’m a stay home mom with 10 and 14 year old boys – and as it seems almost always at least one extra boy at our table for most meals! :) I’m a menu planner (I get laughed at a LOT for that), and I enjoy baking so that helps keep the budget down as well. One of the things I like to do is buy roasts on sale for BOGO (it’s a sale our local grocery store offers frequently) and stretch each over a few meals. We rarely have plain pot roast! It’s bbq beef sandwiches or wraps with slaw, beef soup, homemade hash etc. Also, my husband is paid bi-weekly so I plan and shop bi-weekly. That allows us to buy value packs and repackage it for the week. Thanks!
I love the ideas here. I have a very small and totally not professional blog that I mainly just use a resource for myself, but I have a lot of $5 meal ideas on there if you want to check it out! I love your ideas on making things stretch.
Mrs. Arter I saw your blog and wanted to know if you had more meals? I have 3 boys and they eat alot.
Hey guys Great article i appreciate you calling attention to this subject..
But could use some more cheese just sayin then 10/10 and spaghetti ok about 4/2 cups cool site will share
All these meals are very familiar. I feed 8. Times are tough so I work hard at making our meals healthy and inexpensive. Our favorite is lentil soup and rice or noodles if you prefer. I cook 1 to 2 cloves of garlic and 1/2 of an onion diced in about 2 tbs of olive oil. then I add that to a pot of salted, boiling water with two cups of lentils. I add a couple of carrots and cook til tender. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of fresh spinach. let stand for about 5 to 7 minutes. add cooked rice or any kind of pasta if you like. I also make an unleavened bread to go with the meal. my kids love this meal and we usually have it for lunch the next day. Healthy and cheap!!
Great tips for big families! I have stepkids as well, so when we are all together there are quite a few of us! Thanks Sue also for the lentil soup recipe.. sounds yummy!
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