So I have to tap into the $5 dinner meals for a weeks worth of cheap food recipes to get me by until payday.
This is one great tool I have learned to use and love over the years. I can go to the grocery store with a shopping list, purchase just what I need.
Now I can prepare cheap meals for the family without having to borrow money, take a payday loan or eat hot dogs and mac-n-cheese for the week (yes I have done all 3 before)!
After a good look in the pantry I have come up with some great family meals for less than $27.00 for the week.
Yes that’s all! It can be done, I have done it with even less before.
Here’s what it looks like:
Cheap Quick Easy Dinner Recipes For A Week
Monday – Good ‘Ole Spaghetti with garlic bread and a dinner salad. I had the spaghetti noodles and sauce already in the pantry so the only thing I had to purchase is a head of lettuce($.97), french bread($.25 after coupon) and 1 lb of sausage($.97)
TOTAL MEAL COST = $2.19
Tuesday – Chicken and Rice Bake with a can of green beans. I had the canned items as I always purchase canned goods by the case. I also had the rice and seasons so the only thing I had to purchase was the chicken. I usually prepare this with chicken breast but that’s too expensive this week but I found a big family pack of chicken leg’s for $2.99.
TOTAL MEAL COST = $2.99
Wednesday – Bacon Lettuce and Tomato Sandwiches with a can of peaches and pears. I already had the bread and I need to use the rest of the lettuce from Monday. I also had the can’s of peaches and pears so the only thing I had to purchase was a small tomato($.78) and 1 lb of bacon($1.50 on sale)
TOTAL MEAL COST = $2.28
Thursday - Tater Tot Casserole with french bread and applesauce. I already had the canned goods and the cheese, I only needed to purchase 1 lb. hamburger ($2.39), loaf of french bread ($1.00 – no more coupons) and a bag of tater tots ($1.50)
TOTAL MEAL COST = $4.89
Friday – Pizza Please – we try to make Friday night Pizza night at our house. We like to purchase the take-n-bakes but this week we have to make our own. I had the cheese, sauce and a few of the favorite toppings already. I had to buy 2 can’s of the jumbo biscuits ($1.94) and a bag of pepperoni ($1.50) I also bought a bag of chips($2.00) and a 2 liter of pop ($.69) not to healthy but fun for the kids and easy for mom and dad.
TOTAL MEAL COST = $6.13
Saturday – Crockpot Lemon Chicken with rice and canned fruit – I had everything for this meal but the chicken and lemonade. I found that great deal on the big family pack of chicken legs($2.99) and the can of lemonade ($.33 on sale)
TOTAL MEAL COST = $3.32
Sunday – Easy Cheesy Broccoli Soup with canned fruit – this was the perfect choice for a cold winter day. I had the canned fruit and all the ingredients for the soup except the broccoli, cheese whiz and bread bowls. I decided to substitute the cheese whiz for shredded cheese I already had in the fridge. So the only thing I had to purchase was the broccoli bunch ($2.97 ouch – no sales) and 2 pkgs. of bread bowls for ($1.98)
TOTAL MEAL COST = $4.95
Cooking cheap meals for a big family like mine can be done. These $5 dinner meals are simple and healthy to prepare. My grocery list also included 2 gallons of milk for the week ($4.00), 3 loafs of bread ($3.00), 1 case of top ramen ($2.40 on sale) and 1 lb of cooked ham from the deli ($2.99 on sale), this covered breakfast and lunch for the week. For less than $40.00 I am able to feed my family of 6 complete cheap meals that are healthy, simple and quick!
For more easy recipes like these, here is a great blog to see: Easy Recipes Index
I just have to say this is truly a blessing. I also overspent my Christmas budget and do not have alot of grocery money left. This is great as now I can afford to go to the store and make sure that my family has healthy and filling meals to eat for the week. Keep up the good work I love this site!!!!
Glad this menu can help. With the great response to this article I plan to post these budget menus one a week.
I love the way you break it down and explain the meals and add the costs with each. This is a great teaching tool and an eye-opener to those of us that don’t watch our dollars closely enough to really save on our food bill. Keep up the great work!
Thanks Sharon it’s crazy how much we can spend on food if we don’t stick to a grocery list and a meal plan. I am lazy by nature when it comes to this, I prefer the “push the cart and toss in whatever method” but with 4 young kids and a tight budget it’s not happening!
I checked your site out and loved it…Hey UTAH we want the Cap-less Crisco can!
Check it out! http://familyfoodies.com
A great plan for whole week of meal.
You could also focus your budget more on veggies.
Hi YoNaturals you are right…buy saving money when planning cheap meals ahead of time, you can then afford to spend the money saved on fresh fruits and veggies. Thanks for the visit to CheapFamilyMeals!!
This is a great resource for families that are on a tight budget. Due to the recession and the way the economy is headed, many people will find this Cheap quick easy dinner recipes for a week very useful. I know I plan on implements a version of these into my budget.
Yes, that is what this site is about – a guideline for people to follow…The meals don’t have to be the same but its just the idea that I am trying to get out. I wanted people to see how easy it can be to set a food budget and prepare cheap meals.
Thanks for the visit and to my readers check out http://www.printgrocerycoupons.net for even more great savings!!
These are very interesting but not very healthy. But, I can see how it could work for someone temporarily.
That is one of the biggest challenges I face when trying to feed by family healthy and maintain a very tight food budget. Thanks for the visit!
Your site is AWESOME… My husband was laid off in August and we have 5 kids plus us, and that is a lot to feed. It has been hard for us these past few months, but now your menus and ideas are a blessing. Thank you for this, this will be my new Bible for cooking and saving.. THANKS
Roma thanks for the kind words. Good luck to you and your family! I have been there myself and know how hard it can be.
Thanks a lot machelle low salary person want some think like that and i m very low salary person and u helped me a lot GOD Bless you
this is great! the problem with eating healthy is it is so expensive! but if you watch portions that is a great help! with these meals i think they will help greatly on the portions! thank you!!
I mad a delicious steak and lobster meal with garlic roasted potatoes to feed a family of 6 for only $2.99. I already had the steak, lobster, potatoes, garlic and spices, so I only had to buy a pound of butter ($2.99) to create the whole meal.
Honestly, as good as these ideas may be, if you already had some or most of the ingredients you still have to include their cost in the total. Every meal above depends on having ingredients already on hand, usually the most expensive ones.
Menus and ideas are a great addition to my kitchen, my husband is very happy, its just because of you. thanks a lot.
The meals don’t have to be the same but its just the idea that I am trying to get out. I wanted people to see how easy it can be to set a food budget and prepare cheap meals.
I was just wondering what a month of meals would look like for you….a monthly grocery list. I try to shop weekly and we too are on a budget. I’m hoping seeing a monthly plan might help me see where I could cut back some more and yet not feel it..if that makes sense.
I did find this page helpful however I do agree that the total cost should include the entire ingredients. Otherwise, the title is very misleading. Also I would be interested in knowing how long ago this was posted or your location due to the pricing. The cost of food has went up so much, that there would be no way I could purchase the same foods you did at the same price today. Again could have been posted a while back or a different geographical area with lower prices maybe???
Again I do like the general idea of the page and found it to be a helpful source in creating cheaper meals.
Thank you
Hi! I just wanted to say that I am a college student with other college roommates. Your weekly meal plans were so helpful. Do you have a website?
Great use of the pantry items! This post inspired me to post my own plan. This is my menu/shopping list for a family of four for a week. I didn’t include recipes but I’ll post them later if there’s interest.The shopping list is included below each item, but not all of the same items are grouped together. I don’t how much it all costs yet, but the ingredients are all cheap and I think it’s a pretty well-balanced menu. Breakfast and lunch are about the same every day, but there’s variety in the dinners.
Breakfast:
Pancakes:
6 cups quick oats
10 cups flour
10 cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 ½ cups dry milk
4 ½ tbsp baking powder
3 tbsp cinnamon
25 tsp salt
¾ tsp cream of tartar
4 2/3 c applesauce
2 ½ c oil
Orange Julius:
8 c. orange juice
8 c. milk
1 c. sugar
4 tsp vanilla
28 bananas (4/day)
Lunch:
Soup and euro bread
Bread:
12 c flour
5 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
Extra flour or a little cornmeal for dusting
Soup:
Bean Chili:
2 cans black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can corn
1 jar salsa
1 can tomato sauce
1 to 2 tsp cumin
1 can pinto beans
2 zucchini shredded
2 can chicken broth
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. chili powder
Cheesy Potato soup:
8 potatoes
1/2 c. flour
12 slices American cheese
4 chicken bouillon cubes
4 c. milk
Salt to taste
Dinner:
Noodle stir fry with rotisserie chicken
Rotisserie chicken
1/2 lb spaghetti
Soy sauce
Oil
Frozen veggies
Hawaiian haystacks with leftover chicken
1 lb white rice (cook all, but save ½ for tomorrow)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can crushed pineapple
Shredded cheese to garnish
Fried rice and salad
Leftover rice
butter
Frozen veggies
Salad and dressing (save 1/2 for another dinner)
Spaghetti, vegetables, and French bread
½ lb spaghetti
Fresh or frozen veggies of choice
1 loaf French bread (save ½ for tomorrow)
butter
French bread pizza and leftover salad
Pizza sauce
Shredded cheese
Pizza toppings
Leftover salad and dressing
Leftover French bread
No peek stew
1 lb stew meat
1 pkg onion soup mix
4-6 potatoes
1 bag baby carrots
1 can green beans
1 can cream of mushroom soup
Leftover stew
Snacks:
Popcorn
Popcorn kernels
Oil
Something to pop it with
peanut butter balls (from southernplate.com)
6 c quick oats
2 c honey or corn syrup
5 c dry milk
3 c creamy peanut butter
Wax paper and cookie sheets
i am enjoying the meals and the way you put prices on the products . GREAT JOB . I am putting this in my favorites. thanks again .
Good list, but I’m mildly put off that you consistently omitted the price of significant ingredients of the meals because you already had them present.
If you had more of an ingredient to use from a previous recipe during the week it would be acceptable, but considering this all of these meals would likely cost at least 2x what you listed.
I felt that ALL ingredients should be included in your pricing. Even if you already had them, you had to purchase them so that should be included….very misleading. Other than that, this is a great site and in the last two weeks I have already used 4 of your dinner recipes. Thanks!