Many of us are so financially stressed right now that preparing cheap meals is one important way we can try to cope during this recession. Having access to weekly dinner menus that are cheap and easy to prepare will lighten the burden.
I received more views for that 1 article in one week than my site as a whole in the last month. So of course the only thing to do is create yet another weekly dinner planner consisting of cheap meal ideas under $5 per meal. See what my readers want, my readers get!
Last week I created a weeks worth of recipes for cheap meal ideas with what I had on hand and a limited number of items and money to purchase from the grocery store.
For the weekly dinner menus this week, I am going to pretend that none of the items are on hand, even though most of my $5 dinner meals are created from simple ingredients normally sitting in the pantry. Watch as I create 7 days worth of cheap meal ideas for only $33.06. Yep, that’s cheap and it is easy to do.
Cheap Meal Ideas For A Week Only $33.06
Weekly Dinner Planner
- Monday – Chicken Casserole Recipe – 1 lb of chicken, any type just get whats cheap ($2.50), 1 can of cream of mushroom soup ($0.79), 1 bag frozen broccoli ($.99), 1 can of pears ($.50)
Total Meal Cost – $4.78
- Tuesday – Crockpot Chili – 1 1/2 lbs of ground beef ($3.00), 1 can stewed tomatoes ($.99), 1 can chili beans ($.50) 1 jiffy box of cornbread mix ($.33)
Total Meal Cost – $4.82
- Wednesday – Quick Chicken Recipe With Pasta – 1 pkg fettuccine noodles ($.60), 1 Jar Alfredo Sauce ($1.50), 1 lb chicken ($2.00), 1 can green beans ($.50)
Total Meal Cost – $ 4.60
- Thursday - Breakfast Waffles – 1 box pancake mix ($1.00), 1 lb fresh fruit ($2.00), 2 pkg sausage links ($1.94)
Total Meal Cost – $4.94
- Friday – Soup and Sandwich - 1 loaf bread ($.88), 1 pkg cheese ($1.50), 4 cans of chicken noodle soup or tomato soup ($2.00)
Total Meal Cost – $4.38
- Saturday – Fish Casserole – 1 can tuna fish ($.75), 1 pkg egg noodles ($1.00), 1 can cream mushroom soup ($0.79), 1 can peas ($0.50), 1 bag chips ($1.50)
Total Meal Cost – $4.54
- Sunday – Soy Pork Roast – 1 lb pork roast ($4.00), 1 pkg rice ($1.00)
Total Meal Cost – $5.00
Your total cost for this weekly dinner menu is only $33.06, now that’s not bad at all. Creating a cheap family meal plan isn’t difficult, it’s just a habit you have to learn. All of the cheap menu ideas above are just a starting point, these recipes are so simple you can substitute one item for another, you can purchase a little bit extra and double the batch for a make ahead lunch meal or do an easy freezer dinner next week. The goal here is just do it! Take control of your family food budget now not later.
Here is last weeks cheap quick easy dinner recipes: Cheap Family Menu For Less Than $40.00
Need to feed a “BIG FAMILY”? This will help: Creating Big Family Meals On A Budget
Similar Posts:
- A Cheap Family Menu For Less Than $40.00
- Chicken Recipes For Easy Dinner Ideas
- One Of The Best Crockpot Recipes For Pork Roast
- Quick Chicken Broccoli Casserole For Dinner
- Easy Last Minute Dinner Recipe
I love your site! you are so inspiring to a frugal mommy of two such as I! I am constantly looking for cheap but healthy ideas to feed our family, and will most definitely be bookmarking this site!
thanks again!
Donna Herrick, CA.
Thanks Donna – please share recipes and healthy meal ideas as we are all frugal mom’s these days!!
I think chicken is always a really cheap option, but you can be creative in different ways. Soups on meat make great casseroles too – and they really stretch out.
I think this site’s pretty good….I’ve almost had all of the meals on here, hope they add some more soon…..
http://deliciouscheapmeals.com
I agree with you miksareli – I need to get my butt in gear and get more cheap recipes posted…I have been working on some other sites – trying to make things more organized for the readers! Thanks for stopping by!!
I wish I knew where you shop – I can’t find the ingredients for any where close to the prices you list. I pay much more!!
Hi Carrie..I shop at Wal-Mart usually but I also live in Utah so I can only base my menu’s off of what I pay. Remember use this as a guide to meal planning. Everyone is going to pay a different price for their groceries. Just a tip: for cheap meat look in the butchers mark down section (if available)!
You have some really great ideas, but as a mom with a child with food allergies its really tough. If anyone has any cheep meal ideas for a child allergic to milk, egg, and nuts it would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Michelle – I can only imagine how difficult it is to prepare meals with your childs allergies. Let me dig around a bit and see what I can find. I know for baking recipes you can substitute applesauce for the milk and eggs – see this article – http://cheapfamilymeals.info/2008/11/24/simple-substitutions-for-a-healthier-recipe/ **** I will try and find some more and email them to you! Good Luck
you do a lot more realistic menu and costs than the yahoo bunch! and real food,to boot!
Thanks Sheryl – I have surfed the yahoo network myself and I agree trying to find realistic menu’s and prices was difficult. I’m glad you found this site useful!
The Lord has blessed me with a sitting service turned in-home daycare and now I service 11 children plus my own=12 kids and two adults. That’s a whopping 14 mouths to feed 12.5 if you add the three babies who eat only half the portions. So coming here is one of the better ideas on the budget. Of course, I love to budget all the things in my life, but don’t want to lose the nutrition either in which most cases people do in fact sacrifice nutrition for frugality and that is something I am NOT willing to compromise. God bless this site.
Hi PrilC, I am so glad I can give resources that help! Thanks for the visit and good luck with that “BIG” family you have been blessed with.
these are great ideas and perfect for the way the economy is right now. we could all save so much money each month with this kind of ingenuity.
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