A Budget Family Menu Only $33.06 – Week 2

The popularity of my post last week on A Cheap Family Menu For Less Than $40.00 just proves what I already knew, we need cheap meal ideas put together in a simple weekly dinner planner.

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

January 20th, 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Category: Dinner Recipes, Best Crockpot Recipes, Casserole Cooking, easy ground beef meals, freezer meals recipes | 39 comments

Simple Ground Beef Chili Crockpot Recipe

This is a simple yet delicious Crock Pot Chili dinner. I find creating a simple ground beef meal in the crockpot can save both time and money.

I can get very lazy in the kitchen at times making it difficult to resist the temptation to just pick up the phone and order dinner.

I have found two solutions to this dilemma.

First I try to always have simple family meals I can pull from the freezer and second crockpot cooking.

If I start my meal first thing in the morning then there is absolutely no way I will let a good meal go to waste no matter how bad my day has been.

This crockpot recipe for chili is easy to prepare and yet another great dinner idea under 5 dollars.

Crock Pot Chili With Ground Beef

Personal Cookbook
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3-5 hours on low
Meal Preparation Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
  • 1 16oz. can stewed tomatoes
  • 1 large and 1 small can of chili beans ( I prefer the Hunt’s Chili Beans)
  • Dash of salt, pepper and chili powder to taste

Meal Preparation Directions:

  1. Brown ground beef, drain
  2. Add ground beef, stewed tomatoes and chili beans to crockpot
  3. Add spices to your taste

Meal Assembly:
Cook on low for 3 -5 hours. The longer you simmer, the thicker and better it is. Add some hot cornbread muffins and you have got an inexpensive family meal with little effort.

TIP: Double or even triple the recipe for a family meal from the freezer next week!

***Looking for something different? Try this easy crock pot meal: Crockpot Lemon Chicken

January 14th, 2009 | Tags: , , , , , | Category: Dinner Recipes, Best Crockpot Recipes, easy ground beef meals, freezer meals recipes | 2 comments

A Cheap Family Menu For Less Than $40.00

As I prepared my family meal menu for the week I quickly realized, the freezer is empty and I’m broke. I grocery shop for a month of family meals at a time but with the holidays last month I skimmed from the food budget and now I’m paying for it.

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

January 11th, 2009 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Category: Dinner Recipes, Best Crockpot Recipes, Casserole Cooking, Dream Dinners Made Cheap, easy ground beef meals, freezer meals recipes | 24 comments
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