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

• 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