Welcome to Week 2 of my $5 Summer Pantry Challenge! This week (June 27–July 3), we’re stocking up on another essential pantry staple: rice. For just $5, try to pick up a 1 to 2 lbs bag of white or brown rice, a super versatile and filling base for so many meals.

$5 Summer Pantry Challenge: Week 1 — Beans, Beans, Beans!

Welcome to Week 1 of my $5 Summer Pantry Challenge! This week (June 20–26), we’re kicking things off with a humble but mighty pantry staple: dry beans or lentils. With just $5, aim to snag 1–2 bags of dry pinto beans, black beans, or lentils.

Welcome, friend! You are invited to join me in a $5 summer pantry challenge! 

For the next 13 weeks, I’m setting aside $5 a week to stock up my pantry for the fall and winter. I’ll be focusing on shelf-stable essentials, like beans, oats, canned goods, and baking staples. I’m hoping these small steps will help me prepare for the coming seasons in a way that feels peaceful and doable.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in this season of homemaking, it’s that a well-stocked pantry isn’t built overnight—and that’s okay. It’s taken me time, trial, and more than one budget mishap to learn that having a pantry filled with the right staples can make all the difference when it comes to feeding my family well while living within our means.

We’re back with another weekly meal plan! Here’s what my family of three is eating this week, all for under $70.

Designed for simplicity, stewardship, and faithfulness in the small things, this plan utilizes ingredients from my local Aldi and Walmart, and pantry staples from my own kitchen. With a focus on budget-friendly meals, I’ve created a week of dinners that are both nourishing and cheap.

Sometimes, the Holy Spirit whispers not in our quiet time, but right in our mess: When you snap at your child and instantly feel that gentle tug: pray first, speak softer, apologize. When the baby cries at 2 a.m. and you want to grumble, but instead you're met with a reminder: this is holy, this is fleeting, this is love in the night.

One of the simplest and most overlooked ways to steward our homes well is by using what we already have. Before we run to the store for more groceries, there’s wisdom (and savings!) in turning first to your pantry and freezer. This practice, small as it may seem, can become a weekly rhythm of intentionality, thankfulness, and stewardship.

This week I put together our meal plan with one big goal in mind: faithfulness. Not fancy, just thoughtful, simple meals that stretch a small budget and make space for what matters most. With prices rising everywhere, I’m constantly reminded that stewardship is a daily practice, not just a financial principle. And honestly? There’s a quiet joy in working within limits. It keeps me leaning on the Lord’s provision instead of my own ideas of abundance.

If you're a busy homemaker looking to save time and money without sacrificing a tasty breakfast, these freezer-friendly breakfast sandwiches are the perfect solution. With just a few simple ingredients – English muffins, pepper jack cheese slices (or whatever cheese you prefer!), eggs, and sausage patties – you can create a delicious, grab-and-go breakfast that’s both satisfying and budget-friendly.

Meal planning more than a Pinterest-perfect calendar of meals. It’s a quiet, powerful way to walk faithfully in your calling as a homemaker, wife, and mother. To steward your time, resources, and energy by nourishing your family and glorifying God in the small, faithful act of thinking ahead.

I’m a firm believer in keeping dinner simple, delicious, and budget-friendly. This week’s meal plan is all about simple, nourishing meals made from pantry staples and fresh ingredients, perfect for feeding your family without stretching your budget.

Whether you're gathering around the table for a weeknight dinner or sharing food at a church picnic, this plan is filled with comfort, practicality, and of course, joy! 

Weekends can be strange little storms, can’t they? The pace of the week doesn’t slow, it shifts. The laundry pile grows. The schedule fills. The house, somehow, still needs cleaning. The nap and sleep schedules are more easily interrupted. And if we’re not careful, we can roll right into Monday with tired hands, a weary heart, and on top of it all, some mom-guilt because you forgot to wash your husband’s work pants.

There’s something wonderful about a classic chicken pot pie: tender chicken, vibrant vegetables, and a creamy filling, all wrapped in a golden, flaky crust. There’s something even more wonderful when you make it from scratch using pantry staples and leftover chicken, free from crummy preservatives, budget-friendly, and made with love!

As a new mom and homemaker, I often get asked about my meal planning on a budget process. It’s something I’ve been fine-tuning for a while now, and I honestly love talking about it. From managing a budget to figuring out what works for our little family, meal planning has become an essential part of my weekly routine. 

Welcome to The Faithful Little Pantry! I’m grateful you’re here.

This space was born out of a simple but persistent prayer: to serve the Lord faithfully in the everyday, in the simple, yet significant tasks of homemaking, while living within our means and stewarding what we’ve been given with purpose and joy.