Budget-Friendly Meals from Aldi for Family of 3 | Weekly Meal Plan, May 18-24, 2025
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.
Here’s the breakdown!
Grocery List & Estimated Prices
Note: Prices are based on my local Aldi this weekend. Actual prices may vary.
Produce:
Yellow Onions (3 lb bag): $2.39
Blueberries: $2.69
Bananas: $1.92
Meat & Dairy:
Pre-Sliced Ham: $9.25
Thin Sliced Chicken Breast: $4.89
Pork Butt Roast: $8.55
Gallon Milk: $2.57
Sliced Pepper Jack Cheese (2x 10-packs): $3.70
Cream Cheese (1 block): $1.69
String Cheese: $3.15
Queso: $3.22
Pantry Staples:
Green Split Peas (2x 1lb. bags): $2.84
Canned Diced Tomatoes & Chiles: $0.95
Canned Tomatoes (2x): $1.90
Canned Black Beans: $0.85
Tortillas (burrito size): 1.99
Frozen Fries: $3.65
Frozen Peppers & Onions: $1.38
Canned Lima Beans (2x): $2.94
Thyme Leaves: $1.94
Pumpkin Puree: $1.96
Queso: $3.22
Total Aldi Cost: $53.49
Total Walmart Cost: $14.71
Total Grocery Cost: $68.20
Weekly Dinner Plan
Sunday: Eating Out
We’re going to the Georgia Renaissance Festival on Sunday and driving back home in the evening. We plan to stop somewhere quick and easy on the way home. If you’re not one to eat out, try using one day out of your week to try a pantry-staple meal. Challenge yourself to make a meal just out of what’s in your pantry, fridge, and freezer - pray for wisdom and creativity, and see how the Lord provides!
Monday: Split Pea Soup & Ham Sandwiches
Split pea soup with ham sandwiches is one of my husband’s favorite meals. I’ll be headed out of town for a week at the end of the month, so my plan is to make a huge batch on Monday night, with the intention of freezing half of it.
I use this recipe from Pinterest, which uses diced ham, carrots, celery, and onions. It all goes in the slow cooker in the morning and is ready by dinner time! With the leftover ham and some homemade sandwich bread, I’ll make ham sandwiches to round out the meal.
Ingredients Used
From Grocery Trip: 2x bags of split peas, sliced ham, sliced pepper jack cheese, thyme leaves, onions
From Pantry/Freezer: broth, homemade bread with yeast/flour/water/butter, canned veggies, frozen carrots/celery
Tuesday: Brunswick Stew & Focaccia
I’d never had Brunswick stew until I married a southern boy, but it’s become one of my favorite meals. I use a full bottle of BBQ sauce, lima beans, and a can of mixed vegetables, and for the protein, I like to use both shredded pork and chicken.
Again, since I’m going out of town soon, I plan to make a double batch of the soup and freeze it for my husband and daughter. Because of that, I purchased a lot more pork than usual to make it stretch for two batches.
I’ll also make some homemade focaccia bread - it’s so easy and uses only pantry staples.
Ingredients Used
From Grocery Trip: pork butt roast, diced tomatoes, chicken breast, lima beans, frozen peppers/onions (for top of focaccia), onions
From Pantry/Freezer: broth, homemade focaccia with yeast/flour/olive oil, bbq sauce, canned veggies
Wednesday: Chicken Quesadillas, Rice, Beans, Chips & Queso
Chicken quesadillas are often on the menu, especially when I have more involved dishes on the menu, like homemade bread. It’s easy, fast, and always filling for our family.
I just load up tortillas with shredded chicken tossed in taco seasoning, black beans, and shredded cheese. Then we’ll have Mexican rice, chips, and queso on the side. Not the healthiest, but we love it! (Plus, I usually have leftovers, and chicken quesadillas are great for freezing and reheating.)
Ingredients Used
From Grocery Trip: tortillas, chicken breast, canned beans, canned tomatoes & chiles, tortilla chips, queso, onions
From Pantry/Freezer: shredded cheese, taco seasoning, rice
Thursday: Leftovers or Breakfast for Dinner
With both split pea soup and Brunswick stew on the menu, plus the homemade sandwich bread and focaccia, there’s bound to be plenty of leftovers this week.
And if not, we’ll have breakfast for dinner, since we always have eggs and frozen sausage patties on hand!
Ingredients Used
From Grocery Trip: whatever is leftover!
From Pantry/Freezer: whatever is leftover, sausage patties, eggs
Friday: Homemade Chick-fil-A Nuggets with Fries & Roasted Veggies
I love homemade Chick-fil-A nuggets with frozen waffle fries and a side of roasted veggies. I’ve gotten pretty good at the copy-cat chicken breading for the nuggets, and we always keep extra Chick-fil-A sauce on hand. I use this recipe (with an added ½ cup of powdered sugar - trust me, it’s amazing), and fry them in vegetable oil. (I know, I know, not the healthiest, but it’s Chick-fil-A!)
Then I just toss some frozen fries and vegetables in the oven, toss them in spices as needed, and we’ve got a delicious copy-cat meal without the restaurant prices!
Ingredients Used
From Grocery Trip: chicken breast, frozen fries
From Pantry/Freezer: homemade chicken breading with flour/spices/milk/eggs, frozen mixed veggies, leftover Chick-fil-A sauce
Saturday: Frozen Pizza
Saturday is always pizza night for us, and we love Aldi’s Mama Cozzi’s Pepperoni Pizza. We load ours up with extra pepperonis, put the baby to bed early, and enjoy a movie and pizza night!
Ingredients Used
From Grocery Trip: none :)
From Pantry/Freezer: an extra frozen pizza in the freezer, extra pepperonis
Breakfasts & Lunches for the Week: Leftovers or Make Do & Get Creative in the Kitchen :)
We like to wing our breakfasts and dinners in our home. It’s easier and more cost effective to focus on dinners first and make-do with the rest. I do purchase some fruit and dairy for the week, as well as some random ingredients for pantry/freezer restocking as needed.
This week, I want to restock my freezer with “baby meatloaf” for my daughter, which just calls for ground beef and pumpkin puree. I won’t use the whole can of pumpkin, so I’ll likely make some oatmeal and pumpkin pancakes to keep in the freezer for her as well.
Ingredients Used
From Grocery Trip: blueberries, bananas, milk, cream cheese, string cheese, sliced pepper jack cheese, pumpkin puree (for my daughter’s homemade baby-meatloaf)
From Pantry/Freezer: ground beef (for my daughter’s homemade baby-meatloaf), frozen chicken nuggets, frozen veggies, crackers, peanuts, pasta, rice, canned salmon, eggs, sausage patties, & my husband’s frozen breakfast sandwiches
Some Pantry Tips
To be able to “shop” your pantry and freezer every week, you have to get in the habit of building up your stores. This week, try saving that last bit of diced onion, those few leftover tortillas, that half can of beans, the uneaten sandwich bread. You never know what will be perfect for your next meal plan.
Consider making a double batch next time you make your family’s favorite meal, with the intention of freezing it for another week.
Keep your spice rack well stocked! There’s a whole new world of budget-friendly cooking when you have the right spices on hand.
Take some time this week to organize one or two shelves in your pantry. It’s so much easier to think of pantry-staple-heavy meals when my shelves are organized and I can see what I have easily.
As you plan your week of meals, I pray you’ll steward your resources well, whether it’s your time, your budget, or your pantry.
Happy stewarding!
