How to Meal Plan on a Budget
How I Meal Plan on a Weekly $70 Budget
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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.
Stewardship is the guiding principle for me, especially as we’re living on one income (with a few side hustles here and there) and balancing a tight budget. I’m learning every day how to be faithful in the little things - whether it's making the most of every ingredient, reducing waste, or stretching our grocery dollars. Meal planning isn’t just about feeding my family; it’s a way for me to honor the resources we have and be diligent in managing them well. While I’m no expert, I do my best to make the most of our money without sacrificing flavor, variety, or nutrition.
So, here’s a peek into my weekly meal plan philosophy, how I make it work, and the steps I take to stay organized and faithful in our budget-friendly meals. I also included a sample weekly meal plan with a grocery list and pricing breakdown (this is a real meal plan for our family from a few weeks ago!).
Tools I Use to Stay Organized
Before I dive into my process, here are a few budget-friendly tools that help me stay on track week after week:
Magnetic Weekly Meal Planner: Keep this on the fridge to visually map out meals. This one’s reversible!
Reusable Meal Prep Containers: Great for leftovers, freezing baby food, or prepping lunches. I love that I can pop off the lid and stick the glass bottom in the oven for reheating!
Grocery List Pad or App: Keeps shopping streamlined and reduces impulse buys. You could just use the notes app in your phone, or google sheets like I do, or you could use these cute, magnetic notepads to keep on your fridge!
Slow Cooker: Essential for budget-friendly bulk meals like soups or pot pie filling. Love that I can set it and forget it until dinner time!
Budget Cookbooks: I love flipping through Dinner in One when I need inspiration.
Our Grocery Budget Breakdown
Right now, our weekly grocery budget is $70. Yes, you read that right! While I have a lofty goal of bringing it down to $50 a week (which I rarely hit), $70 works better for us. This doesn’t include my monthly Costco runs, where I spend between $100 and $200. Also, every two weeks, we spend $20 on farm-fresh eggs. Our monthly food budget ends up being between $450 and $500 in total.
Our family of three (my husband, our one-year-old, and myself) eats a variety of meals within this budget, and while it’s not always the “healthiest” in terms of always organic or high in healthy fats and proteins, we’re still thankful to God for providing enough food for us each week. We make it work with a lot of prep, planning, and sometimes a little creativity!
How I Plan the Week
My process begins every Monday when I set aside time for meal planning. I use this day to review our budget, pay bills, and think about meals for the coming week. I like to call it my “admin day!” It’s a bit of an odd start to the week (starting one week while thinking about the next week), but it helps me stay organized. I take stock of what’s left in the fridge, freezer, and pantry. From there, I make a rough plan for meals, and over the next few days, I tweak it as necessary based on leftovers or new ideas.
✨ Pro Tip: For the first two years of our marriage, I loved using a magnetic dry erase board to plan out the week. It kept everything front and center—plus it’s reusable! Now I use google sheets to keep track of things, but a good ole dry erase board is perfect too!
I prioritize dinners first, then fill in breakfasts and lunches once those are sorted. Dinners are key because we use leftovers for the next day’s breakfast or lunch, which helps stretch the ingredients (like this gluten-free and protein-rich chickpea pasta, canned chicken, and spices). I like to incorporate a good mix of easy meals and comfort food.
Our Weekly Meal Plan (Sample Week from early April 2025)
Here’s a snapshot of what we typically eat in a week, all for less than $70 at Aldi (and a few extra staples from Costco and my pantry/freezer).
Sunday
Breakfast: Eggs & blueberries for the baby (My husband and I skip breakfast but enjoy a big brunch together after church).
Brunch: Oatmeal for the baby; Eggs, waffles, sausage, & breakfast potatoes for me and my husband.
Dinner: Mediterranean Chicken, Naan, and Greek Pilaf. (Chicken cooked in a Greek marinade and pilaf with feta, lemon juice, and artichokes served with garlic naan and tzatziki.)
Monday
Breakfast: Eggs & blueberries for the baby; Coffee for me and my husband.
Lunch: Leftover Sunday dinner & roasted veggies for me and the baby; my husband takes homemade frozen breakfast sandwiches (I prep these weekly).
Dinner: Homemade chicken pot pie (using canned chicken, frozen veggies, milk, flour, and on hand spices).
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May’s newsletter will include my Simple Homemade Chicken Pot Pie recipe!!
Tuesday
Breakfast: Eggs & blueberries for the baby; Coffee for me and my husband.
Lunch: Leftover chicken pot pie & roasted veggies for me and the baby; frozen breakfast sandwich for my husband.
Dinner: Marry Me Chicken Pasta with roasted veggies (sun-dried tomatoes, canned chicken, chickpea pasta).
Wednesday (Dinner Out)
Breakfast: Eggs & blueberries for the baby; Coffee for me and my husband.
Lunch: Leftover Marry Me Chicken Pasta for me and the baby; frozen breakfast sandwich for my husband.
Dinner: Dinner at church (our church offers a free dinner on Wednesday nights, which is a nice break!).
Thursday (Leftovers Day)
Breakfast: Eggs & blueberries for the baby; Coffee for me and my husband.
Lunch: Leftovers for me and the baby; Frozen breakfast sandwich for my husband.
Dinner: Leftovers from chicken pot pie and Marry Me Chicken Pasta.
Friday, April 4 (Grocery Day)
Breakfast: Eggs & blueberries for the baby; Coffee for me and my husband.
Lunch: Leftovers or “Get Creative in the Kitchen” (using what’s left in the fridge).
Dinner: Breakfast for dinner (eggs, toast, sausage, or a frittata in a cast iron skillet).
Saturday, April 5 (Pizza Night)
Breakfast: Eggs & blueberries for the baby; Coffee for me and my husband.
Lunch: Eggs, toast, sausage patties for all three of us.
Dinner: Pizza for me and my husband; Homemade chicken nuggets & roasted veggies for the baby.
My Grocery List & Pricing Breakdown
I had a lot on hand, namely canned chicken, eggs, milk, butter, chickpea pasta, frozen sausage patties, sun-dried tomatoes, and various spices. Here’s what I bought for this week at Aldi:
Mini Garlic Naan (2 packs): $9.30
English Muffins: $1.49
5lb Yellow Potatoes: $3.59
White Onions: $2.39
Zucchinis (3 pack): $2.23
Lemons: $3.89
Mayo: $3.29
Half & Half: $2.79
Pilaf Mix: $0.95
Tzatziki Sauce: $3.19
Pepper Jack Cheese: $1.85
Frozen Pepperoni Pizza: $4.29
Thin-Sliced Chicken Breast (3 pack): $4.89
Feta Cheese: $1.95
Artichokes: $2.29
Hazelnut Coffee Creamer: $2.69
Total: $52.60
Prepping for the Week
To make things easier, I always prep some basics ahead of time:
For my husband: Each week, I prepare breakfast sandwiches with English muffins, sausage patties, eggs, and pepper jack cheese. I make a batch for the week, wrap them, and store them in the freezer. They’re an easy grab-and-go breakfast or lunch.
For the baby: Depending on the week, I make my baby some snacks to keep in the freezer. This week, I made zucchini muffins in a mini muffin tin and applesauce pancakes, and stored both in the freezer. I also made homemade applesauce, which is great as a snack or mixed into pancakes and muffins.
For the freezer: Depending on the week, I freeze a staple or two to keep on hand. This particular week, I froze chopped onions and diced potatoes. This makes it so much easier to throw together meals quickly during the week.
*Pro Tip: Keep lots of freezer bags on hand to begin building your freezer stores! I usually use Ziploc Freezer Bags, but I want to invest in some reusable freezer bags like these soon!
The Takeaway: Budget-Friendly Meal Planning is Possible!
While meal planning can feel overwhelming, I’ve learned to make it work for our family. With the right planning, a bit of creativity, and a lot of prayer, it’s possible to feed your family delicious meals on a budget. Whether you’re juggling a new baby or managing a busy schedule, I hope you found some helpful tips here to make your meal planning a bit easier. Doing things like “shopping” your pantry and freezer before making a meal plan or making meals that use a lot of the same ingredients are great examples of small steps of stewardship. You’ve got this!
Thanks for reading, and I hope this encourages you to embrace thoughtful meal planning and stewardship, making the most of what we’ve been blessed with.
Be sure to follow me on Instagram to get my weekly meal plans, all under $70!
