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.

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.

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.

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.