Meal planning on a budget.

liftinggoddess1

How do I plan my meals

tahxirez

Get a list of recipes you like with ingredients in your budget. Assemble them into a schedule. Do prep work as needed to save time (i.e. I need onion cut up for 3 recipes this week...*cuts up 3 onions on sunday for grab and go cooking.) It's trial and error. Give it a shot and reassess if you run into issues.

cmtigger

Also, look through the local grocery store flyers and see what is on sale. Some of it still be more than you want to spend, but include what is in your price range into your meals.

H_Ock12

I find meat is often the most expensive food I purchase, so I keep an eye on the sales for BOGO deals and I've noticed the meat that expires same day is often marked down extra. I buy it and take it home and freeze it for thawing and cooking when needed. If you have an ALDI or other discount grocery chain nearby, they're significantly less expensive for fresh veggies and meats. If not, stock up on frozen or canned vegetables when they're on sale.

04hoopsgal73

Make a meal plan. Make a shopping plan.
Use flyers from local stores, either from in store or online. Online sign up for their flyers & coupons.
Look for what's on sale and use that in your meal plan.

Compare bulk prices to smaller purchase for dry foods, and for protein if you have a decent size freezer section.
Find a grocery store that has a good rewards program.

I shop at several different places. One store offers a weekly 2/1 sale on 10 different items, it always includes produce, protein, dairy setion, dry foods, etc. So I stock up on items then and plan meal(s) with those items.
Another store has lower prices on weekly staples I use like almond milk, fage yogurt, chicken, veggies so I use that place for those weekly items.

04hoopsgal73

It does take some extra time to get use to meal planning, using flyers & coupons, and maing shopping lists. But it pays you dividends in the long term, both financially and health goal wise.
I have master lists made up and highlight in Bold what I need to buy when I go to the store. I put asterisk next to coupon items, and double asterisk next to Sale items.

3rdof7sisters

Buy in bulk and sales. Cook your own food and avoid take out and restaurants.
I have found my grocery bill is less.

tcunbeliever

I start with whatever is already in the cabinet/fridge/freezer and then I only have to buy whatever ingredients I am missing and it doesn't lay around not getting eaten. Plus, keep an eye on sales and such so I can buy a few extra portions of say chicken if it's on sale, and only the minimum of beef that I need for the week if it's not on sale.

some things are always good fillers for making a bit of leftovers into another meal...potatoes or pasta can be added to leftover meats and veggies for example - add a little sauce and you have a new spaghetti or casserole dinner

soups are also usually pretty economical to make, add in some homemade biscuits or bread if need be to fill everyone up

breakfast is another fairly cheap dinner, eggs and pancakes or eggs and potatoes, etc.

If you have a discount grocery near you (like Sharp Shopper) or farms that you can buy directly from, that helps too

04hoopsgal73

This website, www.simplyrecipes.com has a zillion ideas for different types of foods. I'll prepare like 6-8 lunches and freeze them; for dinners I'll prep 2-3 of one type and freeze them. It's great to know on a busy day you're dinner is defrosting and when you get home you just have to heat it up.
Also, pick one block of time when you can prep, cook, and package your food/meals. Saves you time in the week.

brewerfan13

2 servings of Easy Mac a day. You can find them very cheap (and delivered) on Amazon. Couple eggs and some peanut butter toast to round out your day.

kommodevaran

A meal plan is just a "glorified calendar" with food.

Think about what you want to eat and when you want to eat it. Write it out in any format you want, on paper, in a spreadsheet, Google Calendar, whatever. Write down somewhere what foods you already have.

Base your meals around cheap staples. Rice, pasta, oatmeal, eggs, tuna, chicken, frozen vegetables, potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage, canned tomatoes, beans, apples, oranges, bananas and peanut butter is usually cheap. Make sure you get value for your money and don't pay for anything you aren't willing to pay extra for (this will be personal; some people happily pay more for anything labeled "organic", others don't).

Decide how often you want to shop and cook. Write a list of what you need, including quantities. Bring the list to the grocery store(s). Buy everything on the list, and nothing else. (Later, as you gather experience, you can be more flexible.)

Cook appropriate amounts, and eat it up.

04hoopsgal73

A meal plan is a guided approach to making nutritional meals that meet your goals.