The grocery budget is always one of the most flexible items in the monthly budget. It’s where I always look first when I need extra money for something unexpected that has come up.
Here are 10 changes I often implement to our weekly meal plans when we have to watch the grocery budget even more than usual!
#1 - Implement a Sandwich Night Every Week
Have a sandwich night for dinner every week. Sandwiches are cheap to make and there is so much versatility here.
You can switch up the meats, cheeses, sauces, and veggies you put on them as well as changing the bread or buns you use. Small buns can be used to make delicious sliders warmed in the oven.
We often break out our panini maker for sandwich night. My kids favorite panini right now is one with ham, cheddar, and an egg on sourdough.
#2 - Consider Breakfast for Dinner More Often
Eggs are cheap. In fact, at my local Aldi store, they are often $0.69 a dozen. If you don’t have an Aldi nearby, I know my other local chains often have them on sale dirt cheap as well.
Pair the eggs with a box of frozen sausage links (usually found for no more than $1) and some toast or homemade pancakes or muffins and you have an inexpensive and delicious feast!
#3 - Go Meatless with Beans!
Beans are cheap and can be quite filling. Think tostadas, burritos and other delicious Mexican dishes. Other great ways to consume beans include soups or salads. The possibilities are almost limitless!
A big batch of baked beans in the slow cooker is an easy way to get an inexpensive and nutritious meal on the dinner table on a busy day.
Here are some of my favorite recipes to include beans into the menu plan!
Mexican Bean Salad – combining kidney beans, black beans, and cannellini beans along with bell peppers, corn, red onion and cilantro, this bean salad also has a delicious homemade dressing with red wine vinegar, olive oil, lime juice, and some spices. It is not only cost effective, but also delicious. And even better, it makes such a large batch, I literally eat it for days when I make it!
Slow Cooker Vegan Baked Beans – A great baked bean recipe for the slow cooker that is both sweet and filling.
#4 - Eat More Pasta Based Dishes
Boxes of pasta can be bought for as cheap as $0.49 a box. There are so many ways to use pasta to make meals that are both cheap and satisfying for your family.
Macaroni and cheese is one of our favorites! There are always great deals on shredded cheese and all the other ingredients are usually items that we have on hand already.
One of my favorite times to make mac and cheese is when I have leftover pulled pork or shredded buffalo chicken to use up. We just slap a spoonful right on top of our Mac and cheese. Here’s my favorite macaroni and cheese recipe. It’s easy and delicious!
There are so many skillet dishes and casseroles that start with pasta too. It really is a versatile item to build a meal around. There is always the old classic and favorite too…spaghetti!
#5 - Find a Few Favorite Tuna Recipes to Add to Your Rotation
Tuna is another frugal way to round our your dinner menu. Isn’t it wonderful when you can get a protein source for under $1? We like tuna noodle casserole as well as tuna melts and tuna on toast.
But by far my kids favorite tuna meal are this recipe for Tuna Melt Biscuits. It only requires a few inexpensive ingredients to make. A can of biscuits. a little bit of shredded cheese and a couple cans of tuna plus a few other items I always have on hand.
#6 - Two Words: Pizza Night!
Don’t be afraid to implement pizza night. Aldi has gigantic take and bake pizzas sell for $5-$6 and easily feed four or five people. They also have frozen pizzas for around $2.75 which are equivalent to the DiGiorno brand.
Other grocery chains often have take and bake pizzas as well in the deli of their stores. And my local Kroger often has great deals on frozen pizzas. I try to keep some in our freezer for emergency nights when I need a quick dinner!
Little Caesars also offers a large $5 pizza. They aren’t as big as the take and bake pizzas that you can get at Aldi, but they can easily feed 3-4 people, especially if you have sides with it.
Another option is to have a fun family night and make your own pizza. You can buy pre-made pizza dough at supermarkets fairly cheap or make your own. I use my bread maker to make pizza dough. It really takes the work out of the process! Sauce is usually around $1 a jar, a bag of shredded cheese is usually less than $2, and then whatever toppings you want. Inexpensive and memorable, especially if you have little ones that love to help out in the kitchen!
I usually make a veggie tray with whatever vegetables we happen to have around the house to go with our pizza nights. A piece of fresh fruit or a salad are other easy and affordable sides for pizza night.
#7 - Take Advantage of Meat Deals
I always try to stock up when I see a good meat deal. This can be limited by how much freezer space you have available to you. We have always kept a second fridge in the basement for this purpose.
My favorite meat deals are when I find meat markdowns at Aldi. Usually at the location I shop at, this happens right after they open in the morning. It can be hit or miss so it’s really the luck of the draw but when I do find something, I don’t hesitate to jump on it.
Typically it’s a few dollars off a package or 50% off. One time, my local store found themselves with too many hams leftover after the holiday season and marked them all down to $5 each. I got a couple of their boneless spiral hams that normally sell for $2.99/lb. You never know what kind of deals you might happen across. Always keep an eye out!
The weekly loss leaders are usually another way to score the best meat deals. This will be the items that are featured on the front page of your grocery chain’s weekly ad. These are the items they sell cheap, often for a loss, to get people in the door.
Finally, another way I like to keep my freezer stocked with meat deals is to take advantage of special offers. Typically around Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, my local Kroger store will offer a ham or turkey deal for a crazy cheap price with an additional purchase (usually $25). This Thanksgiving, I was able to pick up a 13 lb turkey for under $5 with one of these promotions. I threw it in the freezer an made it a few weeks later. It lasted us for several meals!
#8 - Reconsider Your Side Dishes
Anytime I need to reel in our grocery budget, our side dishes are one of the first places I often look. Do I need really that side or can I find something cheaper to replace it?
You can also think outside the box and plan your meals around the sides instead of the main course. Sometimes I plan several meals around a side that I make that I know will last much of the week.
One example is my family’s favorite macaroni salad. It costs me just a few dollars to make and it lasts us at least 3-4 meals. So if I am planning to make it, I will often plan burgers, hot dogs, and sandwiches for the dinner menu that week. All three items go really well with the macaroni salad and it saves me not only money on my grocery budget, but also time.
Baked potatoes and sweet potatoes are also great sides that are affordable and filling. Fries and tater tots are another one I lean on when I need something inexpensive. They usually cost less than $2 a bag and last us a couple meals.
Bags of frozen veggies are less than $1 and are a great way to keep your grocery budget on track. I prefer them over fresh vegetables quite often because I don’t have to worry about them going bad before I can use them and they are quick and easy to prepare.
Bagged salads at Aldi sell for $1 or $2 (perhaps slightly more at other chains) so they are also a really good option to consider.
Finally, I add fresh fruit to our dinners several times a week. It’s often whatever is in season or on sale that week. Clementines, berries, melons and apples are some of our favorites for dinner sides.
#9 - Utilize Leftovers
Food waste is a common problem. I’ve had things go bad because they got pushed to the back and forgotten. It happens.
I try to prevent it by scaling down recipes that I know we aren’t likely to eat the leftovers on. Some dishes just don’t reheat well. I also make sure to freeze leftovers if I know that we won’t be able to consume them within a few days.
Another thing I do is list leftovers on the weekly menu plan for our lunch options so that my family doesn’t forget that they are there if they want them!
Often, if I know something is going to make a lot, I try to plan for the leftovers by putting it twice on the dinner menu for the week or by re-purposing them into another meal for the week. If I make buffalo chicken sandwiches one night, a few night later we will usually have nachos with the leftover buffalo chicken on top. Pulled pork is served on buns one day and on top of macaroni and cheese another.
#10 - Simplify Breakfasts and Lunches
I’ve talked a lot about how to lower your grocery budget by making changes to your dinner menu, but breakfast and lunch plans should also be considered.
We keep it pretty simple around here. Our breakfast items on hand stay pretty consistent from week to week. I keep oatmeal, cereal, yogurt, eggs, and whole wheat bread for toast in the house for breakfast.
I also usually keep a box or two of frozen waffles on hand because they are my kids’ favorite and the store brand is so inexpensive, it’s not necessary for me to make homemade ones to freeze.
Occasionally I will make a special breakfast on the week if our schedules allow for it. Breakfast casseroles, pancakes, homemade cinnamon rolls, or some biscuits and gravy are in our us rotation for these occasions. They are affordable and often produce leftovers that the kids eat during the week.
Lunch around our house also stays pretty consistent. I keep stuff on hand for sandwiches, quesadillas, burritos, and macaroni and cheese.
We also always have ramen on hand because my husband and youngest son love it. Leftovers, if available, are also another option.
My kids know to grab a main course, a piece of fruit, and some veggies and that’s lunch around here! It doesn’t cost much and I don’t have to overthink it when I am planning the weekly grocery menu.
What’s your favorite way to save money on your grocery budget?