We all know that meal planning is a great way to be prepared throughout the week. Unfortunately, you may have seen a lot of meal plans online that require a large grocery budget.
Don’t let this turn you away from meal planning. There are so many things you can do to meal plan on a tight budget.
Check the Sales Papers
The first thing you want to do, if you don’t have a good stockpile, is to check the sales papers before you start meal planning. This will allow you to plan meals around what’s on sale that week. For example, if sirloin roast is on sale, you could have roast one night, beef tips another night, and hamburgers another night. Most butchers are happy to cut meat the way you want it.
Choose Meals That Use Similar Ingredients
You will save so much money planning meals that use the same ingredients. For example, you could plan to have grilled chicken salads one night, chicken wraps the next night, and chicken burritos the last night. You’ll be using lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and cheese in a number of these meals. This ensures that the ingredients you buy will get used and nothing goes to waste.
Transform Leftovers
Some meals make a lot of food. For example, if you make a roast, you’ll usually have leftovers. Plan to use those leftovers to make at least one other meal. For example, you could slice the roast beef and serve on garlic bread for open faced sandwiches and another night you could use leftovers to make soup.
Use Meal Stretching Ingredients
Meat is one of the most expensive things you can buy when buying groceries. This is why you want to stretch it as far as possible. You can use rice, beans, potatoes, eggs, pasta, and so many other ingredients to stretch meat further. For example, when making chili, load your chili up with beans and use less meat. You may even want to incorporate at least one meat-free meal into the week.
Meal planning is a wonderful way for busy moms to get a good meal on the table each night. You don’t have to spend a lot of money though. There are so many ways to meal plan without spending a lot of money. Whether you plan based on the sales or use meal-stretching ingredients, you can meal plan on a tight budget.
Additional Posts You Might Like:
6 Secrets for Successful Meal PlanHow to Survive an Eat from the Pantry ChallengeHow to Create a Stockpile
Rebecca | Unexpectedly Domestic says
Great post, Corrie! I never even thought about asking the butcher to cut the meat different ways. Brilliant! Transforming leftovers into completely different meals is also genius. Thanks!