Budget Meal Planning

Meal planning tips for enjoying delicious healthy meals cooking on a budget

The best budget meal planning tips are here. Stretch your family food budget with these cool budget meal tips!

Budget meal planning doesn't mean you'll have to eat meals that are boring and tasteless.

With a little effort and some creativity not only will you be able to cook delicious and exciting meals, but you'll also have the satisfaction of knowing that you did so while staying within your budget.

Use Family Old-Time Favorites

When thinking about what to cook, (Step 1 in meal planning), I often think about the recipes passed down to me from my mom and dad. Some of the simplest, most delicious meals cost very little back in the day, and still do! Like Johnny Bread, a bread made from the staples – flour, water and sugar. Sometimes it was all they had growing up.

Now Johnny Bread is a tradition in our family, and a great addition to a budget meal plan. To try our Bermuda Johnny Bread recipe check out the old-time favorites recipes section of the site.

Incorporating your family's old-time favorites is one of the tips for budget meal planning. Here are some more.

Use Cheap Cuts of Meats

Having meat on the menu doesn't have to be a budget buster, especially if you choose cheaper cuts. Pork shoulder, brisket, oxtail and lamb shank are just some of the varieties to look for.

However if you are buying cheaper cuts of meat, remember the best way to cook them is low and slow. Cooking them in a slow cooker is ideal. Just season them up, drop them in with some cut up veggies, put the lid on and you’re good to go. A couple of hours later, your home smells divine, and dinner is done! For more ideas on cooking cheap cuts of meats, check out our slow cooker recipe section of the site.

Not done with the savings yet! Boil the chicken bones with a cut up onion, carrots, celery and some seasonings, for homemade chicken stock. You can freeze the stock in ice cube trays to use later in other meals.

Double-Duty meals

Here is where you can use your creativity for your budget meal plan. Think about a main ingredient that you can use twice in the week.

Let's go back to the chicken idea above. With a whole chicken you could make a variety of meals, from chicken breast with simple gravy one night, to easy chicken enchiladas the next.

Depending on the size of your family and especially if the chickens are on sale, you may want to buy two at a time to make this versatile staple go that much further.

Raid Your Pantry - Use What You Have

Before you go out and buy more food, look through your pantry and cupboards to see what you have. Put on your thinking cap and see what you can throw together. This may seem like work, but the more you practice the better you’ll get at it.

In fact, I do this often just to see what I can come up with. It's amazing what you can do with a can of beans, some onions and tomatoes and some deli ham. It may not be haute cuisine, but it’s still delicious!!

Raiding your pantry once a week (or when the pennies are tight) will give you confidence in your ability to create meals that are budget friendly and good for you and your family.

Occasionally Meat Out – Go Vegetarian

Eating vegetarian one day of the week is a sure way to save with meal planning. Since meat can be one of the most expensive items on your grocery list, going vegetarian one day (or two or even three!) will do wonders for your weekly budget, not to mention your waistline!
If you're a big meat lover and not sure if you could enjoy a meal without it, give some of the vegetarian recipes on our site a try. You may be surprised that you don't even miss the meat!

Choose Cheap Staples – Lentils Anyone?

Cheap staples like lentils are not only inexpensive but they are incredibly nutritious and filling. They are also an excellent protein substitution for meats.

You may be thinking “lentils – Yuck! No thanks I'll pass.”

Give lentils a try with our lentil stew recipe. I promise you won't be sorry.

And don't forget other cheap staples like rice, beans, split peas and chickpeas. They all go a long way to making budget meal planning a breeze. For recipe ideas using these staples, check out my collection of vegetarian recipes on the site.

Done with Budget Meal Planning? I've got more Meal Planning Tips for your here.

Go to Practical Meal Planning Home.