The idea of this meal plan is to allow you to mix and match items to come up with your own meal plan based on your budget. This is something I have printed out and have hanging on my fridge for those times when I just can’t think of something to cook or when money is really really tight.
Note: I had to base this meal plan on a dollar amount for the food. The easiest way for me to do that was to base it on The Dollar Tree’s $1.25 per item concept. Now that does not mean you can’t get food cheaper somewhere else, because you can on somethings nor does it mean that if you live in a different area than me that your Dollar Tree per item cost may be more.
I also believe that you should take the $1.25 item cost as a per person cost. This means if you have 4 people in your family you would take the $1.25 times 4 to equal $5.00. Now if you have very small children in your household that may be overkill! You could count the two small children as one adult person :) So then it would be $1.25 times 3 to equal $3.75.
Let me give you a quick example of how this works:
Let’s say you have three people to feed and have $10.00 – you would be able to buy 8 items from the Dollar Tree. You decide on pasta – well with a little research you find out you can buy pasta at Walmart for $0.98 – you would save $0.27. Pasta sauce from the Dollar Tree is $1.25. You could buy Parmesan cheese for $1.25 at the Dollar Tree but your family hates the dry kind so you could opt to purchase fresh Parmesan cheese from Walmart for $2.08. You buy a loaf of bread ($1.42), garlic powder ($1.24) and margarine sticks ($1.24) from Walmart to make garlic toast. You still have $1.79 left over so you decide to go to the Dollar General and pick up a smoked sausage for $1.35. Total spent for the pasta with sauce and smoked sausage and garlic toast side dish is $9.56 - $0.44 under budget.
You may be able to get even more food if you plan for a week’s worth of menus using this structure. Now I do want to mention that I’m not telling you to drive all over the place, wasting gas money and wear and tear on your car especially if your nearest Dollar Tree or Walmart store is 20+ miles away like mine is. So if you have to use your local market you may end up with a few less items. But that’s the beauty of this plan. You can plan for the whole month if you desire and make a trip to Dollar Tree and Walmart worth it.
Okay so let's look at how to use this mix and match to pick your budget structure.
If you have a very very low food budget for the day or week the changes are you will only be able to pick a few items from each category. Remember each item is $1.25 (or more adjusted to the area you live in.) So let’s say you are single and you have less than $10.00 to eat on for the whole week. Well you would need $8.75 for this meal plan. I will be honest with you, eating this way is going to be pretty boring, probably not very flavorful, repetitive and not very nutritional. I suggest this meal plan for the few occasions when money is super tight.
Next comes the low budget amount. Again this can be for a day or week depending on what your finances are. Let’s again say you are single and have less than $20.00 to spend for the whole week. Well with $17.50 you could buy 14 items from the various categories and enjoy two items from the lists below to eat. This way of eating can add some variety to your diet, it should be a little more flavorful and if you can add some veggies and fruits (probably the canned variety) it should be a little more nutritious.
The next budget amount for a single person comes in at $3.75 or $26.25 per week. This will get you 21 items from the lists below.
And finally the big spender amount, where you get to select 4 items for a single person comes out to $5.00 a day or $35.00 for the week. This way of eating is probably going to be the most flavorful and nutritious.
Let’s take a closer look at the categories:
We have 4 categories – Carbs, Protein, Fruit/Veg and Sauce/Flavor – like I said if you are tight on money pick one item from any category to equal the number of items you can buy for that week. If you have a better budget, you can pick two items from the various categories (I would suggest a carb and protein as these two categories should help you feel fuller longer.) Now if you fall in the higher budget amount where you can buy three items I would suggest doing a carb, protein and a fruit or veggie. And finally the big spender category you can add a sauce, flavoring or spice to jazz up your meals.
A Few Notes:
* If you use this meal plan to plan out your meals for a week or a month you can use items you purchase across multiple meals, making each meal even cheaper.
* I tried to figure a nice portion size for each person but if you are a large eater this may not be enough food for you or if you are a light eater you may have piles of food leftover. You will need to adjust this according to your eating preference.
* Never toss packets from the foods you buy. For example: Ramen packets or mac and cheese packets you can use them in other dishes to help flavor your food. Be sure to label them before tossing them in your cupboard!
* If you go to your local food bank you will probably receive some of these items in your box which will help cut down on how much money you need to spend. If you need help finding your local food bank, click here.
* Beans and lentils can be purchased for the Dollar Tree (even though they may be cheaper at Walmart) these are a protein.
* Buy generic or store brand versions of your foods. Oftentimes they are just as good at a much cheaper price.
* EAT YOUR LEFTOVERS! If you don’t eat your leftovers you are wasting money! Always check your fridge before making dinner to see if you have something that needs to be eaten. If you find your meal plan too repetitive, freeze the leftovers for another day.
* Always do your research before going shopping. Install the Dollar Tree, Walmart, Dollar General and your local grocery store apps on your phone. It does take some time but I guarantee you, you will save money if you do this before heading out.
* If you have a choice between buying an item that is already flavored versus a plain unflavored item, select the flavored item. It will help to make your meals more flavorful without costing you any more money.
Okay I hope I’ve explained this well enough for everyone to understand, so let’s go to the lists!
CARBS: |
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Regular potatoes Instant mashed potatoes Sweet potatoes Hashbrowns Corn tortillas Flour tortillas Pasta – spaghetti, macaroni, any variety Ramen Egg noodles Stuffing mix Pancake mix Cereal – hot or cold; any variety |
Hamburger/hot dog buns Loaf bread Muffins – choc chip, blueberry, corn, etc. English muffins Biscuits Pitas Grits Oatmeal – instant or old fashioned Cream of wheat/rice White rice Brown rice Spanish rice |
PROTEINS: |
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Dry beans – pinto, black, chickpea, any variety Dry lentils – brown, red, any variety Canned beans – any variety Canned lentils – any variety Edamame Refried beans Pork and beans Peanut butter Cottage cheese Greek Yogurt Soups/Chili/ Cream of… Cheese soup Sausage – smoked, ground, links, breakfast, any variety Eggs |
Bologna Deli (lunch) meats – ham, turkey, any variety Hot dogs Bacon/bacon bits Ground turkey Chicken leg quarters Pepperonis/Canadian bacon Tofu Intimation crab Sardines Salmon in a can Canned tuna Canned chicken Luncheon meat like Spam Vienna Sausages |
VEGGIES/FRUITS most often canned or frozen |
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Peas Corn Green beans Spinach Broccoli Bell peppers – any variety Onions Sauerkraut Cabbage Celery Mixed Vegetables Hominy Stir fry vegetables Frozen vegetable blends Brussels sprouts Cauliflower Zucchini Lettuce - any variety |
Oranges Pears Peaches Fruit cocktail Mandarin oranges Grapefruit Apples/ applesauce – any variety Carrots Bananas Pineapple Tomato Sauce/Paste Tomatoes Salsa Green chilies Jalapenos Raisins Olives – green or black
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SAUCE/FLAVORING: |
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Cheese – cheddar, mozzarella, pepperjack, Parmesan, any variety Velveeta cheese pouch Sour cream Cream cheese Crispy fried onions Mustard Ketchup BBQ sauce Salad dressings – ranch, Italian, any variety Bouillon – chicken, beef, vegetable, tomato Mayonnaise Syrup – corn, maple, any variety Jelly/Jam – grape, apricot, any variety Spices – garlic powder, onion powder, any variety Herbs – ginger, rosemary, parsley, sage, any variety (I would select dried over fresh so you have it in the future)
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Taco seasoning packet Ranch seasoning packet Chili seasoning packet Gravy mix packet – chicken, turkey, beef, au ju, any variety Caribbean jerk seasoning packet Buffalo wing seasoning packet Sloppy Joe seasoning packet or mix Fajita seasoning packet Onion soup mix Pasta sauces – any variety Alfredo sauce Teriyaki sauce Worcestershire sauce Soy sauce Hot sauce Pizza sauce Enchilada sauce Taco sauce |
Now just start mixing and matching. You should be able to come up with hundreds if not thousands of meal options.
* Some things listed above may be more expensive, always consider your budget.
Next week I will be giving a one week meal plan for two adults on the lowest budget - $17.50 so stay tuned.
💗 Jo