7 Day Family Meal Plan On A Budget
This is a full week of meals for a family of four on a relatively tight grocery budget. Seven dinners, breakfast every morning and lunch every day. No skipped meals, no sad food and no compromise on flavor.
When I surveyed my Instagram audience on what they spend for a family of 4 for a week’s worth of groceries, 62% indicated their budget to be R2,000 (which is equivalent to around $120/£90).
The key to shopping on a budget without making extreme cuts is using cost-effective cuts of meat, stretching them to cover multiple meals and having one meatless meal a week.
For this week, I decided to buy chicken breasts and ground beef/beef mince in bulk. The chicken gets poached all at once and becomes two different dinners plus lunch sandwiches. The beef becomes an easy pasta and burgers. Breakfasts are simple and cheap. Lunches use what’s already been cooked.
A caveat or five:
- This plan fed my family of 4 with two teenagers (including one very hungry, protein-obsessed 17-year old). Your family might eat less which would mean more leftovers for lunch the next day.
- I’m working on the assumption that you have cooking oil, salt, pepper, general spices (like garlic powder, paprika, dried herbs) and sugar.
- The shopping list includes single amounts of items like canned tomatoes. I almost always buy these in bulk to save some money but for the purpose of this exercise I wanted to be strict with the budget.
- If you already have canned tomatoes, chickpeas, rice, pasta or any of the produce/meat options in your pantry or freezer, you won’t need to buy those and will also save a bit.
- It also includes produce bought on a bulk special. I got a big bag of potatoes, butternut squash, onions and carrots on a great special so we’ll be using those over multiple meals and I had leftovers of all of these ingredients at the end of the week which can be carried over to the next week’s meals.
- I have a preference for free-range/organic chicken, meat and eggs. If you don’t, you could cut the cost even more.
- Similarly, I included a block of butter which can be expensive. If you prefer margarine or don’t eat butter, that’s another place to save.
If you want to understand the full system behind how I plan and shop on a budget, read my How to Meal Plan for a Month and How to Save Money on Groceries posts. This meal plan puts those principles into practice.
The Strategy
Before we get into the meals, here’s the thinking that makes this week work on a budget:
- Two proteins cover multiple dinners. Chicken covers two dinners (chicken à la king, chicken soup). Ground beef/beef mince covers another two (creamy tomato pasta and burgers). One dinner is vegetarian (chickpea butternut curry). For the weekend we’re using a single rump steak for the entire family with steak quesadillas and on Sunday we’re making beef stew with budget-friendly stewing meat.
- One cooking session feeds multiple meals. The chicken gets poached once at the start of the week. That single cooking session produces shredded chicken for two dinners and lunch sandwiches, plus free chicken stock from the poaching liquid that becomes the base for soup and sauces for the week. One pot of water, multiple meals, zero waste.
- Crossover ingredients. Rice serves the chicken à la king, the curry and the beef stew. Onions and carrots appear in almost every dinner. Canned tomatoes go into the pasta, stew and the curry. Every ingredient earns its place across multiple meals rather than being bought for a single recipe.
- One vegetarian night. The chickpea butternut curry uses canned chickpeas and a butternut, both among the cheapest ingredients in the store. Giving the meat a night off is one of the simplest ways to reduce the weekly spend without anyone feeling like they’re missing out.
The Shopping List
Fresh Produce
- 6lb/3kg Potatoes.
- 6lb/3kg Butternut Squash.
- 6lb/3kg Carrots.
- 4lb/2kg Onions.
- 1 head or bunch of Celery.
- 2 heads of Garlic.
- 4 Bell Peppers.
- 1lb/500g Frozen Peas.
- ½lb/250g Mushrooms.
- 2 Avocados
- 2lb/1kg Apples.
- 2lb/1kg Bananas.
Dry goods/pantry items
- 2lb/1kg Rice (buy the largest bag your budget allows).
- 3 cans Chopped Tomatoes.
- 2 cans Chickpeas.
- 1 can Coconut Milk.
- 1lb/500g Spaghetti.
- 2lb/1kg Rolled Oats/Old Fashioned Oats.
- 2 loaves sliced White Bread.
- 4 Burger Buns.
- 4 large Tortillas/Wraps (I could only get a pack of 6).
- Crusty Bread, to serve with the soup
- Beef stock cubes.
- 15oz/400g Mayonnaise.
Dairy/Meat/Eggs
- 3lb/1.5kg Chicken Breasts (approximately 12 medium-sized chicken breasts)
- 2lb/1kg Ground Beef/Beef Mince
- 1lb/500g Salted Butter.
- Half gallon/2l Milk.
- 1 pint (16fl oz)/500ml Heavy Cream.
- 21oz/600g Cheddar Cheese
- 2lb/1kg Greek Yogurt
- 18 Eggs (the largest tray your budget allows).
- 1½lb/750g Rump Steak
- 2lb/1kg Stewing Beef (Beef Blade was the most cost-effective cut at my supermarket but chuck, beef shin, etc. are all good options).
- 1 pack Sandwich Ham (I bought approximately 200g/14oz)
Breakfasts
Breakfasts this week are deliberately simple and inexpensive.
Oats or Yogurt with Caramelized Stewed Apples
A batch of my easy stewed apples made at the start of the week lasts all five weekday mornings. Cook the apples once with a little sugar, cinnamon and water, store in the fridge and spoon over your oats or yogurt each morning. It takes 2 minutes to assemble and tastes like a warm, comforting dessert for breakfast. Oats are one of the cheapest breakfast staples you can buy and I make them with water and add a generous of knob of butter right at the end to make them super creamy and delicious. Another recipe you can make ahead and re-heat every morning.
Eggs on Toast
The other weekday breakfast. Eggs are one of the most affordable and nutritious proteins available. Scrambled, fried or poached on a slice of toast. Quick, cheap and filling. Rotate between the oats and eggs across the week so neither gets repetitive.
Lunches
Lunch can be either one of the below sandwiches or leftovers. If packing a lunchbox for kids, I always like to add a piece of fruit which is where the extra apples or bananas come in handy.
Chicken Salad/Mayo Sandwiches
Made with the same poached chicken from the dinners. Shredded chicken mixed with mayo and yogurt, seasoned with salt and pepper. I add a rib of chopped celery too, for crunch. Simple and satisfying.
Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
The days when you’re not eating chicken mayo. A ham and cheese sandwich is as budget-friendly as lunch gets. Buy ham in bulk slices rather than pre-packaged individual portions for a better price per serving. I add a slick of mayo and some mustard but feel free to spice it up however you wish.
The Dinners
Monday: Chicken à la King
I deviated from my original recipe by using chicken breasts instead of whole chicken. I poached all of the chicken breasts with 2 chopped carrots, a quartered onion and all of the celery leaves (I kept the ribs for the remaining recipes throughout the week). Let that simmer for an hour until the chicken is tender. Shred the chicken, divide into three portions then continue with the original recipe as written.
Budget tip: The poaching liquid from the chicken becomes free stock for later in the week. Don’t pour it down the drain. Strain it, cool it and refrigerate it. You’ve just saved yourself the cost of buying stock.
Tuesday: Creamy Tomato Beef Pasta
Ground beef in a rich, creamy tomato sauce tossed through pasta. Ground beef bought in bulk and portioned is one of the most budget-friendly proteins available. The sauce uses canned tomatoes, a splash of cream and pantry spices. The whole dinner costs very little per serving and it’s the meal that disappears fastest in my house.
Budget tip: Buy ground beef in the largest pack available. Portion what you need for this recipe and the burgers later in the week. Freeze any remaining portions for future meals.
Wednesday: Chicken Soup
Made with the reserved poaching liquid as the stock base, more of the shredded chicken and fresh vegetables. The stock cost nothing because you already made it when you poached the chicken on Monday. Add carrots, celery, onion and whatever vegetables you have on hand – even a handful of pasta if you don’t have bread to serve it with. A hearty, nourishing soup that stretches a small amount of chicken into a full family dinner.
Budget tip: This is the meal where the “use everything” principle pays off most clearly. The poaching liquid that most people throw away became a rich, flavorful stock. The chicken that was already cooked and shredded just needs warming through. The only new cost is the vegetables.
Thursday: Chickpea and Butternut Curry
No meat, which means this is one of the cheapest dinners of the week. Canned chickpeas are high in protein, high in fiber, shelf-stable and cost very little. A whole butternut is significantly cheaper than pre-cut and one butternut is enough for this curry with leftovers. Serve over the same rice you’ve been using all week.
Budget tip: Canned chickpeas are one of the best budget staples in the store. They’re versatile (curries, salads, soups, roasted for snacks), they’re filling and they add protein to a meatless meal without adding significant cost. Keep several cans in the pantry at all times and buy extra when they’re on special.
Friday: Burgers and Wedges
Because it’s Friday and cooking responsibly all week earns you a burger. Homemade patties from the same bulk ground beef you bought earlier in the week. Form them yourself rather than buying pre-made patties. The cost per burger is a fraction of takeout and the result is better. Serve with whatever toppings you have on hand: cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, my burger sauce.
Budget tip: Homemade burger patties freeze perfectly. If you bought ground beef in bulk, form extra patties and freeze them with baking paper between each one. Future Friday burger nights become a zero-effort dinner straight from the freezer.
Sunday Lunch: Beef Stew with Rice and Vegetables
The slow Sunday cook. A cheaper, tougher cut of beef braised low and slow until it falls apart and becomes the most flavorful meal of the week. Budget cuts of beef (chuck, shin, beef blade, stewing beef) are designed for this kind of cooking. The long, slow braise breaks down the tough fibers and turns inexpensive meat into something rich, tender and deeply savory. I added a few of the leftover cubed potatoes towards the end of cooking and served it with air fryer butternut squash as I had two leftover. Serve with rice this was such a great Sunday meal.
Budget tip: The cheapest cuts of beef are the best ones for stewing. Don’t waste money on expensive cuts for a braise. The tough, cheap cuts develop more flavor during the long cook and end up more tender than a quick-cooked expensive steak ever could. The leftovers also make excellent lunch the next day or can be turned into soup later in the week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. The specific recipes aren’t the point. The strategy is the point: buy proteins in bulk, stretch them across multiple meals, use crossover ingredients and include a vegetarian night. Swap the chicken à la king for any other chicken dinner. Swap the pasta for any other ground beef recipe. As long as the structure stays the same, the budget stays the same.
Yes. Scale the quantities up or down. The strategy works at any family size. For a smaller family, a bulk protein purchase might cover two weeks instead of one. For a larger family, you’ll need larger packs but the cost per serving still drops with bulk buying.
Swap the beef meals for chicken, pork or turkey equivalents. Ground turkey works in the pasta and the burgers. Pork shoulder works for the stew. The budget principles stay the same regardless of the protein.
The chicken can be poached and shredded on Sunday for the whole week. The stewed apples can be made on Sunday morning. The stew can be started Sunday and eaten over multiple days. The burger patties can be formed and refrigerated or frozen ahead of Friday. Chicken mayo for sandwiches can be mixed and stored for 3 to 4 days.
The chickpea butternut curry by a significant margin. No meat, pantry staples for the spice base and two very inexpensive main ingredients (canned chickpeas and a whole butternut). The chicken soup is the second cheapest because the stock is free and the chicken was already cooked for another meal.
The bolognese-style pasta sauce, the chicken soup, the beef stew and extra burger patties all freeze well. Making double batches when possible means next week’s dinners are partially sorted too. See my Freezer Series for the full approach to freezer meal prep.
More Budget-Friendly Content
How to Meal Plan for a Month: The planning system that makes all of this possible.
How to Save Money on Groceries: Six practical tips for spending less at the store.
Easy Freezer Meals: Stock your freezer in four batch cooking sessions.
Easy Taco Meat: One batch covers multiple dinners.
What to Make with Leftover Taco Meat: Four easy dinners from one batch.
What to Make with Leftover Stew: Turn leftovers into a brand new meal.