[Ultimate Guide] Feeding Your Family for Under $100 Week

The Ultimate Guide to Feeding Your Family for Under $100 Per Week

Grocery bills are at an all-time high. And if you want to feed the people in your home meals that aren’t just delicious but good-for-you too, you’ll be paying higher prices for the better ingredients. How do you do that and stay on budget? We’ve got you covered.

Today, we’re sharing all the tips and tricks around feeding your family for under $100 a week. What dishes can you make? What kind of items should you be picking up at the grocery store? What hacks should you know to make the bill go low? Instead of trudging out every night and racking up giant tabs, let’s see how you can whip up breakfast, lunch, dinner – and snacks – on a doable budget.

Meal Planning Advice

One of the best ways to budget your groceries is to meal plan. Sitting down and making a list of the things you need for the dishes you want to make is a new habit you’ll need to begin. Along with some of these guidelines:

  • Scan the newspapers and all of the apps for weekly grocery deals. In fact, your best bet is to plan your meals around what meats have been marked on sale. Check out your local paper to see what’s roll-backed and what’s discounted. And then check your phone apps as well. For example, Target’s Circle app will show all of the extra coupons and discounts that you’ll get for the week. And then plan your shopping list around the places with the best prices.
  • Go vegetarian a few times a week. Meat becomes one of the most costly items on your grocery list. Save a few bucks here and there by whipping up some meals that gets its protein elsewhere. Think pasta or rice dishes, for example.
  • Think in terms of themes. Taco Tuesday, Slow Cooker Sunday, and even a leftover night will take the headache out of planning and help you stick to your budget without stressing.
  • Check on what you have before you make your weekly menu and certainly before you go shopping. Use what you already have to make meals and make sure what you need isn’t already in the pantry. *Glance at expiration dates as well!
  • Coupons are still a thing. Check out brand websites and other sites and apps offered by sources such as Coupons.com to print out manufacture coupons. This will easily save you on a variety of staples and frequently-bought items.

Must-Know Tips & Tricks to Follow

Aside from planning your meals ahead, there are some other nifty ways to save some extra change. These must-know tips and tricks are absolutely golden when you’re trying to save:

  • Keep a stockpile of necessities. Most of your staples don’t cost an arm and a leg, so it’s smart to keep a stockpile of them nearby in case you’re in a pinch. Bread, milk, cheese, and eggs can be used to make and build so many other meals.
  • Utilize your leftovers. So many families just dump the excess after dinnertime is over. Instead, use them for the next day’s lunch or as a means to make a new meal. Soups are wonderful leftover options. And the rest of a roasted chicken can be used to make homemade chicken stock.
  • No-bake options and few-ingredients recipes are endless. Think about planning dishes like peanut butter banana toast or bagels with cream cheese for breakfast. Egg-salad or rice bowls for lunches are nice. And eggs in tomato sauce for dinner can be a hit too!
  • Be flexible while shopping and start in the produce aisle. According to Rachael Ray, for a stir-fry, if bell peppers are on sale, swap them in for the broccoli you were considering, or wait to decide on fruit for a cobbler until you see what’s there and what’s on sale.
  • Your freezer is your friend. When you do find a good deal on meat, double up if you’d like and freeze them for the following weeks!

Inexpensive Recipe Ideas

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Snacks

Desserts

Grocery List Essentials

Allow us to help you fill in the missing pieces to your grocery list this week. Check out our quick list of inexpensive must-have items to stock the pantry and the fridge with.

Staples

  • Eggs
  • Milk
  • Sliced bread
  • Bagels
  • Varieties of herbs & spices
  • Maple syrup
  • Brown sugar
  • Ketchup
  • Mayo
  • Mustard
  • Worchester sauce
  • Salsa
  • Jarred Jalapenos
  • Olive Oil
  • Vinegar
  • Canned Tomatoes & Jarred Pasta Sauce
  • Box of spaghetti & other pasta types
  • Dried rice & beans

Fresh Produce

  • Bananas
  • Avocados
  • Apples
  • Bell Peppers
  • Garlic
  • Onion
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Spinach

Other Dry Goods

  • Oats/oatmeal
  • Peanut butter
  • Tortillas
  • Dark chocolate chips
  • Canned tuna
  • Pancake mix

Fridge/Freezer Items

  • Butter
  • Shredded cheddar
  • Greek yogurt
  • Sour cream
  • Heavy cream
  • Frozen broccoli/cauliflower
  • Frozen potatoes
  • Frozen waffles
  • Frozen corn