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How to Feed a Family on $25 a Week

Information technology'south fourth dimension to talk all things meal planning and eating on a budget! You lot may not think it's possible to feed a large family on a depression budget during Shelftember… But I'm here to testify you that it's not but doable, only piece of cake!

Jordan holding up a dry erase board with meal plan, representing how easy eating on a budget is, from Fun Cheap or Free

Hey Freebs Nation! You guys have been begging me for a while to sit down down and walk you through eating on a budget. Yous're in luck because I'm going to show you just how easy it is to feed my growing family of ten for simply $25 a calendar week during #Shelftember.

*Note: When you click the links in this post, we may receive a committee at no extra price to yous.

The key is shelf cooking and meal planning. Once yous get those two things down, eating on a budget will be so simple and will even start coming naturally to you! So, you ready to see how we do information technology?

Make sure that you subscribe to my YouTube channel, I have new videos every Thursday! Click to watch the video online Here, or click and lookout man me hash out meal planning and eating on a budget below:

Meet, that wasn't and then bad! Meal planning and eating on a budget sounds like a daunting task, simply it'southward really not so terrible once you go far the addiction of doing it weekly. Follow how I repast program for my family of 10 and you'll exist a pro in no fourth dimension!

Quick disclaimer: Having a budget of $25/week isn't the "norm" over here, just something that we practice during Shelftember! I normally recommend $100/person/month, starting at $300. Y'all can find more than info on that in THIS mail.

Primal STEPS FOR EATING ON A BUDGET

Information technology's actually quite simple to repast plan and keep a low grocery upkeep! Follow these easy steps and yous'll be on your way in no fourth dimension!

INVENTORY YOUR FOOD

List of kitchen inventory written down on a notepad to make eating on a budget easy, from Fun Cheap or Free

The first footstep when I'one thousand meal planning is to inventory my fridge, freezer, and pantry and come across what admittedly needs to be used upwards before it goes bad. Proceed in listen, you don't have to inventory your kitchen staples, since those are items y'all probably ever have on paw. It tin take a while to practise the initial inventory of all your nutrient, merely it goes much smoother once that's done — every bit long as you update it every week!

The fridge is the first place you should look and include in your meals for the week because it'southward the food that will go bad the quickest. I like to grab a notebook and my favorite erasable pens, then go to town. I'll write downwardly what I accept that's either virtually to expire or is in a partial container that's taking up too much space. (I evidently can use other items in the fridge as well, but I make sure to notate what needs to be used up for the week.)

When I get to the freezer, I look for leftovers that need to exist eaten or bulky items that are taking up space. I may take a freezer (or 7) and apply them to the all-time of their abilities! And then I'll make sure I'1000 rotating through my nutrient in there and using up items before they get bad.

In one case I go to the pantry, I pay special attention to open up items that need to be used up beginning (like open bags of chips, bread crumbs, pancake mix, you go the thought)! Pantry arrangement is key to repast planning and eating on a upkeep. Always continue the items that are open or volition be expiring soon where you can see them and easily grab them.

PLAN YOUR MEALS

My next step to meal planning for my large family unit and eating on a budget is to program meals for the week based off what I accept and need to use. This can sound scary, just it'southward really not that bad as long as you utilize my tips! Don't run to the store because you've run out of something that you typically use in a recipe. Instead, notice a substitution for it using items that you take at home!

Pro Tip: ShelfCooking.com has some bully resources for making substitutions or modifications to recipes! Google is e'er a peachy resource, as well.

EATING ON A Budget AND CHOOSING YOUR MEALS

The offset place that I start is by looking at which proteins I have. Some meals come together actually hands! Looking at my list in a higher place, I encounter that I take sausage, spinach, pasta shells, and lots of cheese. I know that I'll be able to make spinach-stuffed shells for dinner one night without having to endeavour besides hard! #Winning

Sometimes, I'm left with random ingredients I know could go together only don't necessarily know how. When that happens, I expect in my recipe folder. Information technology'southward where I go on ALL of the recipes I've made that my family loves. I have it organized by meat and meal type. Information technology's an easy place to look to get ideas!

I also like to plow to AllRecipes.com (or Google) when I'grand left with random items that I'thousand not quite sure how to put together. It'due south keen because you can put in the items you lot accept and it'll bring upwards recipes using those exact ingredients. It seriously makes your life so. much. easier.

HOW TO ASSIGN A MEAL TO A Twenty-four hours

Weekly meal plan written down on a notebook, from Fun Cheap or Free

As I'g meal planning, I write down everything I have and will need for each meal. This includes what I'll need to utilize from my inventory, what I'll need to buy from the store, and what I'll need to do for the repast (such equally making rice, baking breadstuff, and roasting veggies).

Then I'll effigy out the all-time day to have that meal. If you lot look at the list in a higher place, you tin can run into nosotros're eating rice twice for the week. We're having white rice with egg rolls and Mexican rice with the taco lasagna. Instead of making 2 separate batches of rice for each of those meals, I chose to make the egg curl meal with white rice get-go.

I tin can grab my Instant Pot and make a double batch of white rice in no time. I'll serve one-half of information technology with the egg rolls meal. Then, I'll accept the leftovers and transform it into Mexican rice to eat with the taco lasagna repast. When you lot think this way and repurpose your leftovers, it makes your life so much easier!

Always remember to piece of work in 1 or ii nights for leftovers. That allows us to clean out our fridge weekly and keeps us from being wasteful. Plus, it makes eating on a budget totally doable because you're basically getting a "free" meal out of leftovers!

Pro Tip: Our world changed once I learned how to reheat and repurpose our leftovers properly! Yours will to, and then make sure yous acquire how to consume leftovers and brand 'em tasty!

WRITE YOUR MEAL Plan OUT

Once I know which meals I'm having, and the order of those meals, I write them down on a magnetic dry out erase board that we go along on the refrigerator. My meal planning board is a peachy mode for the whole family unit to see what we're having for dinner every dark and keeps the ceaseless "what'south for dinner?" questions at bay!

Our repast planning printable sheets are another dandy way to write everything out and keep information technology organized, and then be sure to check those out!

Alright, well there y'all accept it! I'm curious to know what meals YOU would've fabricated using my list of ingredients that I had to work with. Allow me know in the comments!

Jordan holding a meal planning dry erase board and cookbooks, showing how easy eating on a budget is, from Fun Cheap or Free

Have you checked out ShelfCooking.com still? Our brand new site is dedicated to helping you melt delicious, homemade, down-dwelling-cooked meals for your family without spending all your time in the kitchen!

Basically every parent'south dream, right? Bring together our Shelf Cooking Community today!


If you lot desire even more aid with your budget, so brand sure you bank check out Budget Boot Campsite! It's our awesome online video plan that makes getting your finances in order and agreement your upkeep easy.

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Want more than? Cheque out these posts!

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  • Use these tips to speed make clean your house and make it look clean fast!
Jordan Page Signature from Fun Cheap or Free

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Source: https://funcheaporfree.com/meal-planning-for-family-of-8/

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