$100 Budget Weekly Menu (for six people including three teens!): One reason that I am able to stay home rather than work full time is that I try every week to stick to a grocery budget of $100, and the primary way I do that is by menu planning. Here’s a look at our menu for this week.
Check back later today to see my grocery shopping for this week (and link up your savings!)
Read more about how I stick to a $100 a week budget in my FREE e-book Save More-Clip Less.
Print your own customizable menu planner form here.
*Items marked with an asterisk were purchased in previous weeks in the $100 Budget and are in the pantry, fridge or freezer.
BREAKFAST
Cereal with milk x2
French toast, bacon*
Waffles*, sausage*
Cheese Toast, banana
Yogurt with fresh strawberries, toast
LUNCH
Banana Berry Smoothie, popcorn*
Nachos, avocado slices
Turkey Sandwich*, veggies and ranch dressing x2
Salami, pepper jack cheese slices, veggies with ranch dressing
Pizza bagels* (pepperoni, bagels previously purchased)
PBJ*, apple slices*
DINNER
BBQ Chicken* and Black Bean* Tostadas (recipe coming soon!), rice*
Baked Potatoes*, leftover chili, steamed broccoli and cauliflower (see my Best Baked Potatoes video here)
Pasta* with sauce*, salad, rolls
Mexicali Cornbread Casserole (recipe coming soon!), Tropical Fruit Salad
Breakfast for Dinner: Fried Eggs and Bacon
Roast, steamed green beans, rice
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For more menu ideas, check out OrgJunkie Menu Plan Mondays.
I just found you last night and am already loving you! We’re getting on the saving and being smarter with our money bandwagon and you’re really inspiring me to do it! Just saying thanks is all. Thanks for all the great tips!
Kimberlee, I’m new to your blog and have enjoyed pouring over it this evening. I look forward to reading your free e-book and learning all I can from your previous posts. I find that I spend far too much money on convenience type foods (easy grab and go stuff for lunches and trips and outings) and am trying to make more time to plan ahead for those type of foods by baking more. Do you have any tips to share on saving money on those types of foods? You’ve probably covered that already, but I’d love a link to where your knowledge is. 😉 Thanks.
Hi Beth! I have a couple of ideas that may help. One is the Easy Meal Planning Section of the website here: https://thepeacefulmom.com/food-posts/. There are posts about freezer cooking and cooking in bulk that can help with time management and budgeting.
When we have an outing I usually make sandwiches for everyone and we will “splurge” on chips or other snack foods from a discount store. Save A Lot has chips for around $1.39. I also make sandwich bags or plastic containers with fruit, or peanuts and raisins. If you save on your main meals by following the ideas in my e-book, you can spend a little on convenience foods when you need them.
You may also want to invest in some containers like a thermos to make taking leftovers for lunch easier. For kid’s lunches you can buy large bags of pretzels or other snack foods and spend a little time on the weekend prepackaging them so that you don’t have to do it first thing in the morning.
Hope this helps!
Thank you so much for posting this. It is extremely motivating and inspiring for me. My husband and I both work full time and I have a 2 year old in daycare. Oh yeah, and I’m currently 6 months pregnant….haha! I am extremely terrified of what’s to come because daycare is going to basically drain our bank account. I can’t quit my job either, because we have gone over our budget and we’d be worse off if I quit and kept the kids at home. It’s a catch 22 and I am scared. =( I like your idea of weekly meal planning and I love the spread sheets you use. I’m going to download your ebook and check it out. Thanks again. I am so glad that people like you are so open and honest about such personal things. It really helps people like me. =)
Hi Shasta. I’m glad you’re here. 🙂 I think you will be surprised how much you can save by meal planning. Good luck!
Shasta, congratulations on expecting a 2nd child. When I was pregnant with my first I never thought I’d be able to stay home. I ended up working part-time until she was just over a year and I’ve been home since (minus a couple months of working when my husband was unable to work). Since you are on this site, I assume that you are familiar or getting familiar with frugal ways to do things. It has been really hard….when both my husband and I work we would always have a checkbook balance of over a 1,000 and now I’m happy when it has a 100 after bills are paid. Don’t know the details of your situation, but sometimes what seems impossible can be done. What done it for us was when we realized how much was going to daycare, gas driving to work, work clothes, meals out because I didn’t want to cook, and other things that I hadn’t taken the time to realize I could save money on. Like homemade laundry soap…never thought of that before and cutting dryer sheets in half. Now I only shop the big church rummage sales on bag day…..so much I realized we could cut and cut so more so I could stay home. Good luck to you and your family.
I agree. Sit down w pen and paper you may see you can make it work. Don’t forget to factor in med bills kids in daycare are sick more often!
Hi, I’m really interested in your grocery budget. I also have 4 kids (2 teenagers) and I am amazed at your $100/week grocery budget. Do you use a lot of coupons? Do you buys a lot of store brand items? Does this $100/week include cleaning supplies and health/beauty supplies, like medicine. Just wondering how you do it???
Hi Lacy! The $100 is just for food. I spend about $30 a month on non-food products. I don’t use many coupons, but I did have a couple for this trip. If you would like more information, you can download my FREE e-book Save More-Clip Less: Feed Your Family For Less Without Extreme Couponing. Here is the link: https://thepeacefulmom.com/2011/08/19/free-e-book-save-more-clip-less/.
After you read it, if you have questions, feel free to email me (use the “contact” tab on the top left of the blog). 🙂