$125 Budget Weekly Menu – My plan to feed six people including 4 teens for around $500 a month. I’m late posting the menu because I took time off to celebrate Independence Day with my family.
Several readers have requested that I bring back the weekly shopping posts. I can’t promise that I will take photos every week, but I did have a little extra time this week.
Aldi Produce – The best deals this week were:
cucumbers $.55 each
blueberries $1.29/pint
cherries $2.39/lb (incredibly low price!)
watermelon $2.99
strawberries $.99/pint
grape tomatoes $1.49/pint
avocados $.79 each
Aldi Grocery Items – We have browned ground beef, steak and leftover BBQ pork in the freezer from previous weeks so I splurged on the pre-made burger patties. My total spending at Aldi was $94.26.
Publix – I purchased several items at Publix that we cannot get at Aldi: organic yogurt, nitrate free lunch meat, cilantro and sprouted grain bread. My total at Publix was $26.55.
This week my total spending was $120.81 so we are starting July off on the right foot!
Now for this week’s menu:
(*Items marked with an asterisk were purchased in previous weeks in the $125 Budget and are in the pantry, fridge or freezer.) Click purple links to go to recipes!
BREAKFAST
Egg and Cheese Bagel*
French Toast* (french bread from the freezer), sausage*
Fried Eggs with Spinach, Black Bean and Corn Salsa
Organic Yogurt with Crockpot Granola and fresh blueberries
Cereal with milk x2 (I purchased 2 gallons of milk last week so we have a gallon leftover)
Cheese Toast* (bread from the freezer), orange slices
LUNCH
Southwest Salad (romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, black beans, corn kernels, cucumber, mango chunks)
Cheese Nachos*, avocado slices
Turkey Avocado Wrap, cucumber slices
Celery with cream cheese and raisins, watermelon slices
Hummus, tortilla chips*, cherry tomatoes x2
Very Blueberry Smoothie, popcorn*
DINNER
Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken, Cranberries and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Fettucini Alfredo with broccoli and sauteed lemon garlic chicken
Southwest Steak Bowls (rice, steak strips, Black Bean and Corn Salsa, avocado)
Crock Pot Chili, corn chips
Chili Cheese Fries (w/ leftover chili), Tomato Cucumber Salad
Cheese Burgers, baked beans, watermelon slices
Dinner with Friends
Read what we do about snacks here.
Please Note: I post my weekly menu to encourage menu planning and to give meal ideas, not as a nutritional standard. You should feed your family based on your priorities and values. You may not be able to replicate this exact menu for $125 because sales vary by region and you will have different items on hand, but you can save money just by using a menu. 🙂)
Read how I feed my family for less without extreme couponing in my Save More-Clip Less ebook!
Click here to see what others are saying about this book
You can also check out my favorite meal planning service eMeals*. Plans start at just $10 a month for a 3 month subscription and include recipes and a grocery list!
Readers of The Peaceful Mom can get an exclusive 10% discount by using promo code PEACEFUL at checkout. They even have a slow cooker plan for those busy weeks!
Click here to see a sample menu.
You May Also Enjoy:
For more menu ideas, check out OrgJunkie Menu Plan Mondays.
*affiliate link– Read our disclosure policy here.
Thanks for all your help!!
You are very welcome Jennifer!
Got it. How about with breakfast?
Believe it or not, we just drink water. Sometimes my husband makes hot tea but we aren’t coffee drinkers and our children have grown up drinking water so they don’t know the difference. You can read more about why we drink only water here: https://thepeacefulmom.com/2012/05/08/living-on-less-than-28000-a-year-drinking-problems-2/.
Thank you Kimberlee! So sweet of you to give me that code!
Do you do any shopping at Costco? I am hearing it may be worth joining.
Also, do you get all organic meat from zaycon foods including poultry?
I checked out what you do for snacks and I notice that helps our 2 year old son a lot as well. Do you ever do any baking/do you post it when you do?
Thanks for all your help!! God is truly using you through this site!
I don’t shop at Costco because the last time I looked the prices were not better than what I can get by shopping at Aldi and buying sale items at local grocery stores. That may be different for you so I would definitely check it out. Zaycon does not have organically raised meat. We have decided not to buy organic meat because it would blow our entire budget, but of course you should do what works for your family.
As far as baking, I don’t do a lot because my 17 year old daughter is gluten free for medical reasons and she bakes all of her gluten free items. I buy most of the other bread products except for muffins and waffles just for time’s sake. The blog and home schooling take up most of my time.
I am very glad to help and these are great questions. 🙂
That is good to know because I am already an aldi shopper! We have a very low budget as well so it will be difficult to fit in organic products. However my family is smaller than yours, so we may be able to swing the big things.
I am going gluten free for medical reasons as well. Quite a journey but I think I am getting the hang of it! Also have to avoid dairy and soy, so it gets a bit complicated 🙂
Do you only drink water, or do you have some other budget drinks you recommend?
We only drink water with the occasional splurge on soda water mixed with 100% juice.
Thanks so much! Do you have a post detailing where you buy each gluten free product?
I don’t Jennifer. Basically wherever we can get the best price. I buy some items at Vitacost. This post has a link for you to get a free $10 credit: https://thepeacefulmom.com/2014/02/17/vitacost-gluten-free-50-off/. We buy others on Amazon or when they go on sale at our local grocery store. I also have a weekly gluten free coupon list here: https://thepeacefulmom.com/category/gluten-free-coupons/. Hope that helps!
Hi there!
I would like to start following your menu plans and was wondering what day you post this and the GF menu plan. Are they meant to go “hand in hand” just swapping out foods for GF? also, how much do you buy organic and where? Need to make some major lifestyle changes on a low budget. Thanks!!
Hi Jennifer! Usually the $125 menu is posted on Fridays but I took last week off to celebrate Independence Day with my family so I posted it on Monday. I started posting the GF menu separately because my daughter’s menu looks a little different. It is basically the same just swapping out gluten free pasta or bread if I serve those to the family but sometimes the items are very different because my daughter has baked a gluten free recipe that only she will eat.
Generally the GF menu is posted on Monday mornings. If you would like, sign up for my Gluten Free Recipe Club and you will receive the gluten free recipes, my weekly menu and gluten free coupons and deals for the week right in your inbox. Here’s the link to join: https://thepeacefulmom.com/gluten-free-subscriber-bonus/.
As far as organic, I rarely buy it unless it is close to the same price as regular produce. We just can’t afford it in the budget right now.
Hope that helps. Let me know if you have questions. 🙂
Hi Kimberlee, Love your website! I really love the $125 budget menu series. It’s my favorite especially when there are grocery pics. I do have a question though. I look at your menu plans and being that you have teenagers, do they stick to your plan as well? I just can’t imagine teenagers eating hummus and tortilla chips or celery and cream cheese for lunch. I have little kids and they would wonder where lunch was if I fed them only that. LOL!
Great question Cortney! Obviously you should do what works best for your family but because my teens like to sleep in late the time between breakfast and lunch is usually only a couple of hours and they don’t mind a light meal. We usually have dinner earlier as well (between 5 and 6 in the evening). If they are hungry they can always make a peanut butter sandwich or eat leftovers from dinner. Adding the cream cheese and hummus actually makes the veggies pretty filling too. My husband has leftovers or eats lunch at work – he wouldn’t go for the celery and cream cheese either! 🙂
~ The pictures of the grocery items are my favorite post as well. I just love to see what grocery items you buy. I hope you can bring it back on a weekly basis. Thank you for helping us with our budget.
I’m starting to get the message – haha! Thanks for letting me know Teresa. 🙂
I am glad you brought back the pictures, too. It makes it seem more “real” and it’s also encouraging for those of us who must live on a budget….thus, cook on a budget, too. 😉 Thanks! ….Your post made me hungry, though.
I’m glad that I could encourage you Susan. Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
I so appreciate your grocery visuals, also. I hope you are able to bring back the grocery pictures permanently as this and the living on less than 28,000 posts are my favorite. I know it’s very time consuming and certainly understand why it’s difficult to do on a permanent basis. Your blog is my very favorite of all that I follow.
Thanks Cindy!
so enjoy your grocery posts it gives me a better visiual of your meals……that southwest salad looks yummy going to try it hopefully this week
Thanks Karen!