Cheap Meal Plans: Super Frugal Edition Week #8

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Do you need to create a menu for your family for this week? I’ve already got you covered! Here’s a simple meal plan with clean foods that you can buy and make for your family of 4 for less than $115.

Below you will find the shopping list, estimated prices (from Walmart, using generic ingredients when available), the meal plan for the week, and the recipes you will need to make. Prices are based on pricing at my closest Walmart store in Wyoming.

To make this meal plan for a family of 2, you can cut everything in half. For a family of 6, add 50% of the ingredients. For a family of 8, double all the ingredients.

You will need extras for sides and snacks this week. This week’s menu is meant to be super cheap to help those that might not be getting food stamps or other government payments now or soon. I hope this helps my friends!

Table of Contents

🛒 Shopping List

Protein

Eggs (36ct) ~ $5.82
Ground Beef (2lbs) ~ $12.00
Uncured Bacon (12oz) ~ $6.97
Chicken Drumsticks (5lb frozen bag) ~ $5.46
Chicken Thighs ~ $8.67
Dried Navy Beans ~ $1.28

🍞 Grains & Breads

Bread (3 loaves) ~ $4.26
Tortillas (1 pack) ~ $1.98
Elbow Noodles (16oz x2)) ~ $1.96
Old Fashioned Oats ~ $2.66
White Rice (32oz) ~ $1.77
Tortilla Chips (16oz bag) ~ $3.88

🥕 Produce

Onions (3lbs) ~ $2.64
Frozen Fruit (48oz Strawberries and Bananas) ~ $6.86
Frozen Mixed Veggies ~ $0.98
Limes (x4) ~ $1.00
Carrots ~ $1.32
Potatoes (10lb) ~ $4.24
Cilantro ~ $0.83
Bananas (8) ~ $2.24

🥛 Dairy & Condiments

Colby Cheese (16oz) ~ $3.78
Sour Cream (16oz) ~ $1.88

🥫 Canned & Packaged

Canned Corn (x2) ~ $1.00
Peanut Butter (40oz) ~ $3.98
Grape Jelly ~$1.98
Beef Broth ~ $1.50
Chicken Broth ~ $1.50
Canned Diced Tomatoes (x6) ~ $5.76
Tomato Paste ~ $0.86
Black Beans (x2) ~ $1.84
Canned Beans (any x4) ~ $3.68
Refried Beans (x2) ~ $2.00
Salsa ~ $1.92

🌿 Seasonings & Spices

Cinnamon, seasonings, brown sugar, and various other spices and baking supplies (sugar, flour) ~ $5.00

Estimated Total ≈ $113.50

📅 Cheap Meal Plan #8

Day	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Mon	Oatmeal with Frozen Fruit	Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches	Vegetable Soup with Beef and Noodles
Tue	Peanut Butter Toast with Bananas	Bean and Corn Salsa and Chips	BBQ Chicken Drumsticks and Mashed Potatoes
Wed	Egg in a Hole	Bean and Rice Bowls	Goulash
Thu	Oatmeal with Frozen Fruit	Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches	Bean with Bacon Soup
Fri	Peanut Butter Toast with Bananas	Bean and Corn Salsa and Chips	Roasted Bone in Chicken Thighs
Sat	Egg in a Hole	Bean and Rice Bowls	Bean Burritos
Sun	Oatmeal with Frozen Fruit	Use up remaining leftovers (leftover buffet)	Use up remaining leftovers (leftover buffet)

Print a PDF file with the menu plan HERE .

🥪Recipes and Instructions

Breakfast Recipes

All of this week’s breakfast recipes can be found here on my Cheap Breakfast Recipes post.

Lunch Recipes

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches

Lay out two slices of bread. Spread peanut butter evenly on one slice, making sure to cover it to the edges. Spread jelly or jam on the other slice in the same way. Press the two slices together with the spreads facing each other. Slice the sandwich in half if you like, and serve right away or wrap it up for later.

Bean and Corn Salsa

Here’s my recipe for the Salsa. Skip adding the avocadoes if you cannot find them for cheap and use canned tomatoes and corn instead of fresh. I did not include avocadoes in the shopping list. Serve with tortilla chips.

Bean and Rice Bowls

Mix cooked beans (pinto, black, or lentil) with rice, onion, and spices. Add a sprinkle of cheese and a fried egg for added protein. Add in any veggies you might have leftover too!

Supper Recipes

Vegetable Soup with Beef and Noodles

Get my full recipe here.

BBQ Drumsticks with Mashed Potatoes

Use this recipe for BBQ Drumsticks. Serve with homemade Mashed Potatoes.

Goulash

Here’s my recipe for Goulash.

Bean with Bacon Soup

Find my recipe here.

Roasted Bone In Chicken Thighs

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it. Place bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs on one side of the sheet pan. Drizzle with a little oil and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and any herbs you have on hand (like thyme or rosemary). On the other side of the pan, spread out chopped inexpensive vegetables such as carrots, onions, and cabbage—or use potatoes, green beans, or whatever you have. (The shopping list includes carrots and potatoes.) Toss the veggies with oil and the same seasonings. Roast everything together for 35–45 minutes, flipping the veggies halfway through, until the chicken skin is crisp and the meat reaches 165°F. Serve warm right off the pan for an easy, hearty meal.

Bean Burritos

Warm a can of refried beans or cooked pinto/black beans in a small pan with a bit of onion, garlic, salt, and chili powder for flavor. Lay a tortilla flat and spoon some of the warm beans down the center. Add any extras you like and have on hand—shredded cheese, rice, salsa, or chopped veggies. Fold in the sides and roll it up tightly. Heat the burrito in a skillet for a few minutes on each side until lightly browned and crisp, or microwave for 30 seconds to warm through. Serve plain or with a side of salsa or sour cream.

Helpful Tips on Meal Planning

You can, of course, get these prices down even further if you already have some of these items on hand such as the pantry staples. My menu assumes you at least have flour, sugar, salt, and pepper on hand.

There will be items leftover from this menu that you can use next week if you need to or you can add into some of these meals to bulk them up.

You could also make some of these items from scratch to save even more! If you have flour and yeast you can make your own bread for less. You could also make things like dinner rolls to add to these recipes to bulk them up. Here are some tips on making frugal meals stretch and more filling.

Keep all the recipes in a Meal Planning Binder.

Happy Meal Planning!