Meals on a Budget

Trying to feed your family while on a tight budgetand drink milk (no juice!). For lunches we eat
can be a time-consuming and difficult task, but itleft-overs or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with
doesn't have to be. Eating on the cheap doesn'tseasonal fruit or carrots. Snacks are usually fruit,
mean giving up great taste or things that you love, itcarrots or bread with peanut butter or goodies I've
just means planning ahead and using what you have.made myself. After dinner we like to have a treat of
With these simple tips you can feed your family wellice cream, so that is my family's splurge. You should
on less than forty dollars a week.make sure you plan a splurge into your menu.
First, make a list of all the foods your family likes;When I plan, I start with the things I have on hand
include prepared dishes like macaroni and cheese asand build around those. I also noted that chicken was
well as single items like ham. This will help you planon sale at the local grocery store, so I bought a
meals that incorporate several of the sameseveral pounds - again, some I will freeze and save,
ingredients without feeding your family the same dishand the rest I will use this week. In the shopping list
over and over again. Add to the list things you'd likeat the bottom, I've only noted the amount of
to try.chicken I used this week, not the total amount I
Next, make a list of what you actually have on-hand,purchased. I always try to take advantage of sales
and make sure you note what you've had foreveron meat.
that hasn't been eaten. If you have a lot of junkTo begin the week, I'll make simple grilled chicken
food, you have a lot of empty calories that aren'teither on the grill or in a cast-iron skillet on the stove.
feeding your family very well and cost a lot ofSeason this with garlic, butter and basil, and serve
money. By noting what you have that hasn't beenwith a side of rice and a simple tossed salad and
used, you know what to avoid (if it was somethingsome grapes. The salad will re-appear throughout the
your family didn't like) or maybe you need to find aweek, as will the grapes. I'll make spaghetti with
recipe that uses that item. For example, I hadmeat sauce for Tuesday night. Using ΒΌ pound of
garbanzo beans that I had no idea what to do with. Ihamburger I'll make my own sauce from tomato
found a simple recipe for hummus, a healthypaste and any seasonable veggies in my garden. I'll
middle-eastern dip that goes well with bread,serve the spaghetti with steamed broccoli and
crackers and even veggies, and my family loves it! Igrapes or cantaloupe. While the sauce and noodles
use it as a snack, or to serve with "salad" dinners onare cooking, I will assemble Wednesday night's dinner,
nights when it is too hot to cook.as it is a late day for me. Using my broccoli,
This will help you begin to build a basic pantry, whichcauliflower, cheese, bacon bits, grapes, ranch dressing
can be a huge money-saving tool. I always haveand left over chicken, I'll made a salad for the next
shredded cheese (cheddar and mozzarella) frozen innight. The salad doesn't need to be served with
week-sized packages, rice, bacon bits (which you cananything, but you could serve bread and butter.
home-make and freeze for later), ranch saladThursday night I'll make chicken cacciatore using
dressing, vinegar, cooking oil and basic spices (basil,more of the pasta sauce from Tuesday and the
garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage, cinnamon, chili powdergreen pepper. Serve this over rice and with the
and dried onion) and condiments (ketchup, mustard,tossed salad and whatever fruit you like. Friday night
vinegar, barbeque sauce and red cooking wine. Youis another busy one, so we eat left-overs this night.
will want to build a basic pantry around things youSaturday we'll have the rest of the chicken over
eat often and learn how to incorporate those thingsnoodles in a sauce made of milk, flour, basil, garlic and
into your weekly planning. Do this slowly, as you dobutter with steamed broccoli. Sunday I'll use the rest
not want to stress your budget. Many of theseof the hamburger to make a meatloaf topped with
things can be bought in bulk and put into smallermore of my sauce made on Monday.
packages or you can grow your own in a smallShopping List
garden or several pots on a patio.3 pounds of chicken $6.44
Once you know what you already have, sit down1 small can of tomato paste $ .56bag salad or lettuce
with a calendar and see what kind of time you'll have$2.23carrots $2.39green pepper $ .75red seedless
to prepare your meals. In general, cooking thingsgrapes $1.46cantaloupe $ .85bananas $ .88small head
yourself will be less expensive than if you purchaseof broccoli $1.15small head of cauliflower $1.23
pre-packaged items. It is possible to incorporate1 pound hamburger (chuck) $2.76milk (2 gallons)
some items like these into your budget, or you can$5.14wheat bread (2 loaves) $1.56
cook double amounts and freeze portions for quick,Cereal $2.35
healthy home-cooked meals on a dime. Plan yourIce cream $4.67
meals according to the time you and your family willTotal $33.56
have. Include in this planning some time to makeThis article was written by Jacob Mabille, sponsored
extras for days when time will be tight. My childrenby Health Guidance.
eat cereal, oatmeal or eggs and toast for breakfast