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Do you want to learn how to spend less on groceries the easy way? In this post, I’m showing you my favorite budget meal planning tips so you can save money on groceries.
Groceries can be a big budget buster if you aren’t careful. But, you don’t have to spend hours clipping coupons or drive all around town to save money on groceries.
You just need to learn budget meal planning. And once you do, you’ll easily be able to spend less on groceries each week and feed your family well balanced meals.
And it’s really not hard to learn at all!
Budget Meal Planning – The Easy Way to Save on Groceries
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Budget Meal Planning:
I’ve got the easy steps to help you learn budget meal planning the easy way, so you can start saving money on groceries right away!
Let’s get right to it!
Step 1: Make a list of your favorite cheap meals
Having a list of your favorite meals on hand will give you a starting point for your menu.
You can type this or just write it down. I suggest listing the meals in different categories like beef, chicken, pork, seafood, meatless, pasta, so you can find meals to make with what you have.
If you need some ideas for this, be sure to grab your free copy of the Quick, Easy & Cheap Meals List.
Step 2: Take inventory of what food you already have
Next, take inventory of the food you already have. Check your fridge, freezer, and pantry for food that needs to be eaten.
Also look for complete meals you can make with food you have on hand, as well as partial meals that you just need one or two more ingredients to complete.
You can go ahead and add these meals to your menu for the week, so you know how many more meals you need to shop for.
Step 3: Shop the sale ads and digital coupons
Next up, look at the sale ads and any digital coupons that match up with sales. You can find most grocery store sale ads on their website.
The first page of the sales ad usually has the very best deals.
Look for any items that will complete partial meals you already have ingredients for, and ingredients for meals on your favorites list.
Download any digital coupons for items you plan to buy.
Step 4: Make your menu for the week
Make your menu for the week based on the food you already have, your favorite meals that have ingredients on sale, and filling in the rest of the days with your favorite cheap meals.
Plan around any events or activities you have going on, so you know if you need a super quick dinner one night or if you know you will be eating out.
Step 5: Make your grocery list and budget for the week
Time to make your grocery list and budget. You can make your budget the same every week, or change it up depending on how much you need to buy.
I prefer to budget the same amount each week to make things easy. It’s up to you if you want to include household or personal items in this budget or have a separate budget for those items.
Make your grocery list based on the sale items you found that will complete meals you already have ingredients for, and for ingredients for meals on your favorites list to complete your menu.
You can leave a little room in the budget for any markdowns you may see while shopping.
Step 6: Shop for markdowns
When you are shopping, keep an eye out for any markdowns on foods you know your family will eat.
You can’t plan ahead for markdowns, so it’s great to have a little wiggle room to buy great deals if you see them.
Make sure to only buy markdowns if you know your family will eat that item, and if you can eat it before it expires. Many things can be frozen!
You can add these markdowns to your menu for this week, and push other meals back to next week. Or freeze them for later!
Here’s what this looks like for me:
Step 1: I make my favorites list.
Things like spaghetti, tacos, chicken alfredo, BBQ chicken, salsa chicken, pork chops, flatbread pizzas.
Step 2: I check my freezer, fridge, and pantry to see what food I already have.
When I check my freezer, fridge, and pantry, I see I have salsa that needs to be used, pork chops, and some beef in the freezer I can use.
Step 3: I look at the sale ads and download any digital coupons for things I plan to buy.
Pasta noodles, pasta sauce, canned vegetables, and chicken are all on a great sale this week.
I’ll add meals to my menu bases on those sales: Chicken Alfredo, BBQ chicken, Spaghetti, and Salsa chicken.
Step 4: I write my menu for the week.
Sunday: Pork Chops
Monday: Chicken Alredo
Tuesday: Chicken Fajitas
Wednesday: BBQ Chicken
Thursday: Pork Chops (different sauce or seasoning)
Friday: Spaghetti
Saturday: Salsa Chicken
Step 5: I write my grocery list and set my budget.
I make my list of the items I need to finish those meals, as well as the great sales I saw. And I make my budget for the week, if that isn’t already determined.
Step 6: I look around for markdowns while I shop.
While I’m shopping, I look for markdowns and find some great deals on items I know we’ll eat.
I find marked down pork chops I can put in the freezer for next week, bell peppers perfect for fajita night, rolls I can serve with several meals, and salad for a side.
Obviously, this is a made up and pretty perfect scenario, but hopefully it shows you how to use these budget meal planning steps in real life.
If you want to plan a looser menu, you can look for markdowns and plan your menu around what you find. This would work great if your family enjoys a large variety of foods and likes to change things up.
I hope these tips are helpful to you and that you can use them to save money on groceries and feed your families great meals.
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