Two-Week Meal Plan

Many people construct meal plans based on what they would like to eat. They write everything down and then go shopping. The frugal approach to meal planning is approached in the opposite direction. First, you purchase food by scanning the sale flyers and buying what's on sale. Then you construct your meal plan based on a combination of your sale purchases and what you already have in the freezer and the pantry. Many have asked how I can feed my husband and myself on $100-$150 per month (when we're good...), and hopefully this will shed some light on the process. I lay these meals out on a spreadsheet found here: http://www.vertex42.com/ExcelTemplates/meal-planner.html

Breakfasts:

Cold Cereal and Fruit

• I purchased the Shredded Wheat at Save a Lot for 50 cents per bag

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal in the Crockpot

• using last few apples in the fridge--don't want them to go to waste!

Blueberry Oatmeal in the Crockpot

• using the free blueberries we picked

Homemade Biscuits and Gravy

Eggs in a Basket

• eggs purchased for 97 cents/dozen

Blueberry Pancakes and Smoked Sausage

Breakfast Hash


Lunches: (you will notice some supper-type foods because when I work in the evenings, we have our bigger meal at lunch)

Leftover Chinese food

BBQ Pork Ribs on the Grill, Corn

• Ribs were purchased for $1/lb. a couple months ago and have been in the freezer

Coney Dogs using low-fat hot dogs, carrots

• Hot Dogs purchased at $1 per package and kept in the freezer

Lunchmeat and Crackers

• Lunch meat was supposed to be a steal at 4 10-oz packages/$5, but hubby went to the wrong store, so it was a little more

Tuna Salad, Pickles, Popcorn

• Tuna purchased for 50 cents a can--even less b/c I had coupons--a couple months ago at CVS, so we're still working through the stack.
• Pickles are homemade
• Popcorn is a super-cheap alternative to chips, and healthier too

Grilled Cheese and canned chicken noodle soup

Homemade Pizza, using spinach from the freezer and lunchmeat ham (Sunday lunch)

PBJ Sandwiches

Pasta with White Sauce and Mushrooms

Egg Salad Sandwiches

Lunchmeat Sandwiches

Suppers:

Crockpot Ham and Potatoes, Green Beans

PBJ Sandwiches, Yogurt, Fruit

Grilled Cheese sandwiches, applesauce

Crockpot Lentil Soup

Leftover Night

Green Beans with Smoked Sausage and Potatoes

Crockpot Beans 'n' Weenies

• Using dried beans that I will soak and prepare, plus another package of the low-fat hot dogs

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

• Chicken purchased for 4.99/3-lb bag

Crockpot Goulash

• Using ground beef purchased for $1.49/lb and frozen

Peanut Chicken

Catfish, Ginger Lemon Rice

• The catfish has been in the freezer a while and needs to be used

Vegetable Soup in the Crockpot

• Using veggies from the garden

Using this menu plan, the only things I should need to buy for the rest of the month are hot dog buns, more sandwich bread, and more potatoes.

Do you plan your meals. If so, how do you go about it?