Don’t let high prices at the grocery store deter you from enjoying family meals together at home. These frugal, family-friendly recipe ideas will allow you to feed your family while sticking to your budget!
As prices on everything continue to rise, it can feel like a losing battle to even attempt to feed our families on a budget.
But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible!
Over the years, I’ve learned to rely on 5 categories of foods that our family enjoys eating and that, generally speaking, tend to be less expensive to prepare. Recipes with more grains and less meat. Recipes that use pantry and freezer staples that I can stock up on when they go on sale. And, most importantly, recipes our family and friends enjoy eating!
Preparing recipes from these more frugal categories each week goes a long way to stretch a small grocery budget.
My 5 frugal meal categories:
- Pasta
- Mexican
- Breakfast
- Soup/Salad/Sandwich
- Pizza
If you prepare at least 1 meal from each category each week, you and your family will enjoy a nice variety of foods without breaking the bank. Plus, you’ll still have 2 nights to plan something a little pricier (burgers, salmon, roast), go out to eat, have a family movie night, or enjoy leftovers!
This has been a great way to simplify meal planning for our growing family while keeping our grocery budget manageable. And, as you’ll see below, there are LOTS of easy recipes to choose from, so you won’t get bored!
Here are more than 75 of OUR family’s favorite frugal meals. We think you’ll like them too!
1. Pasta
We love pasta at our house! It’s quick and easy to make, the noodles stay fresh in the pantry for months, and it’s very inexpensive. It’s also an effortless way to work meatless meals into your weekly rotation.
There are countless options when it comes to pasta — here are a few of our favorites:
- Any type of noodle (or Zoddles) with meat sauce
- Chicken Spaghetti
- Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese
- Chicken, Bacon, Pesto Pasta
- Chicken Lasagna
- Lasagna Casserole
- 10-Minute Lasagna
- Three Cheese Lasagna Roll-ups (pictured below)
- Greek Orzo
- Savory Sausage Pasta Bake
- Three-Cheese Stuffed Shells
- Greek Orzo
2. Mexican
Beans, rice, tortillas, and tomatoes are all very inexpensive. Plus, Mexican dishes usually spread a small amount of ground beef, turkey, or shredded chicken over a huge amount of food, and the leftovers are always delicious.
I regularly make a big batch of taco meat for quick tacos, quesadillas, taco salads, or even just to eat with chips.
Here are some of our favorite Mexican dishes:
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Chipotle Pulled Pork Enchiladas (pictured below)
- Chicken Fajitas
- Mexican Chicken (slow cooker)
- Mango Salsa Chicken (slow cooker)
- Black Bean & Sweet Potato Tacos
- Chicken or beef Tacos
- Chicken Quesadillas (also beef, bean, or cheese)
- One-Dish Mexican Rice Skillet
- Southwest Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Taco Casserole
- Taco Pie
- Taco Salad
- Wet Burritos
3. Breakfast
We enjoy hot breakfasts most mornings and occasionally for dinner as well.
Most of the recipes you’ll see below cost less per serving than expensive cereals or pre-packaged frozen breakfasts (and they taste a lot better, too!)
If you’re looking for a way to cut grocery costs, breakfast foods are the way to go (just don’t go overboard on meat, as bacon can be pricey!)
Here are some of our go-to breakfast meals.
- Baked Puff Pancakes
- Whole Grain Oat Pancakes (pictured below)
- Sourdough Pancakes
- Blueberry Stuffed French Toast
- Overnight French Toast Casserole
- French Toast Sticks
- Breakfast Burritos
- Baked Oatmeal
- Homemade Oatmeal
- Cheesy Sausage and Quinoa Bites
- Bacon-Wrapped Sausage Bites
- Egg Sandwiches
- The Best Cheesy Scrambled Eggs
- Hash Brown Crusted Quiche
- Hearty Egg Casserole
- Simple Vegetable Quiche {Gluten Free}
- Light and Fluffy Waffles
- Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Rhubarb Muffins
- Blueberry Muffins
4. Soup, Salad and Sandwiches
I make some type of soup or stew almost every week (all year round) as it’s an excellent way to use up leftover meat, potatoes, and vegetables. And since I make my own bone broth, it’s extremely nutritious and cost-effective too.
Salads are another great way to use up fresh veggies and bits of leftover meat and cheese. I often have a “salad” for lunch — which consists of lettuce, topped with whatever leftovers I find, along with cheese, sunflower seeds, croutons, and dressing. Easy, cheap, delicious!
And don’t forget about sandwiches — they aren’t just for lunch. They can be a very cost-effective, quick, and easy dinner too!
These are a whole bunch of our favorites.
SOUPS:
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chicken and Rice Soup
- Corn Chowder
- Cheese Broccoli Soup
- Cheeseburger Soup (pictured below)
- Fire Roasted Tomato and Vegetable Soup
- Traditional Tomato Soup
- Ham and Potato Soup
- Split Pea Soup With Ham
- Sausage and Cheese Tortellini Soup
- Taco Soup
- BBQ Chicken Chili
- Sweet Potato Chili
- Vegetable Beef Soup from Scratch
- Vegetable Chowder
5. Pizza
We love pizza and anything that tastes like pizza!
And even though we do splurge for take-out pizza every now and then, we also make a fair share of homemade pizza for frugal weekend meals.
Pizza is another way to stretch a small amount of meat and veggies to feed many hungry mouths, and there are so many different variations, too!
These are some of our favorite pizza-inspired recipes:
- Pizza Sliders
- Pizza Sammies
- Personal Pan Pizzas
- Stromboli (pictured below)
- Muffin Tin Pizzas
- Pizza Pasta
- Fruit Pizza
- Any type of pizza topping on homemade or store-bought crust
There you have it — 75+ frugal meal ideas that are bound to please even your pickiest eaters.
They are all Dekker-family approved with easy-to-find ingredients… and most of them taste great as leftovers (which means you might not need to pack as many lunches!)
What are your favorite frugal dinner ideas?
Visit my virtual recipe box for more simple, delicious, family-friendly recipes!
Kaylie says
I have been looking for a list of meal ideas that is both simple and frugal! I have been overthinking meal planning so much and it has been a huge stress for me and my family. Thank you so much for providing this! I really enjoy your blog!!
Andrea says
yay — so happy to help you plan your meals!
I think everything on my list should be easy and affordable. I hope you and your family enjoy lots of yummy meals together this summer!
Eva N says
Andrea, I originally subscribed to your newsletter for the decluttering ideas, but appreciate all the wonderful ideas you have for living a healthy, good life. Thank you for all the hard work you put into sharing your knowledge.
Andrea says
Thanks so much Eva! I’m thrilled you have found useful content in my emails 🙂
Derek M says
Try a bag of lentils with two cans of rotel. You can create enough food for 10-15 for 3 bucks.
And you do not have to soak lentils split peas as well but some reccipes suggest it.
Rivki Locker says
I recently committed to a more frugal lifestyle for my family, starting with major cuts to our astronomical grocery bills. I just came across your blog and love these frugal meal ideas. I am committed to healthy eating as well as a frugal lifestyle, and the balance can be a challenge. Thanks for these tips!
Andrea says
Thanks!! We have a pretty small grocery budget too so these frugal meals help us eat well while stretching our budget each week!
Megan Camp says
Andrea, if you’re looking for more Mexican recipes that are cheap and tasty, you should try making Pork Pozole. It’s supposed to be a soup but we prefer it cooked down and then served burrito style. It’s delicious, freezes well and one recipe would probably feed you and your husband for several meals. I’ve made it a number of times for guests and they’ve always loved it. It tastes very authentic and flavorful.
http://everydaymealstoshare.blogspot.com/2009/04/pork-pozole.html
Thanks for all the other yummy meal ideas!
Andrea says
Thanks Megan!
We’re ALWAYS looking for quick, easy, make-ahead Mexican recipes and this one sounds delicious!
I know my husband will love it too!
Tammy says
Wow, $20… Even if I extrapolated that to our family of five which would mean $50, we would never survive.. I think prices are just so much higher in Canada. Also your wonderful double coupon days and coupon stacking are just not allowed up here. It is one coupon per purchase, and trust me you will never find a coupon in Canada worth more than 1/3 the cost of the product (ON SALE). I always envy the people in the US who live in the regions that make this style of living possible. For now I must struggle to stick to my $150 per week (this includes cleaners, diapers, and other household expenses) and dream of the day life becomes just a tiny bit more affordable.
Oh, yeah and as my other fellow BC’r said gas is outrageous.. I am spending $350/month on gas for my car, just to get to and from work. No public transit is not an option in my situation.
Great blog, read it everyday.
TJ
Andrea says
Thanks Tammy,
Where I live, we actually don’t have double coupons either {bummer} but I’m certain we still have better deals and coupons than what you have in Canada!
And I totally feel your pain with the gas — I have a very small car and spent over $50 just to fill it up once! I can remember when I first started driving {only 9 years ago} and I could fill my car up for $13!!
Anyway, I guess we’ll just have to keep saving where we can…and hope that gas and grocery prices start going back down 🙂
Jolon @ Savvy Chic Savings says
Thanks for the shoutout! I just posted a review of The $5 Dinner Mom: Breakfast & Lunch Cookbook. It’s awesome. I want to keep trying her recipes just so I can see if I can make them cheaper. hahaha
LaVonne says
Blueberry stuffed french toast? Yummy! 😉
Thanks for these great ideas. We are in Northern B.C. (Canada) right now for hubby’s work and it is about $5.50 per gallon. It cost $95 CND to fill our Toyota minivan last week! Yuck!
I am visiting from TILT at the Diaper Diaries. Nice to find your blog. I love your blog design. The simplicity and great photos are very much appreciated.
Blessings!
Long Wait For Isabella
Andrea says
Wow — $5.50 is really expensive! It’s unfortunate we need to pay so much for gas — I can remember when it was less than $1.00 per gallon here in MI {and that was only about 9 years ago!}
Rosie @ RosieBear says
Great ideas.
Thanks for the help getting through these tight times.
Susan says
Loved your pics and recipe ideas! We enjoy Mexican food.
Kristen @ JoyfullyThriving says
Sigh. Gas is at $3.99 here in Northern Indiana. I’m determined to do the same. I need to stick to my budget in the grocery area and continue saving money there so we can afford the high gas prices! I’m combining trips as much as possible, and like you, maximizing my meals. I’m impressed by you, Andrea! Your $20 budget makes my $40 seem so high! 🙂 Love it! Keep up the great work!
Kim says
Wow! I can’t believe your grocery budget! That is incredible, you could do an entire series on grocery shopping. Can’t wait to hear more about it.
Andrea says
Kim, just remember — we’re only feeing 2 people with occasional entertaining. Plus, we aren’t picky eaters so we eat whatever is on sale, in the freezer, or in the pantry. And you know I’m obsessed with coupons 🙂