This post may contain affiliate links.
Easy Family Meal Plan and Shopping List
I have always been a list person. But when I became a stay at home mom and we were dealing with just one income, I knew my grocery shopping habits had to change. So starting a family meal plan with shopping list was something I could get on board with.
There was no more eating out just because I didn’t feel like cooking. I tried to make sure I was efficient in my grocery shopping by keeping a list and sticking to it.
Another thing I did was start to meal plan.
What is a Meal Plan?
A family meal plan is sitting down with a schedule and writing out your meals. I don’t generally do this with breakfast, but do for lunch and dinners. You can also do for different intervals – I tend to do it weekly, but you can also do it monthly.
It makes it easy to remember what you planned for that night and make your grocery list around it. This way you are also not just buying items at the grocery store and then having no idea what to make each night.
How Do You Meal Plan and Grocery Shop on a Budget?
One good thing about meal planning is that you can cut down on your grocery list. For example, buying a bigger pack of chicken is cheaper than buying a single pack. If you buy a bigger pack, you can either freeze the leftovers or make two or three meals from it in a week.
Buying items, particularly meat, in bigger sizes is generally cheaper. Another good way to meal plan is to look at the circular each week and see what’s on sale. Then you can build your meals around that.
Another part of meal planning is to think about what you have in your house already and using those items to create meals. That is an easy way to cut down on your grocery bill.
Being able to create a family meal plan with a shopping list is a great way to budget for groceries.
Here is a sample free weekly family meal plan with shopping list, for dinners only.
Stuffing Chicken (find recipe here): Chicken, Milk, Cream of Chicken Soup, Stuffing, Butter
Chicken Tacos (find recipe here): Chicken, Salsa, Taco Seasoning, Frozen Corn, Tortillas, Shredded Mexican Cheese
BBQ Chicken Sandwiches (find recipe here): Chicken, BBQ Sauce, Rolls
Baked Ziti: Ziti, Spaghetti Sauce, Mozzarella Cheese, Breadcrumbs, Parmesan Cheese
American Chop Suey: Elbow Macaroni, Ground Beef, Spaghetti Sauce
Shepard’s Pie: Ground Beef, Corn, Potatoes, Milk, Butter
Breakfast for Dinner – Scrambled Eggs and Bacon: Eggs, Bacon, Bread (for toast)
For the family meal plan above, I used chicken several nights so that I could buy a bulk pack and it would be cheaper. The same thing with ground beef – I usually find that a large pack will last two meals.
If you are looking for a free weekly meal planner – grab one here!
Check out these other posts that you may enjoy!
How to Overcome a Feeling of Mom Guilt
Survival Tips for a Stay at Home Mom
