How To Feed A Family of 4 on $50/Week

As a stay at home mom, I’m constantly searching for new ways to maximize my savings. I think the most challenging part of my budget is food, because it’s a necessity, and it should be enjoyable. I want to make sure my family has access to healthy and delicious meals, with variety, without sacrificing money or meat. However, at the request of my husband, I do prepare one vegetarian meal a week. Surprisingly, I find it easier (and cheaper) to cook meat-based entrees instead of vegetarian ones. I don’t know why.

Let’s get started.

The first thing that’s crucial to feeding 4 ppl on $50/Week is planning. I cannot stress it enough. It’s impossible to go to the store without a plan in your mind and expect to 1) only shop once a week and; 2) be on the best budget for your family.

In order to plan, set aside an hour and decide in detail all the meals you’d like for the coming week. I usually do this after looking through the Sunday circulars, in case there’s a great deal at a grocery store that I can’t pass up. This is a great site to go to if you don’t normally receive the Sunday paper. Take account of all the deals and come up with meal ideas that incorporate items that are on sale.

If you need recipe suggestions, my all time favorite website is AllRecipes.com which also provides great feedback from a huge community of reviewers.

One of my best tips is to pick meals that share the same ingredients. If you buy a bag of frozen broccoli, split it into two or more meals. I don’t like buying more than enough. It’s not cost-effective when trying to feed 4 on $50/week.

The next thing is to write a grocery list of all the ingredients you need. Shop your pantry also. I usually have on hand basics that I don’t account for in my $50 allotment. Basics include salt, pepper, sugar, various other spices, flour. These are items that you’d keep in the pantry and that will last for at least a month or two without having to re-buy. If you have these items in your pantry, you can cross it off your grocery list.

Stay tuned for items I consider to be pantry basics.

The next step will take some trial and error, and a few trips to the grocers before you’ve gotten the hang of it, especially if you’re new to budget shopping. Before going to the store, I write a maximum price of how much I will spend for each item, until my list totals $50. It’s great if the list is under $50, but it will never go over $50. If it does go over $50, I re-evaluate my weekly menu, and see what I can eliminate and substitute. This part is tricky. You must have a good knowledge of the cost of items. For example, how much does a package of Frozen Chicken Breasts cost at your local grocers? For me, it’s $7. If my grocery list calls for a package of Frozen Chicken Breasts, I put $7.50 (.50 is my wiggle room) beside it as a clue to me when I’m shopping that I need to look at the price and make sure that the item fits into the budget. If it doesn’t fit in my budget, say it’s $7.75 (and I am that anal about it), then I’m not buying it. It’s as simple as that.

I highly recommend only bringing with you the budgeted cash to buy your groceries, and nothing more. I usually take $50, and get to the register hoping upon hope that I calculated right. It does give me extra incentive to check the prices when I’m putting the food in my cart. I also watch the register like a hawk, to make sure the correct price is ringing up. I know this seems very extreme, but if you enjoy a challenge like I do, then you’ll find it exhilarating!

Next, I’ll share with you my weekly menu, receipt and photo of my purchases for this week.