With SNAP benefits ending, the government not paying its employees, and the economy being a bit of a wreck all on its own, the idea of feeding your family may be daunting right now. These tips and recipes can help you feed a family on a budget.
Tips for Feeding a Family on a Budget
If you already have a pantry stocked with staple ingredients- flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, oil- then you can keep your family fed even through the tough economic times that we are facing. If you find yourself lacking in ingredients like buttermilk, powdered sugar, brown sugar, etc., follow the substitution ideas in this post.
Before we jump into the recipes, read through these tips for feeding a family on a budget to help you navigate the changes.
- Choose filling items that stretch for a meal base such as rice, beans, lentils, quinoa, or potatoes.
- Meat is expensive, but protein is important–> Replace ground meat with beans or lentils in any recipe.
- Add oats to ground beef to make it stretch- I haven’t tried this one, but I have seen it recommended many times and I can definitely see that being successful.
- Take meal planning seriously. Write out what you plan to cook for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for the week before you go shopping. This can keep you from overspending.
- Use rebate apps (but don’t get caught up in the marketing). Ibotta is my favorite. Sometimes it is cheaper to purchase store brands instead of purchasing the items listed in the app. Use your discretion and only purchase what makes sense.
- Shop your pantry before shopping the store. Look in your fridge, freezer, and pantry and form your meal plan around what you already have available.
- Learn to cook from scratch. If you know how to cook from scratch, you can make a TON of meals with just basic pantry staples and a few extra ingredients as needed.
- Try to buy store brands and shop at budget grocery stores like Aldi and Ruler instead of Walmart.
- Build a shelf-stable pantry foundation. Rice, beans, lentils, oats, pasta, flour, sugar, canned vegetables, baking soda, baking powder, potatoes, onions, bouillon cubes, and peanut butter.
- Shop seasonally. If you buy a watermelon in the dead of winter, you are going to pay a lot more than you would in the summer. Learn what seasons your favorite fresh foods are grown in and shop accordingly.
- Use your scraps- save veggie & meat scraps for broth, eat leftovers, compost anything that you can’t/won’t reuse.
- In the gravy and soup base recipes that call for butter, you can use meat drippings instead of butter if you have them available.
- Keep meals simple and repetitive. Create a meal rotation to help make your grocery budget predictable.
- Store bulk food long-term: 5-gallon buckets work great for dried beans, flour, sugar, oats, etc. Line the buckets with mylar bags if you can so it will last even longer. This does require purchasing the buckets & bags, but it can be a huge time & money saver in the long run.
- Store-bought stock/broth is expensive, especially when you need to feed a lot of people. Instead, you can make veggie and meat stock from scraps or use bouillon cubes added to water.
- Use white bread to make toast, garlic bread, hot dog & hamburger buns, etc. You don’t have to buy different types of bread for each meal, just adapt with what you have.
- If you come across a recipe that calls for honey, you can use sugar instead.
Budget-Friendly Recipes to Feed a Family
As a mama of 5, I know the struggle of feeding a lot of people on a teeny tiny budget. These recipes have gotten me through some difficult times and I hope they help you, too. I try to keep our meals filled with whole foods and as unprocessed as possible, while also keeping the price tag small.
*The asterisk on some buttons means that the recipe is in The Homemade Household. Get 25% off with code FROMSCRATCH25.
Homemade Biscuits & Gravy
Make a filling breakfast for pennies!
Cream of Chicken Soup Base
Make your own cream of chicken instead of buying a new can for each recipe. You just need butter, flour, milk, a boullion cube, and water. If you already have those staples on hand, this can save more money than you realize.
Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
These enchiladas are my kids’ favorite meal! Are they authentic? Of course not, but they are delicious and they don’t cost much to make.
3-Bean Chili
Chili is a go-to dish in my house. I make it a little differently, but it’s just the way my kids like it. Toss 1 can each of dark kidney beans, light kidney beans, black beans, corn, and diced tomatoes into a pot. You can just use one type of bean (multiple cans) if you prefer. Add 1 cup beef broth (or warm water with boullion cube). Bring to a boil and simmer to thicken. Add more broth as needed.
Beans & Rice
When I was in Nicaragua, I was shocked at how much my oldest child LOVED the daily meals. These meals consisted of simple rice, beans, chorizo, fruit, and some type of bread. It was filling and delicious. The meat can be left out if that pushes over budget- rice & beans can be a meal by themselves. Gather some spices and make the rice & beans stretch through this tough season.
Salisbury Steak
I’m not big on TV dinner meals anymore, but you can buy a big pack of Banquet Salisbury Steaks for $4. Top a slice of white bread with mashed potatoes and place the steak and gravy on top. Boom! Dinner.
Johnny Cakes
This cornmeal flatbread is a filling and afforable way to start the day.
Potato Pancakes
This is a great way to use leftover potatoes and to offer a filling food the kids will enjoy in the morning. Serve with applesauce to balance the meal.
Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken pot pie seems complicated and expensive, but it is really the opposite. By using homemade cream of chicken soup, homemade biscuits, and canned or frozen veggies, this meal costs next to nothing.
Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken noodle soup can be made with a bag of egg noodles, some veggies (frozen or canned mixed vegetables or fresh carrots & celery), broth, and chicken. Easy peasy and affordable to top it off! Add the broth, veggies, noodles, and cooked chicken to a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer until noodles are cooked through. If using fresh veggies, cook them until tender before adding noodles.
Chicken & Dumplings
This recipe is delicious with either homemade dumplings (like you will find in the linked recipe) or with biscuit dough dropped in. Use chicken bouillon cubes and water instead of bone broth if you need to. You can make your own cream of chicken soup to save a couple of dollars, too!
Hash Brown Casserole
Potatoes, butter, cream of chicken soup, and cheese are the only ingredients in this recipe. You can buy pre-shredded hashbrowns or buy whole potatoes and shred them yourself to save money. This shredder works great if you want to start shredding/slicing your own potatoes, cheese, etc.
Poor Man’s Meal
This was my FAVORITE meal as a kid. My mama called it goulash because she didn’t know what else to name it. Potato chunks, hot dog or sausage slices, and green beans cooked in a skillet– that’s all you need to make this delicious meal!
Homemade Coffee Creamer
Mix whole milk, sweetener, and flavor syrups to make your own coffee creamer. You can use cream instead of milk if you want. My favorite sweetener is maple syrup, but the cost is pretty high for that so white sugar works when I need to save money. You can buy a frother for a few dollars if you like frothed milk or cold foam.
Shepherd’s Pie
I grew up calling this one hamburger pie, but no matter the name, it is simple, cheap, and yummy! It consists of a base of ground beef, layered with mixed veggies, mashed potatoes, and topped with cheese. Ground beef is costly so you can replace this with beans if you want. I think black beans would be good in this recipe.
Veggie Soup/Stew
This one is SO simple. Grab whatever canned or frozen veggies you have, toss them in a pot with diced tomatoes, a little tomato paste, salt, pepper, basil, and broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes.
Brown Gravy
Make this brown gravy to go on top of mashed potatoes, chicken-fried steak, and anything else you like gravy on. Use butter or drippings, flour, beef broth (use a bouillon cube & water to save money), and a little salt & pepper.
Baked Potato Bar
Bake some russet potatoes and offer butter, sour cream, bacon bits, and other toppings (whatever fits the budget or what you already have in your pantry).
Loaded Sweet Potatoes
This is one of my favorite dinners! It tastes great and it’s nutritious. Bake a sweet potato, open it up, and fill it with butter & black beans or chili. Delish!
Simple White Bread
This isn’t the fanciest bread, but it is pretty simple, cheap, and does the trick for a good sandwich!
Spaghetti with Simple Homemade Sauce
Instead of buying a store-bought sauce, I use one can of diced tomatoes, one can tomato paste, and one can tomato sauce. You can skip the tomato sauce and use water thin the paste if you need to. My kids love when I make spaghetti tacos (inspired by i-Carly). This makes the noodles stretch even further without costing much more- especially if you make your own tortillas.
Walking Tacos
Take small bags of chips (Doritos or Fritos) and add ground beef or black beans, cheese, and a little taco sauce. Include sour cream and veggies if that fits the budget.
Souped Up Ramen
Ramen is ALWAYS a cheap meal go-to, but it is severely lacking in nutrients. Grab a couple veggies (1 bell pepper, a radish, leeks, mushrooms, whatever you like and can afford) and an egg to put on top of the noodles. Delicious and makes a balanced meal for just a couple bucks. If you have spices and seasonings, add your own instead of using the spice packet.
