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Today I wanted to share 7 frugal dinner ideas, so you can plan a whole week of easy and cheap meals without even thinking about it! Here are seven cheap meals for the week!
7 Frugal Dinner Ideas: Cheap Meals for the Week
Here’s your 7 frugal dinner ideas!
Plan a whole week of dinner with these quick, easy, and cheap dinner ideas!
1. Chicken Alfredo
You’ll need pasta (we like bowtie or penne), alfredo sauce, and a small amount of chicken.
You can really stretch meat in pasta dishes, and the meal is still really filling!
Watch for great stock up sales on pasta and sauce! You can even make this without chicken if your family will go for it.
2. Beef Stew
Try to find a cheaper cut of beef, stew meat already cut up, or a marked down cut of beef to use. You’ll also need a bag of baby carrots, a few potatoes, and a packet of seasoning.
Throw it all in your slow cooker with some water to cook all day for a hearty meal. Cheaper cuts of meat are perfect for the slow cooker!
I like to serve this with the cheap box of cornbread mix (I make muffins).
3. Make Your Own Pizzas
You can buy flatbread on sale, use French bread, or make your own pizza dough. You’ll also need some sauce, cheese, and toppings (watch for sales).
This can be a really fun cooking night to get your whole family involved in!
You can also just use frozen pizzas – stock up when you see a sale! (I love keeping these on hand for “those nights”)
4. Spaghetti
Ok, pasta is a great frugal meal to fill your family up and not spend a lot of money!
Again, you can stretch the meat and look for sales on noodles and sauce. Make a big batch of spaghetti sauce and freeze it for more meals!
5. Taco/Nacho Bar
Make some taco meat (chicken or beef – whatever you have or whatever is on sale), and set out all the fixings to make tacos or nachos.
This is a really easy meal to prepare and one your family will love!
Stock up on tortillas, cheese, and salsa when you see a good sale!
6. Chicken Teriyaki or Stir Fry
You’ll need some chicken, teriyaki or soy sauce, rice, and broccoli or stir fry vegetables to whip up this easy dinner.
You can serve big portions of rice and vegetables with less meat to keep costs down.
7. Family Size Frozen Lasagna
Watch for sales on the family size frozen lasagnas – they are so easy to throw in the oven for an effortless dinner that will satisfy your family.
And, it’s much cheaper than going out!
You don’t have to cook completely from scratch or spend a lot of time in the kitchen to save money on dinner.
Get creative, think about what your family likes, and try to eat at home more with these easy and cheap dinner ideas!
Need more meal planning help?
If you are often stuck wondering what to make for dinner, these weekly meal plan ideas will be a huge help!
It may also be helpful to make a list of your family’s favorite meals to use as inspiration and ideas when you sit down to make your meal plan.
My Meal Planning Starter Pack has some great resources, including a favorite meals list you can use, to help you conquer meal planning. Check it out on sale here!
Here are some more cheap meal ideas to help you make your own frugal weekly meal plan:
20 Things to Eat on a Tight Budget
Easy Two Week Rotating Meal Plan on a Budget
10 Pantry Meals: When the Menu Plan Doesn’t Happen
Theme Nights Meal Planning: Easy Dinner Ideas for Every Night of the Week
>> Psst…. Want a year of affordable & simple meals planned & shopped for you??
My friend Shannon, from Making Frugal Fun, has created The Frugal Meal Planner, which is a printable meal planning binder with one year of cheap and easy dinners planned out that over 50,000 are already loving!
This will take ALL the work out of planning meals AND help you eat at home and save money the EASY way!
Here’s what Shannon has to say about The Frugal Meal Planner:
“This printable meal planner will help you stick to a plan, and keep your recipes organized so you can decrease your food budget! You’ll love the unique quarterly meal plans that allow you to cook LESS, and eat at home MORE. Eliminate food waste and cut your grocery budget in half by utilizing leftovers in a fun & creative way! You will love these simple, healthy recipes that can be modified for any family size, and are even great for picky eaters.”
The Frugal Meal Planner includes 100+ pages of meal plans, recipes, and printables to help you save money on food every month!
And best of all? The Frugal Meal Planner is on sale for just $20 (regular price $47)!
This is an incredible deal on a fantastic resource that will help you save a ton of money every single month… and make dinnertime so much easier! I know you will love how simple this makes dinner time and how much money it will save you!
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