This post may contain affiliate links. If you click and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products and services I use and love. Thanks for supporting The Little Frugal House!
Looking for cheap meal plans? Here’s a $40 weekly meal plan for 2 with a shopping list to help you get your frugal meal planning done!
If you’re trying to stick to a grocery budget, this $40 weekly meal plan for 2 is a simple way to get dinner on the table without overspending. This plan focuses on easy, budget-friendly dinners using affordable ingredients that can be found at stores like Aldi or Walmart.
Below you’ll find one full week of dinners designed to feed two people for around $40, plus tips to adjust the plan if you’re cooking for one person, empty nesters, or a larger family.
Meal planning for two can feel harder than for a big family—you don’t want leftovers piling up, but you also don’t want to eat the same thing every night. That’s why I created this weekly meal plan for two: it gives you 7 full dinners (and bonus ideas) with smart ingredient sharing, flexible swaps, and easy prep work.
In this post you’ll get:
- A complete 7-day dinner plan for two people
- A printable shopping list (organized by category)
- Tips for batch cooking, reheating, and reducing food waste
- Estimated cost per meal / per week — so you know it’s not just “nice ideas,” but affordable, too
Whether you’re cooking for a partner, roommate, or yourself and someone else, this plan is built to save you time, money, and mental energy in the kitchen. Let’s dig in and make dinner easier.
Eating at home is such a simple way to save a lot of money. But you may not know what to cook for just the 2 of you, and how to do so on a small budget. You’ll find some great low-cost meals below to try!
Cooking simple meals at home with basic ingredients is one of the easiest ways to eat semi – healthy meals on a tight budget.
This $40 weekly meal plan for 2 people is the perfect plan to follow to eat well on a budget!
If planning dinner feels overwhelming, you can grab my free 5-Day Dinner Rescue Kit here — it plans dinner for you for the next five nights.
Do you want to spend less on groceries this week? In this post, I’m sharing a simple $40 weekly meal plan for 2 you can follow to save money and eat at home.
Looking to reduce your grocery budget? Tired of spending money eating out? This $40 weekly meal plan for 2 can help!
I try to spend as little as possible on our food, and usually aim to cook dinners under $5 for the 2 of us. This weekly meal plan for 2 includes 7 dinners with sides for under $40.
You decide what to do with the money you save!
Need more help deciding what to make for dinner?
Planning meals and eating at home can help you save so much money, but it’s not always easy to figure out what to cook!
If you need some dinner ideas that are simple, quick, and budget-friendly, you’ll love the FREE 60+ Easy Dinner Ideas List – the handy resource you’ll love to use for quick, easy, and budget-friendly meal ideas to make meal planning simple and effortless!
Grab the FREE Easy Dinner Ideas List right here!
$40 Weekly Meal Plan for 2
Make Sure to Use My Favorite Cash Back App:
Real quick, are you getting free cash back yet? If not, you are totally missing out on free money!
>>The newest app I’ve been loving is Fetch Rewards. It’s so easy to use and you can earn points for free gifts cards, just by scanning your grocery receipts. Sign up for free here and use code: 33UY1 to get 2000 bonus points.
Frugal Meal Plan for 2:
These meals aren’t anything extravagant or fancy. They are simple meals that you can easily make and get dinner on the table without breaking your budget. So… little effort, little time, and very little money required!
*Prices listed are current Aldi prices. If you don’t have an Aldi, check out Trader Joe or your local discount grocery store or shop the sales ad at your nearby grocery. You may not find these exact prices in your area, but I’ll bet there are some similar deals!
>> Use this free weekly meal planner printable to plan your frugal meals for the week!
A note about rising grocery prices:
Below is the frugal grocery list with current (at time of writing – 2021) Aldi prices. If prices are higher in your area, try to find a similar ingredient that’s cheaper!
Prices change all the time, but try to find the best deals in your area to get a week’s worth of groceries for about $40. Depending on your area and the stores available to you, your grocery bill may be higher, but do the best you can and work with what you have available to you. There are still a lot of things you can buy at the grocery store on a small budget!
You may not need to buy everything on the list, so look at what you have on hand before you shop. If you have ingredients you can work with, add to those so you don’t have to buy as much.
You can also change up the breakfast options, lunch suggestions, or dinner options to use up food you have to help you save on your grocery bill.
There are different ways to save on groceries, too. Look for store brands, markdowns, clearance items, and the sales ad to get the best prices.
This $40 week grocery budget and weekly meal plan can be customized to fit your budget and tastes!
Here’s the $40 weekly menu for 2 people for the week!
Ready to do your grocery shopping? Be sure to print the menu and shopping list below!
>>You can print the full menu and shopping list here.
Do a little meal prep at the beginning of the week and see what you can make ahead to save time. Working ahead will really help you stick to your meal plan!
Here are the delicious meals you can cook for about $40 per week for 2 people!
I think you’ll love using basic pantry staples to create simple meals with no food waste – and on a tight food budget!
How to Adjust This $40 Meal Plan for One
This meal plan works great for singles or empty nesters with just a few tweaks:
- Cook dinners as written and enjoy leftovers for lunch
- Freeze half of casseroles or cooked proteins
- Stretch meals across multiple nights instead of cooking daily
For one person, this $40 plan can often cover most of the week plus lunches, making it even more budget-friendly.
How to Scale This Meal Plan for a Family
If you’re feeding more than two people, this plan can still work with simple adjustments:
- Double proteins and grains (rice, pasta, potatoes)
- Add inexpensive sides like frozen vegetables or salad
- Use casseroles and skillet meals to stretch ingredients
For a family of four, expect to spend closer to $70–$80, depending on portion sizes and store prices.
$40 Week Meal Plan for 2
Sunday: Chicken Teriyaki
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 bag instant rice
- 1 package of frozen brocolli medley
- soy sauce
Directions:
Dice and grill chicken in skillet with olive oil.
Steam vegetables and add to pan with chicken.
Heat rice.
Mix together with soy sauce.
Monday: Spaghetti
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1 jar pasta sauce
- spaghetti noodles
- french bread
Directions:
Brown ground beef.
Boil spaghetti noodles.
Heat pasta sauce in pan.
Heat french bread.
Add beef to pasta sauce.
Tuesday: Grilled Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 chicken breast
- 1 bag of salad mix
- shredded cheese
- croutons
- dressing
- french bread
Directions:
Dice and grill chicken in skillet.
Add to salad mix with toppings.
Serve with French bread on the side.
Wednesday: Chili
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- kidney beans
- pinto beans
- tomato sauce
- cornbread
Directions:
Brown ground beef.
Add beans, tomato sauce, and desired seasonings to pot.
Drain ground beef and add to beans.
Bake cornbread.
You can also try making your chili in the slow cooker, so dinner will be done and waiting for you when you are ready to eat!
*Check to see what you have on hand that you can use instead of buying more ingredients – black beans, Rotel, etc.
Thursday: Tacos
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef
- tortillas
- taco seasoning
- shredded cheese
- tortilla chips
- salsa
Directions:
Brown ground beef.
Drain and add taco seasoning.
Make tacos on tortillas with shredded cheese.
Serve with chips and salsa.
Friday: Grilled Chicken
Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 can of vegetables
- french bread
Directions:
Grill chicken breasts. Add any desired seasoning you have on hand.
Heat french bread.
Serve with a side of vegetables and French bread.
*Check if you have any sides already on hand to use like sweet potatoes, rolls in the freezer, or canned or frozen vegetables.
Saturday: Flatbread Pizza
Ingredients:
- flatbread
- marinara sauce
- shredded cheese
- pepperoni slices
Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Add marinara sauce, shredded cheese, and pepperoni to 2 flatbreads.
Bake for 10-15 minutes – until cheese is melted.
Sounds pretty easy and tasty, right?
Keep reading for the shopping list!
>>Or print the whole shopping list and meal plan here.
Aldi vs Walmart — Where This $40 Meal Plan Works Best
This meal plan was written with Aldi pricing in mind, where store brands and produce prices help keep the total close to $40.
- Aldi: Usually cheaper for pantry staples, dairy, and produce
- Walmart: Comparable prices with Great Value brand and sales
If Walmart prices are higher in your area, consider mixing stores — grabbing staples at Aldi and filling gaps at Walmart.
$40 Weekly Meal Plan for 2 Shopping List:
>>You can print the full menu and shopping list here.
*Current Aldi prices noted. These may be different in your area.
- 1 bag of frozen chicken breasts $5.99
- 2 lbs ground beef at $2.29/lb – $4.58
- Instant rice $1.49
- Soy sauce $1.29
- 1 bag of frozen broccoli vegetable medley $0.99
- Pasta sauce $0.99
- Spaghetti noodles $1.49
- French bread $1.59
- Salad mix $0.89
- Croutons $0.89
- Dressing $0.89
- Kidney beans $0.55
- Pinto beans $1.05
- Tomato sauce $0.25
- Cornbread $0.47
- Tortillas $0.99
- Taco seasoning $0.35
- Tortilla chips $0.99
- Salsa $1.29
- Can of vegetables $0.49
- Flatbread $3.49
- Marinara sauce $0.99
- Pepperoni $2.19
- Shredded cheese $1.89
Total = $36.07
You can even grab a carton of ice cream for $1.95 and stay under $40. 🙂
I know these meals aren’t super exciting, but the idea is to get dinner on the table without breaking your budget.
Having a meal plan will keep you from stopping for take out and spending more than you have to.
>>Print the full menu and shopping list here.
Need Quick Help This Week?
If you want fast, no-stress dinners right now, grab my Free 5-Day Dinner Rescue Kit, which includes:
- 5 easy dinner ideas
- A short shopping list
- Simple meals for busy nights
👉 Get the Free 5-Day Dinner Rescue Kit
Want Dinner Planned for the Whole Month?
If you like this $40 weekly plan and want everything done for you, the
Stress-Free Dinners: 30-Day Meal Plan includes:
- A full month of dinners
- Weekly grocery lists
- Budget-friendly, realistic meals
👉 Get the Stress-Free Dinners: 30-Day Meal Plan
Need more help deciding what to make for dinner?
Planning meals and eating at home can help you save so much money, but it’s not always easy to figure out what to cook!
If you need some dinner ideas that are simple, quick, and budget-friendly, you’ll love the FREE 60+ Easy Dinner Ideas List – the handy resource you’ll love to use for quick, easy, and budget-friendly meal ideas to make meal planning simple and effortless!
Grab the FREE Easy Dinner Ideas List right here!
This $40 weekly meal plan for 2 is perfect to spend less on groceries, eat at home more, and save some money.
Try this for a week, and see what other meals you can make with frugal ingredients.
Come up with a weekly grocery budget for your family, and see what meals you can make to stick with your budget.
If you often get stuck wondering what to add to your meal plan, it may 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.
More Budget-Friendly Aldi Dinner Ideas
- $50 Aldi Meal Plan for a Family of 4
- Aldi Dinner Plan Using Only 10 Ingredients
- Aldi Meal Plan for Large Families
- Ultimate Aldi Freezer Cooking Plan – 80 Meals in 2 Hours
These plans help you mix and match dinners based on your budget and household size.
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
You might also enjoy…
