Money Saving Tip! - Simple & Inexpensive Meal Planning

I know I'm not the only one out there who dislikes meal planning... So, I thought I'd stretch my mind a bit to figure out some of the less expensive meals that our family enjoys and share them with you! Let me just say, simplicity is key for me when meal planning, so if you like gourmet meals every night of the week, this may not be a good read for you. :)

Breakfast for Dinner

Why not?! If you have kids, they'll love getting pancakes and eggs at dinner-time! I know many of you probably already do this. Whether you make your own pancakes, buy the mix on sale, do a breakfast casserole, etc, oftentimes you'll find breakfast to be a much less expensive option than a full meat meal. With eggs, you're still getting your protein too! Add some cheese and veggies to the eggs and you've got all the food groups covered.

Homemade Pizza
You can buy the dough mix, make your own, or better yet buy it from a local pizza joint or your grocer's bakery. We like the Publix bakery dough and often purchase a couple while using a Food Lion $2/$5 Bakery purchase coupon. It makes for a great deal! Add a little spaghetti sauce (which I seem to find on sale a lot) and some mozzarella (that I buy when it's on sale and freeze), along with some sale produce such as green peppers, onions, spinach, tomatoes, etc and/or meat and you've got a great meal for a fraction of the cost of a pizza place!

Soup & Sandwich
Soups are a great meal just about any time! Add a yummy sandwich, and you've got a fun meal. You can make your own soup with numerous items that often go on sale such as chicken or beef broth, fresh or frozen produce, canned tomatoes, chicken, pasta, etc. Add a sandwich of your liking and enjoy! (All of these ingredients go on sale throughout the months, so stock up when you see the sale and you'll be ready for a great meal anytime!)

Burgers
I've mentioned one of may favorite burgers (Italian Turkey Burgers) a couple of times, but the point with burgers is to add some fillers in with the meat mixture. My recipe may not be your style, but you can change things up to fit your family's taste. You'll end up making more burgers by adding a few extra ingredients. Some options might be chopped onions, green pepper, tomatoes, etc. With this meal, you're making more than enough, so you'll end up with leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day. A great money saver!

And finally...
Don't plan that huge pan of lasagna if you don't have some of the ingredients in your pantry already!!! You'll end up blowing your entire grocery budget on a single meal. If lasagna is a dish that your family likes on a regular basis, buy the ingredients with the sales, then when you have everything in stock, make up several pans of it and freeze it! Lasagna freezes very well. Then start buying the ingredients with the sales again. See the cycle?

This is basically my way of meal planning. I don't know if it helps you at all, but it's what works for me!