How to Feed Your Family Well and on a Budget

It’s not easy feeding a family healthy meals on a budget, but here are some tips that worked for me and can help you make cooking a priority even with a busy schedule…

 

I have been cooking up a storm lately. As part of my New Year’s goals, I wanted to cook my family three well-balanced and filling meals every day – which is quite a change from 2024. Last year, I cooked only a few times a week because of work and sports keeping me out of the house. And with my husband and teenagers being far more skilled cooks than I, it worked. But it wasn’t how I wanted it to be in the long term.

If you’ve read my blog in the past, you know I don’t really like cooking. Not so much the cooking, but feeling rushed to decide, put together, and serve a meal on top of an already busy schedule. One of the things I like about cooking shows and find relaxing about them is the unhurried way that chefs like Ina Garten prepare food. Slow and methodical and with enjoyment.

Ideally, I’d like to do the same, but it’s not always possible in reality. So I decided that I needed to set myself up for success by making the process as streamlined as possible, maximizing time so I could enjoy it. The goal was healthy, satisfying, and frugal dishes that were a help, not a burden.

If you’d like to spend more time preparing dishes for your family, but need some help making it happen, here are a few things that I did…

 

How to Feed Your Family Well and on a Budget

Meal planning

One of the things I found to be a must is meal planning. Without it, I would spend valuable time staring mindlessly at the fridge and pantry, wondering what to make and what ingredients to use. Planning out my weekly meal plan takes about 30 minutes. It includes looking over ingredients I have on hand, finding recipes to match or choosing old favorites, and making a shopping list of what I need to feed my brood. I like to order the things I need online and pick them up on my way home from church on Sunday so I am ready to go for the week.

 

Using what I have

When planning your meals for the week, try to use what you have as much as possible. This saves money and uses foods before they go bad. When you’re looking at recipes, see if things you have on hand can be substituted for ingredients in the recipe. I almost always have frozen spinach, but rarely have kale, so I usually swap the spinach in soups and other dishes in place of the kale that’s called for.

 

Feed your family with recipes that make sense

If you’re trying to be frugal and time-conscious, don’t choose 2-hour recipes that use expensive ingredients. Save those for special occasions, but not for a busy Wednesday night where everyone is eating quickly. Choose recipes that use your ingredients, that are simple and quick. If you do choose something that needs prep time, consider making parts of it ahead of time to make it easy to assemble the night of. I will cook dry beans so when I make a soup, they can just be dropped in for a quick meal.

 

Have a prep day

I usually spend some time on Saturday or Sunday prepping for the week. I’ll make muffins that are frozen for a morning I’m out of the house early. I’ll make bread, sauces, and soups so they are ready to go on my busiest days. I will also spend this day writing up my meal plan on a board we keep in the kitchen so everyone knows what’s on the menu. This has the added benefit of saving complaints later from the pickier eaters.

 

Avoid serving meats

Meat is probably the most expensive thing you feed your family. To lower costs, skip the meat at least half the week. If your family is very meat-centric, then do it gradually. There are some amazing recipes and dishes that are meatless and very filling, as well as packed with protein from plant sources. I say this as someone with five kids, most of them teenagers and sports players. They can have a filling, satisfying, and nutritious meal without meat and still perform just fine. Give it a try.

 

Plan well rounded meals

When you plan out your meals, make sure you’re covering all the bases. Carbs, proteins, fruits, and veggies. Look for double-dippers like beans that have both carbs and protein, or broccoli that provides calcium and covers the green vegetable category. Toss a simple salad to pair with your pasta. Avoid going all sweet carb for breakfast and make omelets with spinach and cheese or oatmeal with fruit and nuts. Protein satisfies for longer than carbs, so make sure you include it in all meals.

 

Keep it simple

Only you know how much time you have to prepare your meals, so tailor your meal plan to your life. Feeding your family on budget and well shouldn’t be a headache, but it can easily turn into one if you make it too complicated to accomplish or too cumbersome to actually want to do. See what you have in the house, make a meal plan, prep what you can, and serve the best meals you are able. In the end, perfection is not the goal, but rather taking care of yourself and your family the best you can. It may not always be pretty, but it will always be delicious and made with love.

 

Happy cooking!

 

Looking for more on meal planning and cooking? Check out these posts:

3 Steps That Streamlined My Meal Planning

What does Meal Planning have to do with Healthy Eating? Everything!

15 Frugal Family Recipes for Summer

Frugal Cooking Tips from a Penny-pinching Mom of 5