Resources for Family Meal Planning on a Budget

by Holly Homer on January 13th, 2011 | 5 Comments »

I love a good deal, but am not the best at clipping coupons or following through with sales searches.

In fact, I tried one of those weekly programs where you clip the coupons and go to specific stores on certain days and ended up in one of the aisles of Wal-Mart in tears clutching a wad of coupons while my three boys ran in three different directions.

It was not pretty.

What I did learn in that very traumatic experience was that the grocery store closest to my house has a ton of sales on Monday. They also have coupon dispensers over several of the sale-priced food items for additional savings. So, without even taking a coupons into the store, if I go on Mondays I generally save close to 33%.

That is much more my style.

I also learned that I can't shop with coupons AND kids. It is just not reasonable for my attention to be spread that thin.

The bottom line for me is that I need to find a few little tricks that work for me...NOW. Someday, when the kids are in college I can leisurely leaf through the Sunday circulars and carry my color-coordinated accordion coupon file through the brightly lit aisles of my favorite food store on the appropriate day. But today, I am grabbing what I can get and rejoicing when it is on sale.

Resources for Budget Meals:

5 Dollar Dinners: Erin has it all. Advice. Coupons. Recipes. Menus. Batch Cooking. MORE. Here is the Best of 2010 Recipe List. There is just no excuse not to make cheap, yummy food after looking at this. It is inspirational! I recently made the cilantro-lime rice and still dream about it.
Cheap Healthy Good: The CHG girls compiled a list of 65 Cheap, Healthy, One-dish meals with good left-over potential. Oh, and if that wasn't enough to make you click through...there are pictures of George Clooney too.
The Simple Dollar: Trent has pulled himself out of financial ruin and in the process writes some interesting stuff. His list of Dirt Cheap Meals is definitely worth a look...especially near the end of the month.
Eating Well: This site has compiled a list of 100+ recipes that use inexpensive, yet healthy ingredients. I also love the food photography here.
Cheap Eats: This site is quirky and fun to read. There is an entire category of $3 or less food. If you are looking for something a little out of the ordinary, I might stop there (quite likely you will stay and read for awhile).

May your trip to Wal-Mart be less traumatic...

What are your favorite websites for family meal planning on a budget?

When Holly isn't in crisis at her local food store, she is likely in crisis in her kitchen. She isn't known for her cooking, but attempts regularly to put dinner on the table for her family. Some of her favorite meals are Super Easy Potato Soup, Super Easy Runzas, and Super Easy and Extraordinary Pizza Buns. You might be sensing a theme of super easiness.