This meal planning on a budget post contains affiliate links at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting Pennies Into Pearls by using my links!
Meal planning is one of two major game changers when it came to our family once and for all sticking with our budget. It is what helped our family go from spending over $1,000 a month on food down to $400!
Follow along in our monthly meal planning and grocery shopping to get tips and ideas to help your family do meal planning on a budget.
This meal planning on a budget post contains affiliate links at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting Pennies Into Pearls by using my links!March 2019 Meal Plan
March seems to be that time of year where you start to crave some more springy, yes springy, type meals but it’s still a bit cold outside. Talk about confusion for our taste buds!
Well that is the confusion in my brain but I feel very confident that I will set all our confused minds at ease with this months meal plan on a budget!
Not only does it have an array of lighter dishes, I also left some hearty comfort meals in there to keep us warm!
This grocery haul post contains affiliate links at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting Pennies Into Pearls by using my links!
Welcome to 2019!! Whew, what a whirlwind last year was. We’ve had so much happening with our family, and this Pearl Team keeps growing and growing, which is so exciting! Today, lets talk meal planning and grocery haulin’!
This month, we are going to review how month two of this fun little experiment is going. If you’re interested in snagging a copy of Seriously Good Freezer Meals (the cookbook I used for my freezer meals), click this link!
Don’t know where to start? Pearl! I got you! Make sure you read this article on how to meal plan for beginners. In there you will find all the tips you need to make sure that you plan to the best of your ability and stay on budget!
If you are new here, hi! You are probably interested to know what we set for our monthly grocery budget. This is how it’s broken down.
When I first started kicking bootie at the grocery budget game we only spend $300 in our monthly grocery haul. That covers all groceries that can last in the fridge, freezer, or pantry for 30 days or longer. We also budgeted $25 each week for fresh produce and milk. All that takes is a quick 15 minute trip once a week! Lastly, we budgeted $160 for all other household needs that are not food.
Things over the past few months things have changed a bit and we are experimenting with bumping up our budgets and honestly, I think we will lower them back down soon. When you are figuring out your grocery budget, it’s all about trial and error.
The key to sticking to monthly meal plan on a budget is to use cash! Remember that stuff? Seriously, cash is T-H-E single tool we use that has helped our family cut our food budget from $1,000 to only $400 a month!
It is statistically proven that when you use cash you spend less money. It is such a powerful visual reminder that the dollar number you are spending is coming from your pocket and not an imaginary never ending bank account.
Using a cash envelope system is exactly what keeps our family on track with our budget every single day! When using this system every dollar you pull out of your wallet is coming directly from a categorized budget. You visually see money leaving your pocket and that gets you thinking twice about your purchase.
“If I buy this now, I won’t have enough to buy _______ later.” You have to weigh your wants with your priorities.
My Favorite App for Grocery Shopping on a Budget
No mom has the time to spend continuously scanning apps over the holidays looking for the best rebate offers and sales. Which is why I have minimized my rebate strategy to help maximize my savings in the smallest amount of time.
Then once I get all my groceries home, I will quickly open the app and search the two stores that I just went shopping at to see if there are any rebates that apply to my groceries. There are usually 3-4 that I can claim. This saves me around $5 each time I use the app.
If that doesn’t sound like much, trust me! The three minutes that it takes me to save $5 is 100% worth it! These small savings add up quick and once you hit $20 you can cash out in PayPal or Venmo, or choose from a bunch of really awesome gift cards! I usually choose Target and treat myself to a well deserved “mom’s only” snack!
If you are new to Ibotta, sign upusing this link and you will automatically get $10 after you claim your first rebate! So easy!
January 2019 Family Meal Plan on a Budget & Grocery Haul
Made double freezer meals last month so I don’t have to cook at all this month!
You can download this month’s budget friendly meal plan here.
January 2019 Grocery Haul
This month’s grocery haul is very different from normal! Because I made and shopped for all meals last month, I don’t have any meal prep groceries to buy this month (other than fresh).
You won’t believe how much money we saved by prepping our freezer meals this way! You have to watch the video to find out! What should we do with the savings? I’m thinking about using it towards stocking up on meats next time I see a good sale!
So really all that is left for this month’s grocery haul is to replenish any needed kitchen staples, snack foods, breakfast, and lunch supplies. That’s about it. Take a look at the video to see what we bought this month plus the number breakdown!
I’d love to hear any questions you have! Leave them down in the comments below!
This post about our family budget meal plan contains affiliate links at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting Pennies Into Pearls by using my links!
November is the start of the holiday season! It’s the time when things can get out of control with your meal plan and food budget if you’re not careful. Family gatherings, treats at the kids school, or parties with friends, it can all add up!
This month, I am committed to sharing with you how my family deals with all of these “unforeseen” events and plans for them as much as possible.
This Healthy Grocery Haul post is written by me in partnership and sponsored by Ibotta. All opinions are my own.
Call me crazy but I will never be able to go back from doing a monthly grocery haul. Yup, I buy an entire month’s worth of groceries on a budget all at the beginning of the month!
I feel like I have got it down to a science! Between my meal planning and monthly grocery shopping, we were able to cut our grocery spending from over $1,000 a month to under $400!
You can read more and learn how you can do the same thing in this article all about our grocery budget.
Use this month’s grocery haul as inspiration to cut your grocery bill. What would you do with an extra $600 this month?
My Favorite App to Save Money on Our Monthly Grocery Haul
There are a lot of extra expenses that we are trying to overcome in this month’s grocery haul! With back to school meals and healthy eating being the main hurdles!
The easiest and fastest way I have found to save money on my shopping is to use my favorite cash back app Ibotta.
If I was giving out trophies for helping make my life easier, Ibotta would get it! They make earning cash rewards so simple!
After I make my monthly meal plan and grocery list, I pull up the app and search the stores where I plan to shop, then look to see if any items from my list have a cash reward available. I also look to see if there are any offers that I could use as a substitute for something currently on my grocery list.
They make it so simple to redeem your cash back offers! Once you make your purchase you can submit your receipt. After it has been confirmed, your cash reward is credited to your account! Bam!
Ibotta is going to make eating healthy so much more affordable this month for our family! I have already found five rebates for fresh and healthy groceries I can claim!
I can’t express how much I love building up cash rewards from doing something that is already a part of my day!
What’s New This Month?
School is back in session for the kids, two of the kids started soccer season, and to top it of hubby and I decided to take on a new diet.
What that means is that our meals this month need to be especially easy and fast but also super healthy!
As for our “diet”, we have started a Whole30. You can read more about that here and if you want to buy the book make sure to shop online using Ibotta for cash back on your purchase!
Pretty much we eat only meat, eggs, a lot of fresh vegetables, and some fresh fruit. That’s it. This is going to take on a whole new grocery shopping strategy!
I need to find a way to make all the extra fresh produce and meat work into our $400 monthly grocery budget…
You’re gonna have to watch the video to find out how I ended up handling this situation!
September 2018 Healthy Grocery Haul
In this month’s grocery haul video I share a ton of tips to help you stack the savings on your grocery shopping.
Remember that all Ibotta offers were valid as of the recording of this video. Don’t forget to check your app for details as offers change frequently and may not be available in all areas.
*All offers discussed in this video were valid at time of recording. Don’t forget to check your app for details as offers change frequently and may not be available in all areas.
Thanks so much for stopping in and I will talk to you very soon!
This post contains affiliate links at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting Pennies Into Pearls by using my links! Now, onto our topic of summer meal planning for beginners.
When life gets crazy my biggest tip for meal planning for beginners is to make freezer meals! The easiest way to tackle this task is to meal plan meals that can easily be duplicated in one night. Then it’s as simple as eat one that night and freeze the other for a busy night!
Summer is not the time to let your meal planning on a budget slip! All over social media I have seen mom’s biting their nails in horror thinking about feeding their family and sticking to a budget this summer!
This post contains affiliate links at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for supporting Pennies Into Pearls by using my links!
This post contains affiliate links. Thank you so much for supporting Pennies Into Pearls by using my links.
It feels SO good! Maybe you noticed? There wasn’t a free meal plan or grocery haul up in January. That is because WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!
I really prepared for this move (we were in escrow for three months so we had the time…) by budgeting to eat out occasionally and a freezer full of freezer dinners ready to be thrown in the oven!
One of my biggest grocery shopping tips is to start weekly with meal planning and work your way up to monthly meal planning. A part of monthly meal planning is that I only do one giant grocery haul every month!
