Cheap Meal Ideas (6 Dinners & Dessert for $70) Week #52
It seems at least once a month, I have that crazy week where I have so little time and energy to make dinner. So, this week I am showing you some of my favorite dishes that are always hits, but don’t take forever to make!
We also are doing a full week of dinners plus dessert with a budget of $70. This week our prices came from the Richmond, Indiana Super Walmart and our total was $69.17. We were still under our budget but super close!
Thankfully if you check your pantry, fridge, and freezer you may have some of these items so your total may be much lower than mine.
Cheap Dinners for the Week
You will notice some of these dishes are ones I have made the last few weeks on my daily Facebook Dinner posts! The Yummy Rice is my kids’ favorite and is really the homemade version of Rice A Roni.
Shopping List
If you want to save time, you can check out My Walmart Grocery List for this week’s meal plan! *This is an affiliate link, and I do make a small commission on any purchases, but at no additional cost to you!*
We recently had mustard and Italian Seasoning on previous week’s menus, so that is why they are under assumed this week!
Dinners for Cheap!
Full week of dinners that quick, easy, and don’t cost a ton.
1. BLT Burgers with Potato Salad and Baby Carrots
Check your local stores and you may find ground turkey or ground beef cheaper than I did this week!
2. Italian Chicken Pasta with Green Beans (aka Homemade Knorr Pasta Sides)
The pasta for this dish is basically a homemade version of the Knorr pasta side. I like to add a little chicken bouillon sometimes as well.
If you already have pasta at home, you can easily use a different shape as well! Use what you have in order to save some money.
3. Tex Mex Meatballs with Salad
This is a nice twist and a different way to serve meatballs. Perfect for those that want to eat low carb!
4. BBQ Kielbasa with Yummy Rice (aka Homemade Rice a Roni)
This is a classic easy dish! If you are not a fan of BBQ sauce, you can always switch it up. We have used teriyaki sauce or sweet & sour sauce as well!
5. Beef & Gravy Pasta
We will have 4oz of cream cheese leftover this week, so you can twist this be closer to a stroganoff by adding the cream cheese after step 3. That will add some yummy creaminess to the dish!
6. Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders with Air Fryer Chips & Broccoli
Dessert: Party Banana Bread
My kids really enjoyed this banana bread with sprinkles! Next time I am going to make it with Carrot Cake Mix.
Low-Cost Fruit Options to Add:
I am a huge fan of adding fruit to dinners. This small, yummy part helps kids know they will love at least something on their plate.
So, whenever I have a little wiggle room in my budget, I try to pick up 2-3 fruits to add to meals. Here are some good options that you can this week! (Try mixing fresh fruit and canned fruit together for some added variety)
It’s also been shown that most Americans don’t eat enough fruit and vegetables, so add some to your dinner! (Remember you don’t need a ton of fruit either, just a 1/4 to 1/2 a cup can help fill you up at meal time.)
Free Printable PDF (Grocery List & Recipes)
This is a totally free print at home version of the meal plan. This will print on standard paper (8.5x11inches) unless you adjust it.
What about next week?
We really hope you enjoyed this week’s meal plan! If you want to see new menus every week, we encourage you to join our Facebook page where we post new menus every Saturday morning. Check it out here: Low Dough Family Facebook Page.
You can also join our email newsletter, so you get notified every time there is a new menu!
