Free Printables for Meal Planning on a Budget

Meal planning is one of the biggest reasons we are able to stick to our monthly food budget. Without a plan and a list, I tend to buy what sounds good at the store, forget ingredients, buy extra junk food, etc—all of which results in a much higher grocery bill or extra trips to the grocery store to pick up forgotten ingredients!

Weekly Meal Planning

I start each week by looking at my favorite blogs and cookbooks for recipe inspiration. After I decide on the recipes I will be using, I write them down on the day of the week that we will have them. As I write down the recipes, I list ingredients that we need from the store. I love this method because I’m able to plan out dinners and grocery shopping in one go!

Click here for your free meal planning printables! (Scroll down for more free meal planning printables!)

Meal Planning on a Budget

Some weeks we have lots of food that needs used up or maybe it is a week that we don’t have a lot of extra money for whatever reason. On those weeks I use this method of meal planning instead!

I start by listing all of the food that we already have that could be used for dinners. I especially try and keep in mind any perishable food that I don’t want to go bad. Next, I use that list to come up with meals that I could make. The last step is listing any missing ingredients, which will then become your (hopefully) very short grocery list!

Free printables: Horizontal format or vertical format

I hope these are helpful and help you meal plan this week! Tag me if you share them on Instagram, I would love to see how you use them! @letsliveandlearn