Budget Aldi Meal Plan: One Week of Aldi Meal Ideas for $50

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A Budget-Friendly Aldi Meal Planner and Shopping List to Save Money on Groceries – $50 Weekly Budget Meal Plan

With the price of food and groceries at an all-time high (and still rising!), there has probably never been a better time to revamp your menu and meal planning strategies!

A good, budget-friendly shopping list comprises of affordable ingredients, planned specifically to suit your upcoming weekly meal plan of cheap (but nutritious!) meals.

It’s no secret that Aldi will check all of these boxes for your budget shopping needs. In fact, this budget Aldi meal plan includes healthy meals, full of flavor and nutrition, and at just $50 per week, it puts little to no strain on your wallet!

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This $50 a Week Aldi meal plan works well for my family of 4 and is perfect for the weeks where money is tight (*ahem* week 4 aka the week before our paychecks). I can even substitute one or two meals for cheaper options when I don’t quite have even $50 to spend on groceries.

I personally believe that this meal plan was not a stretch in any way as it comfortably feeds all four of us, with leftovers even after having for both dinner and lunch on some days.

I also did not skimp on nutrition as almost all lunches and dinners on this Aldi meal plan are well balanced and wholesome. If you feel that nutrition is lacking for any meal in particular, feel free to add some carrot sticks (as carrot is already on the shopping list) to your plate!

First on this Aldi Meal planner is the grocery shopping list with prices obtained directly from Aldi. Next, you’ll find the weekly meal plan – all 21 meals categorized by breakfast, lunch and dinner.

What’s Included in this Budget Aldi Meal Plan:

· A grocery shopping list with all the main ingredients needed + the costs (remember prices vary from city to city)

· Aldi meal ideas for 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 7 dinners

· Bonus tips to reduce your food bill

What’s NOT Included in this Budget Aldi Meal Plan:

· Basic pantry items such as seasonings, salt, pepper, oil etc. are not included on the shopping list.

· Expensive meal ideas

· Actual recipes – this meal plan is simply to generate meal ideas. The majority of these meals are popular in most family households, and you’ll already have your own way of cooking these anyway.

· 21 Different meals – Many of the meals on this meal plan are repeated to allow for leftovers or buying in bulk to save money.

Budget Aldi Meal Planner and Shopping List

Aldi Shopping List

Hash Brown Patties, 20 count – $4.49

Large Eggs, 2 Doz – $2.19 x 2 = $4.38

Hot Dog Buns, 8 count – $1.29

Classic Hot Dogs, 12 oz – $1.09

Jumbo Flaky Biscuits, 16 oz – $2.05

Breakfast Sausage Links, 12 oz – $1.99

Hamburger Buns, 8 count – $1.29

Ground Beef Roll, 3 lbs – $11.55

Lettuce, 2 count – $0.95 for 2

2 boxes of Rotini Pasta, 16 oz – $1.09 x 2 = $2.18

Marinara Pasta Sauce, 24 oz = $1.75

Flour Tortillas, 20 count – $2.15

Chicken Breast Tenderloins, 2 lbs – $7.98

Hard Taco Shells, 12 count – $1.65

Rice, 3 lbs – $2.95

1 Can Kidney Beans – $0.89

Carrots, 2 lbs – $1.55

Total – $50.18

This shopping list is made based on the assumption that you already have pantry essentials such as salt, pepper, seasonings, cooking oil etc.

You can also save so much money by growing your own vegetable garden at home. This can include various herbs, fruits and veggies such as carrots, tomatoes and potatoes.

Feel free to copy or print this list. And now, with shopping list in hand, let’s see how we’re going to feed our family with these ingredients. Let’s move on to our budget Aldi meal plan and Aldi meal ideas!

Aldi Meal Ideas

Aldi Breakfasts

Day 1: Hash Brown & Eggs

Day 2: Hot Dogs

Day 3: Hash Brown & Eggs

Day 4: Biscuits, Breakfast sausage & Eggs

Day 5: Hash Brown & Eggs

Day 6: Hot Dogs

Day 7: Biscuits, Breakfast Sausage & Eggs

Aldi Lunches

Day 1: Grilled Chicken Wraps

Day 2: Burgers (Leftovers from Dinner on Day 1)

Day 3: Rotini Marinara with Ground Beef (Leftovers from Dinner on Day 2)

Day 4: Grilled Chicken Wraps (Leftovers from Dinner on Day 3)

Day 5: Rice and Beans with Chicken (Leftovers from Dinner on Day 4)

Day 6: Tacos (Leftovers from Dinner on Day 5)

Day 7: Egg Fried Rice (leftovers from Dinner on Day 6)

Aldi Dinner Ideas

Day 1: Burgers
(Using hamburger buns, one-third of ground beef & some lettuce)

Day 2: Rotini Marinara with Ground Beef
(Using 2 boxes of pasta, pasta sauce & one-third of ground beef)

Day 3: Grilled Chicken Wraps
(Using flour tortillas, one-third of chicken breast & some lettuce)

Day 4: Rice and Beans with Chicken
(Using half of rice, can of red beans & one-third of chicken breast)
Chicken with the beans is optional, and so, this meal can be made into a vegetarian option.

Day 5: Tacos
(Using taco shells, one third of ground beef & some lettuce)

Day 6: Egg Fried Rice
(Using half of rice, carrots & one-third of chicken breast)
Shredded chicken breast in the fried rice is optional since egg is already being used.

Day 7: Leftovers
(Any leftovers from the fridge)

HEY!

If you struggle with finding meals that are CHEAP, yummy and kids-approved, then the $5 Meal Plan is a must!

This is for you if:
✔️ You struggle with finding quick, easy, healthy & cheap meals
✔️ You struggle staying on track with your meal budget
✔️ You want to kick your ‘takeout addiction’ to the curb
✔️ You want to save an extra $200 – $300 every month

The $5 Meal Plan makes meal planning simple and effortless. You’ll save time AND money as you’ll get a customized meal plan sent directly to you each week. The best part is that each meal costs around $2 per person (or less)!

So if you just want to check out $5 meal plan (with no strings attached), try it here for free (for 2 weeks).

You’ll notice that many meals are repeated on this Aldi meal plan. There are two reasons why I usually incorporate leftovers or repeats.

One, time is money – and I can save time on cooking by whipping up a bigger portion for dinner and having this for lunch the next day. I can now allocate my extra free time to my side hustle instead, or simply take a much-needed break. (Hey! I’m just a regular ol’ tired mom trying to prioritize what little free time I have!)

Having leftovers for lunch also means that I’m less tempted to get takeout the next day. It makes packing lunches easier and saves money – especially when you’re broke anyway! It just makes a bad situation less frustrating!

Two, I repeat meals to reduce wasting. Buying in bulk or larger quantities usually gets you better deals and more for your money. For example, I’ll get a larger sized hash browns and have that several days for breakfast. Or, I’ll get a larger pack of ground beef and make three different types of ground beef meals.

You’ll also notice that I made the chicken optional for the rice and beans and for the egg fried rice. This means that you can buy less chicken and lower your weekly budget to less than $50 if money is super tight!

Bonus Tips for Creating an Aldi Meal Plan on a Budget

1. Plan Cheap Meals

Many of the meal ideas on this budget Aldi meal plan were cheap but still can’t be considered as “struggle meals”.

Most of them are healthy, balanced and are actually family favorites in my household – meaning we would choose many of these meals even when we’re not completely broke!

However, YOU know YOUR pockets. If you have an extremely tight budget, you can tweak these meals and this shopping list.

Why not choose cheaper meal options by eliminating the protein altogether? Vegetarian marinara can be just as delicious without the ground beef! And egg fried rice is still yummy without the chicken!

When planning your meals, always consider how many ingredients your recipe requires, and the price tag attached to each.

2. Utilize Aldi Online Shopping & Delivery

Have you ever completed your grocery shopping, you’ve gotten everything on your list, but can’t help your wandering eyes throughout the checkout lanes? Yup, that’s me! *sigh*

For those of us who love shopping, our grocery runs can tempt us to go over budget. This is why it’s a good idea to take advantage of Aldi Online Shopping and Aldi delivery!

It makes it easier to stick to your grocery list and it eliminates the temptation of overshopping! You can even shop online and choose the “Grocery Pickup” option to save money.

3. Have One Designated Aldi run

If you must do an in-person grocery run, designate one specific day to do so. Get everything from your list during this one trip!

Every grocery run is a chance to spend more money and having one designated run can save you a ton!

Pssst! Did you know you can save more money by meal planning? Meal Planning saves me thousands of dollars every year! Not sure how to get started? Grab a copy of my free Meal Planning e-guide below.

4. Take Advantage of Aldi Finds / Aldi Special Buys

Taking advantage of Aldi finds or Aldi special buys is a game changer!

Every week, Aldi releases these specialty items with extremely low prices. Many of these are food items that can be easily incorporated into your cheap Aldi meal plan for even bigger savings. You can even plan your meals around Aldi finds and special buys!

Believe it or not, this Aldi meal plan totaled to $50 without any special Aldi Finds. So, imagine having a full week of delicious meals for even less when you utilize these Aldi Special Buys!

Best of all, the Aldi website even has a list of upcoming Aldi Finds for the next week! This means you can be proactive and take advantage of this to meal plan in advance.

Seriously, don’t sleep on Aldi finds!

5. Use Aldi Coupons

Clipping coupons can be tedious and counter-productive. However, it doesn’t hurt to skim through the coupon page or to do a quick search online!

Coupons and discount codes can end up saving you so much money!

6. Use Cashback Apps

Cashback apps are a must when you’re on a tight budget or you’re trying to save money. You need to buy groceries, clothing, household products… the list goes on.

You might as well get money back after purchasing the things you need to anyways!

There are many cashback apps that people swear by but our personal top recommendation (tried and true) is Rakuten!

7. Stick to the Meal Plan

So you have your meal plan and you’ve created your shopping list. You’ve bought your groceries. What’s next? Well, you gotta see your plan through of course!

If your goal is to save money, sticking to your meal plan is a must! This means no takeout (unless it’s planned) and all the willpower!

It helps to meal prep on the weekend – think prepping meats, making marinades & washing veggies. The easier you make your task of cooking, the easier it’ll be to stick to the meal plan!

Final Thoughts on Budget Aldi Meal Plan

As you can see, a budget meal plan is extremely possible with a little extra time and effort. Food and groceries is perhaps one of the only aspects of your expenses that can be flexible – you choose how much you want to spend!

This budget Aldi meal plan delivers on both delicious meals and affordable prices. It’ll be a great addition to your weekly rotation of meal ideas and can surely improve your finances without sacrificing on taste!

Do you have any other Aldi meal ideas that you swear by? Do you have any other Aldi budget shopping tips? Share with us in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!

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Budget Aldi Meal Plan: One Week of Aldi Meal Ideas under $30