Cheap One Week $50 Aldi Meal Plan for a Family in 2026

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Food is one of the biggest expenses in our budgets. But fortunately, it’s also a variable expense – one that we have total control over! With the continuous rise in food and grocery prices, it’s only natural to want to find ways to cut your grocery bill. This cheap Aldi Meal Plan is my go to when it comes to saving money on groceries.

Hey, I get it. Sometimes, when money hits our bank accounts and after all the bills get paid, it leaves us no choice but to work some magic to feed our families for the entire month with just one week’s worth of funds. Oh how I wish I could wave a wand and wish some food onto my family’s dinner plates!

But because there’s no magic wand and no abracadabras in this house, I’ve had to sit many times when the going gets rough and plan a week of meals around using extremely cheap and affordable ingredients.

Cheap Aldi meals and my thrifty Aldi meal plans have been a lifesaver!

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This particular Aldi meal plan includes healthy meals that are all family faves in my household. And at just $50/week, it feeds my family of four, with little to no strain on my wallet.

In fact, this is my go to meal plan when money is tight and we need to stretch a dollar. And by no means is this a ramen or beans and rice meal plan. This means that you have the option to switch out some of these Aldi meals for even cheaper alternatives when you really are desperate and struggling!

Additionally, don’t forget to take advantage of the weekly ALDI Finds and ALDI Price Drops for huge savings on grocery items and ingredients. Sometimes you can plan your meals around what is on sale for the week.

Trust me, I have this money saving strategy down to a Science. I share some of these bonus tips right after the weekly Aldi Meal Plan below. You’re welcome!

What’s Included in this Cheap 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 Cheap 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.

Shopping List for Cheap Aldi Meal Plan

Ground Beef Roll, 3 lbs – $14.39

Sloppy Joe Sauce, 15 oz – $0.95

4 packs Hamburger buns, 8 count – $1.65 x 4 = $6.60

1 Iceberg Lettuce – $2.09

4 boxes Penne Rigate Pasta (or pasta of your choice), 16 oz – $0.85 x 5 = $3.40

Pasta Sauce, 24 oz – $1.85

Bell Peppers, 3 count – $2.05

Cheddar Cheese Block, 8 oz – $1.89

Evaporated Milk, 12 fl oz – $1.05

3 packs Hot dog buns, 8 count – $1.65 x 3 = $4.95

3 packs Classic Hot Dogs, 12 oz, 8 count – $1.09 x 3 = $3.27

2 packs Corn Tortillas, 12 count – $0.75 x 2 = $1.50

Canned Mushrooms – $1.09

Long Grain White Rice, 3 lbs – $2.35

Frozen Mixed Vegetables, 12 oz – $1.09

Eggs, 1 doz – $2.19

TOTAL = $50.17

One Week of Aldi Meals on a Budget

Cheap Aldi Breakfasts

Day 1: Eggs & Toast

Use 4 eggs and hamburger buns for the toast

Day 2: Burgers

Leftovers from Day 1 Dinner

Day 3: Eggs & Toast

Use 4 eggs and hamburger buns

Day 4: Hot Dogs

Day 5: Hot Dogs

Day 6: Tacos

Day 7: Tacos

Cheap Aldi Dinners

Day 1: Burgers

Use 1 lb of the ground beef, 1 egg (for patty mixture), seasonings from your pantry, half of the lettuce, hamburger buns and small pieces of thinly sliced cheese from the block of cheddar cheese. Sometimes I use sliced tomatoes from my kitchen garden. I usually make very thin patties and end up with around 16 patties.

Day 2: Pasta Marinara

Use 1/2 lb ground beef, 2 boxes of pasta and pasta sauce.

Day 3: Hot Dogs

Make all hot dogs and store in the refrigerator. Leftovers will be used for breakfast on Day 4 and Day 5 and for lunch on Day 4. Remember that this is a Budget meal plan so not all meals can be gourmet. This Aldi shopping list includes ingredients to make 24 hot dogs so you will have more than enough for leftovers throughout the week!

Day 4: Sloppy Joes

Use 1/2 lb ground beef, the can of Sloppy Joe sauce, 1 bell pepper and remainder of hamburger buns. The shopping list included 32 buns for this Aldi meal plan so there should be more than enough for the burgers, Sloppy Joes and breakfast toast. Any Sloppy Joe leftovers will be eaten for lunch on Day 5.

Day 5: Tacos

Use 1 lb ground beef, canned mushrooms, 2 packs corn tortillas and remaining half of lettuce. This makes 24 tacos because the mushrooms help to stretch the beef.

Day 6: Casserole

Use 2 packs of pasta, 3/4 of grated cheddar cheese block, 1 bell pepper and evaporated milk. This meal is vegetarian but you can feel free to add a protein if you want to splurge a little more!

Day 7: Egg Fried Rice

Use rice, 3 eggs, frozen Mixed veggies and pantry seasonings. Although not included in the meal plan, this will make leftovers for another day!

Cheap Aldi Lunches

Day 1: Leftovers from the previous day

Day 2: Burgers (Leftovers from Day 1 Dinner)

Day 3: Pasta Marinara (Leftovers from Day 2 Dinner)

Day 4: Hot Dogs (Leftovers from Day 3 Dinner)

Day 5: Sloppy Joes (Leftovers from Day 4 Dinner)

Day 6: Tacos (Leftovers from Day 5 Dinner)

Day 7: Casserole (Leftovers from Day 6 Dinner)

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).

Bonus Tips for Cooking Aldi Meals on a Budget

Meal Plan

Meal planning is the first step to ensuring that your cheap Aldi meal plan is a success! Whether you’re using this specific meal plan or a meal plan of your own, meal planning is a must when it comes to saving money on your food bill.

Thankfully, this step has already been done for you if you’ve decided to use this $50 Aldi Meal plan. Just knowing what you’re having every day takes the guesswork out of cooking, eliminates decision fatigue (yes, this is actually a thing!) and sets you up for success!

Check your Pantry

You have your Aldi meal plan and grocery list in hand and now it’s time to go grocery shopping. But before you grab your wallet and hit the checkout button, don’t forget to look in your pantry for any ingredients that you already have!

Sometimes we tend to repurchase items that we already have, leaving old ones to stay hidden on the pantry shelves, unused and eventually expiring. Frugal folks who want to save money always check the pantry!

Imagine being able spend $40 instead of $50 on this week’s meals, all because you already had many of the ingredients. Now you can allocate this $10 towards another financial goal such as paying off debt or adding to your vacation fund. Every little counts.

Order Online for Delivery

Taking advantage of Aldi’s same day grocery delivery is one of the biggest hacks when it comes to saving money on your groceries and sticking to your budget! When you order online, you eliminate the temptation to overspend and better your chances of sticking to your shopping list.

Too often, we walk into the grocery store and wafts of freshly baked bread immediately tickle our nostrils, causing pangs of unexpected hunger and grumbling stomachs. The grocery stores are very aware of these tactics – tactics to encourage you to overspend. You casually browse through the aisles, making grocery shopping a whole experience. But this is serious business.

If you want to save money, go to the Aldi website, add the items that you NEED to cart, checkout and grab your delivery at your front door. Easy Peasy.

Have One Designated Grocery Shopping Trip

If ordering online is not an option, have ONE designated in-store grocery shopping day if you must. Every time you walk through those doors, you subject yourself to the temptations and risk of overspending.

Select one day to do your grocery shopping, run in and run out. Remember to stick to your shopping list and stick to your budget!

Take Advantage of ALDI Finds / ALDI Price Drops

ALDI boasts of offering (Extra) Low Prices on many items through their “ALDI Price Drops” feature. You can always browse their website or app to see which items are heavily discounted. Then you can make meals for the upcoming week based on these available ingredients. FRUGAL MASTER level unlocked!

You can also take advantage of the “Weekly ALDI Finds” and browse their “Weekly Ads” for current specials and seasonal goodies. Best of all, all of these can be accessed with just the click of a button!

Use ALDI Coupons to Save Money

Clipping coupons is a known way to save money on groceries that dates back to Grandma and Great-grandma’s days. And coupons are well worth it if they can save me a few extra bucks each week.

Sometimes I even like planning meals around the available coupons that I have for specific ingredients. Imagine using an ALDI coupon/ALDI Price Drops combo to double and triple your savings on your food bill! Win win!

Just be cautious about using coupons and coupon codes. ALDI is constantly reminding people that they do not have online codes and coupons. All ALDI coupons will be physical, obtained in-store or via mail.

Use Cash Back Apps

Cash back apps pay you for doing your shopping. Over time this money can build up and amount to something pretty significant. If you’re not using cash back apps, you’re leaving money on the table!

I always love using Rakuten to get money back on all my purchases – things I need to buy weekly anyway. Over time, my cash back has added up to over $800! That’s right. And that’s money I would never have if I didn’t make my purchases through Rakuten. Get started with Rakuten to start earning cash back today!

Start a Kitchen Garden

Apart from it being super cute and aesthetic, a kitchen garden can save you tons of money! You can grow so many things in a pot or grow box, you’ll be so shocked! Have a backyard? Even better!

For example, instead of purchasing onions for my sloppy joes, fried rice and tacos, I just pick some green onions right from the comfort of my home as a substitute. Cut the roots and stick ’em back into the soil and boom… you’ll have more green onions growing in no time!

There are seriously so many things you can grow – from herbs like celery and basil to tomatoes and peppers. Experiment and have fun with it. Seeds and setting up are so cheap, you really have nothing to lose.

Meal Prep

The final step to setting yourself up for success with your cheap Aldi meal plan is by meal prepping. Meal prepping makes cooking during the week simpler. Once your groceries arrive, you can start by washing and prepping all meats and vegetables.

This particular Aldi meal plan does not require any major meal prep because the proteins are mostly ground meat. Meal prep for this meal plan would require you to wash and chop your lettuce, bell peppers and grate and slice the block of cheddar cheese. Store prepped items in ziploc bags or air tight containers in the refrigerator to keep fresh and ready for your weekly cooking!

Final Thoughts on Cheap Aldi Meal Plan for the Week

Without a doubt, this ALDI meal plan will pull you through some tough times when money is tight. Yet, it doesn’t majorly compromise on nutrition, with many of the meals incorporating healthy (but budget-friendly) proteins and vegetables.

This meal plan caters for a family of four and includes more than enough ingredients on the Aldi Shopping list to fully feed my family. I hope that it can help you, just as it has helped me time and time again!

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

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