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Cheap Meal Prep Ideas: Save Money, Time & Energy
It isn’t a secret that eating at home, on a regular basis, saves you a lot of money. However, the time and effort that goes into cooking is often quite intimidating. That’s why a frugal meal prep strategy is a must!
I’ve discussed this fact on several occasions: Food is our largest expense that we have control over! We need to have a firm grasp on our food budget in order to have control of our finances.
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Housing, transportation and utilities are the only other expenses that are typically more than food, for the average person. These are all relatively fixed amounts.
Even if you’re paying off an expensive loan or tackling expensive student debt, these monthly payments don’t change. On the other hand, you can literally choose whether you want to spend $100 per month on food or $1,000!
Frugal Meal Prepping is a Must!
If saving money is a priority and smart financial thinking is of value to you, frugal meal planning should be your most fundamental money management strategy!
Since we all lead busy lives, we need to strike the balance between making money and saving money. Time is money after all.
Desperately trying to save money can often be counterproductive if it comes at the expense of your time. Money making time that is!
With a million and one ways to make money online these days, we must have a solid plan to save on our time in the kitchen, in order to allocate it to earning extra income!
It makes no sense trying to save $10 by spending 10 hours in the kitchen! Not when 10 hours can earn you hundreds with a side hustle.
The ideal scenario for growing your bank account is: Eating at home, while spending as little time cooking as possible. And using the time saved to make money.
Save money! Make money! That’s frugal living 101!
Let’s discuss a plan to frugal meal prep for the week, that’d do just that! You’d eat only delicious, satisfying meals and save a ton of money while doing so.
All while saving so much time and energy, that you could enjoy all the extra time to supplement your income. With some time for rest and relaxation as well.
Key Points to Note for Cheap Meal Prep Ideas
There are several important details that you need to understand, with regards to this weekly frugal meal prep. This is what you can expect:
1. You’d receive meal prep ideas for breakfast, lunch and dinner for seven days.
2. The shopping list needed to prepare the meals is included.
3. The prices of all ingredients on the shopping list are included.
i. Prices are based on what’s currently listed at my neighborhood Walmart.
ii. These prices may vary slightly based on your exact location.
iii. Prices shown are exclusive of sales taxes.
4. Basic pantry items are excluded from the shopping list. These include: salt, seasonings, oil, condiments, etc. We’d assume that you have these readily available.
5. Meals are selected strategically, along with meal prep tips to minimize your time in the kitchen.
6. All meals are simple and easy to prepare.
7. Meals are delicious.
8. Portion sizes are generous and satisfying.
9. Bonus money saving and frugal meal planning tips are included.
10. Some basic preparation tips and instructions are added as well.
Frugal Meal Prep for the Week Shopping List
Sliced Italian Bread (14oz Loaf), 1EA – $1.00
Brown Rice (16oz Bag), 1EA – $0.88
Whole Fresh Potatoes (3lb Bag), 1EA – $2.88
Pasta, Penne or Shells or Rotini or Elbows (16oz Box), 1EA – $0.98
Spaghetti (16oz Box), 1EA – $1.43
Frozen Mixed Vegetables (12oz Bag), 1EA – $0.98
Frozen Drumsticks (4lb Bag), 1EA – $4.68
Spaghetti Sauce (24oz Can), 1EA – $1.34
Cheddar Cheese, Shredded (8oz Bag), 1EA – $1.97
Milk (64 oz Jug), 1EA – $1.78
Cereal, Great Value (12 oz Box), 1EA – $1.67
Ground Turkey (1lb Roll), 1EA – $1.98
TOTAL = $21.57
7 Days of Budget Meal Prep Breakfasts
1st Day: Grilled chicken sandwich.
2nd Day: Tater tots and turkey sausage.
3rd Day: Cereal and milk.
4th Day: Grilled cheese sandwich.
5th Day: Tater tots and turkey sausage.
6th Day: Chicken salad sandwich.
7th Day: Cereal and milk.
Weekly Frugal Meal Planning Lunches
1st Day: Grilled chicken sandwich.
2nd Day: Potato salad and baked chicken.
3rd Day: Spaghetti Bolognese with garlic bread.
4th Day: Stir fried rice and oven barbeque chicken.
5th Day: Pasta salad and baked chicken.
6th Day: Seasoned wedges, pan seared chicken and garlic bread
7th Day: Cheesy potato casserole and grilled chicken.
Cheap Meal Prep Ideas for Dinner
1st Day: Cheesy potato casserole and grilled chicken.
2nd Day: Seasoned wedges, pan seared chicken and garlic bread
3rd Day: Potato salad and baked chicken.
4th Day: Spaghetti and turkey Bolognese, with garlic bread.
5th Day: Stir fried rice and oven barbeque chicken.
6th Day: Pasta salad and baked chicken.
7th Day: Spaghetti and turkey Bolognese, with garlic bread.
Frugal Meal Prep for the Week – Basic Instructions
1. Tater Tots
Wash and chop a few potatoes into cubes. Peeling is not necessary. Season with salt, pepper and add additional powdered seasonings to your liking.
Stir fry in a light amount of vegetable oil or olive oil. Or air fry in an air fryer for a healthier alternative.
2. Seasoned Wedges
Follow the same instructions as for the tater tots, just cut the potatoes into wedges instead of cubes.
3. Turkey Sausage
Add some minced turkey, salt, pepper, a dash of sugar and additional seasonings to taste in a small bowl. You can add an egg and some flour as well, in order to stretch the turkey to create more sausage patties.
Mix ingredients well and roll into small balls. Press out balls into patties. Fry in light vegetable oil or air fry.
4. Chicken Salad
Shred up some grilled chicken and place in a bowl. Add a couple teaspoons of mayo, a dash of salt, pepper and stir together.
5. Potato Salad
Wash and chop a few potatoes into cubes. Peeling is not necessary. Boil until you can lightly cut with a spoon. Drain and add potatoes to a bowl.
Add a few teaspoons of mayonnaise, season with salt, pepper and add additional powdered seasonings to your liking.
Prepare some of the frozen vegetables by microwaving or steaming as per the instructions on the packet. Add the vegies to the potatoes and stir all ingredients together.
6. Pasta Salad
Follow the same instructions for the potato salad, just replace the diced potato with pasta instead.
7. Stir Fried Rice
Steam or boil the rice as per the instructions on the pack. Strain out and allow to cool. Add a dash of oil to a pot and heat up. Add in some of the frozen vegies and stir until cooked. Stir in the rice, adding salt, pepper and additional seasonings of your choice.
You can add a few packets of soy sauce (if you have leftover from Chinese takeout) and stir in for an additional burst of flavor.
8. Garlic Bread
Finely chop a couple cloves of garlic into a small bowl. Add a few teaspoons of olive oil, butter or margarine to it. Stir together. Apply mixture to slices of bread and toast to your liking.
9. Cheesy Potato Casserole
Add steamed, diced potatoes (with or without skin) to a casserole dish. Add a splash of milk, cheese, salt, pepper and seasonings. Stir together.
A beaten egg can also be added if you wish to do so. If you have any leftover cooked meat, sausage or minced turkey, this can be incorporated as well.
Bake at 350 °F for 20 minutes.
10. Pasta Casserole (Bonus Extra)
Follow the same instructions for the potato casserole, replacing the steamed diced potatoes with steamed pasta.
12. Turkey Bolognese
Add a couple teaspoons of vegetable oil into a pot or frying pan. Stir fry the minced turkey, while adding in salt, pepper and seasonings of your choice. Add in the pasta sauce and stir together.
Pro Tips for Frugal Meal Prepping
You just can’t beat 21 mouth watering and satisfying meals, all for ~$21. That works out to be just $1 per meal and covers all your weekly dietary requirements. And quite deliciously at that!
You get ridiculously good value all-round with this meal plan. You save time, money and energy! Additionally, with egg prices through the roof these days, it’s nice to have a delicious meal plan that doesn’t rely on that ingredient.
Here are some tips to maximize the value that you get with your meal prep for the week:
1. Shop your pantry first
Don’t waste the ingredients that you already have at your disposal. Plan meals to utilize them before purchasing additional ones.
2. Plan to intentionally have leftovers
Leftovers are a good thing. Meal prep and cook to have meals roll over. Meats can be paired with different sides or made into sandwiches. Boiled pasta or rice can be easily incorporated into other recipes.
This is a big saver of not only money, but time and effort as well.
3. Make use of leftovers / Don’t waste food!
Don’t waste food! That’s just throwing away money. Eat what you have before cooking something else… within a reasonable timeframe. Keep track of the useable life of whatever you cook and refrigerate.
4. Plan the sequence of your meals for the week
Planning the sequence of your meals so that leftovers can be efficiently utilized is a great skill to master. Meats and sides can be rotated to create a new combination every day. Or sides can be repurposed into new recipes.
5. Get creative
Explore new recipes and cooking techniques, especially if it means saving money. You never know when you can uncover a hidden gem that you permanently hold on to.
6. Don’t overthink cooking
Keep cooking simple. Don’t be intimidated by all the fancy cooking gadgets and preparation techniques that you see on social media these days. 9/10 times, it really isn’t necessary.
7. Fancy extra seasonings are overrated!
Salt and pepper are all you need for the most part. If you have some onion or garlic powder…great! You do not need to add oregano, thyme, paprika, cayenne pepper, ground cumin (…and the list goes on) to any basic recipe for the dish to taste delicious.
Stop spending money on a ton of seasonings and spices. It’s just not worth it when you’re trying to save money.
8. Meal prep in your spare time
Make use of your free days or time between work hours to prepare ingredients for several meals. Chop up and package out ingredients. Or you can even cook in bulk and refrigerate.
9. Prep meals to perform double / triple duty
Breakfast sandwiches can be packed and eaten for lunch. Dinners can be eaten for lunch the following day as well. Plan your meals smartly!
10. Omit Expensive & Unnecessary Ingredients
If it’s not needed for the recipe, don’t buy it. Or if it’s too expensive and mandatory for a particular recipe, get another recipe. Or cook something different!
With egg prices being as volatile as ever, we’ve tried to omit the need for eggs from all recipes in this meal prep for the week. This is just one example.
11. Stick to your budget
Your meal plan is based on your budget. Stick to it and you’d save money. Deviate and kiss your money goodbye.
12. Substitute ingredients to save money
Whenever you can substitute, to save money, be sure to do so. Be flexible with your proteins if you want to stretch your budget.
For example, one of our cheap meal prep ideas is Spaghetti and Turkey Bolognese. Not the more common ground beef based recipe. Minced turkey is half the price of minced beef. That’s a no-brainer!
Especially considering that the end products (cooked meals) taste very similar. I’d take the minced turkey over the minced beef any day since it tastes just as good. However, the choice is yours. This is just an example.
13. Find the balance between saving money and saving time
Spending an entire day looking for deals and slaving in the kitchen to save $1 makes no sense! Put a price on your time and energy, especially when you can be using that time to side hustle online. Find the balance!
14. Look for money saving deals, sales, coupons, etc
Make use of cashback sites like Rakuten, to perform your online shopping. Take advantage of their deals, discounts and online coupons as well.
15. Shop online as much as possible
Shopping online helps you to stick to your shopping list. In-person shopping at a brick and mortar store leaves you susceptible to marketing gimmicks and temptations. You are more likely to overspend at a physical store.
16. Minimize grocery trips
The more trips you make, the more likely you are to pick up something extra and overspend. Limit shopping trips to one or two times per week.
17. Keep your food exciting
Mix, match, pair up, try new proteins, try new sides. Keep your food exciting, while sticking to your budget. Cheap food does not need to be dull.
Plus you definitely do not want to frustrate yourself by eating the same thing over and over. Getting frustrated or bored with your food is an easy way to fall off the frugal wagon, and to be lured into the temptations of buying takeout.
18. Cook what you like
You’re the one eating it so you better like it. Be sure to cook recipes that you’d enjoy eating. Trying to save a buck shouldn’t ruin food for you. You can still enjoy your meals while saving money.
Frugal Meal Prep for the Week FAQs
FAQ: What is the least expensive meal prep service?
In recent review by CNET, Blue Apron was ranked as the cheapest meal prep service, with plans starting at $5 per serving. However, if saving time and money on food is your objective, you should strongly consider some of the cheaper pre-prepared meal options out there.
You can completely eliminate cooking, while enjoying sumptuous, fully prepared meals for $1 per meal from your neighborhood Walmart!
FAQ: Is it Okay to Meal Prep for 7 Days?
Meal prepping for 7 days is perfectly fine and actually recommended as an excellent way to save time and money on food. You’d eliminate a lot of wasted time, frustration and inefficiencies during the busy work week. Plus you’d be less likely to purchase takeout and blow your food budget.
Once you have the free time to meal prep for days in advance, this is definitely the way to go.
FAQ: How to eat for $20 dollars a week?
Eating for $20 a week is simpler than you may think. Just skim through our meal prep for the week suggestions and combine a few or all of the recipes that work for you. This should fall right into your budget.
FAQ: What is the cheapest meal to prepare?
The cheapest meal to prepare is the meal made up of ingredients in your pantry. If this is not an issue, an easy grilled cheese sandwich or ramen soup is as easy as it gets.
Related Posts to 7 Days of Cheap Meal Prep Ideas
12 Dirt Cheap Meals that Cost $1 per Person
Final Thoughts on Weekly Frugal Meal Planning
Having a perfect budget meal plan not only ensures that you enjoy your meals while saving money, but it also opens up hours of free time in your schedule. Time that you can devote to earning extra income, with a physical or online side hustle.
You can also take the time to rest, recuperate, exercise and just enjoy life! From whatever angle you look at it, having a meal prep schedule and budget friendly meal plan just makes sense!
Do you have any other cheap meal prep ideas that work for you? Any nuggets of wisdom that you’d like to share with us? We’d love to hear from you in the comments section below.
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