Walmart's Feed-a-Family-of-Four $75 Challenge

Feed a family of four for less than $75 a week? Is this truly possible? Walmart challenged us to come up with 21 meals for four of us for a solid week, and we had to keep it down to $75. It took some creativity on my part, and everyone had the same meal choice each day, but here is my successful plan for one week.

My Shopping List

18 Hudson Valley eggs $2.43
40 oz box of Jiffy Mix $2.44
Great Value Syrup $1.82
2 Gallons Great Value 1% milk $4.36
2 loaves Great Value sandwich bread $1.52
40 oz. Great Value peanut butter $2.92
One bunch of bananas (6) $1.34
16 oz. bag of frozen Great Value blueberries $2.87
4 cans of Great Value tuna in water $2.40
2 boxes Our Specialty Original Mac & Cheese $0.68
32 oz bag Great Value Mixed Veggies $1.84
2 rolls 1 lb. Perdue ground turkey $3.44
2 small cans Great Value black beans $1.36
28 oz. can Great Value diced tomatoes $0.93
1 can Great Value kernel corn $0.68
1 envelope Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch mix $1.22
1 box Great Value thin spaghetti $0.96
1 16 oz. bag Bolthouse Farms carrots $0.94
1 box Betty Crocker Complete Meals Chicken Alfredo $2.50
1 4-pack Great Value raspberry yogurt $1.54
1 bag small flour Aztec tortillas $2.24
8 oz. block Cabot Cheddar Cheese $2.98
1 box Betty Crocker Complete Meals Chicken Fettucine Alfredo $2.50
Banquet Pizza Pasta Complete Meal $3
Box of 4 Smart Balance Butter sticks $1.78
16 oz. frozen Great Value broccoli $0.96
16 oz. jar Great Value mayonnaise $1.44
Hillshire Farms variety pack lunch meat $4.98
3 12 oz. bags of Marketside iceberg lettuce $2.82
1 bag Hidden Valley Salad Fixings $2.50
16 oz. Great Value sour cream $1.34
Bag of Celery $0.84
Jar of Great Value salsa $1.98
2 cans Great Value refried beans $1.34
Bag of Gala apples (SALE!) $1.98
32 oz jar Great Value Concord Grape Jelly $1.58
13 oz. bag Santitas tortilla chips $2.00

Total: $74.45

Monday Breakfast

Pancakes with syrup

Monday Lunch

Peanut butter on celery with yogurt and sliced bread

Monday Dinner

Tuna Macaroni & Cheese (Make 2 boxes of mac & cheese according to package directions. Add cans of tuna and frozen mixed veggies for a one pot meal.)

Tuesday Breakfast

Blueberry pancakes

Tuesday Lunch

Leftover mac & cheese for the kids

Salad for Mom & Dad

Tuesday Dinner

Betty Crocker Complete Meal Chicken Fettucine Alfredo w/ frozen broccoli

Wednesday Breakfast

Peanut Butter Toast with Banana

Wednesday Lunch

Cold cuts sandwich with an apple

Wednesday Dinner

Taco Soup with biscuits (Ground turkey, diced tomatoes, can of corn, black beans, Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix, with water to thin in a saucepan. Add tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream, if desired.)

Thursday Breakfast

Scrambled Egg Burrito (Stir in some salsa with the scrambled eggs and add a little shredded cheese.)

Thursday Lunch

PB & J with apples & cheese

Thursday Dinner

Leftover taco soup, strained, over spaghetti

Friday Breakfast

Blueberry Waffles

Friday Lunch

Cold cuts wraps with carrots

Friday Dinner

Banquet Pizza Pasta with mixed veggies

Saturday Breakfast

Peanut butter toast with bananas

Saturday Lunch

Tuna melts with apple

Saturday Dinner

Betty Crocker Complete Meal Fried Rice with Chicken and mixed veggies

Sunday Breakfast

Waffles with scrambled eggs (for the kids, as a sandwich!)

Sunday Lunch

PB & J with carrots & cheese

Sunday Dinner

Bean burritos (Wrap up refried beans with salsa, sour cream, and lettuce.)

Thoughts

It takes a lot of planning to keep the shopping list budget to strictly $75 per week. It is actually quite easy to average $75 per week when planning for two weeks or an entire month, as Walmart offers great deals on bulk foods. Yet, you are able to exercise your creative meal planning skills, while also saving money.

The keys to saving money are for everyone to basically enjoy the same meal, instead of you acting as a short-order cook. One-dish meals, especially of the "Mexican" variety, work well, and please many. Make them in bulk to last over a couple of meals.

Take advantage of those complete meals in a box. You have everything that you need, for less money than purchasing everything separately. Betty Crocker and Banquet offer a tasty variety of meals, to give you a different meal for each night of the week.

Save more money by buying generic brands (at Walmart, this is the Great Value brand). I did this without clipping coupons, and only by choosing one sale item (the apples). If you shop weekly, you will find sales and can stock up accordingly.