Weekly Meal Plan for a Family of Five on $75
Living on Less: Lyn's Walmart Challenge
I'm pretty frugal but would $75 be sufficient for this many people for an entire week...without having any applicable coupons?
My Shopping List
6 pk Shrimp Ramen Cup O' Noodles - $1.98
6 pk Beef Ramen Cup O' Noodles - $1.98
Celery - $0.94
Tortilla Chips - 1.75
Great Value Hamburger Buns - $1.18
Great Value Fiesta Cheese - $1.98
Hillshire Farm Kielbasa $2.98 (x2)
3 lbs Walmart Ground Beef - $6.78
Walmart Chicken Thighs (10 pk) - $5.00
Great Value Shredded Mozzarella Cheese - $1.86
Hormel Natural Choice Roast Beef Sandwich Slices - $2.50
Lucerne Buttermilk - $1.75
Great Value Frozen Grape Juice - $1.18
Blue Bonnet Butter - $2.18
Great Value Frozen Limeade - $0.77
Hormel Natural Choice Pepperoni - $1.98
Walmart Large Eggs (18 pk) - $2.46
10 lb. Russett Potatoes - $2.77
Kiwi (6) - $1.98
Fresh Carrot Chips (sliced carrots) - $1.58
Great Value Quick Oats - $2.24
Great Value Flour - $1.58
Zatarains's Jambalaya Mix (family size) - $2.24
Great Value Baking Powder - $1.18
Great Value Baking Soda - $0.55
Hunt's Natural Tomato Sauce - $0.42
5 th Sesaons Dried Onions - $0.50
5 th Seasons Garlic Salt - $0.50
Hunt's Natural Ketchup - $1.12
Great Value Sugar - $2.54
Great Value Hot Salsa - $1.68
Great Value Mayo - $1.53
Great Value Black Pepper - $1.96
Fleischmann's Yeast (3 pk) - $1.04
Great Value Frozen Apple Juice - $0.98
Minute Maid Frozen Fruit Punch - $0.92
Great Value Split Peas (dried) - $0.73
Great Value Yogurt - $1.54 (x2)
Great Value White Bread - $0.98
TOTAL: $74.29
Meal Plan
Monday Breakfast:
Oatmeal
Juice
Slice of Homemade Bread
Monday Lunch:
Roast Beef Sandwiches
Kiwi
Monday Dinner:
Hamburgers
Baked Potatoes
Tuesday Breakfast:
Mama's Easy Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes
Kiwi
Tuesday Lunch:
Cup O' Noodles
Celery Sticks
Juice
Tuesday Dinner:
Homemade Pizza
Wednesday Breakfast:
Oatmeal
Juice
Slice of Homemade Bread
Wednesday Lunch:
Roast Beef Sandwiches
Kiwi
Wednesday Dinner:
Jambalaya
Homemade Biscuits
Thursday Breakfast:
2 Slices Homemade Toasted Bread
Yogurt
Thursday Lunch:
Cup O' Noodles
Celery Sticks
Thursday Dinner:
Nachos
Friday Breakfast:
Oatmeal
Slice of Homemade Bread
Juice
Friday Lunch:
Egg Salad Sandwiches
Juice
Friday Dinner:
Chicken
Baked Potatoes
Homemade Bread
Saturday Breakfast:
Homemade Toasted Bread
Yogurt
Saturday Lunch:
Egg Salad Sandwiches
Juice
Saturday Dinner:
Pea Soup
Homemade Biscuits
Sunday Breakfast:
Mama's Easy Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes
Kiwi
Sunday Lunch:
Egg Salad Sandwiches
Juice
Sunday Dinner:
Chicken Soup
Homemade Bread
When I first started this challenge, I was unsure if I could feed five people for a week with only $75. But once I got to the store and started planning meals according to prices, it was easier than I had anticipated. Many items can be used more than once and leftover ingredients can also be used as ingredients for something completely different. Since none of the coupons I had applied to any of the items I needed from Walmart , it could have been a real problem. However, I quickly discovered that with or without coupons, it's definitely possible to come up with various options to fit a tight budget when shopping at Walmart .
A gift card was provided to the contributor, and the contributor was compensated for the rights to the content. -
Published by Y! Lyn - Community Advocate
Lyn Lomasi is the Community Advocate at Yahoo! Contributor Network. Email her with community issues & ideas (contributor-lyn@yahoo-inc.com). Read her tips for success on the official Yahoo! Contributor Netwo... View profile
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26 Comments
Post a CommentGood Job. You are awesome!
Such a helpful article that can be tailored to for any family.
Good work Lyn - I do that every month, 7 people on less than $100/per person each month. Two of whom are on special diets (that is the really hard part, the next challenge should be a no-fat, low sodium, diet plan on less than $25/person per week). The downside is that everyone always complains they are starving and things "disappear" out of the house. However, I have teens in my house, so if it isn't frozen or canned it can be easily broken into when no one is looking. :)
Great variety. Nicely done.
Wonderful! You did great job by writing this!
This should help a lot of people.
What I am most amazed about is so far no one gave up (I am still reading these). You were smart to get salsa to spice things up. Wish I'd thought of that.
I'm really impressed with how you were able to feed your whole family for $75, Lyn! I don't suppose you give out the recipe for your homemade bread, do you? I honed in when I saw that! I love homemade bread and am just itching to try out my new breadmaker.
Sophie
very good, Lyn!
Great job! This should give us all a few great ideas for planning a meal or two that differs from the norm.