Weekly Meal Planning: Lowest Cost Meals

Weekly Meal Planning, how do you do it when you are down to your last few dollars? It may seem impossible but in order to make the lowest cost meals you really do need to utilize weekly meal planning tactics. If you have next to nothing left in your cabinet, your freezer, and your wallet, meal planning for the week until you are paid again is essential. If your store is close enough so you do not spend a lot of gas to get there, you may consider checking the cost of items before you complete your weekly meal planning task. Consider these tips for preparing to do your weekly meal planning.

Lowest Cost Meals Weekly Meal planning Tip #1
Make a list of everything you have to work with and the quantities you have. This includes things like flour, sugar, eggs, and whatever you have for condiments. If you have dairy products list them. If you can estimate how much you have of each you should add that to the list. List any leftovers you have in the refrigerator.

Lowest Cost Meals Weekly Meal Planning Tip #2
Beginning with the leftovers you have, determined if you can reinvent them to at least one additional meal or possibly two. If your leftovers are meat items, consider turning them into a casserole or a bean based stew. Begin your weekly meal planning by choosing at least one meal to make from the leftovers. Use as much as you need to make the meal, but if you have excess add those items to a container in the freezer to make soup on a future day. Stretch your meat leftovers as far as you can, by adding minimal meat to casseroles or soups in order to make the lowest cost meal from what you have remaining.

Lowest Cost Meals Weekly Meal Planning Tip #3
Determine how many meals you can make from the leftover and other items you have on hand. Determine how many additional meals you need and how much cash you should have left after buying the things needed to stretch your own hand supplies. Supplement the on hand items by buying a box of Bisquick or a bag of self rising flour to make pancakes, bread, biscuits, dumplings etc. If you have limited money and cannot buy eggs or milk, buy the Bisquick or store brand equivalent because you it can be mixed by just adding water. If you have Baking powder on hand you may buy all purpose flour instead of self rising. In addition to this, buy as large of a bag of rice as you can, as large of a box of instant potatoes, and a few packs of dried beans. In lieu of dried beans you may consider the cheapest pasta item on the shelf or ramen packs.

Buying ahead and trying to meal plan may help you avoid future points where you are down to your last few dollars and need to buy groceries. In these tough economic times, preparing lowest cost meals becomes very important. Additional low cost meal plans are found in links on this page.