How To Meal Prep On a Budget & Save Money!

Last Updated July 4, 2024 by Davina Kelly

Are you looking for ways to reduce your food bill and eat healthy? Look no further, in this post, I will tell you how to meal prep on a budget.

As someone who is budget-conscious, I will share my best tips to eat well on a budget and save money.

Food is one of the biggest household expenses so if you can find ways to reduce your spending in this area you will save a lot of money.

You are going to learn how to meal prep on a budget for a week along with some easy budget meal ideas.

After learning these tips you will be a pro at meal prepping and save money on food every month.

This post is all about how to meal prep on a budget.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means we will receive a commission if you purchase through our links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.

How To Meal Prep On a Budget: 10 Best Tips

1. Create a Menu

When you are trying to meal prep on a budget, the first thing you need to do is create a menu. Creating a menu will help you plan the meals you will be eating for the week and stay organised.

It will also help you to eat mindfully and avoid spending money on eating out.

To get started make a list of your go-to meals that you enjoy for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I recommend choosing 2 – 3 options for each meal so that you have some variety.

If you enjoy eating the same foods that is fine, but if you don’t having a variety will make your meals more enjoyable.

Set some time aside one day a week to create your menu. I usually do mine on a Sunday afternoon. You can put your menu together using the free weekly meal planner I have included below.

2. Make a Shopping List

Now that you have created a menu you need to create a shopping list for the ingredients you need to make your meals. You can create your shopping list in the notes app on your phone or you can download the grocery shopping template I have created below.

Grocery shopping can get expensive if you are picking up items that you don’t need. This is why creating a menu is important because it will serve as your guide. Don’t get tempted by the two for one offers or sale items, stick to the plan!

Before you go grocery shopping you need to check what you have at home. Check your fridge, freezer and cupboards and make a note of the ingredients you already have.

I also recommend checking the use-by dates of the foods you already have. If something is going to go off soon you can include it in your menu so it doesn’t go to waste.

Once you have done an inventory check your shopping list should be refined to the ingredients you need.

If you do your grocery shopping online you can just choose a day and make your order using your shopping list. But if you are like me and go to the grocery store I recommend going during the week either first thing in the morning or close to closing time. The grocery store is less crowded at these times so you can take advantage of the shelves being stocked and not having to queue.

3. Buy Food In Bulk

A good tip when meal prepping on a budget is to buy food in bulk. Buying food in bulk will save you money because the cost per unit is cheaper and you are just paying for the food instead of the excess packaging.

Here is a list of some of the foods you should buy in bulk.

Rice
Pasta
Potatoes
Oats
Spices
Oil

It is important to keep the shelf life of these items in mind because you don’t want to waste food. I recommend only buying the foods you eat regularly in bulk.

4. Choose Your Meal Prep Method

When you are meal prepping it is important to choose the method that works best for you.

Some people prefer to cook all of their meals for the week on one day whereas others prefer to meal prep for a few days at a time. I prefer the latter because my food stays fresher and it gives me the flexibility to swap meals around.

Here are some meal prep methods to consider.

Leftovers:

This is when you cook a meal like dinner for example and you store the leftovers in a container in the fridge and reheat it for lunch the next day.

Batch cook ingredients:

Prepare your base ingredients in advance and store them in the fridge and when you are hungry you can put throw them together and make a meal.

For example, you can cook two cups of rice, some minced meat and two chicken breasts at the beginning of the week. These can be used to make four different meals during the week.

You can use some of the rice and minced meat and add salad to make a taco bowl and you can use the chicken breast and rice and add some vegetables to make another meal.

This will save you time and simplify the process. Choose one or two days in the week when you will prep your meals. It is important to be organised and make the time to get it done.

Also, make it fun. You can put on your favourite playlist or listen to a podcast while cooking, this will make the time go by faster.

If none of these options work for you consider trying the $5 meal plan.

For just $5 a month, you can receive delicious weekly meal plans and grocery lists in your inbox. The great thing about the program is the meals only cost $2 – $3 per person! This meal plan service can save you time and money and relieve you of stress at dinner time. This is a great way to meal prep on a budget and simplify the process.

You can try it completely FREE here for 14 days. If you don’t like it you can cancel at any time with no problems.

5. Store Food Well

Whichever meal prep method you choose to use, it is important to store your food well because you don’t want your food to go to waste.

These meal prep containers are a great option. They will keep your food fresh and help you reheat your food evenly.

Most meals can last in the fridge for 3 – 5 days, but I recommend eating any meal prep within three days to preserve its freshness.

If you have cooked any meals in batches like soups or curries you can store some in the fridge and freeze the rest.

Grains like rice can keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days, fresh meat on the other hand is different. Fresh meat should only be stored in the fridge for 2 – 3 days.

A good tip is to wash and season any meat on the same day you buy it. Then keep any meat you will be consuming within the next 2 days in the fridge and freeze the rest. This way when you defrost it, it will be ready to be cooked.

6. Choose Ingredients You Can Reuse

When you are trying to save money and meal prep on a budget a great tip is to buy ingredients that you can use in multiple ways.

Variety is good so you may want to switch up your meals. Instead of having to buy a ton of different ingredients, you can make meals that require the same ingredients. This will save you money.

For example, if you have avocado toast as one of your breakfast options and have bought a loaf of bread. Throughout the week instead of making a meal for lunch that requires wraps, you can find another recipe that uses bread. You can use the bread to make a toasted chicken and avocado sandwich for lunch and you can also use the bread to make french toast as another breakfast option.

Or if you have bought a whole chicken you can use some of the chicken to make a roast dinner and you can use the rest to make a salad for lunch and a sandwich for breakfast.

This is a great way to ensure that you are getting the most out of your ingredients and it will save you money.

7. Consume Less Meat

Meat is often the most expensive item on your shopping list. To save money you can consume less of it.

Consuming less meat is easier now because there are many meat substitute options. But if you are really on a budget I recommend replacing your meat with vegetables or beans.

For example, instead of having a chicken curry, you can substitute the chicken with cauliflower or lentils. Once you have the right spices you will enjoy your food and won’t feel like you are missing out. Here is a cauliflower curry recipe you can try. I make this often and I love it!

8. Shop at Cheaper Grocery Stores

To meal prep on a budget you need to keep your food shopping costs low. A great way to do that is to shop at cheaper grocery stores.

Here in the UK Aldi is the cheapest grocery store followed by Lidl, Asda, and Tesco. Do some research in your area to see which grocery store is the cheapest and try doing your shopping there for a week. If you are happy with the quality of the food you can make it a permanent swap and save money on your grocery shopping.

9. Buy Cheap Foods

Another way to meal prep on a budget is to buy cheap foods. If your shopping list consists of cheap foods this will ensure that your meal prep is budget-friendly.

Buying cheap foods doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice quality. It just means that you are making smart choices about which type of food to buy.

Some cuts of meat are cheaper than others and some foods are cheaper if they are bought frozen instead of fresh and they last longer. This will allow you to save and get the most value for your money.

Here is a list of some cheap foods you can buy.

Chicken legs
Frozen white fish (cod or basa fillets)
Frozen fruits
Frozen vegetables
Peanut butter
Canned tuna
Beans
Eggs
Rice
Pasta
Potatoes
Rice cakes

10. Easy Budget Meal Ideas

Now that you have covered all bases to meal prep on a budget it is time to create your meals. Putting your meals together is the fun part. I will share some meal ideas using some of the cheap foods I have listed.

Breakfast Ideas:

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You can choose two main ingredients and make multiple meals. For these meals, I will use oats and bread as the main ingredients.

Oats with fruits and peanut butter
Avocado toast with a boiled egg
Blueberry and oats smoothie

Lunch Ideas:

Rice with a source of protein is a good option for meal prepping on a budget. As I mentioned in this post you can batch cook some rice and use it with multiple meals throughout the week.

Chicken is a good protein source, chicken legs are the cheapest cut of chicken. But you can also use tuna or eggs if you want to switch it up. If you pair it with some salad or vegetables it will be a balanced filling meal.

Egg fried rice
Chicken rice and vegetables
Chicken and avocado sandwich
Leftovers

Dinner Ideas:

Pasta dishes are great for dinner because they are cheap and quick to make. You can have pasta with a protein source or you can have it alone with a nice sauce. I will share some pasta dinner ideas as well as some rice options.

Tuna and pasta bake
Cauliflower and lentil curry with rice
Pesto pasta

Snack Ideas:

We can’t forget about snacks! Just because you are meal prepping on a budget, doesn’t mean you have to leave out snacks. Fruits are the best option for snacks. They can be eaten alone or paired with something else.

Fruits
Rice cakes with peanut butter
Yoghurt with fruits

I hope these ideas will help you prepare some tasty affordable meals for the week. But if you are looking for another option that will save you time and money, try out this $5 meal plan free for 14 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Meal Prepping Actually Cheaper?

In short, yes it is. Meal prepping will help you save money because you will be eating home-cooked meals. If your meals aren’t planned you can be tempted to eat out or order a takeaway. This is fine in moderation, but if it is done often it will add up.

How Do You Meal Plan and Prep On a Budget?

To meal plan and prep on a budget, you need to be organised and plan your meals using cheap ingredients. I will highlight some of the things you can do, you can read more about them in this post.

Here are some tips on how to meal plan and prep on a budget.

Create a menu
Go grocery shopping
Use cheap foods
Store food correctly
Choose your meal prep method

Final Thoughts

Meal prepping is a great way to be organised, save money and eat balanced meals. Eating on a budget doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice taste and just eat noodles every day.

If you set time aside to plan and make smart choices you can eat well on a budget and enjoy your food.

In this post, I have shared how to meal prep on a budget including easy budget meal ideas. It can take some trial and error in the beginning, but in time you will master the process and it will become a habit.

Have you found these steps helpful? What are some of the things you do to meal prep on a budget?