If you’ve ever wondered how to plan meals for a family of six without spending all day in the kitchen, this post is for you. This is a meal plan we actually use often—built around simple ingredients, flexible meals, and meals that feed everyone without stress.
Unlike my other meal plans, this is pretty much what we ate last week. I have included almost all of the ingredients that I use to make them, and most are pantry staples. It’s been quite some time since I last posted a meal plan, so I hope this one is helpful!
Related: WIC Meal Plan
Breakfasts
Oatmeal– oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon
Eggs– we enjoy them many ways often with a side of veggies or sometimes yogurt (not on the meal plan)
Muffins– usually blueberry muffins, but sometimes we have chocolate or even raspberry
Cereal– cereal and milk isn’t the cheapest, but it’s cheap if you get the bagged cereal or off brand
Pancakes- simple and classic- sometimes I add sprinkles, chocolate chips, blueberries, or bananas
Lunches
Ramen & carrots– very simple, but my kids love ramen
Mac & cheese & peas– my kids love mac & cheese and peas add a great side. Add hot dogs or spam for more protein at a low cost
Quesadillas & green beans– quesadillas with or without chicken are always a hit for my kids
Egg drop soup– simple and tasty, add a veggie side for a more complete meal
Pb & j & apples– usually this is a meal we eat before/during church
Dinners
Fried rice– a quick, easy, and always tasty staple meal
Yellow curry– my kids aren’t a huge fan of curry yet, but its simple and affordable
Mongolian beef– My kids love this, and especially enjoy it when I add sesame seeds to the top- side note, I’m not buying beef anymore because the prices are astronomical, instead I am using ground turkey
Chicken noodle soup– My husband isn’t the biggest fan of this, but it’s filling and affordable
Snacks
Apples– chopped up, served by themselves or with peanut butter
Pretzels– a tasty crunchy snack
Cashews– a tasty healthy snack
Bananas– a tasty snack- delicious with peanut butter
Homemade granola bars– great by themselves
Cheese crackers– cheaper than crackers from the store and healthier
Ingredients
Before you run away screaming when you see the total- remember that this is all the things I use. But I don’t use a whole bottle of hoisin in a week and I don’t use an entire container of oats in one meal. Since I like to provide my family with variety, we won’t repeat all the same meals in one week. We will eat leftovers. If a location is not noted, I get the item from Walmart. If there’s a sale at Fred Meyers or Safeway I may buy an item from there instead, but generally the stores I have listed are where I get the items from.
Oats- $9.99 (Costco)
Cinnamon – $5 (Estimation at Costco)
Brown sugar – $2.52 (32 oz)
Eggs – $10.52 (60 ct)
Sour cream – $5.98 (costco)
Milk – $4.58 (1 gal)
Butter- $8.36 (32 oz)
Oil – $12.48 (1 gal)
Vanilla – $2.88 (8 oz)
Baking powder – $2.48
Flour – $20 (Estimation at Costco- 25 lbs)
Blueberries – $10.17 (48 oz)
Cereal – $3.58 (21.7 oz)
Ramen – $3.97 (12 pack)
Carrots – $5.44 (5 lbs)
Pasta – $1.23 (1 lb)
Cheese – $3.94 (1 lb)
Peas – $3.08
Tortillas – $3.46 (10 ct)
Green Beans – $1.22 (12 oz)
Bullion – $4.88 (12 oz)
Bread – $1.34 (14 oz)
Pb – $7.12 (64 oz)
Jelly – $2.94 (30 oz)
Apples – $6 (Estimation at Costco 3-5 lbs)
Rice – $20 (Estimation at Costco)
Soy sauce – $4.83 (15 oz)
Garlic – $6.78 (32 oz)
Onion – $4.24 (3 lbs)
Peas & carrots – $1.22 (12 oz)
Coconut milk – $27.23 (6 pack from Amazon)
Curry powder – $6 (Estimation at Costco)
Potatoes – $5.98 (yellow 5 lbs)
Chicken – $4.99 (Costco rotisserie chicken)
Ground turkey – $2.48 (1 lb)
Hoisin sauce – $6.12 (20 oz)
Ginger – $5.22 (10 oz)
Celery – $2.74
Pretzels – $2.93 (16 oz)
Cashews – $11.96 (27 oz)
Bananas – $2.16 (2.5 lbs)
Honey – $10.63 (Amazon 32 oz)
Chocolate – $1.86 (3.52 oz)
Protein powder – $43.90 (Amazon 30 oz)
Total: $318.40
Remember a huge portion of these foods will last at least one month if not more. This is not the total for one week of meals, but a lot of pantry staples that we always have to make lots of meals we often enjoy. I won’t need to buy rice, flour, protein powder, cinnamon, and oats for months and many other pantry staples will last weeks if not all month. Once I have some of these staples my future groceries are around $50 a week, which means my monthly budget is around $500 for 6 people- in my opinion that’s pretty good for 2025.
Tips
- Have your kids help make the food
- Plan for a leftovers day
- Have a backup plan incase something doesn’t work out
Related: Family of 4 Meal Plan
