How to feed a family of 4 for $100 a week - or less (2024)

Yes, it’s possible. Learn how to feed a family of 4 for $100 a week – or less.

Grocery prices are skyrocketing. Suddenly, your usual grocery haul is costing 20% to 30% more than it did just a few months ago.

Less food for more money. What is your plan?

I recently partnered with Fox9 News in Minneapolis/St. Paul to come up with a one-week meal plan that details how you can feed a family of 4 for $100 a week.

In fact, you can feed a family of 4 for less than $100 a week.

This $69.79 Meal Plan Leaves Some Wiggle Room In Your Budget

I paid $69.79 for all of this food – enough to feed a family of 4 for a week:

Because I came in under budget (the goal was $100), there is some wiggle room for you to buy snacks, beverages, and additional foods.

2023 Update: Check out the latest $100 7-day meal plan. You can mix and match these recipes and those recipes to fit your family’s tastes.

Feeding 4 For $100 A Week: How To Do It

Where you shop matters.

I did 95% of my shopping at ALDI. The only grocery items I didn’t buy there were lentils and ready-cooked bacon off the grocery store salad bar. Walmart is also a great place to buy cheap groceries.

• This meal plan is comprised almost entirely of affordable, easy-to-find pantry staples
• This meal plan makes great use of leftovers
• Snacks: Carrots are peeled and chopped and celery is chopped – these are intended for snacks as well as ingredients in many of the recipes below. Additional bananas and apples were purchased for snacks.

Pantry Staples

These recipes assume that you have pantry staples stocked in your kitchen, such as cooking oil, butter, basic spices (garlic powder, taco seasoning), basic sauces (soy sauce, mayo), salt, and pepper.

If you have to purchase these items, the total cost will be higher than $69.79.

Optional Items: Save $$$

The shopping list below covers the basics. But there may be additional ingredients listed in the recipes I’ve linked to below.

For example, the bacon fried rice calls for fresh ginger and chopped green onion. These are both optional ingredients. If you happen to have them, add them to the recipe. If not, you can skip them and save the money – the recipes will still taste great!

Day 1

• Breakfast: Perfect scrambled eggs (2 eggs per person, use half and half instead of heavy whipping cream), ham, and avocado slices
• Lunch: Sandwiches and deli meat + veggie sticks
• Dinner: Homemade chili (use 2 cans of chili beans, avoid buying extra chili toppings – save leftovers for tomorrow)

Prep for tomorrow: Save leftover chili, prepare slow cooker apple oatmeal, hard boil 4 eggs

Day 2

• Breakfast: Slow cooker apple oatmeal (refrigerate leftovers)
• Lunch: Hummus with veggie slices and hard boiled egg
• Dinner: Leftover chili over roasted sweet potatoes

Day 3

Prep: Slow cooker salsa chicken cooks in 3 to 4 hours on high, or 5 to 6 hours on low. Plan accordingly.

• Breakfast: Leftover slow cooker apple oatmeal
• Lunch: Sandwiches with deli meat, veggie sticks
• Dinner: Slow cooker salsa chicken, Mexican-style rice, black beans

Day 4

• Breakfast: Denver omelette (2 eggs per person, use half and half instead of heavy whipping cream) with diced ham, onions, and peppers (learn how to make a perfectly fluffy omelette)
• Lunch: Tomato lentil soup
• Dinner: Leftover salsa chicken tacos on flour tortillas, topped with shredded cheddar cheese

Prep for tomorrow: Cook 3 to 4 cups of rice for bacon fried rice.

Day 5

• Breakfast: Egg and veggie breakfast tacos on flour tortillas, topped with shredded cheddar cheese and avocado slices (2 eggs per person, use half and half instead of heavy whipping cream, sauté onions and red bell peppers for filling)
• Lunch: Leftover tomato lentil soup, grilled cheese sandwiches (with shredded cheddar and/or mozzarella cheese)
• Dinner: Bacon fried rice

Day 6 (Weekend)

Opting for a larger brunch instead of breakfast + lunch, to account for sleeping in, weekend activities, etc.

• Brunch: Banana-egg pancakes, pork breakfast sausage, roasted sweet potatoes (prepare two: one for today, one for tomorrow’s brunch)
• Dinner: Tortilla shell pizzas on flour tortillas with shredded mozzarella cheese (Clean out the fridge for toppings: Onion, bell peppers, ham, leftover breakfast sausage, tomato, etc.)

Day 7 (Weekend)

Opting for a larger brunch instead of breakfast + lunch, to account for sleeping in, weekend activities, etc.

• Brunch: Avocado toast, leftover roasted sweet potatoes, leftover breakfast sausage
• Dinner: Creamy vegetable soup (use up any extra onion, celery, carrots, corn, and peas you have from the week) + cheese quesadilla

Shopping List: What You’ll Need For The Entire Week

I bought 95% of the ingredients below at ALDI, and my total grocery bill was $69.79. If you shop elsewhere, your total may be more.

• 1 lb frozen ground beef
• 1 lb frozen pork breakfast sausage
• 2 ham steaks
• 3 lb package chicken thighs
• 3 dozen eggs
• 16 oz package shredded cheddar cheese
• 16 oz package shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 lb deli meat, your choice
• 1/2 cup pre-cooked bacon off the grocery store salad bar (or cook your own and cut into pieces)
• 1/2 gallon milk
• 1 quart half and half
• 1 can tomato paste (6 ounces)
• 2 cans chili beans (16 ounces each)
• 3 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 ounces each)
• 24 ounce jar tomato salsa
• 1 to 2 containers of hummus (2 if you like hummus and veggies as a snack)
• 1 can black beans (14 ounce)
• 1 bag frozen corn (16 ounce)
• 1 bag frozen peas (10 ounce)
• 1 bag long grain rice (you’ll need 2 cups but buy a large bag for savings)
• Chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 cup brown or French lentils
• 2 lb loaf bread (I bought sourdough)
• 20-pack flour tortillas (regular size)
• 25-ounce package steel cut oats
• 3 bell peppers (any combination of red, yellow, orange or green)
• 4 large sweet potatoes or yams (if you can only find small sweet potatoes, buy 8 for the week)
• 5 apples
• 6 bananas
• 3 lb bag yellow onions
• 3 lb bag of carrots
• 4 avocados
• 2 Roma tomatoes

Enjoy – and good luck! Let me know your best money-saving tips to feed a family.

I Have Teenagers/Picky Kids/Special Diet Requirements – Will This Work For Me?

Remember: There is no one-size-fits-all meal plan.

This meal plan won’t work for everyone. But some of it might work for your family – and that’s a good starting point.

My suggestion to you: Identify 3 or 4 cheap recipes that fit your requirements – whether you have super hungry teenagers at home, picky children or have dietary requirements that necessitate eliminating certain foods. Add these recipes to your weekly meal rotation – and specifically, have them replace your higher cost meals.

And don’t forget to check out the latest 7-day meal plan for under $100. You’re not beholden to these recipes: You can mix and match recipes to your liking.

Over time, you will save significant money on your food budget. You don’t have to go all in to save money!