7-Day Meal Plan For Less Than $100 (Feeds Family Of 4)

We’ve done it again: A 7-day meal plan for less than $100, enough to feed a family of four. Keep reading for a shopping list and meal plan. Recipes included.

Grocery budgets are tight for a lot of families right now, and it doesn’t take a headline to tell you that. Whether you’re stretching a single income, feeding a house full of kids, or just trying to get ahead of rising costs, having an actual plan – not just a vague intention to “spend less” – makes all the difference.

What to do? It is absolutely necessary to approach your weekly menu with a solid plan in place. This is not the time to go grocery shopping without a list – or to simply wing it.

You need a plan, and I will do my best to help you out.

Keep scrolling for 2 detailed week-long meal plans for about $100.

Can You Feed A Family Of 4 For Less Than $100 A Week?

Yes! This may come as a shock to many, but it is possible to feed 4 people for less than $100 a week.

How is it done? This is basically the method I use:

1. Shopping at cheap grocery stores: I did 95% of my shopping at ALDI, which is a reliably cheap grocery store. Can you shop elsewhere? Of course. Try finding a local salvage grocery store in your area. But keep in mind that my grand total (about $92) is based on ALDI prices. You may pay more if you shop at another grocery store.
2. Buying cheap ingredients: We’re stacking strategies here: You’ll be buying cheap food items at the cheapest grocery store. This meal plan is built on affordable staples like oatmeal, chicken drumsticks, rice, frozen veggies, eggs, etc.
3. Resourcefulness: Many of the food items you’ll be purchasing are used in several of the recipes. For example, the 2 ham steaks are used for breakfast, in pasta salad, and in the fried rice. The bell peppers are used for breakfast, in the fried rice, and as a fresh veggie side to main courses.

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.

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How To Use This Meal Plan

Here’s the deal: There is no one-size-fits-all meal plan.

This particular 7-day meal plan is not perfect. But I encourage you to reference it and modify it to fit your or your family’s unique dietary needs and palate.

Not a fan of these recipes? Browse more than 600 more cheap recipes on Cheap Recipe Blog.

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Take A Flexible, Creative Approach To Save Money On Food

I’ve linked to many of the recipes, below. To keep your meal plan to under $100 for the week, you may need to omit a few of the non-essential ingredients in some of the recipes.

For example, Day 6’s dinner is Mexican ground turkey skillet. You can omit some of the toppings like shredded lettuce and avocado to keep costs down. Or, you can improvise and use toppings you have on hand in your fridge, like pickled jalapenos and tomatoes.

Approach your meal planning with flexibility and creativity, omitting and substituting ingredients when needed to save money.

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What About Special Diets?

A lot of people have inquired about $100 meal plans for special diets, like gluten-free, paleo, keto, low carb, etc.

When you’re following a special diet, it will probably be more difficult to stay under $100 for a week. But it’s worth it to research some cheap recipes that meet your dietary requirements.

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The 7-Day Meal Plan For Less Than $100

Day 1

• Breakfast: Slow-cooker steel cut oatmeal (put in the slow cooker the night before) + frozen blueberries
• Lunch: Sandwiches with salami or ham + fresh veggies (carrot sticks, celery, bell peppers)
• Dinner: Fried egg sandwiches (2 eggs per person)

Day 2

• Breakfast: Egg and potato breakfast tacos (2 each)
• Lunch: Pasta salad (made with Italian dressing, chopped bell peppers, carrots, onions, ham or salami)
• Dinner: Slow cooker chicken drumsticks + steamed broccoli

Prep for tomorrow: Boil eggs for hard boiled eggs for lunch

Day 3

• Breakfast: Leftover slow cooker steel cut oatmeal (from Day 1) + bananas
• Lunch: Hard-boiled eggs (2 each) + crackers + fresh veggies
• Dinner: Pizza-style polenta with cheddar cheese + marinara sauce or pasta sauce

Day 4

• Breakfast: Yogurt + banana slices + frozen blueberries + breakfast tacos (1 each)
• Lunch: Hummus + fresh veggies + crackers + salami slices
• Dinner: Chickpea and tomato curry + rice*

*Prep for tomorrow: make 2x the amount of rice you’ll need, to use in tomorrow’s fried rice.

Day 5

• Breakfast: 2 eggs, any style + 1/2 package cooked breakfast sausage
• Lunch: Sloppy joes (make with ketchup or tomato paste, brown sugar, garlic powder, salt and pepper or follow this recipe) + hamburger buns
• Dinner: Kitchen sink fried rice (Clean out your fridge: Can use onions, bell peppers, carrots, celery, ham chunks, scrambled eggs from your weekly shopping list. Use stir fry sauce to flavor.)

Day 6

• Breakfast/brunch: Loaded hash browns with onions, bell peppers, ham, cheddar cheese, etc.+ 1/2 package breakfast sausage
• Dinner: Mexican ground turkey skillet (with black beans, ground turkey, bell peppers) + flour tortillas

Day 7

• Breakfast: Perfect scrambled eggs (2 each) + remaining ham steaks
• Dinner: Salisbury steak (frozen, from ALDI) + frozen mixed vegetables + garlic bread

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7-Day Family Meal Plan Shopping List: What You’ll Need For The Entire Week

Note: I’m going to assume that you have basic pantry staples on hand, like salt, pepper, basic spices, cooking oil, butter, white sugar, brown sugar, mayo, ketchup, mustard, etc. These pantry staples were not included in the total price noted, below.

If your kitchen is stocked with the previously mentioned staple foods, all you have to purchase for the $100/week menu is:

• Steel cut oats
• Frozen blueberries
• Frozen broccoli
• 2 packages frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, and corn)
• Frozen hash browns
• Sandwich bread
• Hamburger buns
• Frozen garlic bread
• Onions
• Carrots
• Celery
• Bell peppers (pack of three: red, orange, and yellow)
• 4 to 6 bananas
• 3 dozen eggs
• Half-and-half
• 1 package salami or preferred deli meat
• 2 ham steaks
• 1 lb. package of breakfast sausage (buy frozen to save money)
• 1 lb. ground beef (buy frozen to save money)
• 1 lb. ground turkey (buy frozen to save money)
• Chicken drumsticks (2 to 3 per person)
• Frozen Salisbury steak (from ALDI)
• 2 large Russet potatoes
• 16-pack of small street taco-size tortillas (corn or flour)
• 1 lb. box pasta (for pasta salad)
• Italian dressing
• Stir-fry sauce
• 1 jar marinara or pasta sauce
• Crackers (your choice)
• Polenta/corn grits
• 1 lb. bag shredded cheddar cheese
• Yogurt (32-ounce container, your choice of flavor/style)
• Hummus
• 2 cans chickpeas (15.5 ounces each)
• Black beans
• 1 can diced tomatoes (28 ounces)
• Rice (your choice, used for chickpea curry and fried rice)

Total Price

All in all, I paid about $92 for the entire week’s worth of food. This is about $23 more than my previous $100/week meal plan, partly because of inflation and partly because this meal plan is a bit more substantial.

In any case, this still comes in at less than $100 and leaves a bit of wiggle room for snacks, extra meat, or whatever your family fancies.

I hope this $100 week grocery plan gives you some fresh ideas, whether you choose to follow it exactly or pick and choose a few cheap recipes to try.

In any case, remember that there are so many ways to save money on food and still eat deliciously. Even in these times of soaring grocery prices.

You’ve got this!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can you really feed a family of 4 for less than $100 a week?

A: Yes, it’s possible to feed a family of 4 for less than $100 a week by shopping at budget grocery stores like ALDI, buying affordable staples like oatmeal, rice, eggs, and chicken drumsticks, and being resourceful with ingredients. This meal plan uses many ingredients across multiple recipes to minimize waste and maximize value.

Q: What if I don’t have an ALDI near me?

A: You can use this meal plan at any grocery store, but the total cost may be higher since the $92 price tag is based on ALDI prices. Look for salvage grocery stores, discount grocers, or shop sales and use coupons at your local grocery store. Focus on buying the same types of affordable staples regardless of where you shop.

Q: Can I adapt this meal plan for special diets like gluten-free, paleo, or keto?

A: Yes, but it will likely be more difficult to stay under $100 for the week since specialty diet foods tend to cost more. You can adapt many of the recipes – for example, use gluten-free bread and pasta, or substitute cauliflower rice for regular rice on low-carb diets. Browse gluten-free, paleo, and keto recipes on the blog to find affordable options that fit your dietary needs.

Q: Do I need to follow this meal plan exactly?

A: No, this meal plan is meant to be a flexible guide. Mix and match these recipes with recipes from other meal plans on the blog to customize your week. Feel free to omit non-essential ingredients to save money, substitute ingredients you already have on hand, or swap recipes based on your family’s preferences.

Q: What pantry staples do I need before starting this meal plan?

A: The meal plan assumes you already have basic pantry staples like salt, pepper, common spices, cooking oil, butter, white sugar, brown sugar, mayo, ketchup, and mustard. These items are not included in the $100 budget. If your pantry is bare, you’ll need to factor in the cost of these basics.

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Want a Second Week? Here’s Another $100-ish Meal Plan To Rotate In

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 #2

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