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The Bare Bones Grocery Challenge Meal Plan

 The thought of having only $30 to feed a family of four twenty-one meals is a little intimidating, but only until you starting thinking of meal ideas.  Break the meals down into breakfast, lunch and dinner and straight away it's easier.  Take each meal and think of seven meals, one for each day. 

If you get stuck with breakfasts and lunches, repeat a couple. After all very few families actually eat a different breakfast everyday. In fact I'd go so far as to say most families have cold cereal and toast every day of the week and think nothing of it.  Lunches are the same - often repeated day after day. 

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Breakfast Menu

1. Damper, Egg, Fruit 
2. Scrambled Eggs over Damper
3. Fruit Smoothie, Potato Cakes 
4. Cheesy Muffins 
5. Pancakes, Fruit 
6. Potato Pancakes 
7. Creamy Rice Pudding

Lunch/Dinner Menu

1. Savoury Mince over mashed potatoes or toasted damper
2. Vegetable Pasta Bake 
3. Baked Potato and Vegetables 
4. Scalloped Potatoes and Vegetables 
5. Mexican Meatballs and Rice 
6. Vegetable Soup 
7. Potato Pie
8. Fried Rice
9. Rice rissoles

This meal plan is very limited, but this is a grocery list with a purpose! It's an example of a very basic grocery budget and how well you can live on it for a week. Using your imagination you could create some gourmet delights that may become family favourites. Get ideas on mixing and matching ingredients from Substitute Cooking to see how easy creativity in the kitchen on a very limited budget can be.
Related Printables
Meal Plan Archive
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Blank Meal Planner
Bare Bones Grocery Challenge
Feed the Family for $30
Bare Bones Grocery Shopping List

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  • Home
  • Join the Club!
    • Twenty Reasons to Join the Cheapskates Club
    • Gift Memberships
  • About Us
    • Cath's Story
    • Ask Cath
    • Glossary of Cheapskating Terms
  • Forum
    • Current Forum Discussions
    • How to Use the Member Forum
  • Inspiration
    • Getting Started
    • Handmade Christmas Central >
      • Handmade Christmas 2025 is about to start
    • 31 Days of MOO Index
    • Articles
    • Back to Basics >
      • Back to Basics
      • Back to Basics Index
    • Housekeeping Routines
    • Budget Renovations
    • Saving Stories
  • SAVING REVOLUTION
    • 2025 Saving Revolution Index
    • Saving Revolution Resources
  • Recipes
    • Recipe File Index
    • Meal Plans
    • Add a Recipe
    • $300 a Month Food Challenge >
      • $300 a Month Food Challenge
      • The $300 a Month Food Challenge Forum
  • Newsletters
    • Newsletters 2025
  • Saving Money
    • Bill Paying System
    • Cheapskates Tip Store
    • Tip Sheets
    • Top Tip Competition
  • Contact
    • Changing Details
    • Help Files