One of the biggest ways I save money is by meal planning. I know you've probably heard it before, but it's true. If we do a good job sticking to a meal plan, we can feed our family of 5 for about $600 per month. Jon is vegan, our youngest is allergic to dairy but is not vegan, and the rest of us are omnivores (though I lean more vegetarian than carnivore). Having different dietary restrictions can be a total pain in the butt and makes meal planning all the more important. Generally speaking, I try to plan our meals around the Aldi weekly specials because I can usually get the biggest bang for my buck that way. I also try to incorporate ingredients I might not use all of for one meal into the other meals for the week (for example, when a recipe calls for a stalk of celery) to minimize waste.
Saturday
Meal: Slow cooker French onion soup (use dairy-free cheese for the youngest)
Groceries Needed: onions, beef broth, baguette, shredded cheese
Sunday
Lunch: Gimme Some Oven's cozy autumn wild rice soup (vegan)
Dinner: It's our oldest daughter's birthday and she requested Costco pizza
Groceries: mushrooms, wild rice, vegetable broth, spinach, sweet potatoes
Monday
Meal: Sweet potato tacos (vegan and dairy-free)
Groceries: salsa, avocado, flour tortillas
Tuesday
Meal: Leftovers
Groceries: None
Wednesday
Meal: Coworker cookout
Groceries: none - company is providing food
Thursday
Meal: Spaghetti (vegan and dairy-free)
Groceries: marinara sauce
Friday
Meal: Chickpea salad sandwiches (vegan and dairy-free)
Groceries: none (covered by other groceries)
Weekly Aldi sale items on our grocery list:
-4-ct. avocados: 3.29
-chopped kale: 2.79
-3-lb. bag of Bartlett pears: 1.99
-2-lb. bag of Honeycrisp apples: 1.69
Weekly Marc's sale items on our grocery list:
-3-lb. bags of many apples (seriously, Jon will buy probably 4 bags): 2 for $4
Weekly Giant Eagle sale items on our grocery list:
-red seedless grapes: 0.99/lb.
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