Buzz
Hi! I'm Sydney, a stay-at-home mom with three kids. I prepare homemade meals every week for my family here in Colorado.
This budget increase might not surprise anyone who shops frequently for groceries. With rising inflation, shrinkflation, and higher costs for food, gas, and pretty much everything else, many of us are feeling the strain of stretched finances.
Every weekend, with my budget in mind, I plan all the meals for the upcoming week. This includes selecting the recipes and doing the actual shopping. Because we have a severe peanut allergy in our house, I cook almost every meal myself and we don’t depend much on takeout.
When I plan for the week, I start by checking my local grocery store's weekly sales. This helps me find the best deals, ensuring I get the most value for my money. This step has become even more essential in my meal planning and budgeting recently.
Meal planning is all about preparation, but that’s also the toughest part. Here are a few strategies I use every week to make it easier:
1) I choose recipes with ingredients that can be reused across different meals (and in different ways). This also includes getting creative with leftovers. While it can be tiring to eat leftovers often, I remind myself that there are always ways to repurpose them into entirely new dishes.
2) I focus on what's on sale. For instance, this week I scored discounts on cheeses, ground beef, chips, and a variety of pantry and produce items.
3) Don’t forget to clip your digital coupons! Digital coupons, available on store websites or apps, can offer significant savings. Some items may not be on sale but can still be discounted through coupons. Alternatively, some sales require you to have the digital coupon in order to get the deal. It's easy to miss this, especially in-store. When you check the fine print, you'll often find that even if something is advertised as 'on sale,' it could be much more expensive without the coupon.
4) I buy the cheapest store brand most of the time. Unless it's something that I'm unable to use due to the peanut allergy, an item I absolutely love (or if a different brand is on sale), store brand it is.
5) I ask my kids to help me. Feeding kids is a challenge. They change their minds constantly, and they seemingly get new taste buds every meal. When I ask them to help pick out recipes (usually with them looking at pictures), I find that they are more excited to eat them. I will also let them pick what they want for their lunch/snack fruit and veggies for the week!
Also, my kids are small! They do not have the same appetites as teenagers or fully grown adults. I'm aware that my grocery budget will need to increase as they get older.
No matter what your budget, dietary needs, or family size, the main takeaway I'd love to offer is simply how a bit of planning and organization can really help set you up for success when it comes to getting food on the table.
I'm not a professional chef; I'm just a parent who cooks for my family. I learn as I go and choose recipes that are realistic for me to manage while still being present with my family.
After planning my meals last Sunday, I spent $118.12 on a week's worth of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks. Normally, I start my meal planning on a Saturday or Sunday, but this week I began on Monday. I did my shopping early in the day and started cooking in the evening.
As you build up your pantry, sticking to your budget becomes easier because you’re using ingredients you’ve already bought. For this post, though, several pantry essentials like flour, oats, and brown sugar were included in the $118 total. The only pantry items I didn’t include were oils and spices.
Here was this week's grocery haul! I get my groceries delivered because it keeps me from impulse purchases, saves me a lot of time, and if anyone has ever brought three young kids to a grocery store, well...you know it's a losing game.
(Produce: Onions, garlic, spinach, green pepper, red pepper, yellow pepper, parsley, lemon, dill, corn, green onions, cilantro, green beans, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, snap peas, celery, apples, blueberries. Dairy: Cottage cheese, heavy whipping cream, parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar, feta, sour cream, milk. Meat: Italian sausage, roast beef, ground beef, chicken thighs. Pantry: Orzo, chicken broth, gravy mix, rolls, mayo, panko breadcrumbs, potato chips, roasted red peppers, enchilada sauce, black beans, apple cider vinegar, honey, rice, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, brown sugar, yeast, oats, jam. Misc: Eggs, frozen tortellini, frozen meatballs.)
Before I get into the thick of things, I want to address that I do grocery delivery, and this cost is NOT included in my food budget. I choose to do delivery (as opposed to free pickup) for two reasons:
1) I do not drive often: I can count on one hand the times I drive in a month, and it is not in the direction of the store.
2) Quality control: At my grocery store, when I choose pickup, employees gather my items with minimal communication. However, when I opt for delivery through Instacart, I find it’s much more convenient. If there’s a substitution or an item is out of stock, the shopper sends me a text right away, complete with pictures and alternative suggestions.
One other thing to note about portioning meals in our home: My husband comes home for lunch every day, but he skips breakfast regularly—something I absolutely disagree with, because breakfast is the best meal of the day!
Here’s how the week unfolded!
As soon as my groceries arrived, I noticed the spinach was already wilting. I knew I had to use it right away, so I decided to make Italian sausage orzo for dinner.
The entire dish is cooked in just one pot, which makes cleanup so much easier!
Since this recipe called for baby spinach and I used regular spinach, I removed the stems, rinsed the leaves, and roughly chopped them into smaller pieces.
In the end, the recipe came together in about 30 minutes. I topped the adults’ plates with crushed red pepper flakes but left them off for the kids.
We had some leftovers from this meal, but not enough to feed all five of us for lunch the following day.
After packing up the leftovers, we made our way to the playground to let the kids burn off some last-minute energy before bedtime. 😴
My son's school pushed the start time an hour earlier this year, so now I have to prepare breakfast and pack his lunch simultaneously as soon as I wake up. Luckily, one of our go-to breakfasts is super simple and quick: oatmeal!
For my son's lunch, I boiled some frozen meatballs in broth and kept them warm in the thermal section of his lunchbox. I also packed celery and apples, as he requested.
After sending my son off to school, I knew I had to get started on prepping some snacks for the week. My kids are big fans of a certain store-bought mini muffin, but the whole idea of buying them doesn’t quite work for me. So, we make our own. 😜 When I saw the recipe for these pancake mini muffins, I knew we had to give it a try!
Let’s just say the start wasn’t exactly seamless. We had an egg mishap and a baby doll demanding a "tubby" from some very enthusiastic helpers.
Once we got back into the groove, everything started falling into place. I whipped up the pancake batter and let the kids take over with the stirring.
The recipe says it should yield 24 mini muffins, but we ended up with about 36! It also mentions they can be stored in the fridge for up to a week, which was great because that’s exactly my plan.
Next, we made our way to gymnastics to finish off the morning!
Another thing I noticed with my grocery haul was that the broccoli was starting to wilt. I knew I had to use it soon, so I decided to make a sheet pan teriyaki veggie stir fry.
The recipe was done in two steps — first cooking the chicken, carrots, and peppers, then adding the rest of the ingredients.
I must have missed adding in a bell pepper in the grocery order, because the recipe calls for two. However, after all was said and done, I don't think it really mattered.
I often get asked what my kids do while I'm cooking. I try my best to have activities (even just coloring or helping me chop veggies) for them to do. They also have a variety of toys for imaginative play. Today, this little basketball hoop provided LOTS of entertainment.
I'm definitely not a perfect parent, so some days, we also need to have a learning lesson from Daniel Tiger about how we don't hit our sister. 😅 Another portion of the time was spent with my daughter yelling out the front window asking if anyone could hear her.
In what felt like an instant, dinner was ready. Since my son isn't a fan of rice, his plate was served without it.
For my daughters, I ended up having to cut everything into smaller portions to make it easier for them to eat.
After dinner, we headed off to dance practice to learn a new routine for an upcoming football game this Friday.
In classic parent style, my husband and I finally managed to get the kids home, and we ended up eating hours later than planned.
On Wednesday morning, we decided to keep things uncomplicated with a bowl of classic oatmeal.
My kids absolutely adore oatmeal with just a hint of brown sugar, and occasionally a splash of milk. It’s as effortless as a cereal bowl, but keeps them satisfied for a little longer!
On an average day, I make it a priority to get the kids outside after breakfast. I’ve found that they have much better days when we ensure they spend plenty of time outdoors.
I’ve noticed that my patience and mental clarity improve when we begin our mornings outdoors. Although, it often concludes with me hauling a variety of toy vehicles back home.
After a last-minute lunch meeting popped up when we got back home, my husband and I reheated the stir fry and I made some meatballs on the stove for the kids. I paired them with carrots, apples, and blueberries!
My son's lunchbox contained the last portion of the Italian sausage orzo.
Having a lunchbox with a thermal compartment is a complete game changer, offering a variety of possibilities for different meal options!
After lunch, we spent time playing with the craft box!
Before heading to the playground, I decided to start making some homemade bread. I was craving warm bread with butter and jam.
I've experimented with a few bread recipes, often changing things up, but today I opted to try this white bread recipe.
I've made recipes without yeast before, but I definitely prefer a recipe that uses it! The first steps of this recipe involve mixing warm water, yeast, and sugar. Then, I used the dough hook on my mixer to blend the remaining ingredients.
As we were leaving the house, I placed the dough in a bowl to proof for 45 minutes. The bread ended up proofing much longer because we stayed at the playground for a while, but it turned out great in the end.
I shaped the dough into a loaf and set it to rise once more!
If you scroll all the way to the bottom of the recipe, you'll see that some people felt the dough was too much for a single large loaf. I had the same experience, but I decided to take a chance and go for it anyway.
By the afternoon, my dreams came true: warm bread, butter, and generous amounts of jam.
Everyone was eagerly anticipating the afternoon snack, and the house smelled absolutely wonderful.
After another meeting and a few more crafts, it was already dinnertime. I gathered all the ingredients to make a cheesy beef enchilada tortellini skillet.
Not pictured is the frozen tortellini I forgot to take out for the photo!
While entering my grocery order for delivery, I discovered a larger bag of tortellini for nearly the same price as smaller, brand name bags. I decided to go with the bigger bag so I could have some leftovers for lunches later in the week.
I measured the ingredients, and while the tortellini boiled for 2–3 minutes, I tossed all the other ingredients into the skillet. In the end, I realized I was supposed to put the cheese on top and let it melt under the broiler. (Instead, I mixed mine right into the sauce, oops!)
Although it was an error, I think mixing the cheese into the sauce worked out better for my family. Whenever my kids see golden brown cheese, they insist it's burnt and refuse to eat it.
I also believe my kids prefer the texture of grated cheese over cheese that's slightly crispy. Next time, I'd experiment a bit more with the seasoning. I was expecting the first bite to burst with flavor, but it turned out to be more bland than I expected.
My kids woke up on Thursday with one simple request: homemade bread and jam for breakfast!
I wanted to make the meal a bit more complete, so I quickly popped a few eggs into my air fryer (275°F for 12–15 minutes). I wish I had more time to let them cool, but since it was a school day, I had to make a parent sacrifice and give up on having fingerprints for the sake of peeling the eggs in time. (Definitely not the method I would recommend.)
My son headed off to school, and we were on our way to music class!
As mentioned before, I strive to start our mornings with fun activities, whether it's a simple walk to the playground, a little hike, or a fun class. If your area has a local rec center, it's worth checking out. They often offer scholarship opportunities to ensure that every family can join in.
After all the moving, grooving, and singing, we were ready to eat. Fortunately, we had a good amount of leftovers from dinner the night before.
Earlier this morning, I packed my son's lunchbox with the same meal we had the night before.
Now, I have to admit something. My family finished that entire loaf of bread in less than 24 hours. So, I made another batch! This time, I divided the dough into two smaller loaves.
By Thursday afternoon, thunderstorms were rolling in, and I was in the mood for some comfort food. One Skillet Chicken with Green Beans and Mushrooms seemed like the perfect choice.
I knew I had to prepare this dish quickly since I was using the leftover chicken thighs from earlier in the week.
It became clear that this week's theme was one-pot meals, and this recipe is no exception!
I started by browning the chicken thighs, removing them from the pot, cooking the vegetables in the same pot, preparing the sauce, and then combining everything back together to finish cooking.
I really appreciated the simplicity of this dish. The green beans had a delightful crunch, which paired perfectly with the tender mushrooms.
Friday morning began in a bit of a rush as I scrambled to get my son ready for school. I quickly whipped up some scrambled eggs and called it good.
As our usual lunchtime neared, the kitchen work was still in progress. I knew I had to keep the meal simple.
Friday night meant two things: the big dance performance and slider night. For the past month or so, I've been experimenting with various slider recipes. This time, I chose Philly Cheesesteak Sliders.
It took me a little time to dice the onion and bell pepper, then I sautéed them. I roughly chopped the roast beef and added it to the pan. A splash of broth and a gravy packet created a nice, thick consistency once everything came together.
I kept it simple with a side of my favorite potato chips. If you were feeling adventurous on a Friday night, you could even add a pickle.
After dinner, the excitement kicked in as we arrived at the college football stadium for my daughter's dance performance.
Still feeling a bit groggy from the night before, I finished the remaining oats with a warm bowl of oatmeal for breakfast.
The busy Saturday began. We had two birthday parties to attend, one of which involved a long drive. Fortunately, lunch was provided, so I didn't have to worry about that part of the day.
We didn’t get home until quite late. Fortunately, I had some leftover sliders from the night before.
On Sunday, I needed to get my creativity flowing. I had run out of oats and didn't have enough eggs to make scrambled eggs for everyone. So, I turned to my pantry staples and made Czech Crepes.
For lunch, I sliced some white bread and made grilled cheese sandwiches.
The remainder of our day included another birthday party and watching dad play a bit of hockey.
Knowing that the afternoon would be busy, I got all the ingredients for the Greek Meatballs and Orzo Skillet ready right after lunch.
Although the recipe suggests using ground turkey or chicken, I decided to use ground beef since it was on sale for half the price!
The orzo in this dish had a wonderfully bright, lemony flavor that truly brought it together, though the Greek meatballs weren't quite my favorite version.
On Monday morning, I made French toast and topped it off with a drizzle of honey.
For a morning activity, my daughters had a "hair salon" session, creating fresh and imaginative hairstyles that I’m sure will become the next viral trend on TikTok.
For school lunch, it was a mix of leftover frozen tortellini, some sweet peas from earlier in the week’s stir-fry, and fresh apples.
And that wrapped up my entire week! I felt satisfied, knowing I had made the most out of everything. There were a few small leftovers (like enchilada sauce), but overall, I minimized waste.
The harsh truth is, with rising costs of, well...everything, I had to raise my grocery budget by $20/week to cover my family's needs. It's my reality for now, and I feel like I've adjusted well to it.
Also, just to clarify, based on some previous feedback, this meal plan isn't intended to fit everyone's situation exactly.
Your household may have bigger appetites, larger families, older children, or a higher cost of living, which could require a larger budget across the board. Just remember the key takeaway: planning, budgeting, and organizing.
Still, I hope this sparks some new ideas for recipes, planning strategies, or how to make the most of your own budget. You can check out more of my articles featuring week-long plans here!
For more, follow me on Instagram at @sydneyinsuburbia. That's where I share detailed breakdowns of how I plan my weeks, shop, and cook — hoping to inspire you to do the same!
One final thought: Never let anyone make you feel guilty for creating a budget! People build budgets for various reasons — whether it’s out of necessity, for saving, to pay off student loans, prepare for retirement, or invest for the future, it’s something to be proud of. You've got this!
