Budget Friendly Meal Plans + Shopping List & Recipes

"We have been using these for about a week and a half now (only used the recipes from week one so far because we often have 'pantry nights' to use up frozen meals or just eat a pb&j 😂) but I am LOVING the recipes for week 1 so much. I love how a lot of the ingredients are seen in several meals. We spent about $40 and that was enough for 2 people to have dinner and lunch 6 times-plus some more frozen soups! You really can't beat the convenience, value, and savings."

"I purchased two of your meal plans this week - One Pot and Omnivore. In my opinion, the thing that sets you apart THE MOST from other recipe bloggers is not just the inexpensive aspect, but how you teach us we can recreate food from around the world. For example, until you showed me, I did not know that I could make a Bulgogi bowl, or Okonomiyaki, or Mujaddara... until you I was spending all this money on takeout because while I know how to make pasta or chili, I didn't know how to make Korean food for example."

"About to finish Omnivore Week Two, and just bought groceries for Week Three. I have to say that these meal plans have simplified my life tremendously and I’ve really been enjoying the meals! Just saying...if Beth comes out with even more 4-week plans like these, I’ll be so excited!"

"As someone who just started this meal planning journey, I just wanna say how helpful this already is! My husband and I are both full-time broke college students with part-time jobs and almost no free time. I did all my shopping for week one of the vegetarian plan PLUS all the little extra things (dish soap, milk, etc.) and spent less than I usually do on groceries! And having all the ingredients on hand for these recipes is such a relief! I've only made the Smoky Potato Chickpea Stew so far, but it blew our minds. I'm eating leftovers for breakfast right now while I do homework. 😜 Can't wait to continue cooking!"

"I finally have a full month's data for comparison from mint.com of what I spent on food/restaurants/fast food in October 2019 (after discovering the budgetbytes website sometime in September, I think). The results were pretty amazing! I average about 350 to 400 dollars a month on groceries here in a small town in Canada for myself (feeding the occasional guest or dinner party). That's remained pretty constant between last June and now (though I now consistently "donate" a serving or two of what I've made to my overworked sister) BUT I've gone from spending somewhere between 200-300 ADDITIONAL dollars on fast food and restaurants (take-out) ... mostly when I didn't manage to make and bring my own lunch for work or was too exhausted to "decide" what to make and go to the grocery store... to basically NOTHING (2.50 for coffee with a friend) in October!! I've SAVED 200-300 dollars in a month without really noticing it or feeling like life was lacking. And that's NOT INCLUDING the fact that I had to buy all kinds of cooking staples (soya sauce, sesame oil, spices, vinegars, etc) and meal prep containers to stock my pantry in October! INCREDIBLE!!! I feel like a boss - I'm spending less and eating more/better, and I think I've even started losing weight to boot!"

"Finished week 1 of the one-pot plan, and every meal was a hit with the family! Took a break tonight from the plan, whipped up some Beef and Cabbage Stir-Fry, a longtime favorite in our house. I've been cooking Budget Bytes recipes for years, and refer my friends to the site! These meal plans are great, because I'm trying recipes I would not select myself. AND I get a break from planning - it's done for me! Thanks Beth and crew for all you do to help me keep my busy, hungry family fed!"

"My wife said she loves that the shopping list has which day of the week things are for because it's easy to just get the items for a few days for the week and not the full week's recipes."

"I was amazed when I bought my first week's worth of stuff, plus some usual things like milk, cereal, dog food, ice cream, etc.... and it was under $100. 😍"