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Busy Mom's Tip #2: How to Feed Quality Food to Your Family on a Budget

written by

Bethany Fisher

posted on

August 8, 2025

Liz-Straight2.png

Meal planning actually helps to save money. If you walk into the grocery store without a plan or a list, you are much more likely to buy things you don’t actually need. Or accidentally buy more than you can use in a week.

And meal planning helps to simplify things A LOT. There’s no wondering at the end of the day what you are going to make for dinner. If you already know what you’re making, it’s much easier to plan ahead so you have the time and ingredients on hand.

It also helps to simplify your pantry. Ever open the door to find a can of veggies that’s expired? Or an herb that you haven’t used in two years? If you’re intentionally meal planning around ingredients you’ll actually use in your meals, your pantry is less likely to fill up with odds and ends you have to sort through and figure out how to use up later…or worse throw out because it is old.

So without further ado, here is Liz’s next tip!

Tip #2: Meal Plan Ahead of Time!

“I serve the same meal plan each week, changing it every once in a while when new produce is coming in season or our family schedule is changing, etc.  Exceptions for holidays, birthdays, special meals for guests seem to be enough to keep it interesting!  You could even just pick a cut of meat or type of meat to build each weekday around if you want a little more variety.  Or make a 2, 3, or 4 week plan to repeat. Example:

Monday: chicken, rice, broccoli

Tuesday: tacos

Wednesday: egg casserole with sausage, baked sweet potatoes, spinach

Thursday: beef roast in the slow cooker, sauerkraut, roasted potatoes and carrots

Friday: salmon with zucchini and peppers, rice

Saturday: soup, salad, nice bread

Sunday: grill out, cole slaw or salad

Make enough dinner to have for lunch the next day, with Saturdays as a "combinations" lunch to serve all the leftovers still around. That helps to simplify your meal planning quite a bit so you don’t have to come up with ideas for every meal.

Also get away from strict meal categories.  You can have soup for any meal, or leftover dinner for any meal, or eggs for any meal, pancakes, hearty smoothies, etc.  You can put pretty much anything into an omelette or scrambled eggs :)

Also simplify your ingredients! Great ingredients don’t need much seasoning. Things like garlic, onions, salt, pepper, fresh or dried herbs, or good fats such as butter, tallow, or bacon fat, are all great at seasoning meats and veggies without spending a lot of money on a pantry full of spices you use once or twice a year.

Keep some staples on hand, such as carrots, onions, garlic, celery, potatoes, frozen corn and peas, ginger, lemons, parsley.  They’re very versatile and I use some of them almost every day.  They can also be the main veg or part of a soup any time if I need them to.

It also helps to shop on a schedule. If you have your meal plan, you can make a list of ingredients you’ll need to cover all your meals for the week. Do your grocery shopping once a week at the store or farm. Again, this helps to reduce impulse buying, which your wallet will thank you for.

Shop with a budget.  You can break it down between each source you use, or even break the budget for a certain store into food categories for a while until you get used to spending within the overall budget. For example, have a certain amount you’ll spend on meat, an amount you’ll spend on produce, an amount you’ll spend on pantry essentials, etc. Stick to it every week, and it will help ensure you don’t overspend.

I think I said it before but......don't fear monotony! Your family may get bored from time to time, but mostly if you are using good ingredients and find a few tasty simple recipes no one will complain! We eat eggs and toast pretty much every single weekday (and it is definitely boring).  But we are busy on weekday mornings, and it fills us up and is healthy. So we stick with it! You will also save money by having a shorter list of ingredients that you always shop for and have on hand. There will be less waste because you will use those things often and you will be able to buy them in bulk.”

Give these tips a try and let us know what you think!

More from the blog

Busy Mom's Tip #1: How to Feed Quality Food to Your Family on a Budget

Food is medicine. And as a mom (or dad), you want to be able to give your kids the absolute best you can so they have a healthy foundation to thrive on… But how? How do you feed your kids good quality, local, pasture-raised food when you’re on a budget? How do you find the time to do everything you need to do PLUS prepare healthy foods from scratch? How do you find the time to learn how to cook and prepare foods you’ve never had to before? Liz Straight has some helpful, down-to-earth tips she has implemented into her life as a homeschool mom of eight kids. She knows firsthand the difficulties of finding time and budgeting to be able to feed her family nourishing food without running herself into the ground. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing Liz’s tips with you to help you on this journey of healthy eating. The great thing about these tips is that they apply to everyone - whether you’re a dad, a mom, or a single person working full time. They’re practical. This week, Liz shares her first tip… Tip # 1: Budget around cost effective cuts and foods. Meal plan around your meat. Look for the cuts or products that you can afford and build meal plans and budget around that (more on meal planning in another tip!). When choosing the most budget-friendly cuts, don’t go for convenience as you will end up paying for the labor of processing to make that cut convenient. Whole chickens versus parts is a great example of that. Look for larger cuts of meat, such as roasts or whole chickens. They actually don’t take a lot of time to prepare and are much easier on your wallet.Don’t throw away scraps! Save all your bones for stock.  It is ok to make a mix-and-match "mutt" stock in your crockpot with any kinds of bones.  It is amazing how having stock on hand can make a meal.  You can easily make a "refrigerator soup" with leftover bits of meat and veggies and herbs if you have broth around all the time.  Great if someone gets sick or you didn't have a chance to thaw new meat for dinner.   Make some easy muffins to go with it and that's dinner! Fats are also great to keep - that fat from the bacon you fried this morning is great for cooking eggs, tossing with popcorn, etc. Fats also help to make meals more filling, helping stretch food further.And always check for what’s on sale or buy bulk packs of eggs or meat! An extra freezer is really handy for this so that when something does go on sale or you purchase that bulk pack of meat, you have extra room to stock up. You can check out Whiffletree’s sale and bulk items HERE.And if you have the extra space for a big chest freezer, buying a whole/half/quarter cow or pig is a great way to buy in bulk while getting the maximum savings you can.When it comes to veggies and fruits, buy fruit that is cheaper and longer lasting the majority of the time, such as apples, oranges, carrots, etc. There is less waste and kids enjoy some of the sweet things but are less likely to gobble it all down the minute it comes home. Then more expensive and shorter lasting things like berries, melons, or grapes are super special as a treat to them. And again, don’t go for convenience. Pre-cut veggies are more expensive and often don’t last as long so it’s harder to buy in bulk. (Something like a food processor can help you budget your time more effectively when you use whole veggies - whiz away!)Looking into a raw milk share can help save a little money on proteins - it’s a set price so it makes it easy to budget and the milk FILLS you. It makes a great snack or addition to a meal that’s not quite as filling. Plus raw milk is full of so many health benefits.All this doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in a ribeye or filet steak once in a while, but if money is tight keep those types of cuts to a minimum. Focus on buying other foods that are filling but still nutrient dense and tasty. And that’s the first tip! Next week, we’ll take a look at what meal planning for a family of ten looks like for Liz!Make sure to check out sale and bulk items HERE!

Budget Series: How to Make Healing Bone Broth

If you’re a mama wanting to make sure your kids get the best they can to give them a healthy foundation for living life… Or an individual looking to boost your overall health… Or someone who suffers from health issues and is looking for something to give your body a break and a chance to heal… Then this is the post for you! Pasture-raised chicken (or any meat) that is fed a diet free from chemicals and preservatives, that can forage for added nutrition from bugs and grass, that has continual access to clean living spaces, water, sunlight, and fresh air - all this will produce a bird that is much higher in all the nutrients you want your bone broth to be rich in. It will also have a balanced omega 3-6 ratio, so the fats will actually be healthy and beneficial rather than detrimental. As the last part of our budget series on cooking whole chickens, I’ll walk you through how to make a healing bone broth out of the nutrient-dense bones, joints, and skin you are left with after cooking a whole chicken. It’s an absolute powerhouse of nutrition! The bones contain trace minerals, and the skin and joints are rich in collagen, amino acids, protein, etc.! And the best part is you can make this healing broth with almost no effort from yourself! Just stick it in a crockpot or stock pot on the stove and let the magic begin. How to Make Healing Bone Broth: Ingredients: 1 chicken carcass or 2 chicken backs (if you are making broth from bones you save after cooking a whole chicken, make sure you save EVERYTHING - the skin, joints, cartilage, and bones!) Enough water to cover the bones by about an inch 1 tsp salt (optional) Herbs, veggies, or garlic (optional) Directions: Place your chicken carcass in the crockpot or stock pot, then cover with water so there’s about an inch of water above the bones (some will simmer off as it cooks). Then add in any salt, herbs, veggies, or garlic to add some flavor. If using a crockpot, turn the settings to low. If you are using a stock pot, bring to a simmer and then turn the burner to low. Then let it cook for at least 16 hours. To get all the healing benefits, it takes at least that much time for the bones and cartilage to break down and release their nutrients into the broth. If you can, go longer and cook it for 24 hours. After 16-20 hours, strain into a jar. Don’t skim off the fat that rises to the top - that fat is full of health benefits and will coat your digestive track, soothing it. And there you have it! You have one of the most nutrient dense foods right at your fingertips with very little time invested from you. I love just adding a little salt and drinking the broth as it is, or using it as a base for sauces and soups. As someone who has digestive and joint issues, I can attest to the benefits that bone broth provides. More energy, healthier skin, less joint pain, a soothed tummy, and the list goes on. Next up on the blog, we’ll be doing a series of tips and tricks from Liz Straight on budgeting time and money to feed a family of ten using pasture-raised food. Stay tuned! Cheers! Bethany