Tips like these helped us pay off $127K in debt. You can read our story in Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After.
This post was sponsored by the Indiana’s Family of Farmers. You get to learn about affordable ways to prepare food. I get a few extra bucks in the Royal coffers. The post and opinions are 100% mine. No editing was done by anyone. I’m sure you could find some grammatical errors if you read it again. Read more on my disclosure policy.
One of my favorite posts to write last year was when I explored How Many Meals Can You Get from $50? I am THRILLED to bring back the $50 Challenge again this year. In fact, I loved it SO much that I’m going to put together FOUR different meal plans, one per month in April, May, June, and July. And I need YOU to play along with me. I want to know what creative ideas you come up with for less than $50.
In April, I chose to keep my meal plan limited to ALDI for multiple reasons (#1 because I LOVE ALDI and I shop there every week. Check out my post The Best Ways to Save Money at ALDI & 15 Items to Always Buy There.). No coupons were required. Most items were regularly priced, although a few were on sale. I wanted you to easily be able to recreate the meal plan without spending more than $50. I will disclaim that in the price I’m not including seasonings, oils, dressings or condiments. I’m also not including the price of rice (I buy 25 lb. bags a couple of times of year so the price for the two meals where it’s included is minimal). Also, you will have 8, that’s right EIGHT leftover hamburger patties. So we’ll just call it even, mmkay? Without further ado, my $50 ALDI Meal Plan.
Here’s what I bought:
While a picture is worth a thousand words, you can’t see everything smashed into this photo, so let me break down what I bought and why.
Pork Sirloin Roast $4.38: Coming in at 2.2 pounds, this lovely meat will feature in 2 meals, easily. It’s currently $1.99 per pound at ALDI.
Thick Sliced Applewood Bacon $5.89: We buy this yummy bacon on a weekly basis and get 2.5 meals out of it. In April’s meal plan, it pops up twice.
Ground Turkey $3.29: Again, it’s easy for this protein source to stretch into two meals. I’ll be using it in chili and nachos, paired with black beans to give a little extra filling pop.
Dozen Large Eggs $1.69: You can’t go wrong with eggs and bacon. I’ll also need a couple for fried rice. AND there will be leftovers.
12 Frozen Beef Patties $9.99: I’m so glad spring is here. I LOVE to use our grill and the Princess Eldest is a carnivore. We’ll use 4 of the 12 patties for one meal and there will be 8 leftover for another week.
5 lb. Red Potatoes $1.99: One of the keys of making the most of your grocery budget is seeing where you can use the same ingredient stretch into multiple side dishes over the week. Coarsely chopping up red potatoes and lightly coating them with olive oil, sea salt, and adding a little fresh garlic has been a go-to side dish for me for years.
Fresh Spinach $1.79: Spinach is such a versatile vegetable. You can put it in eggs. You can make a salad. You can whip up a smoothie. We won’t use all of the spinach during the week, but it will make more than one appearance.
Sugar Snap Peas $1.99: These are my vegetable candy. I could eat an entire bag in one sitting, easy. Instead for this meal plan, they’ll be a side dish along with fresh carrots and make a little appearance in fried rice.
Baby Carrots $0.79: These are a weekly staple for the lunch box but an easy pick up to slice and add to salads and use in stir fry.
Avocado $0.89: You can’t have nachos without avocado. Enough said.
Extra Fine Frozen Green Beans $1.69: I find that I can usually get enough for two meals out of one bag of green beans.
Canned Crushed Tomatoes $0.95: This is the easiest base for a quick chili to throw in the crockpot in the morning.
Black Beans $0.59 (2 cans): Both the Chili and Nachos will get a little more protein thanks to this simple staple.
Organic Salsa $1.89: You could certainly buy a more economic salsa. My husband prefers the organic ALDI brand so that’s what I buy. 🙂
Black Grapes $1.99: I’m a big believer in offering a fruit and veggie with every meal. This 2 pound bag of grapes will definitely stretch to at least 2 meals.
Strawberries $1.99: The strawberries usually get devoured in one meal but they were on sale and they sounded good so I decided to add them to the plan.
Unsweetened Applesauce $1.89: A large jar of applesauce is like fish and loaves around these parts. Frozen peas and applesauce were featured at least three times a week when we were paying off debt. It’s a simple food, all of us like it, and it costs less in the big jar than in the individual containers.
Shredded Cheddar Cheese $2.79: Everything is better with cheese, right? Nachos, chili, burgers, and bacon/eggs, OH MY. It’s a topping option for several meals. Cheddar is versatile enough that it goes with almost every dish.
Restaurant Styled Tortilla Chips $1.19: Our family doesn’t use a whole bag for nachos since we pile them high with more nutritionally dense foods like beans, ground turkey, salsa, and avocado. So there will be leftovers from this big bag.
Hamburger Buns $0.89: 2 of us eat gluten free, the other 2 rarely eat gluten. So I threw in the buns for those who might need or want a bread source with 2 of the meals. You can choose to buy a gluten free alternative (the Princess Youngest raves about the $3.99 Live Gluten Free bread from ALDI) or just eat the main dish sans bread.
The Grand Total: $49.14
The Meal Plan
Meal #1
Bacon and Eggs with Cheese
Roasted Red Potatoes
Sliced Strawberries
Bacon and eggs are a hearty staple and go a long way around these parts. Couple them with roasted red potatoes and you’ll have a stick to your ribs breakfast for dinner (what we like to call Brinner). Of course if you had some pancake mix in the cabinet already, the kids probably wouldn’t complain if you added a short stack to the menu.
Meal #2
Grilled Hamburgers with Bun
Carrot Sticks and Sugar Snap Peas
Mashed Red Potatoes
Applesauce
Spring time means one thing for me – grilling season. The ALDI pre-shaped patties take a lot of work out of your meal prep. You can throw them on the grill frozen and cook them right up. We typically skip the buns or use Gluten Free bread (again it’s only $3.99 at ALDI) but the Princess Eldest is a classic girl so I tossed them into the plan for her. The red potatoes were $1.99 for 5 whopping pounds. This means you can get a couple of dishes out of them and while not quite hamburger and french fries, the potatoes will fill you up.
Meal #3
Turkey Black Bean Chili
with Tortilla Chips
Carrot Sticks
Grapes
We LOVE this simple Turkey Black Bean Chili recipe. You can throw it into the crockpot at the beginning of the day and let it simmer all day. Pair it with some shredded cheese and tortilla chips for a classic family favorite. You could make a peanut butter sandwich, too but we decided to go with carrots and grapes as side dishes to round out the meal.
Meal #4
Ground Turkey Nachos
with Salsa, Spinach, Avocado, Black Beans, and Rice
Applesauce
Using half of the ground turkey from the chili, this is the quickest and easiest meal on the plan. Simply spread a layer of chips, top with cheese, black beans, and meat and then melt in the oven for 5-10 minutes. Top with spinach, salsa, and avocado for a yummy dinner. If you like, you could fix a side of rice and you’ll have plenty of extra beans, too. Crack open the jar of applesauce again to add a fruit to the meal.
Meal #5
Crockpot Balsamic Maple Pulled Pork
Green Beans
Rice
Grapes
I love to let pork tenderloin marinade in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, a wee bit of garlic salt, and some brown sugar over night. Poke plenty of holes in the pork to let it absorb the marinade and become tender. Then in the morning, I toss the crock into its pot and let it cook all day long until it falls apart. You won’t even need a sauce to top it with because it is SUPER delicious. Use half of the green beans and half of the 2 lb. bag of grapes as side dishes. Prepare some rice again (you’ll need the leftovers the next day).
Meal #6
Pork Fried Rice
with Carrots, Sugar Snap Peas, and Egg
Applesauce
This dish is fantastic because basically you’re repurposing the leftovers. Leftover rice is the BEST for fried rice. In fact, it becomes a little sticky and is easier to work with. Your little bags of carrots and sugar snap peans will work perfectly. If you had an onion or even mushrooms on hand, you could veggie up the meal a bit more but it’s not a requirement. Applesauce pairs well yet again.
Meal #7
Bacon Sandwiches with Buns
Green Beans
Applesauce or Leftover Grapes
For the final meal of the week, cook the remaining bacon to have a simple bacon sandwich. You could top with the leftover cheese or spinach and use the other four buns. Green beans would make a great side dish and/or if you have potatoes left you could add them to the plan, too. This is a great night to use any remaining fruit up as a side dish, too. This might mean that not everyone has the same dish but everyone gets a fruit source.
The greatest keys to stretching your grocery budget lay in flexibility and willingness to use leftovers from one day into the next. We almost always have plenty of leftover rice and so using it paired with the leftover pork from Day 5 bridges nicely into Day 6. The same holds true with splitting the ground turkey between two meals and using red potatoes on both Days 1 and 2.
You’ll notice that every meal features a meat. We’re a protein happy family and I wanted to be sure fix foods that would fill us up. While we were paying off debt, we went without meat for a stretch of a few months. It was a challenge but gave us the leverage we needed. However, you don’t have to do that if you don’t want to. This plan has plenty of meat each night.
So are you up to the challenge? How many meals can you make with $50? Share your plan with me in the comments!
My book is now available: Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After. You can also check out Inspiration to Pay Off Debt: 30 Days of Encouragement from the Queen of Free on Kindle.
This post contains an affiliate link. That means when you get a great deal or maybe even something for free, you also help our family pay off our mortgage early. And for that, we royally thank you!
Dawn says
Can you share the exact recipe for you crock pot pork? I have only done the bbq version. Thanks!
Queen of Free says
I am the WORST with measurements Lady Dawn. What if I blog it the next time I make it (and pay closer attention)? 😉 I’m such a little of this, little of that sort of cook. Ha.
Dawn says
That would be great, thanks 🙂
Beth Lee says
I, also,am a new follower and would like the recipe for the pulled pork. Plan on having it on the menu for next week. Always ready to try something different, and what better way than on a budget. Your post is such a great help and I look forward to more.
Queen of Free says
Well welcome! So the basic marinade recipe is about 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1-2 T of balsamic vinegar, 1 1/2 t of brown sugar, and 2-3 twists of garlic salt from my grinder that I buy at ALDI and then about 1 1/2 cup of warm water. Mix it all together and add more of the vinegar, sugar or garlic depending on your taste. It will be basically a salad dressing. Poke holes in the pork with a fork. Pour the marinade over the pork and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, drain off most of the liquid (so the pork is sitting in it but not drowning). Then cook on low for the full day or on high for 2-8 hours. The pork should eventually be falling apart and you can shred it with a fork. 🙂 I’m the worst at recipes but this what I do! Ha.
Katina Washington says
I just wanted to share a dish with you that I made. I cannot believe that I was able to feed 100 individuals from a pasta i made with all aldi ingredients. My total bill was under $70. I Thank Aldi for offering great food for great prices! I made a video to help the women in my neighborhood who struggle to make great dishes with limited resources, and wanted to share it with others.
https://youtu.be/r_Jb70Lz310
Ally's Sweet & Savory Eats says
Great post! We love Aldi’s as well. I’ve been thinking of doing a meal planning post soon, so this gives me some great ideas!
Queen of Free says
Thank you so much! Hit me up on Twitter or right here and let me know what you come up with!
Terri Steffes says
This is amazing. I shared with my facebook peeps. I’m a new followererer.
Queen of Free says
Thanks so much! I appreciate you following along. 🙂
Bethany says
I LOVE Aldi! I feed a family of 5 on a very tight budget but I know I can do better. This gives me great ideas. Keep them coming! Thank you!
Queen of Free says
Fabulous! Next month, I’m going to make as many breakfasts as possible on $50 from ALDI. I have a feeling it will be more than 7!
Katina Washington says
I just wanted to share a dish with you that I made. I cannot believe that I was able to feed 100 individuals from a pasta i made with all aldi ingredients. My total bill was under $70. I Thank Aldi for offering great food for great prices! I made a video to help the women in my neighborhood who struggle to make great dishes with limited resources, and wanted to share it with others!
https://youtu.be/r_Jb70Lz310
Karen McDonald says
Fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing this. It looks amazing! Can’t wait to try this!
Josephine says
None of this food is ethical food though…
Cerres says
You’e concerned about ethical when eating on a budget? The majority of people don’t get that luxury. Must be nice.
Ann says
I wonder if she means ethnic not ethical. That darn spell check sometimes messes things up.
Anonymous says
Who made you the food police?
myld says
Cherie, I thought these were great ideas!! I have been looking to cut back on food budget and this definitely helps….Thanks!! 🙂
April Cooper Kendrick says
We don’t eat pork, is there a substitute?
Anonymous says
You’re asking people who eat pork if there’s a substitute for pork. Might I suggest asking Google instead.
Better yet, Google it, experiment with some different things, and then post something that might actually be useful, like “we don’t eat pork, but I was able to substitute ____ for ____ and it turned out ____”.
Personally, if you’re talking about the Crockpot Balsamic Maple Pulled Pork, it sounds like it’d be excellent with chicken breasts. Not the same thing, but still good. I don’t think you’d want to cook it as long though.
Queen of Free says
I would definitely recommend ALDI’s frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts which are around $5.99 (so a little more expensive than the pork but you get more meat, too. The balsamic will definitely be tasty on it, too.
Ranee Scott says
And you could just try a beef roast. I make one with Balsamic Vinegar and its awesome.
Tina says
Great meal plan 🙂 I am a new blogger who just started sharing our dinner menu. I think I will try to shop just at Aldi’s for next weeks dinners and see what my total will be just for our dinners. Thanks for the inspiration!
Queen of Free says
So happy to help! Come back and post a link so I can check yours out, too. 🙂
Cindy Lee Barker says
How many people are you feeding with this? It didn’t seem like it would be enough for my family of six.
Queen of Free says
This is for a family of four Cindy so you would need to up the dollars and purchases a bit to make it work for 2 more people.
Cindy Lee Barker says
Thanks for the quick reply, I will try thins soon 🙂
Kim Fincher says
is their a print out for all this? hoping lol
Queen of Free says
Alas, not for this one. The other ALDI meal plan does. In the next month or so I will go back and make both a shopping list and a shorter plan breakdown just for you! 🙂
tina mitchell says
I just highlighted and copied to word and printed this out it took 4 pages.
Ranee Scott says
I saw your post for the May 14th challenge then I saw this one as well. Were trying this one this week. We checked in at $45.12. I had to make a few substitutions as they were out of some items and I added a few things as well. LOL My subs were turkey bacon 4.38 for the Applewood bacon, turkey burgers 6.79/12 for the beef patties. Mushrooms 1.99 for spinach, Brocolli 1.09 can corn .46×2 for sugar snap peas, blueberries 1.69 for black grapes. Can’t wait to try the next plan next week. LOL
Queen of Free says
Fantastic! I am working on the next one. 🙂 Look for it to drop on the 14th of June.
mom of 6 says
This seems like you spent a lot on not very little, plus you have little red meat in this menu. It is fine for a short one week period but this is not sustainable living. For my family of 8 we go through 2 lbs of meat per meal. You, for example are trying to stretch 1lb of ground turkey over 2 meals. Perhaps your family doesnt need the sustaining calories of other working families. However, that said, I do like your use of black beans and redpottoes as additional protein sources and the added fresh fruits and vegetables as that is where a majority of our food budget lies. We certainly love the summer months when we can grow our own and harvest in the fall with canning to supplement our grocery bills. Also you have no paper products or sanitary products on this list.
Queen of Free says
Hi there! Thanks for stopping by. You’ll see that this is a plan for a family of 4. Obviously, I cannot make one that fits for everyone’s specific tastes and number needs (we don’t eat a lot of red meat even though we are a hard working family). And you are correct, this is not a full weekly grocery plan including everything you would need for an entire household, just what is required for 7 dinners (it didn’t claim to be more). Believe it or not, the only paper goods we purchased while paying off $127K in debt was very cheap toilet paper. We do buy other items now that we have a more flexible budget. I’m sorry that you find it expensive for what I purchased. Good luck with your meal planning efforts for your family!
Ann says
Mom of 6: We are a very hard working family and we eat very little red meat. Do you consider people who are vegetarians or who eat little read meat lazy? The author of this meal plan was very clear that this SAMPLE menu was for four people. She shared an idea of how to make 7 meals with $50 for a family of 4. She assumes that people are able to think for themselves; if you are a family of 6, buy more food and yes, it will cost more. If you are a family of 8, buy more food and again, it will cost more. No one was insisting that you replicate this menu and make it work for your family. Since we do not eat paper products, paper products were not included in the MENU. When you go to a restaurant, do they list paper towels, paper plates or toilet paper on their menu? I appreciate your reminder of gardening and canning. That is a productive comment for people who have the space to grow some of their own food. However, your other comments were a waste of the Queen of Free’s time.
mom of 6 says
I do not believe I used the word lazy, however, you may feel free to interpret it how ever you choose. The answer though, is no I do not. You seem to be highly argumentative. I said I do not believe it was sustainable, but like you said, do what your family does. Even doubled I do not believe this budget is realistic. I am entitled to my opinion. Maybe we live in different parts of the country. And I am grateful I live where I have room to grow my own good. Not much is needed. As for a waste of time, your opinion, of course, and you didn’t need to read or respond. I’m sure you wasted more time in your rant. Have a glorious day.
Cassie Peake says
Hello,
I went to Aldi armed with your list today! My family was really excited about the fried rice so I skimmed off two slices of that wonderful thick bacon and made bacon fried rice. Thank you very much for this meal plan. I did end up spending $63 as the pork was not on sale anymore and I got some other things we needed (butter, bottled waters, dishwasher soap, and WOW that was a great price on cherries haha) I have 4 in my family and I think these meals will sustain us and honestly we’ll eat a little better than we have been. Fresh fruit every day!? What is life!? Anyway, thank you thank you thank you. I know this is a lot of work for you (which is why I never successfully made one for myself) and I just wanted you to know that I’m using it, we’re benefiting from it, and I appreciate it. <3
Queen of Free says
YES! The Cherries. YUM. 🙂 Bacon fried rice sounds amazing. That thick bacon is the best, for sure. Thank you for the kind words. I appreciate them more than you know.
Orla Sewell says
this may have been said before but aldi sells 1 lb frozen logs of ground turkey for 1.89. thats cheaper than the other turkey .
Lori Soard says
Very useful tips in this article. I love saving money at Aldi and have written on this before, too. I really like your plan for using the pork loin two days. I’m going to definitely adopt that into my next shopping trip.
Stephanie says
This is a great share! I have $300 or less allotted for food per month, and sometimes, only $40-50 per week. That’s why I was so excited to see this! I, personally, cut a lot of meat when I have a tough time stretching my dollar, but I may not after reading this @ http://affimity.com/#/sharedPost/1/9769! I love your distribution of meat, veggies, and a fruit for dessert (mommy and toddler approved). I am definitely going to save this; thank you!
Queen of Free says
Awesome! I’m so happy to help. There are three other meal plans that are less than $50 too. 🙂
Rain's girl says
My family and I are trying this for the first time. So far I am really liking how easy it is. I have never really done a meal plan like this before but I really am enjoying the different dishes every night. We get stuck on the same thing over and over and it gets really boring! I really use to love to cook and this is bringing that back for me! Thank you for doing these, keep them coming! I have had lots of friends and family ask me about what I am doing and I have been sharing your links! Thank you!
Queen of Free says
Thank you! I’m glad it’s helping. There are three other plans you can check out, too! 🙂
KibbitzQueen says
My mom would use leftover hot dog and hamburger buns to make cheezy bread under the broiler. Easy way to use up leftover buns (why do they sell more buns in a package than hot dogs?) and something filling for tummies!
Queen of Free says
YES. Always a great idea. 🙂
Crystal says
I love shopping at Aldi’s. Thank you for some fresh dinner ideas. I cook chili using gr. beef or gr. turkey. I also use 1 can refried beans, 1 can black beans and 1 can white great northern beans, 1 can diced tomatoes and 1 can tomato sauce and season to taste. My family loves it and it doesn’t cost to much all being from Aldi’s. We also like to put some salsa into our rice and refried beans for a twist. Thanks again for the ideas
Allison Malacaria says
I was so excited to scour through this post until I saw the prices. Yes, Aldi’s is a bit less expensive here in Australia but there is no meat here that is less than $10 a pound, except the fattiest ground beef (mince), drumsticks and chicken wings. Even at Aldi’s. The cheapest cage eggs are $3 a dozen and cage-free (which is the majority of the eggs here) are $5 a dozen. The tortilla chips are $2.30 a bag at Aldi’s but the bags are less than half the size as the US. I can buy 4 beef patties for $5 at Aldi’s and sometimes do because it’s the same price as cheap ground beef and it’s already made. Veggies are going to be about $2.50-$6 a pound even in bags. This list would cost me $92+ at Aldi’s in Australia. I am still trying to figure out how to live like I did in the US, as frugally, without eating nothing but rice and beans, but I haven’t figured out how. We move a lot so gardening is out. *sigh* You don’t know how good you have it. Allison from America
alilwacked says
I like Aldi’s but I rarely go there because of the distance. I’m gonna have to get over that and just do it. It’s really not that far, it’s just that Meijer is right around the corner. Thinking about switching off every other shopping trip with Aldi’s.. I’m new to this page, as I just heard your interview on the radio the other day.
Queen of Free says
I rotate some, too. It’s worth it especially to make a large haul to go to ALDI. 🙂 I purchase fewer extras there too. Good luck!
karen says
WOW I am shocked at the number of people who are critical and willing to tell you it is not practical, sustainable or for “working families”. If you read it and do not think it would work for you, why do you feel the need to cut someone down? Some people over eat too so it is just foolish! To the “Queen of Free”…I appreciate your take on this, I LOVE Aldi’s and your recipes look good. I definitely have been trying to budget better (even at Aldi’s where you can fill the whole cart for under $100. I would love see more menus in the months to come 🙂
Queen of Free says
Oh sweet Karen, you are so kind. People love to complain (even when things are free! ha). Thanks for your kind words. There are a number of plans here: http://www.queenoffree.net/category/aldi-meal-plan/ and you can expect another to publish today – this time with creative ideas for meals on the grill. 🙂
Jennie says
Longtime follower, but new to Aldi! I finally tried out the Avon store last weekend armed with my typical grocery list (just food items, I wasn’t sure what all they sold!) and could not BELIEVE I got out of there for $99 instead of my usual $230 (though $230 might be a little high since I impulse buy things that just look good at Kroger). And that included having to buy grocery bags, LOL! Excited to check out your meal plans! Thank you so much for taking the time to put these together!!
Queen of Free says
Well I just love that. You might find you love it more and more. 🙂 Best of luck. I believe I have 8 different plans now with some unique ideas. Hope you find them helpful. Thanks for following.
Katina Washington says
Hey Ladies! I just wanted to share a dish with you that I made. I cannot believe that I was able to feed 100 individuals from a pasta i made with all aldi ingredients. My total bill was under $70. I Thank Aldi for offering great food for great prices! I made a video to help the women in my neighborhood who struggle to make great dishes with limited resources, and wanted to share it with others.
https://youtu.be/r_Jb70Lz310
jacob macaulay says
Nice comments ! I am thankful for the facts . Does someone know where I might grab a sample URL – IRS W-2 version to use ?
Angel Langston says
where are the recipes for the 7 day for 50 meal plans
Karina says
Where are you getting your groceries! I dont find these prices around here!
Kelly says
Love it! Especially love that you have fruit at every dinner!!!