7 Proven Tips on How To Feed a Family on a Tight Budget

We have been on a tight budget on and off for many years, for different reasons and in different countries (even Continents). These are the 7 proven tips on how to feed a family on a tight budget, no matter where you are. I am not giving you a grocery bill amount or a meal plan. I do not find them very helpful. Every family is different, and every region has different food prices. It does not help you if I can get a gallon of milk for $2 (I wish!) and write about it if the cheapest you can get it in your local stores is $5. Grocery prices and family members vary. To feed a family on a budget is hard; if you are in this situation, let me encourage you: Do not give up; it is doable to feed even a large family healthy meals on a small budget.

1. Learn to cook from scratch

Feeding a family on a budget and feeding them nutritious meals is a learning process. Simple pantry staples are cheaper ingredients than ready-made store-brand food. Do the math for yourself in your grocery store. Examples: One pound of fresh potatoes (for us about $0.50), one pound of french fries ($2.00), hash browns ($1.50), or chips ($5.00 – not just a bag – a pound!). Are you shocked? Potatoes are so easy to grow; some farmers have constantly too many and would willingly give you some for free. The important thing is you know how to prepare simple, wholesome meals from scratch.

Budget-friendly family meals do not have to take a lot of time to prepare. A great way is to learn to cook from scratch and freestyle; it can reduce your family’s grocery budget. A great article about freestyle cooking is here. A cookbook that implements it is The Vegan Family Cookbook. You do not have to be vegan to benefit from this cookbook, but being vegan is another way to reduce food costs. 

‘Who eats a bit and leaves a bit has two meals’ – was one of my mom’s favorite sayings. Firstly, of course, overeating is not good on any budget. You want to have enough food for every meal but avoid food waste. Leftover chili can be served a second time, or if your family only accepts a new meal each time, be creative with casseroles and potpies. Leave some fresh veggies for homemade vegetable soup, and make your own vegetable broth.

2. Go for wholesome, high-nutrient ingredients

The goal is to feed, not just to fill up your family. Potatoes, beans, and whole grains are cheap foods that satisfy. I am not suggesting trendy superfoods; it can be peanut butter and jam from your own fruit, served on homemade whole grain bread. Wholesome foods like greens, fresh fruit, and vegetables are high in nutrients that will feed you. Also, compared to unit cost, cherry tomatoes often cost more than regular tomatoes but make no difference in nutrition. Store brands might be just as good as name brands. Dry beans are easy to can yourself to add more plant-based proteins to your diet. 

Most nutritious fresh produce is homegrown. Even if you do not have a garden, sprouts, and microgreens are so easy to grow at home and are packed full of nutrients. Processed food is not healthy for any budget.

3. Shop by special sales, not by a meal plan

This is controversial. How many times have you heard that you can save so much money on food if you only have a meal plan and a grocery list matching your weekly meal plan? There is some truth to it. You can avoid impulse buys and will not waste any produce if you buy what you will use. But on a tight budget, learning to shop by special sales is better. Again, this is a learning process, but it is worth it. It is not difficult if you are making simple, wholesome meals from scratch. Cooking freestyle, not tied to a plan or recipe, is a great ability to have if you are on a budget and/or a gardener. Things do not grow and ripen according to our meal plans. They ripen whenever the conditions are right. Knowing how to make a meal from what is grown or is on sale can help you reduce food costs. Read more about our no-plan meal planning method.

4. Maintain a well-stocked pantry

You can greatly reduce the overall food cost if you have the necessary items for a staple meal in your pantry. An easy way to start is on a good deal; instead of buying one package, get two or more. If the budget is very tight and the cost of living is high, it might not be possible to fill 5-gallon pails right away. Taking advantage of sales and comparing unit costs, shopping in discount stores to stock up the pantry a little bit more each time is a good idea. Look for items that can be stored for a long time, like black beans, brown rice, and canned foods.

A pantry is essential if you have a garden of your own. We will discuss it more below. To gain some inspiration, check out “How much food can an urban homestead grow for the winter?” This article shares our Northern Homestead homegrown food storage on Thanksgiving day. Additionally, here’s a sneak peek into our plant-based pantry, showcasing the foods that we can and cannot grow ourselves. This pantry was not built overnight; there have been times when we did not have enough money for long-term storage items. With these top tips, use sale prices to build your pantry to reduce overall costs.

5. No chips, crackers, and soft drinks

This is a hard one, I know. I used to be a real chip lover. Friends gave us a joke wedding gift: a huge basket filled with unpacked potato chips. They knew me; the chips would be gone in no time. Chips, however, do not feed you; they fill you. I learned to go without them; honestly, I do not miss them. Wholesome, highly nutritious food satisfies so much more. If you stop eating junk food, drinking carbonated drinks, and using artificial and processed food, your budget and health will thank you. But you might say crackers are not junk – well, if you read the labels… plus they are extremely expensive if you do the comparison. One pound of homemade bread costs under a dollar, while crackers cost $6.00!

6. Minimize snacks

Snacks are a by-product of abundance. They are often packed full of unhealthy ingredients and are expensive. Sure, there are healthy snacks, but they are even more expensive. Even if you pay a dollar for a bag of cookies, compared to whole foods, it is a lot. Plus, they bring children and adults into a cycle of eating snacks, not being hungry at mealtimes, and eating snacks right after meals again. A wholesome meal, however, on an empty stomach, fills you up for hours. Result – you don’t need the snacks any longer.

7. Grow your own food

Growing food is the cheapest way to get it. We write a lot about gardening. I hope you can find helpful tips and ideas to grow a garden if you haven’t yet. If you do not own some land to grow a garden, there are many ways to grow food without owning a speck of land. However, if you do not know how to prepare a meal with homegrown goodies or only like to eat highly processed foods and snacks, the garden will not help you much. You see how it all works together.

For centuries, people have lived like this: They have grown wholesome food, made meals out of it, and fed their families. Today, so many have lost the ability. The book “The Four Season Farm Gardener’s Cookbook” is packed full of tips to do just that. Let’s go back to the basics, back to real food. Following these seven proven tips on How To Feed a Family on a Tight Budget will help you save money, eat well, and be healthier. Tight budget times can be real blessings.

Need more help feeding a family on a budget?

Get the Money Saving Worksheets from A Modern Homestead.

After all, everyone wants to eat better, save more money, and keep the products they love. Learn how a family used to spend over $1,000 a month to eat the SAME foods they are eating now!!

Here are the exact steps, tips, and tricks they use to keep their food budget under $200 a month.

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