Skip to content
Mums on a BudgetAustralia

Meal plan · family of four

Seven dinners, one overlapping shop

Built around this week’s protein specials. $59.60 for dinners only — about $2.13 a serve. Breakfasts and lunchboxes are a separate column.

Week total

$59.60

Honey soy drumsticks & corn

Monday

Honey soy drumsticks & corn

$15.50 · serves 4 · 45 min

Aldi’s 1.5 kg honey soy drumsticks and Woolies corn at $1 a cob. One tray, almost no dishes.

  1. Heat the oven to 200°C. Tip the honey soy drumsticks onto a tray.
  2. Add chopped potatoes around them if you have them. Roast 40 minutes.
  3. Boil four sweet corn cobs for the last 8 minutes.
  4. Save any leftover meat for Friday’s fried rice. That’s the overlap.
Roast chicken & iceberg

Tuesday

Roast chicken & iceberg

$11.70 · serves 4 · 1 hr 20 min

Aldi’s whole RSPCA chicken at $3.99/kg. Dinner tonight, soup on Sunday, sandwiches in between.

  1. Heat the oven to 190°C. Rub the chicken with salt and a little oil.
  2. Roast about 1 hour 15 minutes for a 1.8 kg bird, until the juices run clear.
  3. Serve with iceberg torn into a bowl and a simple dressing.
  4. Strip the carcass once it’s cool. Fridge the meat. Keep the bones for Sunday.
Chicken mince spaghetti

Wednesday

Chicken mince spaghetti

$9.60 · serves 4 · 35 min

Coles RSPCA chicken mince is $6 for 500 g this week. Grate a carrot in and nobody argues.

  1. Brown the mince with a chopped onion from the $2.50 bag.
  2. Add a tin of tomatoes and a grated carrot. Simmer 12 minutes.
  3. Boil 500 g spaghetti. Toss through the sauce.
  4. A handful of cheese on top if you have it. Freeze a portion if it’s too much.
Sausages, mash & corn

Thursday

Sausages, mash & corn

$7.40 · serves 4 · 30 min

Coles garlic and herb sausages at $6.50, plus leftover corn kernels. A school-night dinner.

  1. Grill or pan-fry the sausages until cooked through.
  2. Mash leftover potatoes with a splash of milk.
  3. Heat the tin of corn kernels and a handful of frozen peas if you have them.
  4. That’s the plate. No extra shop.
Angus burgers

Friday

Angus burgers

$10.70 · serves 4 · 20 min

Woolies Angus burgers are $8, buns are $2.70. Iceberg from Tuesday goes in the rolls.

  1. Cook the four patties in a hot pan, about 4 minutes a side.
  2. Toast the hamburger buns.
  3. Add leftover iceberg, onion, and tomato sauce.
  4. Any leftover patty becomes Saturday’s fried-rice protein if Tuesday’s chicken is gone.
Chicken fried rice

Saturday

Chicken fried rice

$1.50 · serves 4 · 20 min

Monday’s drumstick meat, the 89¢ corn, and rice you already own. The cheap night on purpose.

  1. Cook 2 cups of rice, or use cold rice from earlier in the week.
  2. Stir-fry onion, then the corn kernels, then shredded leftover chicken.
  3. Add soy sauce and a scrambled egg if the carton is open.
  4. Taste and stop. Don’t buy a stir-fry kit.
Roast-chicken soup

Sunday

Roast-chicken soup

$3.20 · serves 4 · 40 min

Tuesday’s carcass, an onion, and the mini pane di casa. The week pays for itself here.

  1. Cover the chicken bones with water, add onion and any sad vegetables.
  2. Simmer 30 minutes. Strain, then add the reserved roast meat and a handful of pasta or rice.
  3. Simmer 8 more minutes.
  4. Serve with the stone-baked bread. Freeze a container if you’re over chicken.