January 2020 Monthly Meal Plan On A Budget (Family of 5) (2024)

by: Crystal AdemaPosted on: February 2, 2020April 17, 2023

We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

Welcome to my January 2020 family meal plan on a budget! If you are new here we are a family of 5 which includes me and my husband along with our 3 kids (2 boys & 1 girl ages 10, 8 & almost 5).

We live in California which means groceries can get pretty pricey here if you aren’t intentional about what you are buying.

I typically budget about $800 a month for groceries which also includes household items like cleaning supplies and laundry detergent as well as toiletry items like toilet paper and shampoo.

Basically the entire $800 isn’t just food.

Why do I do this?

I have noticed that when I am buying food I am usually buying other things alongside it. There are times when I shop for food and only need food but there are also many times when I shop for food and also need other things like toilet paper. It just makes sense.

I no longer have to spend time analyzing every receipt trying to figure out how much I spent on food versus household. I just know that I have $800 a month for everything and I need to make that work. (bonus tip: A great way I earn money back every week is by scanning my grocery receipts. I use both Ibotta and Fetch Rewards and consistently earn $100 every two months or so. I have a full review on Fetch Rewards here with all the info on how it works.)

There are months that I don’t end up using all of our grocery budget which means I save back what I don’t use for stocking up.

I highly advise having a small stockpile of items you use on a regular basis so that you don’t run out of your necessities. Having a stocked pantry is just as important too. By getting these items when they are at rock-bottom prices it will eliminate having to overspend on things you absolutely need.

Check out my LATEST meal plans here: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4

In a hurry? Here is the quick & dirty version along with all the links to any recipes.

I meticulously kept track of every single dinner this month so that way I could share with you a realistic approach to meal planning.

Out of 31 days, I cooked 27 of them! I decided to share below our favorites from the month. These meals are not only easy and affordable they are delicious too.

I hope you and your family enjoy these just as much as we did!

Jan 1. Nachos ( I made a taco bar for NYE & I used the leftovers from that to make nachos the next day)
Jan 2.Salisbury steak w/mashed potatoes & corn
Jan 3.Homemade Pizza
Jan 4.BLT’s w/ fries
Jan 5.Chicken fried rice w/frozen potstickers and broccoli
Jan 6.Baked ravioli w/ salad and breadsticks
Jan 7.Honey BBQ chicken bites w/mashed potatoes & green beans
Jan 8.Eat out night!
Jan 9. Korean beef w/rice & green beans
Jan 10. Homemade Pizza
Jan 11. BLT wraps w/chips & fruit salad
Jan 12. Philly cheesesteak sloppy joes
Jan 13. Chicken Carbonara
Jan 14. Chicken Carbonara LEFTOVERS
Jan 15. Air fryer beef taquitos w/beans & Mexican rice (This is the air fryer I use)
Jan 16. Taquitos, beans and rice LEFTOVERS
Jan 17. Homemade pizza
Jan 18.Snacky dinner (this usually consists of random things that we need to use up including fruits, veggies, meats etc the kids LOVE this)
Jan 19.Pierogie casserole w/fruit salad
Jan 20.Chicken fried rice w/potsickers & veg REPEAT
Jan 21.Rigatoni meatball soup w/garlic rolls
Jan 22.Brown sugar Italian chicken w/mashed potatoes & veg (incredibly easy & only 3 ingredients!)
Jan 23.Chicken in a biscuit (Another quick & affordable kid favorite)
Jan 24.Homemade pizza
Jan 25.Homemade hamburgers w/air fryer french fries
Jan 26.Chef Salads (kids ate grilled cheese, fruit & salad)
Jan 27. Italian beef & rice skillet w/french bread
Jan 28.Eat out night!
Jan 29.Bruschetta chicken casserole w/salad
Jan 30.Chinese pineapple chicken w/rice & broccoli
Jan 31. Homemade pizza