Looking to cut back on your grocery spending? Try this $50 Walmart budget meal plan and grocery list and feed your family well for less!
The recent inflation has made it tough to feed your family on a budget, but it’s still possible with a little extra planning. Today I’ve done that planning for you!
I’ve come up with a list of 6 dinners (plus a leftover night) that will only cost you $50 at Walmart! A week of family dinners for just $50? You heard that right!
Whether you follow the entire meal plan or just try a recipe or two, I hope this will be a helpful resource for you as we all continue to strive to feed our families frugally and spend less at the grocery store.
Prefer video? See all the groceries and how I make each meal here!
Walmart Budget Meal Plan – A Week of Family Dinners for $50
1. Pork loin + roasted broccoli, French bread
This recipe for roasted pork loin is one that I discovered last year and have made multiple times since then. The whole family loves it!
I like to purchase a large, 4 lb. pork loin so that we have enough leftovers for the next dinner on this meal plan, pork hoagies!
2. Pork loin hoagies + carrots, tortilla chips
These pork sandwiches are delicious and so easy to throw together with leftover pork roast. I don’t have a recipe link for you, but watch towards the end of this video for how I put these sandwiches together.
3. Quesadillas and black bean salsa + tortilla chips
This may be a meatless meal but you won’t feel like you’re missing out. Simple quesadillas pair well with a delicious (and pretty) black bean salsa. Yum!
4. Chicken ranch pasta
We’ll be cooking a whole chicken, shredding it, and using it for this recipe as well as the next too. (I usually get at least 7 cups from a good size chicken – this time around I got 8!)
This recipe for chicken ranch pasta calls for just two cups of chicken. It also calls for a little bit of parmesan cheese, but you can skip it if you don’t already have it on hand.
5. Chicken fried rice with mixed veggies (similar to this recipe)
Follow the recipe linked above, but swap out the ground beef for two cups of your cooked and shredded chicken.
6. Chicken taco soup
We love taco soup around here! This chicken taco soup is a super easy recipe to throw together. Cook it in a slow cooker or on the stove. Either way, your family will love it! You’ll use your remaining 3 or so cups of chicken for this recipe.
7. Leftovers
I find that it works well to plan for just six dinners because we often have leftovers that need to be eaten up. Planning a leftovers night gives you a break from cooking and keeps you from wasting food!
You may also be interested in: 75 Frugal Family Friendly Dinner Ideas
$50 Walmart Grocery List
I purchased everything below at Walmart and the prices are current as of March 2025. You can obviously shop anywhere you’d like, I just chose Walmart since it’s a store that most people have available to them.
As with all my grocery lists that I share, I’ve tried to include pretty much everything that you’ll need to buy with the exception of really basic things (for example flour, spices, etc.)
Meats
Pork loin roast, approx. 4 lbs – $7.29
Whole chicken, 5.5 lbs – $8.26
Dairy
Shredded cheese, 16 oz -$3.78 (it was on sale from the normal price of $4.22)
Produce
Carrots – $1.32
Lime – $0.25
Cilantro – $0.50
Onion – $0.96
Jalapeno – $0.24
Roma tomatoes (2) – $0.46
Broccoli (2) – $3.73
Frozen mixed veggies – $0.98
Frozen corn – $0.98
Dry goods / Center of the store
Tortillas – $1.98
Hoagie buns – $3.37
French bread – $1.00
Tortilla chips – $2.67
Petite diced tomatoes, 28 oz. – $1.48
Tomato sauce, 8 oz. – $0.48
Black beans (2 cans) – $1.72
Pinto beans (1 can) – $0.86
Rotel (store brand) – $0.96
Ranch dressing – $1.97
Italian dressing – $1.97 (we’re only using a little bit of this, so no need to buy if you already have some on hand)
Box of pasta – $0.98
Brown rice – $0.88
Taco seasoning – $0.47
Total at Walmart = $49.54
Does this look like a meal plan that you’d enjoy? Let me know in the comments! And if you’re looking for more frugal meal ideas, keep reading for some additional resources.
Additional Frugal Meal Plan / Grocery Shopping Resources
- See ALL of my free meal plans and grocery lists here!
- Easy Budget Meal Plan for Two
- Easy Summer Meals on a Budget
- 13 Things to Cut to Save On Groceries
- The Best Foods to Buy When You’re Broke
- How to Grocery Shop on a Budget at Kroger
- Prefer video? I share my weekly meal plan and grocery haul, plus lots more content related to feeding your family on a budget on my YouTube channel.
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