Next Week's Meal Plan: 5 Thrifty & Tasty Meals for Budget-Saving Meal Plans — Next Week's Meal Plan

Let's talk about budget meal planning today. Admittedly, wallet-conscious dinner ideas and strategies aren't the most exciting subject, but grocery budgets are real and mastering them does make dinner less stressful — and that's the whole point of meal planning.

Don't think that you need to cook dried beans or shop at the discount grocery store to save money, though. To keep my budget in check every week, I shop my fridge, freezer, and pantry first; I keep meat-heavy meals to once or twice a week; and I rely on in-season produce because it's cheaper. With those strategies in mind, here are the five budget- and family-friendly meals I'm cooking this week.

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