How to Meal Prep on a Budget: 7 Tips to Keep Meal Prep Cheap

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Anyone who meal preps to save money knows that there’s nothing better than being able to lower your weekly grocery bill. But here’s the thing about saving money with meal prep: unless you actually learn how to meal prep on a budget, you’re probably not saving as much money as you could be. If meal prepping to save money is your goal, this beginner-friendly guide will cover 7 expert-backed tips to help you keep your meal prep cheap and easy week after week.

Jump To:

• Stick to basic kitchen equipment
• Purchase your ingredients on sale
• Buy fridge and pantry staples in bulk
• Give plant-based recipes a try
• Utilize freezer-friendly recipes
• Create your own weekly meal plans
• Stay consistent with your meal prep
• Budget meal prep FAQ

As someone who has been meal prepping since 2015, I’ve saved so much money with meal prep over the years. And one of the thing I’ve learned is that the key to cheap, easy meal prep is taking the time to actually plan out your menu and prep session. Below, I’ve shared my top 7 budget-friendly tips for planning and prepping that will help you most money (and effort) on your meal prep each week.

1. Stick to basic kitchen equipment

If you’re relatively new to meal prep, you’re probably working with a limited kitchen setup. But before you run out and spend hundreds of dollars on accessories and equipment, save your money and use what you have on hand first.

As a beginner, all you really need for those first few meal prep sessions are the essentials, which generally include:

• a set of pots and pans
• a few good kitchen knives
• at least one cutting board
• a basic measuring cup set

Since most people already have these items in their kitchen for their everyday cooking needs, you likely won’t need to invest in any of these. However, one thing you will need to invest in, if you haven’t already, is a set of meal prep containers.

As far as meal prep containers go, you have a few choices depending on your budget. Plastic meal prep containers are cheap and often come in bulk sizes, but they’re usually cheaper because they don’t last as long. Glass meal prep containers, on the other hand, are more expensive but they last longer and offer better airtight food storage.

Sometimes it can also be helpful to invest in a multipurpose cooking tool, or an appliance that can perform multiple cooking functions. For example, I’ve been using the Aroma Digital Rice Cooker for years because it’s also a steamer and a slow cooker — which means that I can cook more food with less equipment. Still, because equipment like this can be pricey, it’s not necessarily an investment that you need to make up-front.

2. Purchase your ingredients on sale

One of the easiest ways that you can save money when meal prepping is to buy your ingredients on sale. And while this may seem like a self-explanatory tip, there are a few different ways to find cheap, easy meal prep ingredients to use each week.

Check in-store sales

Many major grocery chains run weekly sales and specials on a wide variety of ingredients — especially ingredients that are typically more expensive, like meat and poultry. If you check your grocery store’s flyer or website for sales before you go shopping, you can more easily plan your menu around these on-sale ingredients.

Substitute cheaper options

Certain types of ingredients, especially meat and seafood, can vary in price depending on how they’re prepared. For example, chicken thighs are traditionally cheaper than chicken breasts, and canned vegetables are usually cheaper than frozen ones. If you can substitute a more expensive ingredient for its cheaper counterpart, you can lower your grocery costs.

Use in-season ingredients

Another great way to save money at the store is to use ingredients that are in-season. Seasonal fruits and veggies tend to be cheaper during the seasons that they grow in — like berries in the summer, for example. And meats and other proteins often go on sale around the holidays, which is the perfect time to stock up on these ingredients.

3. Buy fridge and pantry staples in bulk

Speaking of stocking up, another great way to save more money on your weekly meal prep is to purchase ingredients in bulk. Because many ingredients like grains, beans, and spices cost less when you buy them in bulk, stocking up on these ingredients can save you more money in the long-run.

With that said, not all ingredients are bulk-friendly — and if you’re not careful about which ingredients you buy in bulk, you’ll likely end up wasting food (and money). So, here are some of the meal prep ingredients to consider buying in bulk that store well:

• dried grains
• dried beans
• dried fruits
• dried nuts
• canned vegetables
• canned beans
• canned fruits
• frozen meats
• frozen vegetables
• frozen fruits
• certain oils and vinegars

And remember, if you’re planning to stock up on these ingredients, only buy ingredients that you know you’re going to use. For example, in my household, we purchase rice, pasta, canned vegetables, and oil in bulk because these are the foods that we use the most for meal prep.

It’s also important to make sure your pantry storage is up to par if you’re planning on buying ingredients in bulk. Investing in a good set of airtight food storage containers, like these M MCIRCO Food Storage Containers that we’ve been using for years, is the key to keeping your ingredients fresh during storage.

4. Give plant-based recipes a try

When it comes to creating a budget-friendly meal plan, some of the best cheap meal prep ideas are those that include plant-based ingredients. Plant-based proteins, like tofu and beans, are typically much cheaper than animal-based proteins. At my local Kroger, for example, 16 oz. of tofu or dried beans cost around $2 — compared to around $5/lb. for chicken or beef.

If you’re not familiar with plant-based proteins, here are just a few of the more popular options for meal prep:

• tofu
• tempeh
• beans
• peas
• lentils
• chickpeas
• nuts

By the way, even though there are plenty of meat substitutes on the market, most processed meat-free products are just as expensive as meat. If you’re really trying to lower your costs, whole foods sources like the ones mentioned above will give you the best bang for your buck.

5. Utilize freezer-friendly recipes

Even with the best meal planning, you might still end up wasting food from time to time — and that’s totally normal. But if you notice that you’re frequently wasting meal prep every week, you’re probably better off following a freezer-friendly meal plan.

Freezer-friendly meals can help save you both money and time, especially when you batch cook your meals. Meal prepping in big batches using on-sale or bulk ingredients is a great way to lower your overall cost per meal. Plus, batch prepping your food is also an easy way to save time and effort during your prep session.

If you’re looking for a list of freezer-friendly meal prep recipes that also work well for batch cooking, here are a few ideas to get you started:

• soups
• curries
• chili
• casseroles
• burritos
• muffins
• pies

6. Create your own weekly meal plans

Meal planning is one of the most important steps in the meal prep process, and there are so many different ways to create a weekly meal plan. But if you haven’t learned how to efficiently create your own meal plans yet, you might be considering purchasing ready-made meal plans instead.

With meal planning, it can be helpful to consider the value of both your money and your time. If meal planning takes you hours to do, a $5 meal plan might be a worthwhile investment for you. But if you can throw together a meal plan in less than 15 minutes, it might not make as much sense to waste your money paying for a meal plan.

7. Stay consistent with your meal prep

If you’ve been meal prepping for a while now, you know how hard it can be to stay consistent with meal prep. After all, there are always going to be factors outside of your control that throw a wrench in your weekly routine. But if you really want to save money with meal prep in the long-run, consistency is key.

Sticking with a consistent meal prep schedule is one of the best ways to save time, money, and effort each week. Because not only does meal prepping every week help lower your monthly grocery costs, but it also limits your time in the kitchen so that you can save your energy for more important things.

Budget meal prep FAQ

Whether you’re new to meal prep or have been meal prepping for years, it’s never too late to learn how to meal prep on a budget. Before you dive into trying out these budget-friendly tips, however, here are a few more things to keep in mind when it comes to saving money with meal prep.

Is meal prepping really cheaper?

For most people, meal prepping food at home is much cheaper than eating meals outside of the home. For example, a single meal from a fast-food place or restaurant can sometimes cost upwards of $10-$20. With that same $20, you can easily meal prep 3-6 servings of food, especially if you’re prepping on a budget.

How much should meal prep cost per week?

Various factors can affect how much meal prep costs, but a single person prepping a week’s worth of meal prep will probably spend around $35-$55 a week on groceries. For a couple, the costs are likely closer to $70-$110 a week — while a family of four may spend upwards of $200-$250 a week on meal prep.

How can I spend only $25 a week on groceries?

As grocery costs continue to rise, it’s becoming harder to keep weekly food costs down. But you can lower your grocery costs by buying ingredients on-sale and in bulk, and building your menu around ingredients that are cheaper. For example, rice, pasta, beans, tofu, canned protein, and canned and frozen vegetables are some of the best cheap meal prep ingredients to use.

What are the most affordable meal prep containers?

When it comes to choosing an affordable set of meal prep containers, plastic meal prep containers are usually the cheapest option for beginners. However, plastic containers don’t last forever and usually need to be replaced. Glass meal prep containers, on the other hand, are more expensive up-front — but they’re more cost effective because they last longer.