At first keep things simple. Take just one of two days of meals and shop for those. If the budget is an issue buy enough of one product like chicken and sprend it over several days. I also think that as long as you keep the meals around 500 calories that you will be fine. Just watch the snacking on un-healthy foods. I am new at this too and on a strick budget.

p.s.  Also eliminating the soda and junk snacks really helps to bring the grocery bill down.

This is just my first week and I didn't want to buy the entire shopping list and then have bits and pieces left around (kind of like the tomato comment someone mentioned).  So I just bought a few days worth and then the next couple of days searched the meal substitutions to use what I already had on hand.

One of the best ways to ease into the meal plan is to select several meals from the week...buy what is needed for them...there are some meals that do not require using the whole package of rice/pasta/etc.  Same with cheeses, spices, breads....then the next week, you select  a few more meals from the plan...again, you may not use all of the items entirely...with the remaining items, you can put together a healthy meal...say you have plenty of brown rice on hand, also you have shredded cheese left...add some cut up chicken and bell peppers/ veggies and make a meal.  Every week you just add a few more new ingredients and soon you will have a lot of the items on hand.  That is what I do...buy my meats...usually chicken and ground turkey...buy my fresh veggies & fruits...some dairy products and I can put together a healthy meal using the other ingredients I have on hand.  Hope this helps you a bit.  Good luck and stay strong!  Hugs, SisterC

I have the same grocery budget as you do, so I DO know the panic!!!  LOL.  One thing I did that helped was to take a good look at our "serving sizes".  For example... a family pack of pork steak:  cost:  approx 10USD.  Used to make a meal of it (after all, it WAS 4 steaks, right?)  Well, DUH, I was actually looking at around 2 lbs of meat!!!!  Which should be well over 2 meals worth, esp. considering that one of my 4 is a 6 year old.  I got out my trusty scales, and decided that my eldest (a teen age boy) and my hubby who works, could each handle 4 oz of meat at a meal, however, I only needed 3oz for my healthy eating plan, and my daughter only ate 2 oz at best.  So, between us, we should only consume 2 of the 4 steaks.  Which left 2 for another meal.  The same thing applies to starches as well for us.  We were just consuming toooo much. 

I've also nixed some of the spices from the list, and substituted some veggies for others more well liked by my family.  Also, although fresh is best, canned or frozen are sometimes more cost effective (and stress relivers).  Another think I noticed, is that the shopping list is broken down by meals, so you might have 2 slices of tomato, then down further 4 oz chopped tomato, and then 10 cherry tomatos.  The equivalent to which could be found I believe in 1 nice big ripe juicy beef steak tomato.  Make sure to check the list twice for these kinds of things.  Also, I use more jarred spices instead of fresh, so once you purchase the jar, it can last forever!!!!  Plus alot of the ground spices have equivalent flavor measures to substitute them for fresh chopped.

Hope this helps some, and isnt alot of gobbity gook!!!

Good Luck and God Bless!!!

Dawn

Convenient yes, affordalble? Not so much if you sit down and think about it.  What types of food do you eat?  The whole family and you included.  I can understand about the budget.  A lot of the suggested meals are a little pricey.  I subsitute and tweak.  I do spend a about 10 to 15 dollars more a week.  I have to say with me, the results have been worth it.  Moderation and portion control have worked well with me.

I don't think I can even explain. With the way prices are these days they make it more convenient and affordable to eat junk. I only have a budget of about $100 a week to feed 4 people! The shopping lists on the meal plans were just so overwhelming, especially since it's only my first day!

Can you be more specific?  Would love to help if I can.  I was a little overwhelmed when I saw it too.  I've been making it work since I started.  Wanna talk?  I'm here.  Give a holler.

Any shopping tips for the meal plas. I'm a little overwhelmed at the length of the list and I'm not sure how I'm gonna make it work. It looks like way more than I could ever afford.