How to plan a week of meals on a budget

The cheapest way to plan a week of meals is to start with what you already have and what is cheap this week, not with a list of recipes. Then cook twice and eat four times: make two big batches of food on two evenings, and turn them into four or more meals across the week. Planning this way means you buy less, waste less and stand at the stove less.

Here is the plan, step by step, with a sample week you can copy and change.

Step 1: Take stock before you shop

Before you write a single meal down, look in three places: the fridge, the freezer and the cupboard. Write down what you find, putting first anything that needs eating soon.

• Fridge: half-used vegetables, cheese, eggs, yogurt, leftovers
• Freezer: meat, bread, frozen vegetables, anything unlabelled
• Cupboard: rice, pasta, oats, dried or canned beans, canned tomatoes, stock, spices

This list is the start of your plan. Food you already paid for and throw away is money spent twice, so the half bag of spinach and the two lonely carrots get a job this week before anything new comes in.

Step 2: Let the sales choose the main ingredients

Next, check what is cheap this week. Look at your store's weekly flyer or app, and notice what is in season. Then choose two main ingredients for your two big cooks.

A good pair is one protein and one base:

• A protein that is on sale: a whole chicken, chicken thighs, a pork shoulder, ground meat, or dried beans and lentils, which are usually cheapest of all
• A base that stretches it: rice, potatoes, pasta, or a big pot of soup

Do not plan around a recipe that needs one expensive ingredient you will use once. Plan around the food that is cheap, and find the recipe afterwards.

Step 3: Cook twice, eat four times

Pick two evenings when you have an hour, for example Sunday and Wednesday. On each, cook one large batch that can turn into at least two different meals.

Here is a sample week as a starting point for 2 adults:

• Sunday: roast a whole chicken with potatoes and carrots. Eat it hot.
• Monday: shred the leftover chicken into tacos or wraps, with cabbage and whatever salsa or yogurt is in the fridge.
• Tuesday: simmer the bones with onion and carrot for stock, then make a soup with the stock, any last chicken and a handful of rice or pasta.
• Wednesday: cook a big pot of chili with beans, canned tomatoes and a pound (450 g) of ground meat, or all beans for less.
• Thursday: chili over baked potatoes.
• Friday: the rest of the chili stirred through pasta, or frozen in portions for a busy night later.
• Saturday: an eat-the-fridge night of eggs, toast, odds and ends, or a frittata.

That is two real cooking sessions and a week of dinners. Lunches come from the same pots.

Step 4: Write the shopping list from the plan

Only now do you write a list. Go through each meal and note what you do not already have. Group the list by store section so you are not wandering past things you did not plan to buy.

• Buy staples such as rice, oats and dried beans in larger bags if you will use them; they keep for months.
• Buy fresh vegetables in the amounts the plan needs, not the amounts that look generous in the shop.
• Frozen vegetables are a fair swap for fresh in soups, chili and stir-fries, and they do not wilt in the drawer.

Set a rough budget before you go and add up as you shop. If the total runs over, cut a treat, not a meal.

Step 5: Store leftovers safely and mind allergens

Cooking in batches only saves money if the food stays safe to eat.

• Refrigerate cooked food within 2 hours, in shallow covered containers so it cools quickly.
• Eat refrigerated leftovers within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them.
• Label frozen portions with what they are and the date.
• Reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C), steaming hot all the way through.

Follow your local food-safety guidance for exact times and temperatures, and cook the chicken to 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the thigh, not touching bone.

Check labels on stock, canned beans and spice mixes for wheat, soy and other allergens if anyone at your table needs to avoid them. Use corn tortillas and rice instead of wraps and pasta for a gluten-free week. Leave out cheese and yogurt for a dairy-free one; the plan still works.

A weekly checklist

• Take stock of fridge, freezer and cupboard
• Check this week's sales and what is in season
• Choose two main ingredients and two cooking evenings
• Map each batch onto two or more meals
• Write the list, set a budget, shop once
• Cool, label and store leftovers the same night

Fifteen minutes with this list on the weekend saves more money than any coupon, because the food you plan for is the food you actually eat.