Planning a whole week of meals for a family of five is one thing. Doing it with a target of one hundred dollars is another. In a weekly menu post she shares on social media, @chloeoberlechner takes her followers along on an Aldi grocery run, and this time the receipt came in well below the goal.
@chloeoberlechner
She opens by saying this is another week of meals for a family of five on a one hundred dollar budget. Every single week, she says, she makes a menu that covers breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner, and she attached the menu and grocery list at the end of her post so others can copy it. The aim is seven days of breakfast, lunch, and dinner on a hundred dollars.
A Grocery Date With One Kid
One detail stands out. She says that whenever she goes grocery shopping, she tries to make it a one on one date with each of her kids. This week it was Callie. It turns a chore into quality time and gives each child a turn to be the helper. Shopping with one child is usually calmer than shopping with a crowd, and it gives a parent a chance to teach real skills such as comparing prices and picking produce.
They arrived with their Aldi bags and a quarter for the cart, the familiar Aldi routine where the coin is returned when you bring the cart back. At one point during the trip, she says they found someone’s credit card lying on the ground, a reminder to hand lost items to the store staff.
What Went in the Cart
She mentions several items by name. Honey vanilla Greek yogurt and Dijon mustard made the list. She says she is making a chicken salad one of the days. Because Callie has been asking for a smoothie every day, they picked up a smoothie mix. She also took a tour through the Aldi Finds aisle, the rotating section of seasonal and special items, where she spotted pink lemonade popcorn and watermelon hibiscus popcorn.
Then there is her watermelon tip, which is useful for anyone. She says to look for a big yellow spot and to knock on it. The yellow patch, often called the field spot, shows where the fruit rested on the ground while ripening, and a larger one generally suggests it had time to mature on the vine. The knock should sound deep and hollow rather than dull.
The Total
Her final number: sixty nine dollars and forty cents. That is under the hundred dollar goal, but she explains why. She says they had a lot of things already at home from last week, and she simply used what they already had to build the menu. This is an important point. The total on one receipt does not always show the full cost of feeding a household, because pantry and freezer items carry over from earlier trips. It is smart to think of grocery spending as a rolling cycle rather than a single event.
Building Your Own Budget Menu
You do not need a special app to copy her approach. Start with these steps.
Take inventory first. Before writing a list, look through the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. Anything that can be used this week belongs on the menu, and it keeps you from buying duplicates.
Plan every meal, including snacks. Her menu covers breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner, which prevents the midweek scramble that leads to expensive impulse buys.
Repeat ingredients. A bag of shredded cheese, a loaf of bread, or a tub of yogurt can appear in several meals. Fewer unique ingredients means a smaller bill and less waste.
Use a smoothie mix or frozen fruit. Frozen fruit is cheaper than fresh out of season, and a daily smoothie can double as breakfast or an afternoon snack.
Leave a small fun budget. Seasonal snack finds can keep a shopping trip enjoyable, and a small treat keeps the plan sustainable over many weeks.
Write down the total. Keeping a running record of weekly spending lets you see patterns and adjust the next menu.
Making a Menu Stick Through the Week
A menu only saves money if the family actually follows it, so a few small habits help. Post the plan on the refrigerator where everyone can see it. Let each child pick one meal for the week, which builds buy in and cuts complaints. Prep ingredients on a quiet day, such as washing fruit, cooking a batch of chicken, or portioning snacks into containers. When a day goes sideways, swap meals rather than ordering takeout, since the ingredients are already in the house. Finally, keep a running list of what is running low, so next week’s trip starts with a head start.
Teaching Kids Through the Cart
A grocery date does more than save a parent’s sanity. Kids who help pick produce, read labels, and compare prices learn how food costs add up. Give your child a small job, such as finding the cheapest brand of yogurt or choosing the best watermelon using the knock test. Praise good choices and talk about why something stays on the shelf. Over time, those lessons become real life skills that last well beyond childhood.
Why Aldi Works for Many Budgets
Aldi is known for a streamlined store layout, mostly store brand products, and a cart rental system that keeps costs down. Shoppers often bring their own bags, which means no bag fees. The smaller selection also means fewer decisions, which many busy parents appreciate.
Of course, prices differ by region and change over time, so the numbers she shares are a snapshot of her week. Your own total will depend on local prices, your family’s appetite, and what is already in your pantry. Still, a plan, a list, and a willingness to use what you have can bring any grocery bill down.
She said she thinks this will become a new series and asked her followers for their opinion. If you like the idea of a weekly menu and a grocery date with your child, try it for one week and see what number you land on.