10 Easy Vacation Meals for a Family on a Budget

These 10 Easy Vacation Meals for a Family on a Budget will help you plan the perfect menu for your beach house vacation. Need more inspiration? Be sure to check out this post with budget-friendly meals.

One of our favorite trips every year is our beach trip. We head to Fort Morgan, Alabama, or Dauphin Island, Alabama, and settle in for a week of fun in a beach house that is usually located right on the waterfront.

For some people, a beach trip might be out of the question because of expenses. We do everything we can to save money and cut costs. One of those ways is by serving meals at our beach house while on vacation. These are always budget-friendly meals, meaning they make almost no time to make and they are easy on the wallet.

10 Easy Vacation Meals for a Family on a Budget

Here are 10 meals that will help you start planning a fun family menu for you to take on your next family vacation. If you plan early enough, you can order your groceries online and have them delivered to the beach house so that you do not have to leave and go grocery shopping.

1. Burrito Bowls

Burrito Bowls are always so easy to make… and they make a lot of food. This is the perfect budget-friendly vacation food you can make.

The dish is portable enough that you can take it out on the deck so you can watch the water, or even transport it down to the beach to sit and have dinner at sunset. My Pork Burrito Bowl would be the perfect option for this.

2. Sheet Pan Dinners

Sheet pan dinners are perfect for the beach. Everything gets thrown on one tray and baked in the oven, freeing you up to just sit and chill until dinner is ready.

My Autumn Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner is so delicious and full of yummy veggies and flavor chicken.

3. Pasta Recipes

Pasta is always a great option. Not only is it filling, and you can make a lot, but it is very budget-friendly on the wallet.

One of my go-to recipes is my One Pan Cheeseburger Pasta or my Mongolian Ground Beef Noodles recipe.

4. Sandwiches

Sandwiches are always a go-to meal for us whenever we are planning budget-friendly vacation meals.

You can go as elaborate as you want, like my Hearty Brunch Bagel Sandwich, or as simple as a ham sandwich and some chips.

5. Grilling Recipes

Grilling recipes are always a hit when you need something quick and budget-friendly. Most vacation houses and beach houses all come equipped with a grill of some kind. One of my favorite recipes is my Blackstone Griddle Cilantro Lime Chicken.

6. Slow Cooker Meals

Slow cooker meals are always a hit when we go to the beach. I take mine with me just in case the house we are staying at does not have one.

You can do something as simple as Slow Cooker Pinto Beans or even Slow Cooker Lasagna Pasta for the win.

7. Soups and Stews

Soups and stews are always a great option for the beach. Soups can feed an entire family for a small amount of money.

My Easy Baked Potato Soup is always a crowd pleaser, or my Easy Taco Soup that is ready in about 20 minutes.

8. Everyone's Favorite Meal

You can always take a poll and see what everyone's favorite meal is. If it is a little more expensive to make, have everyone chip in for the cost, making it more budget-friendly. One of our favorites is Oven Baked BBQ Ribs.

Another favorite meal of ours is my Air Fryer Roasted Cauliflower Steaks.

9. Seafood Meals

Okay — you know that if you are on the beach you have to cook at least one seafood meal. One of our favorites is Gordon Ramsay Fish and Chips.

If shrimp is your favorite type of seafood, check out my recipe for Grilled Cajun Shrimp.

10. Breakfast on the Beach

One of the ultimate budget-friendly vacation foods is having breakfast on the beach. My breakfast pizza is always a hit and is so easy to make. It has a croissant crust and then baked in the oven for the perfect quick, budget-friendly meal.