The links below may be affiliate links, meaning I earn a small compensation at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure policy here.

Trying to maintain a clean and organized car while traveling, chauffeuring, and adventuring during the summer can be just like the popular analogy of brushing your teeth while eating Oreos.

BUT it is possible to stay generally clean even while spending extra time in the car with a handful of simple systems in place. Besides the obvious of easily accessible trashcans, it’s also super important to have convenient storage options for the things everyone “needs” on the drive.

And, of course, the habit of not leaving half your personal belongings in the car every time you return home helps, too.

Car Organization Ideas for the Family

Let’s begin with the most basic things for car organization — trash and food. Two essential considerations if ever there were any.

People have a lot of different ideas about whether or not to let kids eat in the car, but honestly, to me it’s just entirely impractical to say that we will never eat a meal or a snack on the road.

Instead, I make the process as easy as possible– both super easy for the kids to eat and easy for clean-up to be streamlined.

My favorite hack for eating on the road is to keep food baskets in the car (I keep mine handy in my center console). We use these to divy up fast food, pass out snacks, and make meal baskets for longer rides.

These baskets are especially helpful during the summer, when we’re traveling further and spending full days adventuring. Sometimes I’ll prep breakfast for the drive there, and then pack something for dinner to keep in the car until we are ready to head back home. (For many/most adventure days where we live, this means at least an hour drive).

We keep a water cooler in the car to refill water bottles, my kids may change into dry clothes, and I assemble dinner baskets. I’m working on putting together a list of pack-ahead dinners for the drive home, but for now, just be sure to follow me on Instagram for lots of ideas and recs!

I always use fast food napkins or paper towels to line the baskets, which makes clean up really easy.

There’s no perfect car trash can that will magically motivate everyone to make sure they’re throwing away their trash (rather than it ending up on the floor or left on the seat).

That said, I have found a blend of reminding the kids during travel and when we get back to take care of their trash AND having big enough trash cans/bags within reach really does go a long way to keeping the car clean.

These are the three trash cans/bags we’ve used in our truck.

1. Waterproof Car Trash Bag with Lid & Storage Pockets
2. Easy Mountable Car Trash Can for Back Seat
3. Small Trash Can with Lid & Foot Pedal

Option one is a great design, but it didn’t end up being a good fit for our vehicle where I hung it. For a while, it was hung next to the center console on the passenger side so I could reach it and easily throw things away. However, because it wasn’t convenient for my kids to reach and it took up space from whoever was in the passenger seat, I swapped it for other options.

The second option is another great design, with a completely washable interior, an adjustable opening, and velcro closure. I wanted something for my kids who ride in the third row to be able to easily access for their smaller trash, so I hung this in-between the two headrests on the back row.

Option three isn’t actually meant for the car– it’s a bathroom/small trash can. BUT, it’s currently working really well for us after multiple trips and lots of time in the car. I wanted something with a sturdy lid, something big enough to hold. more than one outing’s worth of trash, and something that my youngest kids in the second row could easily use to throw away their trash. I have it strapped to the center console so it is securely fixed in-between their seats and cannot fall over. We just line it with grocery bags for quick and clean swaps.

Five Favorite Car Storage Recommendations

I’m mildly obsessed with each of these storage/organization items for the car and not at all embarrassed about how happy they make me. (Especially number five!)

Visor Napkin Holder

This is actually meant for tissues, I think. But, I wanted a way to keep napkins quickly in reach while driving. Instead of asking for the passenger to pass me some (request often goes unheard due to headphones), or reaching across to the glove box (not exactly the safest), there’s always a stash of napkins to pass out right above my head.

(It’s also super easy to refill, which I always do when I get more napkins from a restaurant).

2. Ceiling Cargo Storage Net

This cargo storage net really helps to reduce the clutter and mess on the floor of the car. (And helps to protect books from getting destroyed underfoot!)

My kids use it to keep a book or two, hats, small toys, etc, above their heads.

3. Car Seat Gap Filler

This little pocket organizer is helpful to utilize a small amount of space in which things would usually just fall into and get lost under the seat. I keep some simple basic things in mine, like chapstick, a pocket knife, lotion stick, and sharpie.

4. Car Backseat Organizer

We used these a year or so ago and they were helpful in keeping my younger kids’ toys and gear organized and accessible for them. Eventually, they did become clutter-magnets themselves, though, so I took them out of the car. However, I would still recommend them for longer roadtrips and drives when there is the expectation that they will have more with them in the car to stay occupied.

5. Car Trunk Organizer and Storage with Lid & Removable Leakproof Cooler Bag

I’ve used a variety of organizers in the back of our car over the years, from laundry baskets and bags to plastic drawer organizers. They all did the job well enough of keeping items we needed corralled and for that, I’m thankful.

But they also all had their pitfalls and I wanted to find another storage option that could keep everything organized without looking messy or taking up too much valuable space.

I am obsessed with how much I like this trunk organizer. I wanted an organizer that had a sturdy lid so we could stack things on top as needed. I also appreciate that if we don’t need to use all the compartments, it can close up and buckle to take up less space.

The organizer also comes with a cooler bag, which I honestly didn’t realize how much I would use. I bought some flat, stay-frozen longer ice packs and we use the cooler bag all the time for drinks, snacks, and more.

It’s honestly such a great investment for keeping the car organization and preparation this summer (and beyond)!

15 items I always keep on hand in our car ::

1. Emesis Bags
2. Compact Picnic Blanket
3. Ultralight Chair
4. Rain jackets for the family
5. Hats (for sun shade and hiking)
6. Flip flops (in case people forget shoes)
7. Travel games (for the car, parks, & restaurants)
8. Hair brush and ties
9. First Aid Kit
10. Microfiber towels
11. Trays (currently these dry erase, magnetic trays)
12. Ziploc bags
13. Hammock
14. Pocket knife, magnifying glass, net, whistle
15. Travel Cutlery

I hope these ideas and recs help you master car organization this summer! Being prepared and organized is a great first step to fun and adventures!

More Like This:

• Adventure Day Bags
• 10 Summer Mom Hacks for Better (& Easier) Family Adventures
• Traveler’s Journal Ideas: How I Use A Traveler’s Journal to Organize My Life
• Summer Adventure Bingo
• Summer Checklists & Our Summer Rhythm

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The post Car Organization for the Family appeared first on This Pilgrim Life.

The links below may be affiliate links, meaning I earn a small compensation at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure policy here. 

It’s that time again. We’re done with school this year, we took a week or so off with nothing on the agenda (because I had not made the kids’ summer checklists yet), and then I realized WHY THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING TO DO EVERY DAY.

I don’t mean like a fun errand or adventure everyday. We definitely do not have the stamina for that.

But during the summer, the whole household runs better with at least a little structure. So, personal summer checklists it is. (I even make on for myself!)

Summer Checklists & Recommended Resources

The thing about a checklist or rhythm or schedule that I absolutely love, is that when the tasks are on a piece of paper, posted for all to see, the job of TELLING THE KIDS WHAT TO DO is off my plate. The checklists are the bossy ones making the kids do their math, read their books, write in their gratitude journals, etc. It’s not mom. She’s the easy-going one who get to defer to the checklist whenever anyone asks for screen-time. “But what does the checklist say?!”

(Highly recommend this method for assigning regular chores, daily rhythms, etc, too. Less decision fatigue for you, more responsibility for them). You can find a lot of ready-to-go printables and organizers in my shop to help with this!

I like to laminate the checklists so the kids can use dry erase markers to check things off, then erase for the next day/week. I also printed mine 4 to a page, but you can go bigger if that works better for you. (Different print options are available with the download in my shop).

WHAT’S ON THE KIDS’ CHECKLISTS (2024*)

Each day the kids all have to complete 1 page of math in their math books, read an hour independently or 30 minutes with mom, and complete a page in their word building or grammar books (my middle schoolers are doing a page of grammar a day).

In addition to the daily tasks, they have once a week tasks, like write in their gratitude notebook, write a journal entry about something that happened that week, read current events and do a written narration about something interesting, do a building project or science experiment, play math games, do a math speed drill, etc.

*I will add an updated picture of our 2025 Summer Checklists below with a few new ideas and resources.

Here are a few of the resources we’re using for our checklists: 

• Math Mammoth (this is the math curriculum we’ve used for years. They have review books, but we’re just going to keep working in their regular books because we didn’t finish)
• Honey for A Teen’s Heart (this is a book recommendation book for teenagers. I have the standard Honey for A Child’s Heart too. I’m using this to pull reading ideas from for my oldest boys)
• The Week Jr. (current events magazine that arrives once a week. Interesting and fun, generally non-partisan. My kids typically devour it when it arrives)
• Word Ladders (this is a whole series of books on different grade levels. The pages are simple to complete and will serve as fun spelling and vocabulary practice)
• Grammar Practice (basic grammar rules and practice exercises. I got 6th grade level for both my middle schoolers because grammar isn’t something we typically focus a lot on)
• Gratitude Notebook (Juniper Grove Journals has a lot of printed notebooks like this to go in a traveler’s journal. I love that the prompts and places to write are ready to go)
• Cardboard Engineering (I bought this for my 8yo’s birthday. He can use this book, and others in our library, to complete his project task each week).
• Multiplication Speed Drill (I use this website to print out our speed drill practice pages)

In addition to the math and language arts practice this summer (and our summer nature study, gardening, interests, and adventure days), there is also a section in the checklists for habits. I’m trying to help the kids develop a habit of starting each day with water, sunshine, and movement, so that is on their checklists. I also included gratitude and random acts of kindness in the habits section.

You can see and print the Random Acts of Kindness sheet for free at the end of this post! 

My summer checklist is a little different than the kids (the last one on the daily section should actually say book reading, so that is actually similar). But I wanted to set some regular goals for myself this summer, and help me reach some of my work deadlines.

Hopefully, my personal checklist will be a helpful reminder to make both work and personal fulfillment a priority most days!

2025 Summer Checklists

I used our checklists from last year as a base for this year’s checklists, with a few small changes based on my kids’ current ages and needs.

One of the great things about summer is the extra time for individual interests and lessons. My oldest boys will be signed up for typing lessons, my older daughter wants to start learning French, and my younger son will have ample time to build and experiment– his particular passions.

Most of the kids’ summer work and habits will be independent, but I also want to be sure we have intentional learning time together and time to connect as well. (Especially since I try to use the increased free time to increase my own work and project time independent of the kids).

My goal is to gather the kids at lunch with a lunch tray and our Summer Nature Study. I LOVE this time of learning together about summer nature topics– things we are already going to be exploring and active in for the next few months.

Other resources we will be using this summer:

• Challenge Cooking Cards :: deck of cooking prompts to inspire and motivate kids to cook regularly and try new recipes
• Oyla Science Magazine :: we’re trying both the regular and the junior version this summer
• Duolingo :: language lesson learning app– we’ve used it for Spanish for a while, and are going to try French this summer
• Typing.com :: free typing practice and fun games
• Yoto Player :: I’m going to get my youngest set up with some podcasts via the Yoto to listen to during craft time

Printable Resources

You can find these customizable summer checklists in my Etsy shop, along with a lot more resources like a Water & Nutrition Tracker, Drink Flip Menu, Summer Menu pages, and more.

The Random Acts of Kindness page is free to print here. I hope it inspires more kindness in all of us, in new and fresh ways!

I love summer and this season of adventuring and gardening especially! If you enjoy organizational content, fun family content, and great summer recipes, stick around, look around my site, and follow me on Instagram!

These are some great summer posts to get you started:

• 10 Summer Mom Hacks for Better Family Adventures
• 50+ Fresh Summer Vegetable Recipes & Resources
• 20+ Tasty Summer Cookout Recipes
• Adventure Day Bags

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The post Summer Checklists & Our Summer Rhythm appeared first on This Pilgrim Life.

The links below may be affiliate links, meaning I earn a small compensation at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure policy here.

I’m not a couponer and I don’t generally have the time to watch weekly sales, but that doesn’t mean saving money on our grocery budget isn’t important to me. Thankfully, there are lots of different ways to keep grocery costs down.

After extensive price comparing between Costco and Aldi, and Whole Foods/Harris Teeter/Walmart, I’m happy with sticking to doing the majority of my shopping at Costco and Whole Foods, knowing that their prices are competitive and their selection best fits our family’s preferences.

I also save a lot of money by meal planning. I have a system that works well for me– streamlining the process from making a grocery list, doing my shopping, and creating a meal plan that takes into account the weather, our schedule, and what we have on hand. I use my Kitchen Essentials Checklist to make sure we have all the basics for homemade meals, and my weekly or monthly Meal Planning tables to keep things like the forecast and upcoming events all together with our meals for the week/month.

Just as helpful in meal planning and saving money are master meal lists. Having a curated list of meals that fit the season and your schedule is incredibly helpful in reducing the mental energy and time it takes to meal plan. I keep my seasonal menus in my travelers journal for easy access whenever I need them.

You can watch my meal planning process on Instagram for inspiration if you feel like you need some fresh ideas for making this task easier, and find all these printable resources and more in my Etsy shop.

75+ Budget, Frugal Meal Ideas

This list of frugal meal ideas that I’m sharing today is similar to the others, but with a focus on meals that are especially budget-friendly (over seventy-five of them!). 

The meals in the list are separated by type (easy dinners, meatless meals, beans, breakfast for dinner, and soups & bread). To assemble the list, I pulled recipes from my site, as well as other recipes from recipe creators I trust.

You are definitely going to want to SAVE/PIN this list because there are just so many great recipes that are going to help us all save money while still eating healthy, delicious meals. (Did you know you can also easily add a link to specific webpages on your home screen of your phone? It’s really helpful for sites and lists you reference often).

In addition to all the meals, I’ve included extra tips and links to help you make it even easier to save money and time. Find those tips and get the Frugal Meal Ideas printable reference sheet after the list of recipes. 

Favorite kitchen tools for easy & frugal cooking:

• 6qt Instant Pot Ultra
• 10″ Cast Iron Skillet & 12″ Cast Iron Skillet
• Chef’s Knife
• Bread Knife
• Extra Large Baking Sheets
• Shop the rest of my favorite kitchen recommendations

Easy Meals:

• Fried Rice w/ Chicken/Pork/Venison in the skillet (or this easy Instant Pot version) :: This Pilgrim Life
• Baked Chicken & Mushroom Skillet :: Damn Delicious
• Homemade Pizza (this Simple Thin Crust Pizza Dough will change your life!) :: This Pilgrim Life
  • Variations: Barbecue & Caramelized Onion, Buffalo Chicken Ranch, Spinach & Bacon Alfredo, Proscuitto with Garlic Olive Oil, Pesto Mushroom
• Sheetpan Sausage & Root Veg :: This Pilgrim Life
• Change-Your-Life Chicken (roasted chicken thighs and veg)
• Simple Chicken Rice Dinner :: Frugal Farm Wife
• Instant Pot Shepherd’s Pie :: This Pilgrim Life
• Sweet Potato Chicken Curry :: BBC Good Food
• Easy Skillet Chicken Carbonara :: This Pilgrim Life
• Use What You’ve Got Orzo :: Naptime Kitchen
• Instant Pot Barbecue Chicken :: This Pilgrim Life
• Easy Oven Fajitas :: Budget Bytes
• Instant Pot Chicken Cacciatore :: This Pilgrim Life
• Salsa Verde Shredded Pork Tacos (in my cookbook, or a similar recipe for Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas from $5 Dinners)
• Skillet Tortellini Bake :: This Pilgrim Life
• Breaded Pork Chops with Warm Apple-Cabbage Slaw :: The Food Network
• Spaghetti Casserole :: Naptime Kitchen
• Mac’n’Cheese with Bacon & Peas in the Instant Pot :: This Pilgrim Life
• Skillet Crustless Chicken Pot Pie :: This Pilgrim Life
• Tastiest Easy Sliders :: This Pilgrim Life
• Garlic Orzo with Bacon & Greens in the Instant Pot :: This Pilgrim Life

Beans:

Don’t forget you can save a lot of money cooking beans from dried! Get my Instant Pot cooking times chart here for quick reference, or refer to the Kitchen Staples chapter in my Instant Pot cookbook.

• Sheetpan Nachos :: This Pilgrim Life
• Easy Burrito Bowls :: Damn Delicious
• Black Bean & Spinach Egg Rolls :: This Pilgrim Life
• Pintos & Cornbread :: This Pilgrim Life
• Bean Enchiladas (sub pintos and/or black beans for the beef) :: This Pilgrim Life
• Easy Tortilla Pizzas :: This Pilgrim Life
• Curried Chickpeas with Spinach :: Budget Bytes
• Freezer Burritos :: This Pilgrim Life
• Chili Potatoes (in my cookbook, or this recipe from Good Cheap Eats for Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes)

More Meatless:

• Lentil Sloppy Joes :: This Pilgrim Life
• Instant Pot Ramen Noodles :: This Pilgrim Life
• Chili Cheese Lentils :: Red & Honey
• Can’t-Believe-It’s-Vegetarian Chili :: Gimme Some Oven
• Best Vegetable Lasagna :: Cookie & Kate
• Lentil & Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie :: One Ingredient Chef
• Winter Vegetable Pie :: BBC Good Food
• Creamy Green Chili Beef on Noodles :: Red & Honey
• Veggie Pot Pie (this recipe, but sub extra veg for the chicken) :: This Pilgrim Life
• Vegetable Pasta Primavera with Creamy Cauliflower Sauce :: Don’t Waste the Crumbs
• Mushroom Risotto :: This Pilgrim Life
• Cheesy Herb-Stuffed Tomatoes :: Cheapskate Cook

Breakfast for Dinner:

• From Scratch Breakfast Biscuits :: This Pilgrim Life
• Easy Skillet Frittata :: This Pilgrim Life
• Instant Pot Make-Ahead Egg Casserole (from my cookbook) or this oven egg casserole from Good Cheap Eats
• Western Breakfast Casserole :: Naptime Kitchen
• Healthy Egg & Chips :: BBC Good Food
• Quiche (basic recipe from Good Cheap Eats)
• Egg & Potato Breakfast Scramble :: Cookie & Kate
• Back Pocket Pancakes :: This Pilgrim Life
• Perfect Pumpkin Pancakes :: This Pilgrim Life
• Saturday Morning Waffles :: This Pilgrim Life
• Muffins ::
  • Raisin, Date, Walnut :: This Pilgrim Life
  • Nutty Blueberry :: This Pilgrim Life
  • Chocolate Zucchini :: This Pilgrim Life
  • Carrot Raisin :: This Pilgrim Life
  • Banana Nut :: This Pilgrim Life
  • Naturally Sweetened Master Muffin Mix :: This Pilgrim Life
• Huevos Rancheros :: Good Cheap Eats

Soup/Chili + Bread/Salad/Sandwiches:

• (Instant Pot) Extra Green Broccoli & Cheese Soup :: This Pilgrim Life
• Southwest Black Bean Soup (in my cookbook, or this Taco Soup recipe from Good Cheap Eats)
• (Crockpot) Vegan Black Bean Soup :: Naptime Kitchen
• (Instant Pot) Chicken Salsa Soup :: This Pilgrim Life
• (Instant Pot) Creamy Tomato Soup :: This Pilgrim Life
• (Instant Pot) Comforting Ginger Chicken Noodle :: This Pilgrim Life
• 5 Ingredient White Chicken Chili :: Gimme Some Oven (or alternate version in my cookbook)
• (Instant Pot) Butternut Squash and Apple Soup :: This Pilgrim Life
• (Instant Pot) Honey Carrot Soup :: This Pilgrim Life
• Hamburger Vegetable Soup (Whole 30, Instant Pot/Slow Cooker/Stovetop) :: Cheapskate Cook
• Red Lentil, Chickpea, and Chili Soup :: BBC Good Food
• (Instant Pot) Sweet Creamy Gnocchi Soup :: This Pilgrim Life
• (Instant Pot) Loaded Potato Corn Chowder (in my cookbook or this slow cooker version from Damn Delicious)
• Chunky Lentil & Vegetable Soup :: Budget Bytes

Easy Bread: 

• Cheddar Garlic Drop Biscuits :: This Pilgrim Life
• One-Hour French Bread :: This Pilgrim Life
• Everything Dinner Rolls :: This Pilgrim Life
• Twisted Cheesy Breadsticks :: This Pilgrim Life
• One-Hour Focaccia :: This Pilgrim Life
• Skillet Cornbread :: This Pilgrim Life
• Whole Wheat Sandwich Loaves :: This Pilgrim Life
• Homemade Pita Bread :: The Mediterranean Dish

More Ways to Save Money on Healthy Meals!

1. Make your own sauces and dressings. 

• 8 Ways to Sauce A Pizza
• 10 Easy Homemade Salad Dressings
• 5 Minute Pesto Sauce with Super Greens
• Make-Ahead Marinara Sauce (or use the recipe in my cookbook)

2. Prep meat at the beginning of the week: 

Cook a half a ham:

• Hawaiian Pizza
• Frittata or Egg Casserole
• Pesto & Ham Sliders
• Empanadas
• Add to pasta with peas or asparagus
• Add to corn chowder or potato soup

Cook a whole chicken:

• chicken salad
• chicken pot pie
• enchiladas
• fried rice
• Add to soup, salad, pizza, quesadillas, nachos, rice bowls, pasta, or pizza
• How to cook a whole chicken in the Instant Pot + Make a large batch of stock

Six Meals from one pork loin.

Cook a large batch of ground beef: 

• nachos or tacos
• shepherd’s pie
• pasta with meat sauce
• hearty chili
• rice bowls
• enchiladas
• empanadas

3. Use freezer cooking. 

• Naptime Kitchen’s Guide to Freezing
• Instant Pot Freezer Meal #1
• Instant Pot Freezer Meals #2
• Instant Pot Freezer Soups

4. Invest in a cookbook (or two) that provide inspiration for inexpensive meals. 

• 100 Days of Real Food On A Budget
• Good Cheap Eats: Everyday Dinners and Fantastic Feasts for $10 or Less
• Family Meals from Scratch in Your Instant Pot 
• Cooking From Scratch for Teens (simple, inexpensive recipes)

Frugal Meal Ideas Reference Sheet

Download and print a quick Frugal Meal Ideas reference sheet to post in your kitchen or tuck in your planner! 

Check out more printable menu, kitchen organization pages, and other helpful resources in my Etsy shop. Find me on Instagram where I share more meal ideas and family inspiration.

Sharing is caring! Don’t forget to pin and share. Thank you!

The post 75+ Budget-Friendly, Frugal Meal Ideas appeared first on This Pilgrim Life.