My goal is to provide dinner for my
family for an average of $5 except on special
occasions. We don’t have to eat beans and rice to
accomplish this goal! I shop the grocery sales each
week. Then I plan my menu based on the foods I have already at a home (at a great price). We typically only cook a main dish 4 or 5 times a week. Each
main dish cooked will serve 4-6, and the
leftovers will be for easy dinners on the weekend, or to freeze
for another week. This cuts down on cleaning,
cooking, and meal planning– saving us lots of time!
We made a rush trip to TN this weekend for a funeral and ended up not grilling out on Saturday as planned. It’s been a very tiring past few days, so I’m thinking fast food is in order for tonight 
Dairy Queen on the road, bananas
2 DQ kids meals @ 3.57 each = 7.14
1 jr. buster sandwich @ 1.29
2 bananas @ .40
Total Cost = $8.83
Grilled Chicken, Pineapple, Sweet Peas, Cinnamon Sugar Toast, Mashed Potatoes
1 lb. chicken breasts @ 1.67
misc. seasonings for chicken
1 can pineapple @ .83
1 can sweet peas @ .45
3 slices of bread for toast @ .12
butter, cinnamon and sugar for toast
2 potatoes @ .40
butter, milk, garlic salt for mashed potatoes @ .10
Total Cost: $3.57
Lemon Pepper Pork Tenderloin, Sweet Peas, Roasted Potatoes, Orange Slices
1 lb. Hormel Lemon Pepper Pork Tenderloin @ 3.33
1 can sweet peas @ .24
2 potatoes for roasting @ .50
4 oranges @ 1.08
Total Cost: $5.15
Ham, Broccoli and Cheese, White Rice, Fruit Cocktail
1 lb. ham @ 1.47
1 lb. broccoli @ .88
3 slices of velveeta @ .60
4 servings of white rice @ .20
1 can fruit cocktail @ .76
Total Cost: $3.91
Breakfast for Dinner
12 scrambled eggs @ .90
12 little sizzler’s sausages @ 1.00
3 slices of cheese @ .18
pancake mix @.33
1 pkg blueberry muffin mix @ .77
syrup @ .25
milk @ .07
Total Cost: $3.50
Average cost of the meals we’re cooking this week: $4.99.