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 home (at a great price). I balance more expensive meals with less expensive ones. 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!
With Thanksgiving and Turkey’s birthday party quickly approaching we need to be making some room in our fridge and freezer. We’ll be eating mostly freezer foods or meals that won’t leave us with as many leftovers.
Lemon Pepper Pork Chops, Baked Potatoes, Sweet Peas and Corn, toast
1 lb. pork chops @ 1.47
3 potatoes @ .80
butter, cheese and bacon bits for the potatoes @ .20
1 can sweet peas @ .58
1 can corn @ .58
4 slices of bread for toast @ .16
total cost: $3.78
Taco Salad, Corn, Apples, Chips and Cheese Dips
1 lb. ground turkey @ 1.67
taco seasoning @ free
tomato @ .60
tortilla chips @ .25
cheese and rotel for dip @ 1.31
lettuce @ .11
leftover corn @ free
2 sliced apples @ .80
Total Cost $4.74
Blueberry Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs and Bananas
8 eggs @ .86
pancake mix @ .33
1 pkg blueberry muffin mix @ .79
syrup @ .25
4 bananas @ .84
Total Cost: $3.07
Chicken Helper @ .66
2 cups milk for helper @ .14
2 apples @ .80
carrot sticks @ .40
4 slices of toast @ .16
ranch
Total Cost: $2.16
Chick-Fil-A Carryout and Bananas
1 Adult Meal @ 5.79
1 kids meal @ FREE (kids night)
1 chicken sandwich @ 2.79
2 bananas @ .40
Total Cost: $8.98
Average cost of the meals we’re cooking this week: $4.55 (I’m planning to average this week with next week to help keep our Thanksgiving dinner within the budget)
This post is part of Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie.
