Next, use a matrix to assure variety of meals. So,e people use a theme based matrix, some a protein based matrix, whatever works for you. It's important to have a plan, even though you might not always use the plan. Yesterday I went to Safeways to get a few things that were on sale. I foimd so,e I had t seen, and had coupons to make things better, and I found shrimp with yesterday's pull date at 1/2 off. We were supposed to have salmon for dinner, it wasn't much of a stretch to substitute shrimp. I was already 1/2 way there when I had to go to the imaging clinic. I don't travel ten miles to save .25. LOL.
I digress - meal plans - not nexessarily on order
- Sweet and sour chicken , rice, mandarin oranges
- Pizza
- Chicken tortilla soup
- Sausage and saurkraut , apples and bread
- Speghetti and meatballs , French bread
- Split pea soup , crescents
- Breakfast 4 dinner
Notes : A batch of chicken breasts can be cooked at the same time for sweet and sour chicken and chicken tortilla soup. I'm still working on dollar a pound chicken.
Pizza is veggie
Sausage was bought for a dollar. Apples cut the sharpness of the saurkraut. Bread sticks can be made from pizza dough easily. Make dough. Let rise once ( 10 minutes.) flatten out in a baking sheet with sides, dish with melted butter or oilive oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder and oak cheese. Bake as pizza dough. Slice into sticks with a pizza cutter.
Speghetti and meatballs. Meatballs are already cooked. Speghetti sauce is as cheap as .58 and never more than a dollar on glass or .88 on cans. Orontonsoegjetti was .75 with coupons.
Tuna casserole. I have been weighing out the noodles, with only three of us eating them, I have been making a 8x8 pan of a casserole instead of the 9x13. Less waste. I got albacore tuna , wild caught for 1.25 at grocery outlet. I make my own cream sauce mix, and cook whole carrots.
Breakfast for dinner is a given. Scrambelled eggs, fruit and some kind of starch: pancakes, waffles, English muffins ( cheapest at FM) or regular muffins, Muffins can be made for less than a dollar. It a good take and go breakfast too.
Four dollar a day budgets allow for a dollar a plate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and a dollar for snacks and staples like oil, flour etc.
My breakfast consists of a bowl oatmeal made from a bulk oatmeal box from Costco and a banana. I got a cog box of ancient grains cereal on a sale at grocery outlet o might swap out for some variety. Less than .50 including the banana. Bananas are cheapest at Costco. Look formwhole hands, not singles put on the bag. Most bags I have found are closer to 3.5 pounds, If they add 1 banana they are going to be closer to the three pounds.
Lunch is leftovers or a sandwich or soup, I got chicken noodle for .45 and progresso chinky for .75
That will feed two of us with crackers or bread.
Having less expensive lunches frees up money for a stock. Stocking is the backbone of eating on the cheap. Good food cheap - not cheap food.