Meals and their cost

7 meals and their cost when bought at RBP.  
For three adults and 1 child or toe adults and two school aged children.  



I don't always cost meals out, it's. Ice everyone and the to do a reality check.  

Scratch pizza , one with black olives and red peppers, one with pepperoni,   2.43 with leftovers

Soup from leftover beef tips ( factor in leftover price ) biscuits 3.18

Chicken noodle casserole with peas and carrots.  2.76

Baked white fish, fries salad.   5.00

Chicken stir fry : chicken pieces. Celery, peppers, ramen noodles, celery and carrots 1.76

Chicken tacos, rice and fried beans 2.05 -

Breakfast for dinner :  blueberry waffles. Vanilla yogurt parfaits,  bacon.  4.20

Total.   21.38.  Average 3.05 a meal.


Notes : pepperoni is at the dollar store and there is in essence BOGO coupon.  
             Peppers were 5/3 at grocery outlet, I cut them in pieces and froze them.

             Black olives. Sliced were .58 at Winco

             Leftover soup from tips we had 1/2 package of meat was 2.00 and 1/2'can tomatoes .25.  Add                      
             Celery and carrots.

              Ten pounds of split chicken breast were ten dollars.   I devones the breasts, saving the tenders aside.   The rest of the bones with meat were cooked for stock and the meat was pulled from the bones.   That left 16 half breasts (1.25 pounds each) chicken tenders, amd two cups of chicken pieces.   19 meal s for .53 a meal.    Meat stretch further if you don't serve individual pieces.    The RDA of protein is 6 ounces per day which should include eggs.

Peas and mixed veggies I paid .60 a pound bag for with coupon at Winco.    Frozen

Fries are a dollar a bag, or five pounds for 300 amd change at Winco, I bought ore-Ida at the dollar tree.  

Use  chicken pieces for stirfry and add a top ramen noodle pack - always dove or sox for a dollar at dollar store.  

Taco kits are a dollar at grocery outlet.   Use the rest of the chicken meat or the chicken tenders , bulk rice and homemade re- fried beans not fried.  

Breakfast for dinner : use waffles homemade or pancakes.  Plain yogurt layers in small tall glass with blueberroes or other chesp  fruit in season and  top  with some granola.  That can be made from scratch too.   I have also found it at the dollar store- a name brand.

Jenne-o turkey bacon is at the dollar store.

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 
The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until ot goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck.