10$ dinner challenge.

zigi

Wed, Oct 08 2008, 2:46 pm

http://citymama.typepad.com/ci......html I got this link of the www.nakedledger.blogspot.com

its an interesting idea I wonder if I break down the cost of my suppers how much do I spend everynight.

the link mentioned that she got a promotional package from ragu, that was worth 10$ a bag of pasta a jar of sauce a can of green beans and shelf stable parmasean cheese, she said that she could feed her family better for 10$

10$ is for a family of 4 and on the website there is a fomula to change it for larger families,

Fox

Wed, Oct 08 2008, 2:55 pm

This is interesting! I always think about the price of the meal, but a lot of that has to do with the cost of meat. For example, if I serve a meat meal during the week, I always make sure to balance it another night with an inexpensive meal. Still, $10 for a family of four doesn't seem super frugal. My "cheap meal" for a family of seven adds up to about $8 (spaghetti for $1.50; 2 jars sauce for $1.29 each; lettuce for $1; dressing for $.70). Pancakes are even less. I'm interested to see what other people do to stretch the food budget!

montrealmommy

Tue, Oct 28 2008, 7:52 pm

we do $10 dinner frequently - homemade pizza comes out to about $5 for our family - a side salad will round that up to about $7.

Tuna casserole - also about $8 for our family

Stew comes out to about $6 per meal (I make a gezunt pot which lasts on avg. 3-4 meals at a cost of about $21 total)

Pasta primavery = $4

Tuna Tacos = $7

Dairy/Veggie Burritos = $4

Pancakes = $2

Grilled cheese and tomato soup = $5-6

Stir-Fry = $3 (no meat) $7 (with meat/chicken)

Stuffed peppers/zucchini = $4 (no meat) $8-9 (meat)

Tourtiere = $10

Sheppard's Pie = $10-12

Just a few of our regulars

chanagital

Tue, Oct 28 2008, 9:22 pm

I do it all the time for a family of 5 in fact for the last two nights I made stuff under 10 dollars for my family....yesterday I made a chicken with pasta dish, today I made chinese chicken fried rice... admitadly I keep a economy size container of soy sauce etc in my pantry.... but for the most part I used up half the chicken last night the rest tonight... but I should tell you I debone my own chicken etc. When I buy I buy in bulk to save money... peas and carrots are a well love staple in my family... and it doesn't always look like peas and carrots. I also use deals and stuff to buy the food.

Pineapple

Tue, Oct 28 2008, 9:29 pm

montrealmommy wrote:

Can you post some of your recipies?

montrealmommy

Wed, Oct 29 2008, 5:24 pm

first of all: tourtiere is a quebec meat pie. my dh loves it!

Chanagital - I'm with you - lots of in bulk that I either divide and re-package or just use up slowly.

We are a family of 4 but we also have a host of allergies, so eggs, tofu and legumes are not quick and easy staples (yet) as I cannot use them. I do however make my own sauces and marinades which save a lot of $$.

Tuna casserole - boil pasta and drain. To make sauce: melt 1 tbsp fat (butter is best, IMO) and saute 1 med. onion, once onions are soft, add 1 tblsp flour and mix well so flour absorbs fat and gets pasty. add 1/2 c. milk (cow's, rice or soy). Stir well to make the roux (sauce base). Continue until 1.5-2 c. of liquid have been added. Let simmer, stirring frequently. Add 1-2 cans tuna and 1/2 c. shredded cheese. Add more milk if you like a thinner sauce (or if ou are going to bake it). Add cooked pasta. You can either serve like this or pour into a 9x13, top with some more shredded cheese and bake at 350 for 15 min. I will sometimes add mushrooms to this and use s+p as you like.

Pasta primavery: saute any and all veggies you like (we usually use onions, garlic, peppers, zucchini and mushrooms), once veggies begin to soften add 1 large tin diced tomatoes (or about 3/4-1lb diced tomatoes with all juices). Season with s+p, oregano, basil, and a pinch of sugar. Let simmer while pasta is cooking (spirals are real good for this). Once pasta is cooke dand drained add to sauce. You can add some cheese to individual servings (optional)

Pancakes whatever pancake recipe you like, I add wheat germ for added boost adn fresh compote (does that make sense?).

Tourtiere = will post this later - although I think I already posted it once here, Iwill try to find it.

Sheppard's Pie: ground beef with sauteed onions on the bottom of a pan - top with chunky mashed potatoes and bake unti lmeat is cooked through.

Chani

Wed, Oct 29 2008, 8:57 pm

A twist on Shepherd's Pie - I saute some diced carrots/parsnips/turnips with the ground beef before topping with mashed potato and baking. Have to sneak the veggies in somewhere and my kids are very finicky eaters.

Maybe the non-Southerners won't appreciate this, but another inexpensive meal we eat every week or two is cornbread, turnip (or collard) greens, black eyed peas, and a casserole made with yellow squash or sometimes vegetarian red beans and rice. My husband loves greens and cornbread.

How about tuna or salmon patties? Quiche? Omelet?

Chani

Wed, Oct 29 2008, 8:57 pm

frumnurse

Tue, Nov 04 2008, 5:45 am

I do it all the time. Although I don't plan my dinner that way, but rather have a weekly budget for the week and try real hard to stick to it. My budget for a family of 4 is $60-$70 (that includes food and household items, poultry & fish).Some weeks I may go over but other weeks I go under, so it balances out. We live frugally, but we have everything we need. We even have Fleishigs a couple of times a week (my son has milk allergies) and salmon usually one night.
FYI: I have a blog about saving money where I blog about everything under the sun to get things for free, nearly free and save money in every area of life.
Check out my Blog Archive: My Shopping trips, and see some stuff I bought for little money.
I am a coupon & sale fanatic. I will try real hard to only buy stuff only on sale, then I will use coupons (I print out tons of them daily+ get them from the newspapers and from manufacturers) and finally will purchase the product on sale , with coupons (hopefully the supermarkett will double them too) and get them for real cheap. I also stock up on those items until it goes on sale again and I can get them for real cheap.
I am also a drugstore fanatic and get ton's of household/personal items for free and even some food from there every now and then. I rarely have to spend any money on those items elsewhere. My kids are out of diapers at this time, so obviously my weekly budget would be more if I had that additional expense.