You know...when I first started thinking about posting low cost dinners, it never occurred to me that this is how I keep my grocery bills down. I mean, don't get me wrong...spending $150-$180 a week DOES add up...but with that money I'm feeding a family of 6 (including formula and diapers).
I may not be posting my Menu Plan Mondays anymore (mostly because my family has become boring by requesting the SAME stuff EVERY DOGGONE WEEK!!), but I still have a plan (and my calculator) when I go grocery shopping. I started thinking in terms of breaking the cost of EACH meal down...because let's face it...not ALL of my grocery budget is actually spent on food - cleaning supplies add up quickly too!
So anyway...here's a cheap meal...and these prices are taken directly from my last shopping receipt.
Meatloaf, rice & gravy, green salad and corn bread
2lbs. of 80/20 lean ground beef @ $2.88 (ON SALE)
1 box of Kroger generic cornbread stuffing @ $.98
2 cans of Kroger generic beef gravy @ $.68 each
1 - 16oz bag of rice @ $.79 each
2 - 12oz bags of green salad medley @ $.98 each
2 boxes of Jiffy corn muffin mix @ $.45 each
4 eggs (2 for the meatloaf, 2 for the cornbread) @ $.50 (I actually spent $1.49 for a dozen...but we're breaking down the cost of THIS meal).
1 can of cream corn @ $.58
Ok, add that up and it's $9.95! I know...you hate me right now! HAHAHA!! I'm not counting the salad dressing because lawd knows I KEEP salad dressing in this house!
I don't do tomato based meatloaf...I never have enjoyed the taste of baked ketchup! Eww!! If you prefer ground turkey, that's fine too...I only buy it when it happens to be on sale (which isn't often enough).
This meal is enough to feed us all (except the baby of course) for 2 days.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 and prepare your baking dish by spraying the bottom with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the meat, stuffing mix, 2 eggs and about 1 1/2 cups of warm water. Stick your hands in the bowl and mix everything WELL. Dump meat into your baking dish and form it into a loaf...make sure it's packed firmly, you don't want any gaps or holes on the inside - I don't know why...my mother used to just tell me that all the time!! I'm sure there's a reason!! HAHAHA!!
Bake uncovered for about 50 minutes to an hour. Everyone RAVES about this recipe...if you haven't tried it...do so...it's super easy!
Enjoy!
I may not be posting my Menu Plan Mondays anymore (mostly because my family has become boring by requesting the SAME stuff EVERY DOGGONE WEEK!!), but I still have a plan (and my calculator) when I go grocery shopping. I started thinking in terms of breaking the cost of EACH meal down...because let's face it...not ALL of my grocery budget is actually spent on food - cleaning supplies add up quickly too!
So anyway...here's a cheap meal...and these prices are taken directly from my last shopping receipt.
Meatloaf, rice & gravy, green salad and corn bread
2lbs. of 80/20 lean ground beef @ $2.88 (ON SALE)
1 box of Kroger generic cornbread stuffing @ $.98
2 cans of Kroger generic beef gravy @ $.68 each
1 - 16oz bag of rice @ $.79 each
2 - 12oz bags of green salad medley @ $.98 each
2 boxes of Jiffy corn muffin mix @ $.45 each
4 eggs (2 for the meatloaf, 2 for the cornbread) @ $.50 (I actually spent $1.49 for a dozen...but we're breaking down the cost of THIS meal).
1 can of cream corn @ $.58
Ok, add that up and it's $9.95! I know...you hate me right now! HAHAHA!! I'm not counting the salad dressing because lawd knows I KEEP salad dressing in this house!
I don't do tomato based meatloaf...I never have enjoyed the taste of baked ketchup! Eww!! If you prefer ground turkey, that's fine too...I only buy it when it happens to be on sale (which isn't often enough).
This meal is enough to feed us all (except the baby of course) for 2 days.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 and prepare your baking dish by spraying the bottom with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine the meat, stuffing mix, 2 eggs and about 1 1/2 cups of warm water. Stick your hands in the bowl and mix everything WELL. Dump meat into your baking dish and form it into a loaf...make sure it's packed firmly, you don't want any gaps or holes on the inside - I don't know why...my mother used to just tell me that all the time!! I'm sure there's a reason!! HAHAHA!!
Bake uncovered for about 50 minutes to an hour. Everyone RAVES about this recipe...if you haven't tried it...do so...it's super easy!
Enjoy!
