I am so excited! This, my friends, is our first “fancy” meal since the beginning of the year. I got a whopper of a deal on chicken breasts at the local grocery store here (3 lbs. of chicken breasts for $5), and so even on our DE budget, I was able to serve the family a nice meal!
It’s pretty basic meal, really, but since we were able to make it so cheap, I thought I’d share it with ya’ll.
Grilled Chicken with Cheddar Mashed Potatoes and Carmelized Onions
1 lb. of chicken breasts $1.67
1 lb. potatoes, mashed $1.00
1 ounce block cheddar cheese 22 cents
1 c. milk 22 cents
2 onions, sliced 40 cents
4 T real butter, 3 for the potatoes, and 1/2 T each for the onions and the chicken breasts 31 cents
11 oz. frozen green beans 67 cents
Salt, pepper and garlic powder 30 cents
Total cost $4.79 to feed our family of six
There’s not much exciting in terms of cooking instructions here. Grill or fry pan the chicken breasts with a bit of butter or olive oil, coating them on each side with the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Make the mashed potatoes, adding in the cheddar cheese after you’ve shredded it. Steam the green beans (or other veggie if you prefer), and carmelize the onions in a bit of butter, serving them on top of the potatoes, or if you’d rather, mix them in with the veggies.
The point here is that if you keep your eyes open for the deals, you can serve your family a fine meal on a Depression Era budget like ours. It takes some creativity and some planning as you wait and take advantage of the local deals in your area, but it can be done. When taking advantage of those deals though, make sure to keep an eye out for the for the sneaky ways grocery stores lure you in for a deal and then get your money elsewhere, as shown in this post by Frugal Rules, Four Simple Ways to Save Money on Groceries.
Here’s to good food on a thrifty budget!
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