7 Meals for $7 or Less Per Meal

With prices rising and the economy falling, I want to save as much as I can to pay down debt and invest in savings. To that end, I have come up with 7 meals for under $7 per meal.

A few ground rules -

1. I don’t count items for a meal that would be considered a staple (sugar, cinnamon, salt, etc.) unless it comprises the majority of ingredients (like flour in pancakes – hint, hint). 

 2. I estimate the cost per meal of items that are used in more than one meal (i.e., celery is 1.99 per bunch and I estimate 6 stalks in a bunch for a cost of 33 cents per stalk).

3. Some meals make leftovers. In that case, I divide by 2 for the cost per meal.

4. These meals can feed my family of 5. When the boys get older, I’m sure I’ll have to make more, thus more expensive meals. But these meals will feed 1 adult male, 1 adult female and 3 little boys under 8 years of age.

5. These prices are based on Silicon Valley, California grocery stores. If you live anywhere else in the country, you should be able to make them much, much cheaper.

7 Meals – $7

1.  Gebratene Nudeln with Salad -  6.04
2. Potato, Bacon & Onion Hotpot with Broiled Chicken – 6.03
3. French Toast – 2.96
4. Black Bean Quesadillas with Rice – 6.99
5. Homeade Spaghetti – $5.72
6. Red Beans & Rice with Cornbread – 4.14
7. Chicken Pot Pie with Salad – 6.93

   And 2 bonus meals……..

8. Curried Chicken & Rice with Salad – 6.35
9. Pancakes – 4.23

I’ll post the breakdown of each meal with recipes later. Come back for more!