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Six Super Meals for Under $60!

Cooking for a large family is difficult but when you are on a limited budget, the meals can sometimes seem to be very thin and sparse if you are not a ‘good’ planner. If you have your mind set to it, you can make seven meals for under seventy dollars, and feed a family of five. Of course, if you are a smaller family you can cut corners even further and be frugal about portions and cut back, if you have more in your family, you can include just a few things more and you will not be far from this budget either. So let’s get started and learn about how to cook for large families while still on a small family budget!

Two breakfast meals

A box of cereal is about three dollars (two if you buy the bagged cereal). A loaf of bread is about two dollars at most (you can get muffins for about a dollar). Add a little butter, jam, and milk, and you are feeding all five for under ten dollars! Even if you add that gallon of milk that is about three dollars, your budget is still going good. The jam and butter are pennies when you figure how many meals you really get out of both!

A bag of bagels may run two dollars, (if you buy generic they will be about a dollar), or you can buy a bag of muffins for about one dollar. Two dozen eggs would be roughly three dollars, and add a few slices of cheese; butter or jam and you are well below your ten dollar budget so you can add coffee, milk, juice or tea!  Eggs are not only a breakfast food, but you can use this for a light dinner meal or an early lunch if you like!

Two lunch meals

If you are feeding five people, you will need to buy a loaf of bread (one or two dollars depending on the type), one pound of cheese (imitation is a dollar, sale is two dollars, at most three dollars), a box of instant soup (about a dollar or dollar and a half), a bag of egg noodles to put in the soup (about a dollar or dollar and a half depending on the type) – if you opt for the less expensive of everything you are still going to have enough money for a two liter of soda, or butter if you need butter. You can get about fourteen sandwiches out of the bread and cheese that we told you to buy, so you should have plenty! Putting the instant soup in a pan of water and adding the egg noodles you have more than nine bowls of soup.  This is a great meal for lunch or a dinner meal!

A great lunch that is going to feed the hungriest crew is a pack of bananas (which will run at most two dollars), a loaf of bread, (a dollar or two depending on the type), a jar of peanut butter (which you can buy generic for two dollars or less), and a bag of chips (about three dollars) and a two liter of soda (less than a dollar and a half) or you can make some sun tea (pennies), kool aid (pennies) or ice water. Making a few thick peanut butter and banana sandwiches on bread or toast with a handful of chips and a drink, your hungry crew will be content.

Dinners and Suppers
Hearty eating and family time is what dinner is all about. Here are a few great meals that will keep you in budget.

A box of macaroni (which is about a dollar) a jar of sauce (less than a dollar and a half) a pound of hamburger (about three dollars) and a loaf of bread (a dollar or two).  Add some butter or garlic to your bread, and a few drinks for meal and you are still going to be under budget. Cooking your hamburger and macaroni and then mixing the two together with sauce makes a great main dish. You can have plain bread, butter bread, or butter and garlic warmed in the oven as a side with your macaroni and sauce mixture.

Two boxes of macaroni and cheese (under three dollars) with a package of pork chops (about five dollars) and a box of shake and bake or breadcrumbs and you have a great meal for under ten dollars. If you are buying generic brand of macaroni and cheese - you can find even cheaper prices, maybe two for a dollar, and then you can spend more on your chops, or you can opt for a jar of barbeque sauce, about a dollar and a half instead of the bread crumbs or shake and bake for a spicy meal that will please your entire family!

Cooking on a budget is just a matter of making a list, sticking to it when you go shopping. When you are on a budget, feeding many people, you don’t always have to buy the most expensive brands. Most often, you will find that the generic, store brand, or the off brand is going to taste similar if not the same for the same price!

Happy Cooking.