Yes, you read that right. There is a way to feed your family a delicious meal for less than five dollars for the entire meal. It involves some creativity, some standard kitchen staples, and the ability to guerilla shop for bargains.

Most people who shop for their groceries tend to frequent the same supermarket due to its relativity to their comfort zone. But is the chain offering you the best deal in your area?

 This holds true for people who live in large cities where a lot of the smaller ethnic markets offer better deals on fresh produce and meats than your larger chains.

When shopping for things like produce, really check your local circulars for value. Also, learn to eat what is in season. Vegetables bought out of season tend to cost more than three times the cost of those bought during their peak times. Even though your favorite chain is offering a special on strawberries, there is a good chance that a smaller store might have them much cheaper.

For example, Ralph’s, a large California chain, will have broccoli on sale for 1.29/lb, but there is a local market that has the same green vegetable for three pounds for a dollar.

Another good choice for fresh produce is the 99 Cent Stores. These stores are a cornucopia of fresh vegetables and frugal shoppers are benefitting by shopping at these discount markets.

So our dinner tonight is going to involve ramen noodles. This cheap filling food is underrated in its usefulness. Most people do not think outside the box when it comes to these delicious cheap delights. Most stores, you can get at least five packs for a buck.

So, we are going to have two variations of what I call Ramen Surprise.

These recipes are for a family of four.

We need some lettuce, tomatoes, and some dressing. If you have shopped frugally, these shouldn’t have cost you more than three dollars.  Lettuce typically goes for a dollar a head and a pound of tomatoes the same. In my neighborhood I can get 3 pounds for a buck and two heads of lettuce. You got to look around for bargains.

Also, every month, various meats go on sale. It’s best to buy in bulk when on sale and freeze your portions. Most supermarkets sell chicken breast for over four dollars a pound, but stores that have a sale offer bone in for less than a dollar a pound. The same for hamburger meat as I buy ten pound chubs for  18 bucks or wait for it to go on sale for less than a buck a pound.

If you don’t think this works, there are eight in our household and we survive on around five hundred dollars in groceries a month.

Also, these recipes call for standard kitchen staples like butter/margarine, milk/half and half, onions, corn starch and eggs.

Three items that should be part of your staples are parmesan cheese, soy sauce, and oyster sauce (the secret ingredient in restaurant quality fried rice).

If you have some stale bread, chop it up, toss with some olive oil, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning and toss in the oven for some fresh croutons.

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Hamburger Ramen Surprise

4 packs of beef flavored noodles

4 eggs

½ chopped onion (or green onion)

1lb ground beef

Instructions:

·         Brown the ground beef and chopped onion. Drain. Scramble the eggs.

·         Boil the noodles without the seasoning. Drain.

·         Add all ingredients in one pan. Add three seasoning packs. Add soy sauce and oyster sauce.

Serve with salad and croutons.

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Chicken Ramen Surprise

4 packs of chicken flavored noodles

1 lb chicken breast

½ lb chopped broccoli

½ chopped onion

Parmesan cheese

Butter/Margarine

Milk/Half and Half

Instructions:

·         Cut up chicken and sauté with butter, onions.  

·         Blanch broccoli. Add to chicken.

·         Boil noodles without seasoning.  Drain. Add to chicken.

·         Add three seasoning packages, more butter, milk, and parmesan cheese.

·         Let cook until liquid is absorbed or add a little cornstarch to thicken.

Serve with salad and croutons.