$65 Dollar Tree Emergency One Week Menu for 4-6 People
Around 15 years ago I came upon a website that listed an emergency menu for $45 for 4 to 6 people. This was so helpful to me, even though I never completely followed it. Many of the meals are slightly time intensive. So, I have set out to make a one week emergency menu for 4-6 people that contains all food groups, is simple to put together, doesnt repeat the same meals every day, and can be purchased at the Dollar Tree. I know that some of the ingredients could be purchased for less at another store or in bulk, but this is an experiment using only Dollar Tree items. I will do the experiment using items from Walmart later.
Dinners: $31
Spaghetti and meatballs (spaghetti noodles, sauce, 2 packages frozen meatballs, one package frozen vegetables) $5
Beans and rice (one package rice, one package beans, one container of seasoning such as chili powder) $3
Poor man's meal (2 packages frozen hot dogs or sausage, 2 packages french fries, one bag frozen vegetables) $5
Bacon pasta (2 packages bacon, one box noodles, one bag frozen vegetables) $4
Baked beans, fruit and toast (2 cans baked beans, one loaf bread, large can of fruit, margarine) $5
Tuna noodle casserole (2 cans tuna, one box pasta, one can cream of mushroom soup, one can of vegetables or a bag of frozen vegetables) $5
Chicken and dumplings (2 cans chicken, one can cream of chicken soup, frozen or canned peas and carrots, flour) $5
Lunches: $21
Mac and cheese (2 boxes with the cheese sauce included, one bag frozen veggies) $3
Bologna sandwiches (1 loaf bread, 1 pkg bologna, mayo or mustard, 1 bag banana chips) $4
Chili (4 cans chili and 1 package of crackers) $4
Smoothies and popcorn (one package yogurt, one bag frozen fruit, one box popcorn) $3
Ramen noodles with veggies (one 5-pack ramen noodles, one can or bag veggies) $2
Tuna or canned chicken sandwiches (2 cans tuna or chicken, 1 loaf bread, 1 can or bag veggies, should have mayo to use from bologna sandwiches above) $4
Leftovers
Breakfasts: $13
Pancakes (1 package pancake mix, one syrup, margarine from above) $2
Eggs and toast (2 packs of eggs, one loaf bread, margarine from above) $3
Oatmeal (1 container or box oatmeal) $1
Cereal and milk (2 boxes cereal, one box milk) $3
Oatmeal $1
Yogurt and cereal bars (1 yogurt, 1 box cereal bars) $2
Oatmeal $1
DONE!