How to Eat for $15 a Week | Dollar Tree Budget Meal Plan | Extreme Grocery Haul

My name is Christine, and welcome to Frugal Fit Mom! Today we are once again headed to dollar tree to see if I can feed myself for one week with the smallest amount possible. I spent $16 and splurged on a few items but had a ton of food for the week.
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#frugalliving #dollartree #frugalfitmom

[@suzie2080]

I have read some of the comments about the good food value of the items she has chosen and the foods she's prepared. I think that some are missing the point of this video. If you are hungry and you need to feed yourself and your family, this may be what some people would need to eat. This is what will keep you from going hungry. She's just showing what's out there if that's your only choice. Thank you Christine.

[@angelaperry5462]

I agree, I see a lot of older people in my area shopping. I feel bad if the cost goes up, but I know it’s been $1.00 for awhile, now $1.25.

[@amywert8088]

Yes, I have been a complainer - but here's the thing! I would have eaten better, taken better care of myself and (hopefully) not ended up with gut health problems IF I HAD KNOWN. If you can spend a little more and get butter instead of margarine and skip the cookies, it will be worth it for your health. Thank you, both Christine and Suzie.

[@MissMelissaD]

@@amywert8088 can't get butter here ... dairy allergy :(

[@sharonlchambers3555]

Many times, folks who don’t have to eat on an extremely limited budget don’t understand what it is like. Many years ago, I was telling my doctor that my mom and I had stopped and gotten convenience store hotdogs. He commented on it being an unhealthy choice. I told him it might have been unhealthy, but at the time it was affordable and available.

[@sharonlchambers3555]

@@lauriea.8718 You certainly do hold your personal choices in high regard, while simultaneously disparaging the choices of others.

[@Michelle-rz5zx]

Churches are also a great resource for finding food. My husband is a pastor and we live in Michigan. We collect returnable bottles and cans and use the money raised to help people with gas and groceries.

[@sta4277134]

With the cooked rice. Pour warm milk over it, then add a touch of cinnamon and sugar to taste. Its done

[@princessdumbarton9877]

Yes, cooked rice can be eaten like a hot cereal.

[@carlarancatore-white4886]

We had this dish frequently growing up. My mom would even use food coloring for holidays. Green for St. Patrick's day, red for valentines day etc.

[@Sha8205]

Yep, my mom would make "sweet rice" when I was younger to go with cubed steak and broccoli

[@jessicathompson236]

We would add a little butter too.

[@aq8799]

This is arroz con leche in mexico, add condensed milk n its better

[@jamiecarr4184]

I am a retired librarian we use to do a craft every week . My coworker said to me one time you can't use googly eyes on everything just for special. So her next birthday found a card with a huge googly eye on it that same googly eye got passed back and forth for yrs. So yeah googly eyes are the best.

[@sallyjean1472]

I live in a rural town of 11K. My closest WM, Aldi or Food4Less is at least 20 minutes away in one direction. With gas at or above $5/gallon, I rarely shop out of town. That leaves me with DollarTree or the small chain grocery store. I'm a senior on a fixed budget. And now live alone. I make just enough money to not qualify for SNAP/EBT. However, if I have any medical or vet costs in the month, I would qualify easily. I take notes watching these videos. Thank you for all you do and know how much your work helps people like me. Our DT in town just went to a "Plus' store which means they took out about 1/2 the food so far. And they seemed to mix the new food products that start at $3 each in with the 5Quarter items. It does have both the refrigerator and freezer sections but most items there start at $3 and go up.

[@rosemarydoran9907]

Maybe you could "carpool" once a month or so with some others, sharing the cost of gas, to be able to hit up Aldi, WM, and other bigger stores. Same concept you could pool a shipping order from WM together, spending enough to get free shipping. Obviously no fresh items but it is surprising what you can get shipped from WM! I'm disabled and don't drive. I'm close to a WM so I pay for the W+ and use it for grocery and other items delivered or shipped about every 2 weeks.

[@tashainjena]

Check out Dollar Store Dinners. 90% of her videos are food from the Dollar Tree.

[@kaymack5304]

Wow, $5 a gallon!?! It’s $3.19 in the northeast.

[@lolamonx602]

You can soak brown rice to cut cooking time, and reduce amount of power/gas needed to cook it.

[@jessicathompson236]

Yep. Just like beans. (Soak them overnight)

[@cathys7087]

Yay! So glad your finger has recovered enough for a cooking video! 🎉

[@FrugalFitMom]

Me too!!

[@cathys7087]

@@FrugalFitMom 🥳

[@jennakrehbiel1502]

My grandmother always had apricot jam and it will always be my favorite. As I grow older, I notice my senses sending me back to good times more often. I appreciate things like overcast weather and the smell of burnt toast. Close your eyes, take a breath, and time travel today. ❤

[@MaxineCourt]

Am an apricot girl through and through 😂

[@cc-sb1is]

❤❤❤

[@sage_forensics_2261]

💜🙏 Sadly, I have to agree with your comments at the end of the video, Christine. With the prices going up at DT (and everywhere else), making an additional trip to DT is becoming less and less worthwhile. If that's all one has where they live, I get it--of course. However, I have found I can get BETTER deals at Walmart (the best place for me in my area) by going with a similar item and the Great Value brand as compared to the DT brand(s). Sometimes, they're the same item for less or similarly priced; it just doesn't make sense to spend the gas money to drive to another store. It's so sad! I feel like every month I'm looking for more ways to cut back on my budget when I was already living on a limited income for many years. 💜 SO MANY people are hurting these days! And yes, if you need to go to a Food Bank or Needline...please do! I did years ago when I was leaving an abusive marriage (sometimes, we have to save our own lives, y'all!), so there is NO SHAME in doing that. In addition to the places Christine mentioned, many communities also have what are known as "Blessing Boxes" these days, where people anonymously refill them with shelf-stable items that you can take as you need them. Also, many churches either will be able to help with food or maybe a utility bill or they can direct you with information to those in your community who do such work. If you are really in need, there are people who can help. Sometimes, they (needlines, Blessing Boxes, churches, etc.) set up local Facebook Pages these days, too. 💜 One day at a time...Hang in there...Stay strong...It gets better... 💜⚔🙏✝

[@happydays1336]

Many Dollar Trees are going out of business. I don't know if it's because of rampant shoplifting.

[@melissamoeller9608]

Thank you so for the super low budget videos! I love alll grocery hauls (like you say, “I’m just here for the food” lol). But I’m in a season where I’m getting by with a mixture of food stamps, a once per month food bank, and then regular grocery shopping for the rest.

[@nancycarney]

Peanut Butter and jam on english muffins is amazing. One of my favorites. 1/2 an english muffin a a cup of coffee is all I need. So filling.

[@neldahargo5933]

crunchy peanut butter makes you feel like you are eating more.

[@davidneal6920]

I was casually observing a homeless man in my home town. He goes to a local supermarket and buys some shop bread on special and a jar of peanut butter. That fills him up nicely and gets him a bit of protein. Those supermarkets also sell packets of hot chicken super cheap later in the day before closing

[@mpbeautyinsight]

Pretty darn creative! Those dressing cups were my gateway drug to a BOTTLE of Olive Garden Dressing .. lol.

[@verarichmond4465]

I love the pasta salad idea. You can put so many different things in it, even canned foods. My favorite version has pasta, salad dressing, canned chickpeas, canned mushrooms and roasted bell peppers, all of which can usually be found at Dollar Tree in my area.

[@desertfamilyhomestead3127]

I like to get the suddenly salad mix and I add chopped up tomatoes and cucumbers to bulk it up a bit, sometimes I add chicken to it also. I love peach preserves and apple butter the most.

[@justjet]

I love 💵 🌳 for the raspberry jam, Apple pie & cherry pie filling. Can't beat the price. Guess I need to go online and order cases of all 3 before the price goes up!!

[@Nixwieweg24]

I've been following you for over two years now and am always grateful for your advice. Here in Austria the prices have risen so dramatically that even though I earn well, I often don't know what to cook. So thank you very much.

[@karincope3019]

Sweetened Condensed Milk is a great hack for Rice Pudding . I alway have it in my pantry . It has so many uses . I use it for my pumpkin pie . I just made Mexican Maria cookie lime fridge cake , so good .

[@allauer]

Hands down favorite jam…. Seedless blackberry!!!!!! U love passion fruit… I love blackberry

[@kathleendigregorio1701]

I watched another episode of yours with the pinto bean Dominican style and homemade bread recipe ~ excellent recipes. Thanks for doing a service to others who are experiencing food insecurity and encouraging people to make use of public services and food pantries.

[@Rosielynn]

Hi Christine, good call with the rice for a 7th day breakfast. Our family always had rice for breakfast. We'd make a knock-off rice pudding that is just rice, an extra 1-2 cups of water so the rice is overcooked and sugar. (You do want some liquid leftover from cooking.) Another option is to take 1 or 2 day old rice that is drying out and pour a cup of hot chocolate over it.

[@karincope3019]

Thank you Christine for all you do to help everyone .

[@KKsW842]

Enjoyed the video!! Now next week do $20 at a dollar tree with refrigerated items plz…🌸

[@tanyamckinnon5376]

Your movie additions crack me up

[@tinashort9098]

The biscuit mix from Dollar Tree says it makes 24 and I do good to get 6 out of it!! Lies!!!!!😂😂😂😂

[@FrugalFitMom]

LIES!

[@StephanieGiese]

My mom gave us what she called “rice cereal” often growing up. It was literally just leftover rice, either cold or heated in the microwave, with milk poured over top and a spoonful of sugar. I still eat it as a dessert whenever we have leftover rice. You could add a spoonful of jam or sliced banana, too.

[@felesnocis]

I highly recommend you do this and add just a touch of cardamom to make it taste like Indian rice pudding (keer)

[@jregret123]

The beef crumbles are decent. My son put it into creamy Kraft Mac and Cheese. Baked it for a little bit. Garnished it with a little Rotel.

[@tenthz]

My walmart carries those as well! I was a bit disappointed in the texture as I had it straight on tacos, but I think mixed into a recipe would be much better & talk about a cheap protein source!

[@alexisbateman8443]

They’re really good in chili! The simmering seems to change the texture a bit.

[@chrissydawn2783]

Thanks Christine for another amazing video!

[@gladyschandler6724]

Thank you for those suggestions for people who needed help with meals on a tight budget

[@donnadilts3495]

Wow!! Great meal ideas for me to make when I go to our tiny cabin. I'm so glad that I came across your channel.

[@CatsPajamas23]

Thx and Happy Easter!

[@suefitz2498]

Always so creative…love your work ❤❤

[@kcvinwehoLA]

My fave jam is peach, with blueberry a close second. Team creamy PB here! I’ve done the PB thing (no jelly) on a heated flour tortilla, just roll it after spreading. I might put some cinnamon, or sunflower kernels, on top. For some reason I like sunflower kernels on PB although I don’t care for crunchy PB. Weird? Yep 😏 Great idea for the pasta salad. I make a similar one in the summer, so quick and inexpensive.

[@sherrywoodrum7577]

CRUNCHY!❤ And with that jam😋

[@sabrinavaldez4772]

CRUNCHY!!🎉🎉

[@brendaspencer6691]

I am going to try the pasta salad you made. Thank you for the idea.

[@betterlivingonabudget]

You are so creative when it comes to frugal meal ideas! That bag of beef would be ideal if you truly had to make it a week on $15, and/or camping without a cooler. The googly-eyed cookies made me smile, and yes, you did the perfect measure for those it looks like!

[@MirandaWatsonArt]

Yum! These look great. I would definitely eat ALL of these meals.

[@geminigem599]

Well done, n thx. Happy Easter😊

[@FrugalFitMom]

Same to you!

[@lorimiller7261]

Love these ideas ❤

[@desireebailey611]

Excellent content!! Thank you!!

[@alexanderschwarm7755]

Happy Easter to you and yours 🎉

[@sandradorsey5001]

Great 👍 😃 video, it was ▶️👍 right on time, since food prices our so expensive .

[@sandybowie7328]

Love this! Smooth peanut butter!

[@dawnt5587]

I love these videos.

[@kimcarey9803]

Those Count Chocula cookies are fun. My granddaughter and I made them during her spring break

[@tanyamckinnon5376]

The pasta salad sounds yummy

[@madison5787]

Christine you are my favorite youtuber!! By a landslide!!

[@conniemiller5125]

Our church has a Blessing Box outside the building for anyone who needs a couple of items. Sometimes as soon as the Blessing Box is filled, it goes empty.

[@kimbarbeaureads]

Crunchy is the superior PB. Your son is correct. Fig jam is my favorite in cold weather months. Blackberry jam is the best in Spring and Summer. Googly eyes make things better. You can put them on ANYTHING to improve your mood.

[@pirateslife4me]

Black raspberry jelly is my alllll time fave but if I can only have 1 forever it'd be the OG strawberry - team ALL the peanut butters!!

[@victoriaLL345]

Wow. Great to do w/o a refrigerated product bought.

[@hattree]

Blackberry or Black Raspberry Jam or preserves and yes, crunchy.

[@jenniferfulton4505]

I like both creamy and crunchy PB! Grape jelly all the way for PB&J. For everything else, I'm equal opportunity. Right now I'm loving an apple cider jelly I bought at the pumpkin patch this past fall. Yum!

[@melissameinders2454]

That rice is so good! We grew up eating that, too.

[@lmelior]

I love these budget videos. I never get tired of them, and the meals I'm always most proud of are the ones where I have to get creative with the ingredients based on what I know about their properties, tasting as I go, figuring out what would it needs, etc. It's art! Crunchy PB is indeed better. Also I like a variety of jams...my grandmother and great grandmother used to make homemade jams with things like apples, cherries, and apricots that were amazing, but my favorite is probably blackberry. We used to pick buckets of them on the edge of our property and they'd make us several jars. The store bought stuff just doesn't compare! So I usually just buy the "natural" grape jelly as that's the cheapest one without HFCS and that's what the kids like (except for my youngest son who claims he doesn't like jelly at all, but he's a weirdo).

[@pocketminxuk112]

Crunchy pb, lemon curd and banana 🍌 top notch as sandwich, on toast , crumpets etc Yay, mended finger!!! Great to get the dressing off ❤

[@lenettasmith-murray2145]

Strawberry jam of course 😂.

[@sandradorsey5001]

I 😘 love crunchie 🥜 peanut butter and the 🍓 strawberry perserves, 😋 yummy.

[@denisenugent3966]

I LOVE googly eyes also!

[@aprilsmithswe]

I love English muffin toasted with natural honey roasted peanut butter and PEACH preserves! SO GOOD!

[@TheSheps14]

Crunchy all the way! 🙌

[@Daisyj925]

Crunchy is the way to go! I’ve even been known to put peanuts on crunchy peanut butter! I love the googley eyes. You should try them on like a Dutch oven chicken, or your hot dogs 😅. Have an excellent Easter!!

[@hickmanrealtyhumb]

I love this!! I set myself a $12 limit each week for lunch and purchase everything from Dollar Tree on my lunch break at work.

[@homersmom]

The three pack of chili mix is really good!! Very tasty and a great deal.

[@crustycrab3845]

I just adore you!!

[@grannyprepper1181]

When I went to the food bank earlier this month, someone gave me a list of all the food distributions places in my smallish town of under 33k people. There are over a dozen.

[@pennynickels5216]

😊😊😊

[@traci4327]

My town has 8500 people and three official food distribution places.

[@grannyprepper1181]

@@traci4327 that’s great! That way you have choices. When I lived in San Diego, some had meats and dairy, several were produce, sprinkled with about to be expired grocery store items. I could go to a couple each week.

[@lindabeard488]

Love, love your channel. You have such a funny personality and keep it light and positive, unlike the doom and gloom channels. Thanks 🙏 for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us. Happy Easter 🐰🐇🐣 to you and your beautiful family. Love 💕 and Hugs. 🐰💙💙💙

[@lisahartz9334]

If you have a refrigerator section there are a lot of good veggie options. I love the onions and peppers or the stir fry mixture with beans and rice.

[@m_ellemarga8815]

Great video. Can never get enough of googly eyes and Young Frankenstein.

[@faithteas]

That pasta salad actually sounds yummy! 😃

[@janallen541]

Another great video👏

[@FrugalFitMom]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@debrafoster499]

Love the DT whole wheat bread! The same brand is sold at our local grocery store for over $5.

[@user-nw4kk1hx6c]

Thank you for the video 😊❤

[@turniptater1002]

Peach preserves yum

[@mariehotmomma1371]

I know you do not have an Aldi or Lidl but love them so much

[@aardyn8564]

I love cherry jam. I make it myself with frozen cherries.

[@joannaazar7396]

Raspberry Jam Is The Best!!

[@AGee2217]

I love that you mentioned the local library. Local libraries have SO MANY resources it’s insane.

[@michelleheryford4592]

Crunchy PB!

[@lauranewman564]

My son's MIL makes a peach/raspberry jam that I love and a peach jam with cloves. Not freezer jam, so the cloves heat up and the flavor spreads. Oh my gosh. Peach jam with cloves. Heaven.

[@celestejavier6464]

My dollar tree has the raspberry jam. 💜 It's even better than the higher priced ones because there are no seeds in it!

[@jennifermeuth6116]

Red plum was my favorite as a kid. My great grandmother made it...

[@ramonaearnest4709]

Yes! Googly eyes belong on everything!! ❤👀 Now I need to run out and get some googly eyes to put on my cookies!

[@ohleander02]

Creamy/smooth peanut butter only. And marionberry is my most favorite jam.

[@natashav6432]

I like thefrozen cookies Mrs.Fields I believe .-comes in a 6. Pack in chocolate chip or sugar cookie . I have a family Of 3 so I like that as a quick dessert option and to not have the temptation to have more !

[@chocolate7810]

Crunchy!!

[@cynthiajudkins2250]

My favorite is peach flavored jam or jelly

[@lorenet.2182]

Love crunchy peanut butter. My grandson calls it hard peanut butter 😂

[@Tia-vj9ox]

My fav jam is boysenberry or blackberry. Love so,e raspberry too.

[@nancyshrout-wankowski7147]

YESSS!!!! And the foreign jams and preserves from Dollar Tree have no preservatives, only fruit, sugar and pectin.

[@peggypeters6676]

I think i would try the pasta salad- i already buy that olive garden dressing

[@yvonnepalmquist8676]

That actually sounds good. I haven't had a summer pasta in a while. Tomato, cucumber, onion, same shaker parm, and a white bean would really make it complete at a fairly decent price.

[@CatsPajamas23]

Those cookies are so cute. (Tip: chilling the dough before baking will prevent or reduce spreading.🙂)

[@olderandwiser78]

I haven't been in a Dollar Tree for many years. Maybe I should try it. I actually grow, can and freeze a lot of what I eat. My son has chickens so for the winter he gave me a 2 gal bucket of water glassed eggs to use. They are good for baking and scrambled. When berries, avocados, mangos, bananas, lemons and limes are on sale or in the reduced produce bin I freeze them. I have made pineapple jam and sometimes can pick one up for 99 cents. I simmer the pineapple rind and core in water with cinnamon and fresh grated ginger and drink that in the morning. One thing to make that I learned from my daughter-in-law is a dish of cooked rice topped with roasted chicken, tomato, avocado, onions, chickpeas and Tzatziki. I sometimes add arugula to make it even more healthy. Also inexpensive to make is chili in a crock pot with pork loin instead of beef. One thing that my mother told me that they ate during the war was a shredded carrot sandwich. I looked it up and it actually looks quite good. You mix shredded carrots with cheddar cheese and mayonnaise and put it on a good whole grain bread. She also mixed leftover mashed potatoes with an egg and made fried potato patties with it. Instead of buying canned baked beans you can purchase a bag of dry beans and make them quickly in an Instant Pot. Also for this time of the year you can pick the wild onions growing in the lawn and garden beds. Dice them tiny and sauté in butter and then fry a couple eggs over them. Also they can be bound together and used to season broth that you make from leftover chicken or beef bones.

[@olderandwiser78]

@here4you2024 That sounds really good. My son gave me some smoked Chipotle seasoning that he makes himself with his home grown jalapenos and his smoker. His wife makes a really good black bean soup that she adds sausage to and this smoked Chipotle. It makes a very inexpensive and filling meal.

[@nancykaufman1645]

Good job, it is certainly getting harder for folks to find healthy food that is affordable 😢

[@hello-vs4me]

Great video thanks 😊

[@FrugalFitMom]

Thanks for watching!

[@pamking8137]

I make a package of vanilla instant pudding and add cooked rice for rice pudding? Husband loves it!

[@anitaleroy5927]

Rice porridge also works, either sweet with some type of sweetener like brown sugar or honey or savory if as you boil the porridge use a chicken bouillon cube.

[@Karol_25]

Strawberry Jam and smooth peanut butter 😊

[@cupidhart-james4277]

CRUNCHY PB is only way to go!