5 Dollar Meal Challenge: Is It Possible?

I have recently had a conversation with my aunt Vickie, who was convinced that it is impossible nowadays to cook an entire meal for five bucks or so.

I, on the other hand, believe that it is absolutely realistic if you take your time in the store, perhaps even a couple stores, and piece things together based on what you find on sale and on clearance. This is how this article came to be.

Today, I am doing a budget cooking challenge and making my family a dinner with under $5 worth of ingredients, not counting the kitchen staples such as oil and spices. Let’s get started!

I am going to go to Ingles, which is overall an expensive store, but when you find a deal, it is a fantastic deal. It is late at night right now, so I am expecting to find some meats marked down, and they also have a really good sale this week.

I am going to one of the most expensive grocery stores in East Tennessee, so if I can do it at that place anybody can do it anywhere.

Groceries for $5 meal idea

First, I found some broccoli au gratin rice blend at $1.18, so I am going to get two boxes of that. Next, I found a great vegetable stir fry mix at $1.49, which is a fantastic way to save budget, and it looks good, considering it is marked down. I am now at $3.85, and I need protein.

I saw a package of pork roll priced at $3.48, which made me curious, and plenty of pork for around $2. However, I do prefer chicken for this meal.

And, for chicken, there were plenty of great options, too. I was hesitant between drumsticks and chicken thighs, and ended up picking up 1.7 pounds of drumsticks for $1.66. Altogether, my purchase came up to $5.51, and I am feeling great about it.

Cooking our $5 meal

Now it is time to decide what I am making with all this food. A great strategy for cooking on a budget is making meat a sidekick and not the showstopper.

This is truly a great way to make an impressive meal when funds are tight. I have a good array of good-looking veggies here, as well as some carbs. I considered making a stir fry but landed on a casserole style dish. Let’s get cooking!

First, I am going to season up the chicken legs a bit with some basic seasonings that I have in the cabinet: garlic powder, paprika, black pepper and some good old adobo. Adobo is so flavorful and it is very budget friendly, as well. I am not going to do salt because adobo has salt in it.

Now I am going to toss this around, make sure everything is coated and leave it alone for a few minutes while I get started on everything else.

I am tossing the rice from both boxes into a casserole dish and adding in both seasoning packets. Normally I like to use chicken broth when I make something like this, but I am going to use my vegetable bouillon powder from the Dollar Tree instead. I am going to pour in five cups of water and five spoonfuls of that vegetable powder.

This is the size of an individual portion, which we have five of. It came out really delicious, especially for just $5.51.

This goes to show that even at the most expensive grocery stores, you can still make a pretty good meal on a budget as low as $5-6.

$5 meal idea

I hope you have enjoyed following me on my challenge, and maybe this will inspire you to challenge yourself as well in one of your upcoming meals.

How little are you able to spend on a meal for your family where you live? What are the cheapest options you go for when you are on a tight budget but still want to make a delicious and nutritious meal? Leave a comment below!

Next, check out these 3 Viral Crockpot Chicken Recipes.