Live Off the Dollar
Store for a Week on a $50 Budget
By Tahirah Blanding,
Cheapism.com
College, unemployment,
or an unexpected change in your life situation can mean learning to live off
the dollar store. These are times when a major cut in spending is required as
you plan how to survive from week to week. We found that it's possible to take
care of the essentials, with a dollop of comfort thrown in, for less than $50 a
week by shopping at the local dollar store.
Sure, the dollar store
is a pit stop for cheap snacks, cooking supplies, toys, and other small items,
but it's also a source for food at one very low price. And yes, there may be a
stigma attached to dollar store shopping for all your needs, but it's time to
get over it.
These super-discount
chains can sell items cheaply because they follow a strategy that involves
buying non-brand items that aren't backed by enormous advertising budgets,
stocking items in smaller sizes, and buying products in bulk from companies
that are going out of business. Most goods sold in dollar stores are perfectly
fine, and you'll often find reputable brands such as Minute Maid, Del Monte,
and Suave. Do shop wisely, however: Some items, such as electrical products,
may be knock-offs that don't meet quality standards. A few dollar stores now
sell meat, so be sure to carefully inspect the packages, just as the Ohio
Department of Agriculture suggests.
Dollar store product
generally come in smaller sizes than items sold at retail grocery stores, but
the small servings still suffice for the average person (most dollar store food
items serve at least one). Dollar store cereal, for example, typically comes in
boxes that serve at least four; oatmeal in individual packs of six; small bags
or boxes of pancake mix that serve up to 11; instant coffee that can make up to
50 servings. About 30 products used in various combinations for breakfast,
lunch, and dinner (with a snack here and there) would cost less than $50 and
keep you going for a week -- and then some.
A dollar can go a long
way.
Breakfast for seven
days would cost about $10 using combinations of coffee, apple juice, oatmeal,
bread, eggs, milk, cereal, pancake mix and syrup. Outlays for lunch and dinner
foods would total slightly more than $30 and involve mixing and matching tuna,
pasta, frozen meat, premade pizza crust and sauce, canned soup and vegetables,
etc. Our suggested menus and shopping list presume you have some staples on
hand, such as mayonnaise and condiments like pickles.
Below are a suggested
dollar store grocery list and menu for a week. Most of these items are sold
in-store, but inventory varies at every dollar store.
Menu:
Breakfast
Day 1: Bowl of
oatmeal, coffee
Day 2: Pancakes,
coffee
Day 3: Bowl of cereal
Day 4: Toast with
jelly or peanut butter, scrambled eggs
Day 5: Waffles, coffee
Day 6: Bowl of cereal
Day 7: Bowl of
oatmeal, cup of apple juice
Lunch (accompanied by
water or iced tea)
Day 1: Tuna salad,
potato chips
Day 2: Soup, crackers
Day 3: Hamburger
Helper, canned vegetables
Day 4: Pizza
Day 5: Tuna pasta
salad
Day 6: PB&J
sandwich, granola bar
Day 7: Soup, crackers
Dinner (accompanied by
water or iced tea)
Day 1: Spaghetti,
canned vegetables
Day 2: Mashed
potatoes, barbecue chicken, canned vegetables
Day 3: New
Orleans-style rice, beans
Day 4: Tuna pasta
salad, canned vegetables
Day 5: Pizza
Day 6: Hamburger
Helper, meat
Day 7: Tuna pot pie
Snacks
Granola bar, toast or
crackers with peanut butter, jelly
1 box cereal - $1.00
1 6-ct pack oatmeal -
$1.00
1 bag coffee - $1.00
1 loaf bread - $1.00
1 box pancake mix -
$1.00
1 bottle imitation
maple syrup - $1.00
1 jar jelly - $1.00
1 jar peanut butter -
$1.00
1 12-ct. carton eggs -
$1.00
1/2 gallon
shelf-stable milk/1 gallon fresh milk - $1.00
1 32-oz. jar apple
juice - $1.00
1 2-ct. pack premade
pizza crusts - $1.00
1 jar pizza sauce -
$1.00
1 container grated
parmesan cheese - $1.00
2 boxes Hamburger
Helper - $2.00
1 bag pasta - $1.00
2 cans meat sauce -
$2.00
5 5-oz. cans tuna -
$5.00
1 box instant oatmeal
- $1.00
3 1-lb. cans soup -
$3.00
4 10-oz. cans
vegetables - $4.00
1 box crackers - $1.00
1 pastry crust - $1.00
1 box New
Orleans-style rice - $1.00
1 can beans - $1.00
1 bag potato chips -
$1.00
1 6-ct box granola
bars - $1.00
1 bottle barbecue
sauce - $1.00 Total: $43
Save money by
following these tips.
Plan out meals, rather
than snacks, and purchase items that can be used in at least two different meal
settings; bread and eggs work for breakfast and lunch, for example, and tuna
and soup do double duty for lunch and dinner. Some dollar stores contain a
frozen foods section (the Dollar Tree, for one, recently began installing
freezers) stocked with items such as meat and TV dinners, and some have a
refrigerated section filled with dairy products. Canned and boxed goods
dominate dollar store shelves, however, so fresh fruit and vegetables will have
to be put on hold.
Living off the dollar
store requires careful planning and discipline. Make a list of your needs (and
commit to sticking to it) before setting foot inside. Avoid the non-food
aisles. All too often a quick browse down the wrong aisle can lead to an
impulsive choice of something that seems essential but under the circumstances
just isn't. After purchasing all the necessary food stuffs, you may have a few
dollars left over for a 6-pack of tissue or a stick of deodorant. Some dollar
stores accept manufacturer's coupons, so don't be shy about checking the
store's policy. Saving a few extra cents here and there adds up to dollars that
can be allocated towards other expenses, such as bills or transportation.
