I love this video idea. So often we see grocery shopping at Dollar Tree + an extreme budget, like “feed yourself for $25 for one week.” I like the idea of seeing more “regular” or not extreme budget shopping but still at DT. It would be cool to see the cost of a week’s worth of meals at DT versus, say, at Walmart.
The canned chicken is great in soup. I put together cream of chicken, carrots, and potatoes. It's always a hit with my family and so easy and cheap. Note you don't drain the cans of veggies you add and you can add fresh veggies like spinach to add color and nutrition.
One of my favorite things to look for at dollar tree is the little bags of meatballs. It only has 13-14 meatballs per bag, but that's perfect for lunch for my daughter and me. Throw them in some spaghetti sauce over pasta, or I'll cook them in some barbecue sauce. They're also delicious to make into open face meatball sub... which would also be delicious in Texas toast!
Would absolutely love to see more ideas and recipes! So disheartening that "our seniors" are actually grocery shopping for their weekly needs at the dollar store! My daughter (a teacher getting ready for regent test, getting extra treats for her juniors) and I went last week! There was literally about 14 seniors there literally grocery shopping, and it truly broke my heart! They worked HOW LONG AND HOW MUCH for their retirement and now because of this governmental garbage they can't afford fresh foods? Okay, sorry, went on a rant! That being said, I helped my daughter go to Romania during her Junior year at college! She loved it, had an amazing experience, and would of NEVER IN A LIFE TIME thought of taking me with her! Yeah... she's 5 of 5 with twins in the middle! Happy Mother's Day Christine! ♥ ♥ ♥ Love, love your channel! Don't comment hardly at all, but am a faithful viewer!
I'll go to Europe with you! I have an intermediate level of Polish and a history degree (emphasis on medieval European history). I was also a medieval re-enactor for 16 years. I can tell you more than you've ever wanted to know about castles and life in the middle ages. Yeah, I don't understand a kid not wanting to take a trip like that. I went overseas for the first time as a freshman in college. I lived in Ireland for a summer after college. Everyone ought to travel to another country in order to be exposed to different ways of doing things. It not only broadens your mind, but it also makes you appreciate your own country in a new way.
Sausage Biscuits and Gravy! I saw this- paused the video and trotted my happy self out to the grocery store in the middle of school getting out! I procured my sausage and came home- finished watching! Thank you bunches for sharing your great ideas! 🌻
The story at the end cracked me up! A year before my daughters senior year, we were like we’re all going to go to Hawaii next summer. The whole family, summer after graduation. She was like, no I don’t want to go. My mouth dropped!! Who passes up Hawaii!! 😮 (It was supposed to be the summer of 2020 so yeah nobody went, but the other 3 of us did get there last summer!)
I love biscuits and gravy!! I agree you need to add sausage. Big YES on the chicken pot pie. I can't believe he didn't want to go on that Europe trip. I know my daughter would've been excited.
My 38 year son went for the first time to Europe last year to Germany. He loved it. I've been to Europe and all over the world. Your son will soon enough discover the world of travel and head to Europe. My trip this year is almost a month long - London, Milan, Florence, Naples, and I'm also heading to Sicily. Why not!
I traveled to Europe with a school group when I was a Junior in high school. My parents didn’t go but some of my friend’s parents went. My French teacher and a college professor were our tour guides. It was a great experience and very educational.
OMGsh, that BooBerry cereal is giving me throwback vibes from my childhood - love it! I've never seen anyone do PB w/syrup, but that sounds great, def going to try that, lol. I normally don't care for 'DT meals' videos, but this one really wins because you didn't set a miniscule budget like every DT meals vid I've ever seen - it really was fun to watch, thanks!
I'm a breakfast girl so you had me at bicuits & gravy😊 I like the Pioneer gravy mix because I'm gravy impaired😄 Your blueberry compote looks & sounds delicious! Great content!
I was surprised you were able to make such a variety of meals from $1.25Tree. The only change I would make would be to use sausage rather than those hamburger patties. Great job Christine!
I love canned chicken and use it a lot. Much more handy for my situation and season of life. If you want it to be better the trick is to try is a little before you add the other ingredients. Just put a little vegetable oil in your skillet and add the chicken and I cook on high with a little salt some garlic and onion and really whatever spices you like. Brown the chicken - maybe break it up a little and get more crunchy bits then use the chicken and the now very flavorful oil in you dish. It is delicious and really easy!
This is the perfect video for college kids or a "balling on a tight budget ". My favorite was the pizza. Garlic bread, spaghetti sauce, a slice of mozzarella cheese and some pepperoni slices=yummy!!!😂
I've been getting 2lb bags of black beans at Dollar Tree. And, thanks for the tip about a while back the tiny jar [spice jar] of REAL Parmasean. Perfect for me. The pizza was my favorite! Do more!!
Europe - HELLO!! I did this with my daughter during the summer of 2014 - We went to Spain (Madrid and Barcelona!!) and France (Nimes/Arles and Paris)!! It was awesome. I will say that the girls significantly outnumbered the boys on the trip, even from the other two high schools. Had a similar opportunity been available when my son was in HS - I would have never heard about it!! he's such a homebody!! You still might want to check whether they need chaperones!
Personally not a fan of Dollar Tree but for those that have no or little financial choice(or store options)this was really good. Variety and way better than ramen noodles every single meal. You did it again Christine.
I appreciate the fact that you didn’t immediately tell your son he was going, even if he didn’t want to lol. I think my kids would immediately say yes because we only take 2 trips a year. A day trip for snow and a weekend to the beach lol
Get the Goya refried beans, flour tortillas, and nacho cheese dip from the chip section. Wrap up little burritos with beans and sour cream, pan fry in olive/vegetable oil mixture. They sell one with a little black label and Jagermiester shoulders. Once fried evenly, serve with warm nacho dip on the side with hot sauce of the fiscal quarter (Texas Pete, right now) swirled in like a latte. Salt Bae whole picture. Add Rotel if you have to tell your mom you ate a vegetable.
My grandkids are on a kick right now of using cake mix for pancakes. It really adds variety they said. However I now find myself in the cake mix aisle more than I have in years 😅
I love the gravy. Also, I love their mashed potatoes like the garlic flavor in the forties also their garlic bread, or mozzarella garlic bread, too. Also, their lo mein teriyaki noodle.
I love your dollar tree videos! Every time you make one I watch it and run to dollar tree to find the items you suggest. I have four kids and I’m on an extreme budget as well. My kids LOVED the peanut butter and chocolate Chex you suggested. Thanks for making these videos ❤
I think all of them sounded good. My daughter and I would be the only ones to eat the vegetables. Hubby would eat the pizza. Plus, you just gave me an idea for another meal I had thought about earlier but was unsure how to put it together. 😊I would totally love to see more of these videos
Take him to Europe! He has no comparison on which to base his decision. So take him, and then ask him when you get back if he was glad you went :) It's such an eye opener and a great experience, I wish I'd gone when I was younger.
I love that you made a pink sauce! I like doing this (and adding pesto sometimes) but I’ve never seen anyone on the internet post it until this video! Thanks for being real and creating some inspiring meals
🇨🇦 As a 16 year old I passed up a trip with my parents to the Holy Land b/c it would be "so cool stay at home with my friend." The stay at home part wasnt as much fun as I had hoped and have regretted missing that trip ever since.(I'm 74 lol) Kids! Fun vlog. Our $trees are not so well stocked. I'm being polite😅
Thank you so much for this video! Even though I'm currently living in Europe I still get inspired by your creativity in meal planning by just using simple ingredients.
I'm sad the Boo Berry ended up there! It was my favorite of the monster cereals when I was a kid. EVERYONE loves Count Chocula, but the Boo doesn't get enough love!
Sadly our local Dollar Tree (which I call Dollar Twig because it is so small) is closed. Not sure if it will reopen. When they were open, it had 7 aisles and food was only 1/3 of one side of an aisle plus 4-5 doors for fridge/frozen goods. So instead, I did a cost comparison between your list & Walmart and although the total cost was $20 more, some items were priced at $1.18 at Walmart so it would save a bit of money on a few items. One thing is for sure…I wrote down the meal items as I’m planning my meals for the next couple of weeks and you basically did it for me - yippee!! (Thank you Christine!!) Since I make food for only me, I’m sure this will last me a couple of weeks! I only shop once every 10 days and I’m know I have a couple of items on hand already so I’ll check those off the list before I go shopping. I only have to add coffee & cat treats (cause the little missy gets grumpy without her treats) and I’ll be ready to go. Sounds like it would be a fantastic trip - so sorry your son does not want to go!
Dollar Tree ice cream is the bomb 😋😋! And I love canned chicken as chicken salad with mayo since I don’t eat tuna fish anymore. 😊. No u didn’t fail, Europe’s not the vaca he’s looking for Lol!
I agreed! Stir fry veggies and canned chicken don’t really go together…but! If you add cheese at the end and melt the cheese before pouring it over rice😋you might like it more🙃 everything tastes better with cheese🙃
#1 Knorr Side with canned chicken and vegetables (could be canned or frozen or dehydrated). #2 Bouillon cubes with vegetable for a vegetable soup #3 Canned or frozen meat with rice and frozen or canned peas and carrots and soy or teriyaki or other asian sauce. Sometimes you can find a frozen pork chop or frozen steak or frozen shrimp to make your fried rice dish. You could get egg rolls or pot stickers on the side. #4 Frozen meatballs, hot dog buns, tomato sauce and parmesan cheese to make a meatball sandwich.
Great video Christine! I live in the UK so trips to Europe are the norm for us - we have travelled all over the world with our kids but the eldest has now left home and the youngest at 14 turned down a trip to China with us - the deal breaker - no accessible internet!!! I was lost for words!!! I am assuming one day she will look back and regret it xx
I was able to spend the summer before my senior year in France, and it was absolutely amazing! Depending on what your son majors in for college, he might not be able to travel abroad and this could end up being an opportunity he really regrets missing. My travel abroad in college was canceled, so the summer in France ended up meaning so much more to me after the fact ❤
My kid would NOT, in fact, jump on that. And didn't. I was as flabbergasted as you! I got the chance to go to England and Paris when I was a Junior and it was fantastic and taught me a lot about history (and bus tours).
I'm always overwhelmed, so I use pancake mix 90% of the time, BUT I always add vanilla and/or almond extract to the mix. If I happen to have a flavored creamer, like sweet cream, I'll pour a little of that into the mix before adding water. It masks that preservative taste in the pancake mixes.
I was surprised at all of the meals you were able to make. They all looked really good. I wasn’t a fan of the stir fry, I thought the veg looked watery and no seasoning, as you did! But, hey what do you want for $Store? If it works, why not. Sprinkle some pepper on that veg. I never thought about what you could buy there to make a meal.🎉 Thanks for the enlightenment and the video.
Gurl you got me goin to dollar tree to pick up some of these items! A lot of their grocery items are name brand too! And especially with groceries being so dam expensive, you have to shop reasonable these days. And I've always wondered if their groceries would be to my liking. Imma try 'em! Thank You so so much!👍
You are not alone. My 15 yr old son turned down a class trip to Disney! This generation is bonks! Christine will you make a $100 Kroger week family meal plan?hugs from Texas!
As a mostly Whole Foods kinda person, I get a little put off by what is on the shelves a Dollar Tree. I’m sure this video will be inspiring to a large group of people. I love your channel and appreciate your content.
True you won't find many organics at Dollar Tree but I once found organic diced tomatoes and picked them up. I've also picked up frozen peas and carrots there as peas and carrots aren't GMO.
My son turned down an overseas graduation trip as well. I told him we could go wherever he wanted. I am fully stocked with miles and points and was exited to use them. Oh well, a few more years and my daughter and I can do a big trip for her
I think my kiddos would LOVE to go on a trip to Europe. Both of mine love to explore like I do, but we don't have the funds to. Unfortunately, we struggle daily. Thank you for sharing this with us. Looking forward to seeing more like this to come.
You are just wonderful Dear Girl. I could watch you for hours and you are giving such a Great service to people as many families are struggling now financially. Luv from NZ❤😘🥗🥘🍛🍜
I use that breakfast gravy in a pinch and I pour it into the sausage like you did. It works. I just went to the DT and picked up some art supplies. Quick salt painting for a craft at the park. Love DT! And your videos.
My former MIL was Sicilian, and she used the same Hunts spaghetti sauce they sell at DT. She was PICKY. You can't beat it for the price. Great to stock up on to use for pasta, but also for stuffed peppers, soups, casseroles -- anything that takes spaghetti sauce. (I put it in my chili!)
I love the Hunts sauce because it doesn't have chunks of stuff in it. My family prefers a smooth sauce but I do add a bit of seasoning to it... onion powder, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.
I love watching your channel to get more budget friendly meal ideas. Can you please do more from scratch budget ideas. I have salt restrictions and those baking mixes and canned items usually have a ton of sodium.
I went with my daughter's choir group on a three week tour of Europe. She really wanted to go, and we thoroughly enjoyed the trip, although she completely ignored me for the whole trip. However, it gave her the confidence to travel the world, and she now lives in South Africa with her husband, and travels to many exotic locations. Convince your son to go. And don't be surprised if he pretends you aren't his mom. It will still be worth it. 0:0
Awesome video! Please do another one. I’ve never really bought anything in the food section besides the full sized boxes of cereal. I’ve always skipped over the whole food section. But I wouldn’t mind trying this out for my family.
I look and see if I'm interested in what they have. I like to see where food is sourced, so I check labels. Not interested in "cheap" food from China in some cases. Just not worth the savings in my opinion. But you can find some name brand food items in DT.
I think you should take him on the European trip anyway. I did a similar school educational Italian tour with my oldest son last year and it was the absolute best!
My kids are all grown up now, but I would bet all 4 of my grandkids would go for that in a heartbeat!! The 3 oldest went to Vienna about 4 years ago. Also the boys (14 year old twins are extremely interested in history! Their sister is almost 17 & I’m sure she would love it too. She is very artistic & creative, so I can see her going for it wholeheartedly!! My youngest grandchild is a 10 year old boy. He goes to a school that has a Chinese Immersion program. He’s been learning the language since kindergarten. At a point (I think it’s 4th or 5th grade) there will be a trip to China!! Can you imagine traveling to China when you’re in grade school!!! I’m really proud of all of them, they are all really great students & have awesome grades. But definitely yes I totally believe they would say yes!!
I went to Europe with a school tour when I was 15! As a Mom, I would totally go with my kid too. My husband and I just got back from two weeks in Spain. Highly recommend.
That sounds just like my teenage son. Mine would also start griping about the coulda-shouldas a couple weeks before the trip was happening and it was too late to make the arrangements.
Delish ideas as always! My dollar tree has some stuff but not nearly as well stocked as yours. I’d have jumped at the chance for that trip in a heartbeat. My mom wouldn’t have gone, because she will not fly anywhere for any reason, but I’d loved to have taken my dad, since he lived in Germany for awhile. But no you didn’t fail as a parent. Sometimes the things everyone else thinks are appealing just aren’t 🤷🏻♀️
My kids would go to Europe for sure!!! And i would have as a kid/teen also. And I did in my 20s when I moved to England for a year to do some college study abroad program.
Love these DT videos. Even though my DT doesnt have the refrigerated section(bummer) I can still get great ideas for budget cooking. Thks and keep these videos coming!!
Maybe he’ll come around. My daughter’s school just announced the Spanish students are going to be given the opportunity to go to Costa Rica. I was expecting her not to want to go, but was shocked and happy that she “would go”. Not the response or reaction I was expecting but happy that she was willing to do something awesome!
I absolutely agree on some items, Pioneer gravy if you don’t have time to make gravy is surprisingly good. The can chicken I buy at Aldi’s if you wash it, not too bad that Dollar tree appears small but we’re talking budget👌🏻 My son would’ve jumped on that trip so fast and since he was an only child we were close so Love love the idea but water under the bridge for us. I’ve seen your children I’m a bit surprised he didn’t want to go, you have beautiful and smart children. But now a days they have a mind of their own LOL You’ve not fail, hang on for empty nest. Tyfs Going to check out some things at DT tomorrow. ❤🙏🏼🫶🏻
Suggestion with the gravy and sausage mix, i highly recommend doing it like you would for a gravy rue, and mixing in the gravy mix into the sausage and mixing well and THEN adding in the water slowly. I do that EVERYTIME and it comes out PERFECT. I also use cream or milk or a mix of the 2 i stead of water, and it comes out SO. FRIGGIN. YUMMY! Edit: i ABSOLUTELY want to see more of these vids!❤ Also, my kids would LOVE a tour of america, but couldnt care less about going out of it.😅😂
I worked 3 jobs between my junior and senior year to safe enough money to go on a 12 day trip to Italy my senior year of high school… one of the best experiences of my life!
I'm laughing. I used to make pizzadillas for the 3 year-old I nannied. They were his favorite! You are the first person I've ever heard also call them that! Fun memories! :)
I love how you made it work with your Dollar Tree finds. You never know what they are going to have at any given time. That trip to Europe sounds fabulous. I know I would enjoy it. Thanks for sharing. If I have frozen chicken breast, I'll throw them in my Instant Pot and then shred them. So many meal possibilities.
I usually keep homemade meatballs in the freezer, but when I run out I use the frozen burger patties with Italian seasonings and it’s delicious! Mine always take too long on the stovetop, so I just throw them in the Instant Pot and it works out well.
I’m late to the party for the comments from two weeks ago my guys love pickles, I detest them I’m always forgetting to buy condiments, so I found that rather amusing🥒. I found you when I was home recuperating from my fourth joint replacement. Absolutely adore you. There are so many things in your prepper ones that we did as a child. Grow up on a farm in the Midwest, and to make a long story short there were six of us. We had a half acre garden. We grew everything possible that you can grow in the Midwest to can freeze and put up. We also had our own meet as being a farmer. There was nothing better than a snow storm that came in and you had a basement full of canned goods and a freezer, full of meat and frozen fruit. It was my mom’s practice that when we were all home on breaks spring winter and it’s not too busy in the field, fall that we made homemade bread, homemade yeast rolls, homemade cinnamon rolls, homemade caramel rolls and stuck them in the freezer gave them as gifts. So in this day and age, I thank you for reminding me of the things that I need to be implementing more of. And just an lol my husband laughs at me because I constantly buy extra toilet paper, paper towels, laundry soap, fabric softener, and all the food that I can sometimes that I replace food in the cabinet that I just used so again I thank you for being out here to remind me.
I love this video idea. So often we see grocery shopping at Dollar Tree + an extreme budget, like “feed yourself for $25 for one week.” I like the idea of seeing more “regular” or not extreme budget shopping but still at DT. It would be cool to see the cost of a week’s worth of meals at DT versus, say, at Walmart.
I'd love to see a vid on these comparisons.
Yes, same.
Yesss please make more dollar tree meals showing you cooking them 🎉
The canned chicken is great in soup. I put together cream of chicken, carrots, and potatoes. It's always a hit with my family and so easy and cheap. Note you don't drain the cans of veggies you add and you can add fresh veggies like spinach to add color and nutrition.
One of my favorite things to look for at dollar tree is the little bags of meatballs. It only has 13-14 meatballs per bag, but that's perfect for lunch for my daughter and me. Throw them in some spaghetti sauce over pasta, or I'll cook them in some barbecue sauce. They're also delicious to make into open face meatball sub... which would also be delicious in Texas toast!
The pancakes with the blueberry compote and whipped topping looked delicious 😊
Ssz
Would absolutely love to see more ideas and recipes! So disheartening that "our seniors" are actually grocery shopping for their weekly needs at the dollar store! My daughter (a teacher getting ready for regent test, getting extra treats for her juniors) and I went last week! There was literally about 14 seniors there literally grocery shopping, and it truly broke my heart! They worked HOW LONG AND HOW MUCH for their retirement and now because of this governmental garbage they can't afford fresh foods? Okay, sorry, went on a rant! That being said, I helped my daughter go to Romania during her Junior year at college! She loved it, had an amazing experience, and would of NEVER IN A LIFE TIME thought of taking me with her! Yeah... she's 5 of 5 with twins in the middle! Happy Mother's Day Christine! ♥ ♥ ♥ Love, love your channel! Don't comment hardly at all, but am a faithful viewer!
I'll go to Europe with you! I have an intermediate level of Polish and a history degree (emphasis on medieval European history). I was also a medieval re-enactor for 16 years. I can tell you more than you've ever wanted to know about castles and life in the middle ages.
Yeah, I don't understand a kid not wanting to take a trip like that. I went overseas for the first time as a freshman in college. I lived in Ireland for a summer after college. Everyone ought to travel to another country in order to be exposed to different ways of doing things. It not only broadens your mind, but it also makes you appreciate your own country in a new way.
Or be ashamed of ut...which is how I felt after visiting Thailand
Well shoot. Now I’m just jealous, lol. I meant envious 😂. Someday, still on bucket list. 🙏
Yes I love this ! Can you please do the chicken pot pies? Thank you so much! 🥳🥳
Sausage Biscuits and Gravy! I saw this- paused the video and trotted my happy self out to the grocery store in the middle of school getting out! I procured my sausage and came home- finished watching! Thank you bunches for sharing your great ideas! 🌻
The food *most likely* will not make you sick 😂
Valid point!
The story at the end cracked me up! A year before my daughters senior year, we were like we’re all going to go to Hawaii next summer. The whole family, summer after graduation. She was like, no I don’t want to go. My mouth dropped!! Who passes up Hawaii!! 😮
(It was supposed to be the summer of 2020 so yeah nobody went, but the other 3 of us did get there last summer!)
If it’s a lot of traveling, I can’t blame her. Plus some people might be more interested in mountains and cities than the beach (Like I am).
If you can find cheddar bay biscuit mix at the DT, it makes a great topping for chicken pot pie! Takes it up a notch.
I love biscuits and gravy!! I agree you need to add sausage. Big YES on the chicken pot pie. I can't believe he didn't want to go on that Europe trip. I know my daughter would've been excited.
My 38 year son went for the first time to Europe last year to Germany. He loved it. I've been to Europe and all over the world. Your son will soon enough discover the world of travel and head to Europe. My trip this year is almost a month long - London, Milan, Florence, Naples, and I'm also heading to Sicily. Why not!
My son loves fried canned chicken in his ramen, I fry it in a little oil and soy sauce. One of his favorites!
😋 Sounds yummy. I’m a big Ramen fan. I’m going to try it. Thanks for the suggestion.
I traveled to Europe with a school group when I was a Junior in high school. My parents didn’t go but some of my friend’s parents went. My French teacher and a college professor were our tour guides. It was a great experience and very educational.
OMGsh, that BooBerry cereal is giving me throwback vibes from my childhood - love it! I've never seen anyone do PB w/syrup, but that sounds great, def going to try that, lol. I normally don't care for 'DT meals' videos, but this one really wins because you didn't set a miniscule budget like every DT meals vid I've ever seen - it really was fun to watch, thanks!
I'm a breakfast girl so you had me at bicuits & gravy😊 I like the Pioneer gravy mix because I'm gravy impaired😄 Your blueberry compote looks & sounds delicious! Great content!
I was surprised you were able to make such a variety of meals from $1.25Tree. The only change I would make would be to use sausage rather than those hamburger patties. Great job Christine!
I love canned chicken and use it a lot. Much more handy for my situation and season of life. If you want it to be better the trick is to try is a little before you add the other ingredients. Just put a little vegetable oil in your skillet and add the chicken and I cook on high with a little salt some garlic and onion and really whatever spices you like. Brown the chicken - maybe break it up a little and get more crunchy bits then use the chicken and the now very flavorful oil in you dish. It is delicious and really easy!
This is the perfect video for college kids or a "balling on a tight budget ".
My favorite was the pizza. Garlic bread, spaghetti sauce, a slice of mozzarella cheese and some pepperoni slices=yummy!!!😂
I've been getting 2lb bags of black beans at Dollar Tree. And, thanks for the tip about a while back the tiny jar [spice jar] of REAL Parmasean. Perfect for me. The pizza was my favorite! Do more!!
Europe - HELLO!! I did this with my daughter during the summer of 2014 - We went to Spain (Madrid and Barcelona!!) and France (Nimes/Arles and Paris)!! It was awesome. I will say that the girls significantly outnumbered the boys on the trip, even from the other two high schools. Had a similar opportunity been available when my son was in HS - I would have never heard about it!! he's such a homebody!! You still might want to check whether they need chaperones!
Personally not a fan of Dollar Tree but for those that have no or little financial choice(or store options)this was really good. Variety and way better than ramen noodles every single meal. You did it again Christine.
My sister likes to eat beef top ramen with a sunny side up egg on top 😅 not a "meal" but its filling and is kind of a comfort food for her.
I appreciate the fact that you didn’t immediately tell your son he was going, even if he didn’t want to lol. I think my kids would immediately say yes because we only take 2 trips a year. A day trip for snow and a weekend to the beach lol
Get the Goya refried beans, flour tortillas, and nacho cheese dip from the chip section. Wrap up little burritos with beans and sour cream, pan fry in olive/vegetable oil mixture. They sell one with a little black label and Jagermiester shoulders. Once fried evenly, serve with warm nacho dip on the side with hot sauce of the fiscal quarter (Texas Pete, right now) swirled in like a latte. Salt Bae whole picture.
Add Rotel if you have to tell your mom you ate a vegetable.
That sounds yummy and I think I have it all in the pantry now! Dollar tree for the win.
My grandkids are on a kick right now of using cake mix for pancakes. It really adds variety they said. However I now find myself in the cake mix aisle more than I have in years 😅
My aunt showed me how to make cookies from cake mixes so I totally understand, 😉. I think I need that pancake (cake) recipe. 🙏
I love the gravy. Also, I love their mashed potatoes like the garlic flavor in the forties also their garlic bread, or mozzarella garlic bread, too. Also, their lo mein teriyaki noodle.
I love your dollar tree videos! Every time you make one I watch it and run to dollar tree to find the items you suggest. I have four kids and I’m on an extreme budget as well. My kids LOVED the peanut butter and chocolate Chex you suggested. Thanks for making these videos ❤
I think all of them sounded good. My daughter and I would be the only ones to eat the vegetables. Hubby would eat the pizza. Plus, you just gave me an idea for another meal I had thought about earlier but was unsure how to put it together. 😊I would totally love to see more of these videos
I appreciate this video to show people a variety of ways to save $; especially if their local grocers is super expensive.
Not Christine telling us to check food expirations 😂😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣 GIRL lmao
Take him to Europe! He has no comparison on which to base his decision. So take him, and then ask him when you get back if he was glad you went :) It's such an eye opener and a great experience, I wish I'd gone when I was younger.
I love that you made a pink sauce! I like doing this (and adding pesto sometimes) but I’ve never seen anyone on the internet post it until this video! Thanks for being real and creating some inspiring meals
🇨🇦 As a 16 year old I passed up a trip with my parents to the Holy Land b/c it would be "so cool stay at home with my friend." The stay at home part wasnt as much fun as I had hoped and have regretted missing that trip ever since.(I'm 74 lol) Kids! Fun vlog. Our $trees are not so well stocked. I'm being polite😅
I would like to see another vide like this.Breakfast lunch dinner for a family of 6.
Thank you so much for this video! Even though I'm currently living in Europe I still get inspired by your creativity in meal planning by just using simple ingredients.
I am Canadian... Why are biscuits and gravy SO GOOD!?!? I Love it!
I'm sad the Boo Berry ended up there! It was my favorite of the monster cereals when I was a kid. EVERYONE loves Count Chocula, but the Boo doesn't get enough love!
Sadly our local Dollar Tree (which I call Dollar Twig because it is so small) is closed. Not sure if it will reopen. When they were open, it had 7 aisles and food was only 1/3 of one side of an aisle plus 4-5 doors for fridge/frozen goods. So instead, I did a cost comparison between your list & Walmart and although the total cost was $20 more, some items were priced at $1.18 at Walmart so it would save a bit of money on a few items. One thing is for sure…I wrote down the meal items as I’m planning my meals for the next couple of weeks and you basically did it for me - yippee!! (Thank you Christine!!) Since I make food for only me, I’m sure this will last me a couple of weeks! I only shop once every 10 days and I’m know I have a couple of items on hand already so I’ll check those off the list before I go shopping. I only have to add coffee & cat treats (cause the little missy gets grumpy without her treats) and I’ll be ready to go. Sounds like it would be a fantastic trip - so sorry your son does not want to go!
That garlic bread pizza looks awesome
I was surprised the DT tortillas are so good! I also like to restock my snack station while I'm there. The pita thins are so addictive.
I used the fiesta blend frozen veggies to make a Fiesta Soup. It was really good.
Dollar Tree ice cream is the bomb 😋😋! And I love canned chicken as chicken salad with mayo since I don’t eat tuna fish anymore. 😊. No u didn’t fail, Europe’s not the vaca he’s looking for Lol!
I agreed! Stir fry veggies and canned chicken don’t really go together…but! If you add cheese at the end and melt the cheese before pouring it over rice😋you might like it more🙃 everything tastes better with cheese🙃
Great ideas! Thanks so much. PS you did not fail! I have 2 of 3 kids who would have had the same response. It's flabbergasting!😊
#1 Knorr Side with canned chicken and vegetables (could be canned or frozen or dehydrated).
#2 Bouillon cubes with vegetable for a vegetable soup
#3 Canned or frozen meat with rice and frozen or canned peas and carrots and soy or teriyaki or other asian sauce. Sometimes you can find a frozen pork chop or frozen steak or frozen shrimp to make your fried rice dish. You could get egg rolls or pot stickers on the side.
#4 Frozen meatballs, hot dog buns, tomato sauce and parmesan cheese to make a meatball sandwich.
Great video Christine! I live in the UK so trips to Europe are the norm for us - we have travelled all over the world with our kids but the eldest has now left home and the youngest at 14 turned down a trip to China with us - the deal breaker - no accessible internet!!! I was lost for words!!! I am assuming one day she will look back and regret it xx
I was able to spend the summer before my senior year in France, and it was absolutely amazing! Depending on what your son majors in for college, he might not be able to travel abroad and this could end up being an opportunity he really regrets missing. My travel abroad in college was canceled, so the summer in France ended up meaning so much more to me after the fact ❤
My kid would NOT, in fact, jump on that. And didn't. I was as flabbergasted as you! I got the chance to go to England and Paris when I was a Junior and it was fantastic and taught me a lot about history (and bus tours).
I'm always overwhelmed, so I use pancake mix 90% of the time, BUT I always add vanilla and/or almond extract to the mix. If I happen to have a flavored creamer, like sweet cream, I'll pour a little of that into the mix before adding water. It masks that preservative taste in the pancake mixes.
I also add vanilla, along wth beating some eggs into the mix.
I was surprised at all of the meals you were able to make. They all looked really good. I wasn’t a fan of the stir fry, I thought the veg looked watery and no seasoning, as you did! But, hey what do you want for $Store? If it works, why not.
Sprinkle some pepper on that veg. I never thought about what you could buy there
to make a meal.🎉
Thanks for the enlightenment and the video.
Yes crazy turning down the trip to Europe! Thanks for the video...very helpful! 😊
Gurl you got me goin to dollar tree to pick up some of these items! A lot of their grocery items are name brand too! And especially with groceries being so dam expensive, you have to shop reasonable these days. And I've always wondered if their groceries would be to my liking. Imma try 'em! Thank You so so much!👍
I'm a Brit. In school we had trips to other European countries. We all jumped on that!
You are not alone. My 15 yr old son turned down a class trip to Disney! This generation is bonks!
Christine will you make a $100 Kroger week family meal plan?hugs from Texas!
As a mostly Whole Foods kinda person, I get a little put off by what is on the shelves a Dollar Tree. I’m sure this video will be inspiring to a large group of people.
I love your channel and appreciate your content.
True you won't find many organics at Dollar Tree but I once found organic diced tomatoes and picked them up. I've also picked up frozen peas and carrots there as peas and carrots aren't GMO.
My son turned down an overseas graduation trip as well. I told him we could go wherever he wanted. I am fully stocked with miles and points and was exited to use them. Oh well, a few more years and my daughter and I can do a big trip for her
I think my kiddos would LOVE to go on a trip to Europe. Both of mine love to explore like I do, but we don't have the funds to. Unfortunately, we struggle daily. Thank you for sharing this with us. Looking forward to seeing more like this to come.
You are just wonderful Dear Girl. I could watch you for hours and you are giving such a Great service to people as many families are struggling now financially.
Luv from NZ❤😘🥗🥘🍛🍜
I use that breakfast gravy in a pinch and I pour it into the sausage like you did. It works. I just went to the DT and picked up some art supplies. Quick salt painting for a craft at the park. Love DT! And your videos.
That Pioneer gravy mix is LIFE! Did you know that’s a Texas brand, Christine?
That pizza in garlic bread is genius!!!!
My former MIL was Sicilian, and she used the same Hunts spaghetti sauce they sell at DT. She was PICKY. You can't beat it for the price. Great to stock up on to use for pasta, but also for stuffed peppers, soups, casseroles -- anything that takes spaghetti sauce. (I put it in my chili!)
What product did she use for spaghetti?
I love the Hunts sauce because it doesn't have chunks of stuff in it. My family prefers a smooth sauce but I do add a bit of seasoning to it... onion powder, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.
@@lindamarcom4107 I don't recall. Sorry.
Yes make more!! I loved the biscuits and gravy and the pizzas!!
My kid would have totally jumped on that trip!
Yes please make more dollar tree videos, your videos are awesome!
I LOOOOVVVVEEE this video!!! So fun. What a challenge!
black beans taco.yum
I love watching your channel to get more budget friendly meal ideas. Can you please do more from scratch budget ideas. I have salt restrictions and those baking mixes and canned items usually have a ton of sodium.
I love the idea of the dollar store meals
I went with my daughter's choir group on a three week tour of Europe. She really wanted to go, and we thoroughly enjoyed the trip, although she completely ignored me for the whole trip. However, it gave her the confidence to travel the world, and she now lives in South Africa with her husband, and travels to many exotic locations. Convince your son to go. And don't be surprised if he pretends you aren't his mom. It will still be worth it. 0:0
Agree. Guess he is not interested in the history part but surely you can try convincing him about the yummy food and sightseeing part.
I had never seen refrigerated food at a dollar tree until i walked into one in a richie neighborhood! Holy crap. They get ALLL the good stuff!
Awesome video! Please do another one. I’ve never really bought anything in the food section besides the full sized boxes of cereal. I’ve always skipped over the whole food section. But I wouldn’t mind trying this out for my family.
I look and see if I'm interested in what they have. I like to see where food is sourced, so I check labels. Not interested in "cheap" food from China in some cases. Just not worth the savings in my opinion. But you can find some name brand food items in DT.
I root for more dollar tree hauls! 🥳
I have never considered budget food shopping at the dollar tree. This was a fun video. :D
I think you should take him on the European trip anyway. I did a similar school educational Italian tour with my oldest son last year and it was the absolute best!
My kids are all grown up now, but I would bet all 4 of my grandkids would go for that in a heartbeat!! The 3 oldest went to Vienna about 4 years ago. Also the boys (14 year old twins are extremely interested in history! Their sister is almost 17 & I’m sure she would love it too. She is very artistic & creative, so I can see her going for it wholeheartedly!! My youngest grandchild is a 10 year old boy. He goes to a school that has a Chinese Immersion program. He’s been learning the language since kindergarten. At a point (I think it’s 4th or 5th grade) there will be a trip to China!! Can you imagine traveling to China when you’re in grade school!!! I’m really proud of all of them, they are all really great students & have awesome grades. But definitely yes I totally believe they would say yes!!
I went to Europe with a school tour when I was 15! As a Mom, I would totally go with my kid too. My husband and I just got back from two weeks in Spain. Highly recommend.
I'd love that trip!!!
That sounds just like my teenage son. Mine would also start griping about the coulda-shouldas a couple weeks before the trip was happening and it was too late to make the arrangements.
Delish ideas as always! My dollar tree has some stuff but not nearly as well stocked as yours.
I’d have jumped at the chance for that trip in a heartbeat. My mom wouldn’t have gone, because she will not fly anywhere for any reason, but I’d loved to have taken my dad, since he lived in Germany for awhile. But no you didn’t fail as a parent. Sometimes the things everyone else thinks are appealing just aren’t 🤷🏻♀️
I swear. Our Best dollar tree is in the hood. It's also the best one. It's always wiped out on groceries. So aggravated
@@melanieroberts2221 I don’t think ours even has a fridge/freezer section.
My kids would go to Europe for sure!!! And i would have as a kid/teen also. And I did in my 20s when I moved to England for a year to do some college study abroad program.
Love these DT videos. Even though my DT doesnt have the refrigerated section(bummer) I can still get great ideas for budget cooking. Thks and keep these videos coming!!
My kid would live a trip to Europe! She went to England with her aunt at 10 years old and loved it.
Maybe he’ll come around. My daughter’s school just announced the Spanish students are going to be given the opportunity to go to Costa Rica. I was expecting her not to want to go, but was shocked and happy that she “would go”. Not the response or reaction I was expecting but happy that she was willing to do something awesome!
Yes please bring more DT menu ideas ! Love it ❤
I made sausage biscuits and gravy for dinner on Friday 😊. Fridays is my breakfast for dinner day
I absolutely agree on some items, Pioneer gravy if you don’t have time to make gravy is surprisingly good. The can chicken I buy at Aldi’s if you wash it, not too bad that Dollar tree appears small but we’re talking budget👌🏻 My son would’ve jumped on that trip so fast and since he was an only child we were close so Love love the idea but water under the bridge for us. I’ve seen your children I’m a bit surprised he didn’t want to go, you have beautiful and smart children. But now a days they have a mind of their own LOL You’ve not fail, hang on for empty nest. Tyfs Going to check out some things at DT tomorrow. ❤🙏🏼🫶🏻
Suggestion with the gravy and sausage mix, i highly recommend doing it like you would for a gravy rue, and mixing in the gravy mix into the sausage and mixing well and THEN adding in the water slowly.
I do that EVERYTIME and it comes out PERFECT.
I also use cream or milk or a mix of the 2 i stead of water, and it comes out SO. FRIGGIN. YUMMY!
Edit: i ABSOLUTELY want to see more of these vids!❤
Also, my kids would LOVE a tour of america, but couldnt care less about going out of it.😅😂
I worked 3 jobs between my junior and senior year to safe enough money to go on a 12 day trip to Italy my senior year of high school… one of the best experiences of my life!
I'm laughing. I used to make pizzadillas for the 3 year-old I nannied. They were his favorite! You are the first person I've ever heard also call them that! Fun memories! :)
Yes more of these !
When I was in high school we had a 2 week tour trip with my Spanish class!
My freshman would have the same reaction. I would be all over it! I went on a school trip to Europe in high school, it was fantastic!
I love how you made it work with your Dollar Tree finds. You never know what they are going to have at any given time. That trip to Europe sounds fabulous. I know I would enjoy it. Thanks for sharing. If I have frozen chicken breast, I'll throw them in my Instant Pot and then shred them. So many meal possibilities.
I usually keep homemade meatballs in the freezer, but when I run out I use the frozen burger patties with Italian seasonings and it’s delicious! Mine always take too long on the stovetop, so I just throw them in the Instant Pot and it works out well.
Yes more meals n ideas, it helps me what make f ok r grandkids
When my kid started junior high we signed up for a trip to Italy 7th grade, Greece 8th grade. Great times 😁
You had me at sausage and gravy.
I’m late to the party for the comments from two weeks ago my guys love pickles, I detest them I’m always forgetting to buy condiments, so I found that rather amusing🥒. I found you when I was home recuperating from my fourth joint replacement. Absolutely adore you. There are so many things in your prepper ones that we did as a child. Grow up on a farm in the Midwest, and to make a long story short there were six of us. We had a half acre garden. We grew everything possible that you can grow in the Midwest to can freeze and put up. We also had our own meet as being a farmer. There was nothing better than a snow storm that came in and you had a basement full of canned goods and a freezer, full of meat and frozen fruit. It was my mom’s practice that when we were all home on breaks spring winter and it’s not too busy in the field, fall that we made homemade bread, homemade yeast rolls, homemade cinnamon rolls, homemade caramel rolls and stuck them in the freezer gave them as gifts. So in this day and age, I thank you for reminding me of the things that I need to be implementing more of. And just an lol my husband laughs at me because I constantly buy extra toilet paper, paper towels, laundry soap, fabric softener, and all the food that I can sometimes that I replace food in the cabinet that I just used so again I thank you for being out here to remind me.