Here to acknowledge the extra effort you're willing to put in with your time and thoughtfulness to make daily trips to the store for the sake of variety in your meal plan! You never fail to demonstrate your desire to help others 🥰
@@DollarTreeDinners One thing you could do with the breakfast for dinner on the 8th night is add one of those frozen fajita mixed veggies - bell peppers and onion.
As a single person, I love seeing meal plans that show ingredients being used in more than one recipe or leftovers being transformed into a new meal. Great ideas and great video!
When you use the coupons make sure to clip them in the app! I work at DG and a lot of people come in thinking that they will automatically apply when they put in their phone numbers but they won't unless you clip it. Also, make sure to read the $5 off ones, a lot of those (the majority actually) are on Saturdays only, sometimes DG will toss in a random one for Friday or something, but they're mainly for Saturdays.
definitely! also the steel cages that are dollar generals typically don't get cell signal so clip in advance and enter the phone number at the register instead ;)
I just found your channel and I'm amazed. I'm writing down the meals that you make so I can replicate them. We're a family of 5 and my partner was just fired and he's the breadwinner. So this is going to save us. Thank you so much for these videos.
Excellent ideas and great job! This story goes back well over 60 years, I grew up in a large family and almost everybody on the street had at least five kids. 🤷🏻♀️ Anyway, my mom and the other housewives all had ‘Big Batch Chicken Day’ where they’d usually bake up six chickens on Mondays and ‘Big Batch Ground Beef Day’ on Thursday and no kidding, you could smell the meat cooking throughout the entire neighborhood. They’d pull out cooked meat from the freezer and come up with some pretty great meals. When I think back, it was a fun way to grow up and these were women who would take care of each other’s sourdough mixture if one had to go out of town. 💕
I cannot stress how wonderful it is that your empathy shines through (along with your creativity). Loved this video (love them all, actually! I've exhausted your playlists! lol)!
As always an excellent video. My grandmother grew up during the great depression, and she was until the day she died a daily or every other day shopper. The scarcity mindset she had lived with as a child was the bedrock of who she was as a person. Just as you did here, she would take daily inventories of her food (and other) supplies and top up. As a result, I doubt she ever wasted a single ounce of food. The false economy of buying a larger size because it was on sale only for half of it to mold over in the back of the fridge was never a problem for her.
My great grandparents went through the depression and she was very obsessed about not wasting food. ( Not a bad thing) She told me they ate a skunk one time because that was what my grandfather got when he was out hunting. She said she burped skunk for a week afterwards. I remember if they cooked lunch. No matter how much was leftover she would put it in a little cup and she would pull it out and eat it with whatever they made for dinner. I remember looking in her fridge and seeing 3 or 4 little cups with just a couple of spoonsful of different foods.
@@itsjustme.7059I understand. I had an elderly, Depression Era friend once who invited some of us ladies from our crafting group over to her house to help eat up her leftovers because they were accumulating in the fridge. They all were stored in little reused plastic food containers. The one that held only a couple spoonfuls of a cooked green still sticks in my memory. It was a really fun dinner, by the way.
I have watched many of your videos but this one resonated with me more than any other. What a great job. This is more than a recipe plan...it is a thought process everyone can use. Thank your for all your efforts.
Oh my gosh! How have I lived 40 years and have only NOW found out about the proper way to get tomato paste out of a can?? That tip alone was golden in a video of great tips!
I loved this! Our fridge died a sad death last week and we had to temporarily replace it with a 4.5 cubic foot one. We've been grocery shopping every 2-3 days and I am loving it. Minimal food waste, creative cooking, and enjoying some awesome markdowns...so far so good! Thanks for always providing such wonderful ideas. ❤
Never worry about timing. Plans change, life happens or a new idea that takes longer comes to fruition. Just always happy to see another of your videos pop up and learn about new products or new ways to save $$ - always a good thing these days for families, singles and us old codger retirees!
I'm single and a van lifer. My fridge is tiny so shopping everyday is ok for me. I love your videos. The one you did for no fridge meals was awesome! I do have to be careful though since I'm diabetic. I just saw that you have a video on diabetic meals. About to go watch. Oh I'm a new subbie so I'm binge watching your videos lol. Tfs❤
Really enjoyed this one, Rebecca! I never thought about using the flavored rice as a fried rice base, and I will definitely be trying it! Love the bowl idea- use up odds and ends, less waste with more creativity. Thanks so much!!
I love this. I admire and appreciate your dedication to this channel. I refer to your videos often. And as a southern girl, I’m certain you’re getting flack on the gravy, but being honest, sometimes we just don’t have all the ingredients. Time and sanity are as equally important. Thank you for this video. ❤
I so completely agree with your closing thoughts here about how shopping more frequently might actually save money in the long run. I'm shopping for one and I've been doing weekly shops for... ever. I keep noticing that I'm wasting food that I had originally thought I'd eat because it went bad before I prepared it. I'm moving soon to a location that's an easy walk to a grocery store and one of the things I'm most looking forward to is shopping more frequently and buying less on each trip. Thank you so much for these inspiring videos!
Again with the fabulous content! This was a really great idea! My friend is a waitress and she gets her tips in cash at the end of her shift and oftentimes that's what she uses for groceries and she shops almost every day on her way home so there are definitely people who will benefit from this video! I have always wanted to try chicken spaghetti but for some reason I just never have. That looked really delicious. I adore those little Velveeta packs. Those huge blocks are just way too much for me and my son. Those are the perfect size for us.
Probably one of my favorite channel discoveries this year! Love how resourceful you are. This channel is really useful as someone that is trying to cut back on food spending and getting away from buying a lot of fast food.
Don't worry about the delay. You did an awesome job! I have a dollar general about 3 minutes from my house. I never thought about doing daily shopping trips. Thanks for the ideas 💡
You are a very clever person. The daily shopping )which had to be a pain) did give you an opportunity to plan considering what you had on hand, but that also meant that your options of what recipes to make, got smaller. I think your creativity was a 10 out of 10! Thanks for showing us what we can do with a small budget.
I’m a widow with 3 kids and your videos are so helpful. I’m always able to adjust amounts for what we need. Thanks for all the time you put into helping so many people!
This was such a great video. Daily shopping was once very common, but really requires the kind of walkable community filled with small shops that is rare nowadays. Buying everything on your curated list in one visit will certainly make it easier to save with those coupons. And if one is lucky enough to have an Aldi nearby, I'm pretty sure that everything on the list (or very close substitutes) can be had for even less than at Dollar General. All the meals looked very appetizing!
My mom always did the once a week shopping plan for our family of 9. Shopping the sale ads. When I married my husband. We lived with his grandparents for a while. While I was pregnant with our first child. They shopped more or less daily. His grandparents married very young and around or before before the Great Depression. My husband’s grandparents more or less shopped daily for groceries. Either they would both go or grandma would send grandpa to pick up something. Grandma also only cooked two meals a day. Breakfast and dinner (lunch). Because grandpa worked. Supper was eat what you could find. It was sandwiches or leftovers. They never seemed to spend much on groceries. Grandma also keep staples on hand as well.
I personally shop more like this. I don't know it always works on the cost effective side but I definitely know what I have and don't have and it's harder for me to stick to a weekly meal plan. Thank you for showing me it can be done more cost effectively.
Beautiful job Rebecca and so much work. The dedication and forethought you put into your content does not go unnoticed. Well done! So needed in this economic environment we are living in. Proud to be a subscriber to Dollar Tree Dinners!
The burritos and bowls are amazing !!!! Genius ! Many years ago when I was starting out, I paid all of my bills but didn't have grocery money. So I made a big pot of fried rice with whatever I had on hand. I ate it twice a day until the next pay day (about 5 days) YOu just can't go wrong with fried rice . Thanks so much for sharing your genius ideas. 🍃🍂🍁🥰🎃🍃🍂🍁Happy Fall!🍃🍂🍁🥰🎃🍃🍂🍁
This comment is for your husband. Thank you so much for going along with and giving honest critique of the meals she makes for us. For some of us she is just reminding us of meals or something we already knew just didn't remember. But for others she is providing them with VERY VALUABLE information on how to make foods on a limited budget or limited physical ability. For some ppl this time is the first time they have ever had to worry about how much they spend on food, let alone bills ect, so she is providing some sanity and courage... Again thank you again dear!
I absolutely love this! I work from home so going out every day is kind of a nice treat vs shopping once a week. We call it salsa chicken and I always make extra, one of the most versatile ingredients. Plus we like to mix it with refried beans after it is shredded, it adds that nice stickiness that works for tacos or quesadillas.
I also work from home but I do get out daily to drop off my kid at school 7 minutes away with a grocery store literally on the way home across the street. We always buy too much bulk when shopping once per week. I think I would enjoy switching to daily shopping, and it’d mean I get an extra 20 minutes of not dealing with work chaos lol
I appreciate what you do so much. My mother is retired and lives alone. I have a husband and four kids. Your recipes are helping both of us! These are accessible for so many walks of life!
this was a lot of fun to watch. i live too far from a grocery store to go every day (30 miles one way), but love that you can and then i can just buy all the ingredients you bought. that or i sit and really think thru each meal and ingredients as though i could go to the store every day and guestimate what would be left over to make the next meal. :) this gives me a whole new thought process to making meals.
I would like this video twice if I could. Awesome awesome awesome! All of the meals look amazing. Only think I would of done been different was maybe a running tally of what you had left in your budget. Seriously one of your best videos I have seen. I really liked this video And I may watch it again for food ideas.
I loved this video. It can be overwhelming to try and use all your ingredients for meals or leftovers in a whole week. This helped you be creative each day. I'd love to see more of these and incorporating different stores.
Appreciate this and all your videos. While bulk buying can save money, I think daily shopping - which is what our grandmother's and great-grandmothers did when refrigeration meant an icebox - is a good way to make sure we only buy what we need at any given time.
This was the first time I've ever heard anyone say that daily shopping actually can save money. It was so interesting to see how well it worked for you. It honestly does make sense for someone like me. If only the anxiety the grocery store caused me wasn't nearly as bad. It has caused me to shop every 2 weeks so I can go less lol. But again I loved this video. You are always an inspiration!
I like that this one was meal prep for 2. I think that would be a good series to explore for breakfasts, lunches (or meal prep), too! Thank you for sharing, this was very informational!
The breakfast bowl (heart-attack on a plate) looked SOOO good. This was my GO-TO breakfast as a police officer. It was a hearty meal that would last hours (not knowing where/when the next chance to eat came). The only thing missing from it was the biscuits on the bottom. It is to this day, my go-to meal prep for a good breakfast......and it lasts me all day til evening dinner. Keep these coming....they are inspiring!
I can't thank you enough for your work, heart, and attention to detail. My friends and I talk about your videos a lot. I thank you for all of your hard work.
Well Miss Rebecca, I had never shopped dollar general before finding your videos recently. After watching the hash brown video I went and cleaned out my local store of them …(I like them and keep the pantry full now)…and now this chicken rice…well guess where I’m going tomorrow .😁thank you for these videos, you do a fantastic job of them.
Breakfast for dinner is my favorite thing too. I'm going to make a trip to a larger Dollartree store, Walmart & a store out here called Grocery Outlet. I have to make a longer trip to the next town over for this one, & the most I shop locally is twice a week, if I run out of something. Hope I make some good finds tomorrow. Thanks for all the good ideas. :)
Absolutely love this channel and really appreciate all the thought and effort you put into making these videos for us. It’s incredibly helpful and really has given me some great dinner ideas. There are always so many budget friendly and delicious meals I wouldn’t have otherwise thought to put together. ❤👏
Thank you for this, it gives me examples for when I have rough mental health days and Dollar General is around the corner. I can grab some stuff quick and make a good dinner!
These all look amazing and have given me so many good ideas!! Also, side note -- your hair color is GOOORGEOUS, I love the lighter color/balayage on the ends!!
All of these dinners were full of flavor and simple to make. You’ve given me some great ideas. I think half and half shopping works best for us. And you are right breakfast for dinner is delicious! Thank you for all your work making these videos.
You are so good at this. Don't stop! I had little more than 2 brown eggs and English muffins on a cabin Saturday morning this weekend. (and coffee of course) It's ok to take along 4 tablespoons of butter in a small container along.... It worked out great. Life can be simplified. You are such a sweetheart. Thank you!
Next time you do the spaghetti, still use the spaghetti. Just break the noodles when you boil them. Then pour everything in a casserole dish and bake with the cheese on top. Everything is the same, but it feels very different, and when you cut yourself a square of the casserole, the noodles just feel like a completely different experience. Also, so agree with the irrational Velveeta hatred. My grandma was the best cook. She lived on a dairy farm so she definitely didn't have anti-cheese sentiments, but she loved using Velveeta.
I watch several YT who help by teaching us how to shop and save. I have added you to the mix. Why? Because you come up with recipes that are affordable , do not over use rice and beans (I love rice...beans however make my tummy...well you know), show us how to reuse leftovers, never make it a challenge (some creators do that and it's a bit upsetting), and introduce ideas. Thank you. By the way, there is nothing wrong with gravy packs or Velveeta cheese (grill cheese with ham or bacon sounds good right now). Love them.
Hi Rebecca!! I saw you on the news the other day. I forget which one, but it made my daily video recommendations. You did great, and did beautifully. ❤ With that aside, I do a basics shopping every other week (sugar, coffee, etc) from Walmart, but I do go to my Dollar Tree or Walmart+ delivery 2-3 times a week cos I have a tiny kitchen & very limited on cabinet space since I can't use the upper cabinets from my wheelchair. So this video totally fits the way I need to grocery shop (every other day basically). I can see why you felt proud of this project... you did really good with it. I'm going to try quite a few of these.
Rebecca great video I enjoyed watching you are such a pleasure love how you plan the meals thanks these help out the small low income families and I appreciate you sweet lovely friend
Hey, gal! I absolutely have found that to be true also. Post divorce, I was incredibly worried about money and only had an apartment sized refrigerator for myself and son. I started daily shopping and found that I had almost zero food waste and spent soooo much less. I still shop as frequently as possible, though don’t always have time for daily.
It’s amazing how good you are at this! You are blessing so many people with these meal ideas. This channel is definitely a calling for you. Stay blessed 💕 new subscriber 💕
If we lived in town I think I would like to cook this way. If you make out a menu and have everything there I tend to want to stick to the menu. This way of shopping for only a day or two at a time means that on the third day the meal can be leftovers and not leftovers from the beginning of the week which would taste much better. This was a terrific episode and I enjoyed it very much and loved the idea of the flavored rice. ❤❤❤
I am loving all these Dollar General videos. I don't go to Dollar General often but one is opening soon across the street from my subdivision. This is the perfect video for me when they open!
About the only thing I really stock up on is shelf stable items like pastas, canned goods, instant mashed potatoes, etc. yeah, there’s a lot of sodium in these items and fresh is usually better (tasting & good for you), but as a single person that’s had bariatric surgery, I’ve thrown out way too much food because it’s either gone bad before I used it or I’ve fixed more than I thought I’d eat. Even after eight years after my surgery I’m still doing this, so the shelf stable stuff helps reduce food waste. And I pick up dented cans that Kroger has on manager special when I can. Like yesterday I got 2 cans of corn for 48¢ a piece and a can of chicken broth and of beef broth for 77¢ a piece.
I go to the store just about every day. I never know what I wanna make for supper so I decide while I’m at work and then I go get what ever meat I need. I keep canned or fresh veggies on hand and potatoes and rice etc. I just like to go every day too. I’m weird like that 😂
it was fun! I would do it more often if I didn't live in the middle of nowhere, even the dollar general is 15 minutes away, doesn't sound like much but it adds up. at my last house family dollar was a 2 minute drive, it was nice to be able to pop in and out
I shop once a month and go out to lunch every Monday. One day a month i shop at the farmer's market. If I need something like tomatoes or milk, I will do a fill in trip. But, I try to stay on my budget of $120 total each month. There is only myself to consider, so I just make it up as I go along. I know what I like and honestly do purchase some similar items each month.
I stumbled on your channel a couple of weeks ago. I am so happy I did! I went back and watched all your videos 🙂 Rebecca, you truly are a breath of fresh air. Your great ideas make cooking fun. I have already tried a couple and this weekend I am going to make pumpkin bread; I just found pure pumpkin at DT. You see I told you I went back to watch all your videos. ☺Thank you for your time and dedication.♥
Great dinner ideas. Keep them coming. Thank you for your time, thoughts and willingness to help others during this time where prices are so high and everyone is trying to save money where we can.
Well done! I love your take on food. I love the idea of going more frequently and just picking up a few things for a day or two. You have really given me something to think about. Thanks for another fabulous video ❤
I really enjoyed this approach. I had a meal kit once and it had me add sour cream to my spaghetti for a spaghetti bolognaise & my son loved it. Another idea for the spaghetti noodles is a tuna casserole.
I'm sure your daily visits were challenging but you pulled off an incredible attempt stretching your money budget. Thanks Rebecca and hey why not more breakfast for dinner? I love breakfast for dinner too.
Thank you so much for sharing your ideas and recipes! Your creativity is amazing. If you're open to ideas, I would love to see some vegan meal ideas with groceries from either Dollar Tree or Dollar General.
I agree . I find if I shop more frequently I don’t spend as much . I tried both ways over the years and if I tried to do a big shop once a week I would end up going back to the shops anyhow because the meals didn’t appeal to me on the day or everyone would say’ there’s nothing in the house to eat. So daily shopping meant less waste and more inspiration. After loosing a large larder of food to flour weevils (arrived in a 20kg organic flour bag we bought, I’m not a fan of long term storage. I have a good larder basics store in smaller amounts and I add food as needed.
Thank you as always! But super thanks for daily shopping for your dinners! It has opened my eyes to another way to save money! If I'm out anyways a quick trip to a store is a no brainer!using DG was perfect as they are everywhere!
Totally agree with this. I do a lot better going everyday!!! I can't do all the planning, things change, schedules change, etc. I head to the dollar store after work then pick the kids up and my dollars stretch a lot better.
EXCELLENT JOB! YOU MADE SOME REALLY ENTICING MEALS FROM DAY TO DAY! THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND COMMITMENT TO BRINGING US BUDGET FRIENDLY YET DELICIOUS DINNERS!
I am so excited to get started on all this!! Tomorrow’s payday (UGH-finally!!) and I am going to be putting so much of your awesome hard work to work for me!! Thank you for the fantastic ideas! I’ve already made my list for DT as per one of your other vids, so now I will add a list for DG and make it happen! In my little town here in Texas we have a DT, 2 DG’s, a WM, and a local grocery store, so between all that, I’m about to hit the food budget bonanza (so appreciated since this month it’s about 1/4 of my normal with my Christmas budget and my newest and 4th grandbaby!), mostly with your help!
These look seriously delicious. I've gotten my mom interested in some of these as well and she's a picky person about quality, she thinks they look great!
Late to your video but had to visit the hubby in the nursing home. I cannot express just how much I love and appreciate your channel and videos and ideas ❤❤❤❤❤ thank you so very much 😊❤ You Rock 🎉
I used to shop daily or every other day for dinner. I’d get off work and grab what we needed. It was definitely easier to get what we were craving. But now I do weekly. Ya girl just wants to go home after work. Lol. I was in my 20’s back then. Now I’m in my 40’s.
Thank you. My food budget has been cut back so I'll be looking at a lot more budget dinners (not that I bought expensive items before). Thank you for great ideas.
Here to acknowledge the extra effort you're willing to put in with your time and thoughtfulness to make daily trips to the store for the sake of variety in your meal plan! You never fail to demonstrate your desire to help others 🥰
Thank you for that!
Amen to that 😊
@@DollarTreeDinners
One thing you could do with the breakfast for dinner on the 8th night is add one of those frozen fajita mixed veggies - bell peppers and onion.
Do you ev er make meals in the microwave?
@@laurachiles56Ikr. Good question. I already hate cooking so if I can put certain foods in the microwave, that would be cool...smile
As a single person, I love seeing meal plans that show ingredients being used in more than one recipe or leftovers being transformed into a new meal. Great ideas and great video!
You're so welcome!
Me too!
I totally agree!! Very helpful with us single meal preppers❤
Me too!
That's why I'm here!!!
Perfect timing because I have 44 dollars left for the week after rent...
I hope it helps!
@@DollarTreeDinners already gave me lots of ideas! Thank you!
When you use the coupons make sure to clip them in the app! I work at DG and a lot of people come in thinking that they will automatically apply when they put in their phone numbers but they won't unless you clip it. Also, make sure to read the $5 off ones, a lot of those (the majority actually) are on Saturdays only, sometimes DG will toss in a random one for Friday or something, but they're mainly for Saturdays.
definitely! also the steel cages that are dollar generals typically don't get cell signal so clip in advance and enter the phone number at the register instead ;)
I just found your channel and I'm amazed. I'm writing down the meals that you make so I can replicate them. We're a family of 5 and my partner was just fired and he's the breadwinner. So this is going to save us. Thank you so much for these videos.
Oh no Rosie, I am so very sorry to hear that! I hope he is able to find a new job soon.
Oh no I am so sorry.
Excellent ideas and great job!
This story goes back well over 60 years, I grew up in a large family and almost everybody on the street had at least five kids. 🤷🏻♀️ Anyway, my mom and the other housewives all had ‘Big Batch Chicken Day’ where they’d usually bake up six chickens on Mondays and ‘Big Batch Ground Beef Day’ on Thursday and no kidding, you could smell the meat cooking throughout the entire neighborhood. They’d pull out cooked meat from the freezer and come up with some pretty great meals. When I think back, it was a fun way to grow up and these were women who would take care of each other’s sourdough mixture if one had to go out of town. 💕
That’s such a cool story, thank you for sharing. I wish I could live in a neighborhood like that.
❤❤❤
I cannot stress how wonderful it is that your empathy shines through (along with your creativity). Loved this video (love them all, actually! I've exhausted your playlists! lol)!
As always an excellent video. My grandmother grew up during the great depression, and she was until the day she died a daily or every other day shopper. The scarcity mindset she had lived with as a child was the bedrock of who she was as a person. Just as you did here, she would take daily inventories of her food (and other) supplies and top up. As a result, I doubt she ever wasted a single ounce of food. The false economy of buying a larger size because it was on sale only for half of it to mold over in the back of the fridge was never a problem for her.
My great grandparents went through the depression and she was very obsessed about not wasting food. ( Not a bad thing) She told me they ate a skunk one time because that was what my grandfather got when he was out hunting. She said she burped skunk for a week afterwards. I remember if they cooked lunch. No matter how much was leftover she would put it in a little cup and she would pull it out and eat it with whatever they made for dinner. I remember looking in her fridge and seeing 3 or 4 little cups with just a couple of spoonsful of different foods.
@@itsjustme.7059I understand. I had an elderly, Depression Era friend once who invited some of us ladies from our crafting group over to her house to help eat up her leftovers because they were accumulating in the fridge. They all were stored in little reused plastic food containers. The one that held only a couple spoonfuls of a cooked green still sticks in my memory. It was a really fun dinner, by the way.
I have watched many of your videos but this one resonated with me more than any other. What a great job. This is more than a recipe plan...it is a thought process everyone can use. Thank your for all your efforts.
Wow, thank you! That is so amazing 🥰
Oh my gosh! How have I lived 40 years and have only NOW found out about the proper way to get tomato paste out of a can?? That tip alone was golden in a video of great tips!
I loved this! Our fridge died a sad death last week and we had to temporarily replace it with a 4.5 cubic foot one. We've been grocery shopping every 2-3 days and I am loving it. Minimal food waste, creative cooking, and enjoying some awesome markdowns...so far so good! Thanks for always providing such wonderful ideas. ❤
*adding items to my shopping list*
Never worry about timing. Plans change, life happens or a new idea that takes longer comes to fruition. Just always happy to see another of your videos pop up and learn about new products or new ways to save $$ - always a good thing these days for families, singles and us old codger retirees!
I'm single and a van lifer. My fridge is tiny so shopping everyday is ok for me. I love your videos. The one you did for no fridge meals was awesome! I do have to be careful though since I'm diabetic. I just saw that you have a video on diabetic meals. About to go watch. Oh I'm a new subbie so I'm binge watching your videos lol. Tfs❤
Really enjoyed this one, Rebecca! I never thought about using the flavored rice as a fried rice base, and I will definitely be trying it! Love the bowl idea- use up odds and ends, less waste with more creativity. Thanks so much!!
Odds and ends dinners are usually the best!
And who knew you could cook them in a rice cookers? Not me before now.
I love this. I admire and appreciate your dedication to this channel. I refer to your videos often. And as a southern girl, I’m certain you’re getting flack on the gravy, but being honest, sometimes we just don’t have all the ingredients. Time and sanity are as equally important. Thank you for this video. ❤
I so completely agree with your closing thoughts here about how shopping more frequently might actually save money in the long run. I'm shopping for one and I've been doing weekly shops for... ever. I keep noticing that I'm wasting food that I had originally thought I'd eat because it went bad before I prepared it. I'm moving soon to a location that's an easy walk to a grocery store and one of the things I'm most looking forward to is shopping more frequently and buying less on each trip. Thank you so much for these inspiring videos!
Again with the fabulous content! This was a really great idea! My friend is a waitress and she gets her tips in cash at the end of her shift and oftentimes that's what she uses for groceries and she shops almost every day on her way home so there are definitely people who will benefit from this video! I have always wanted to try chicken spaghetti but for some reason I just never have. That looked really delicious. I adore those little Velveeta packs. Those huge blocks are just way too much for me and my son. Those are the perfect size for us.
Probably one of my favorite channel discoveries this year! Love how resourceful you are. This channel is really useful as someone that is trying to cut back on food spending and getting away from buying a lot of fast food.
Glad you like them! thank you!
Don't worry about the delay. You did an awesome job! I have a dollar general about 3 minutes from my house. I never thought about doing daily shopping trips. Thanks for the ideas 💡
I love Velveeta. And, I like eating breakfast food for supper.
You are a very clever person. The daily shopping )which had to be a pain) did give you an opportunity to plan considering what you had on hand, but that also meant that your options of what recipes to make, got smaller. I think your creativity was a 10 out of 10! Thanks for showing us what we can do with a small budget.
I’m a widow with 3 kids and your videos are so helpful. I’m always able to adjust amounts for what we need. Thanks for all the time you put into helping so many people!
This was such a great video. Daily shopping was once very common, but really requires the kind of walkable community filled with small shops that is rare nowadays. Buying everything on your curated list in one visit will certainly make it easier to save with those coupons. And if one is lucky enough to have an Aldi nearby, I'm pretty sure that everything on the list (or very close substitutes) can be had for even less than at Dollar General. All the meals looked very appetizing!
My mom always did the once a week shopping plan for our family of 9. Shopping the sale ads. When I married my husband. We lived with his grandparents for a while. While I was pregnant with our first child. They shopped more or less daily. His grandparents married very young and around or before before the Great Depression. My husband’s grandparents more or less shopped daily for groceries. Either they would both go or grandma would send grandpa to pick up something. Grandma also only cooked two meals a day. Breakfast and dinner (lunch). Because grandpa worked. Supper was eat what you could find. It was sandwiches or leftovers.
They never seemed to spend much on groceries. Grandma also keep staples on hand as well.
I personally shop more like this. I don't know it always works on the cost effective side but I definitely know what I have and don't have and it's harder for me to stick to a weekly meal plan. Thank you for showing me it can be done more cost effectively.
Beautiful job Rebecca and so much work. The dedication and forethought you put into your content does not go unnoticed. Well done! So needed in this economic environment we are living in. Proud to be a subscriber to Dollar Tree Dinners!
The burritos and bowls are amazing !!!! Genius ! Many years ago when I was starting out, I paid all of my bills but didn't have grocery money. So I made a big pot of fried rice with whatever I had on hand. I ate it twice a day until the next pay day (about 5 days) YOu just can't go wrong with fried rice . Thanks so much for sharing your genius ideas. 🍃🍂🍁🥰🎃🍃🍂🍁Happy Fall!🍃🍂🍁🥰🎃🍃🍂🍁
This comment is for your husband.
Thank you so much for going along with and giving honest critique of the meals she makes for us. For some of us she is just reminding us of meals or something we already knew just didn't remember. But for others she is providing them with VERY VALUABLE information on how to make foods on a limited budget or limited physical ability. For some ppl this time is the first time they have ever had to worry about how much they spend on food, let alone bills ect, so she is providing some sanity and courage...
Again thank you again dear!
I absolutely love this! I work from home so going out every day is kind of a nice treat vs shopping once a week.
We call it salsa chicken and I always make extra, one of the most versatile ingredients. Plus we like to mix it with refried beans after it is shredded, it adds that nice stickiness that works for tacos or quesadillas.
I'm the same way, it's nice to be able to get out of the house even if it's for a little daily dollar store trip
I also work from home but I do get out daily to drop off my kid at school 7 minutes away with a grocery store literally on the way home across the street. We always buy too much bulk when shopping once per week. I think I would enjoy switching to daily shopping, and it’d mean I get an extra 20 minutes of not dealing with work chaos lol
I appreciate what you do so much. My mother is retired and lives alone. I have a husband and four kids. Your recipes are helping both of us! These are accessible for so many walks of life!
You continue to amaze me with your creativity! Thanks for all you do!
this was a lot of fun to watch. i live too far from a grocery store to go every day (30 miles one way), but love that you can and then i can just buy all the ingredients you bought. that or i sit and really think thru each meal and ingredients as though i could go to the store every day and guestimate what would be left over to make the next meal. :) this gives me a whole new thought process to making meals.
I'm so glad it was helpful! if I had to drive 30 miles each way I certainly wouldn't either.
I would like this video twice if I could. Awesome awesome awesome! All of the meals look amazing. Only think I would of done been different was maybe a running tally of what you had left in your budget. Seriously one of your best videos I have seen. I really liked this video And I may watch it again for food ideas.
Yay top 7 and top 61 comments and likes. Love this channel. Best to you and your family. Thanks for making this video.
Same to you!
I loved this video. It can be overwhelming to try and use all your ingredients for meals or leftovers in a whole week. This helped you be creative each day. I'd love to see more of these and incorporating different stores.
Appreciate this and all your videos. While bulk buying can save money, I think daily shopping - which is what our grandmother's and great-grandmothers did when refrigeration meant an icebox - is a good way to make sure we only buy what we need at any given time.
This was the first time I've ever heard anyone say that daily shopping actually can save money. It was so interesting to see how well it worked for you. It honestly does make sense for someone like me. If only the anxiety the grocery store caused me wasn't nearly as bad. It has caused me to shop every 2 weeks so I can go less lol. But again I loved this video. You are always an inspiration!
I’m 50 years old,, the tip about getting the tomato paste out was the first time I had heard that! Brilliant 😊
I like that this one was meal prep for 2. I think that would be a good series to explore for breakfasts, lunches (or meal prep), too! Thank you for sharing, this was very informational!
Your videos are great! I'm but a humble dude and can use the vast majority of these. Thanks for being out there and doing the hard work for us!
Great choices for the amount of money you had for 8 dinners .
The breakfast bowl (heart-attack on a plate) looked SOOO good. This was my GO-TO breakfast as a police officer. It was a hearty meal that would last hours (not knowing where/when the next chance to eat came). The only thing missing from it was the biscuits on the bottom. It is to this day, my go-to meal prep for a good breakfast......and it lasts me all day til evening dinner.
Keep these coming....they are inspiring!
It’s such a hefty meal! It kept both of us full too!
I think you did a awesome job! 18 meals for $40 is quit a feat, congratulations.
I can't thank you enough for your work, heart, and attention to detail. My friends and I talk about your videos a lot. I thank you for all of your hard work.
Well Miss Rebecca, I had never shopped dollar general before finding your videos recently. After watching the hash brown video I went and cleaned out my local store of them …(I like them and keep the pantry full now)…and now this chicken rice…well guess where I’m going tomorrow .😁thank you for these videos, you do a fantastic job of them.
Breakfast for dinner is my favorite thing too. I'm going to make a trip to a larger Dollartree store, Walmart & a store out here called Grocery Outlet. I have to make a longer trip to the next town over for this one, & the most I shop locally is twice a week, if I run out of something. Hope I make some good finds tomorrow. Thanks for all the good ideas. :)
Absolutely love this channel and really appreciate all the thought and effort you put into making these videos for us. It’s incredibly helpful and really has given me some great dinner ideas. There are always so many budget friendly and delicious meals I wouldn’t have otherwise thought to put together. ❤👏
I lived in Australia for almost 2 years and the culture there is very much "Go buy groceries every day to make dinner." So I appreciate this video.
Thank you for this, it gives me examples for when I have rough mental health days and Dollar General is around the corner. I can grab some stuff quick and make a good dinner!
These all look amazing and have given me so many good ideas!! Also, side note -- your hair color is GOOORGEOUS, I love the lighter color/balayage on the ends!!
Thank you! That’s just my grown out highlights from when I was blonde but I love the balayage effect as well
All of these dinners were full of flavor and simple to make. You’ve given me some great ideas. I think half and half shopping works best for us. And you are right breakfast for dinner is delicious! Thank you for all your work making these videos.
Thank you Jerrie! I hope it gave you some ideas
Glad to see you back. Missed ya
thank you! I hope it was worth the wait :)
I always learn helpful tips when I watch your videos. The tomato paste can opener trick? Genius!
You are so good at this. Don't stop! I had little more than 2 brown eggs and English muffins on a cabin Saturday morning this weekend. (and coffee of course) It's ok to take along 4 tablespoons of butter in a small container along....
It worked out great. Life can be simplified.
You are such a sweetheart. Thank you!
Next time you do the spaghetti, still use the spaghetti. Just break the noodles when you boil them. Then pour everything in a casserole dish and bake with the cheese on top. Everything is the same, but it feels very different, and when you cut yourself a square of the casserole, the noodles just feel like a completely different experience. Also, so agree with the irrational Velveeta hatred. My grandma was the best cook. She lived on a dairy farm so she definitely didn't have anti-cheese sentiments, but she loved using Velveeta.
I watch several YT who help by teaching us how to shop and save. I have added you to the mix. Why? Because you come up with recipes that are affordable , do not over use rice and beans (I love rice...beans however make my tummy...well you know), show us how to reuse leftovers, never make it a challenge (some creators do that and it's a bit upsetting), and introduce ideas. Thank you. By the way, there is nothing wrong with gravy packs or Velveeta cheese (grill cheese with ham or bacon sounds good right now). Love them.
Hi Rebecca!! I saw you on the news the other day. I forget which one, but it made my daily video recommendations. You did great, and did beautifully. ❤
With that aside, I do a basics shopping every other week (sugar, coffee, etc) from Walmart, but I do go to my Dollar Tree or Walmart+ delivery 2-3 times a week cos I have a tiny kitchen & very limited on cabinet space since I can't use the upper cabinets from my wheelchair. So this video totally fits the way I need to grocery shop (every other day basically). I can see why you felt proud of this project... you did really good with it. I'm going to try quite a few of these.
I'm so glad it was helpful and gave you some inspiration, thank you Violet! It was a fun project and truly one of my best menus to date
Rebecca great video I enjoyed watching you are such a pleasure love how you plan the meals thanks these help out the small low income families and I appreciate you sweet lovely friend
You are so welcome!
@@DollarTreeDinners thanks so much sweet friend
Hey, gal! I absolutely have found that to be true also. Post divorce, I was incredibly worried about money and only had an apartment sized refrigerator for myself and son. I started daily shopping and found that I had almost zero food waste and spent soooo much less.
I still shop as frequently as possible, though don’t always have time for daily.
This women had changed my life !
You are very smart and interesting to watch. You are saving me from spending so much time on food by showing how you repurpose ingredients. Thank you!
That bbq chicken bowl looks really good actually
I honestly don't understand why you don't have 350,000 followers 😕 I think you're that helpful and that good 😊
it's growing! everyday I have a few hundred more :)
It’s amazing how good you are at this! You are blessing so many people with these meal ideas. This channel is definitely a calling for you. Stay blessed 💕 new subscriber 💕
If we lived in town I think I would like to cook this way. If you make out a menu and have everything there I tend to want to stick to the menu. This way of shopping for only a day or two at a time means that on the third day the meal can be leftovers and not leftovers from the beginning of the week which would taste much better. This was a terrific episode and I enjoyed it very much and loved the idea of the flavored rice. ❤❤❤
I am loving all these Dollar General videos. I don't go to Dollar General often but one is opening soon across the street from my subdivision. This is the perfect video for me when they open!
About the only thing I really stock up on is shelf stable items like pastas, canned goods, instant mashed potatoes, etc. yeah, there’s a lot of sodium in these items and fresh is usually better (tasting & good for you), but as a single person that’s had bariatric surgery, I’ve thrown out way too much food because it’s either gone bad before I used it or I’ve fixed more than I thought I’d eat. Even after eight years after my surgery I’m still doing this, so the shelf stable stuff helps reduce food waste. And I pick up dented cans that Kroger has on manager special when I can. Like yesterday I got 2 cans of corn for 48¢ a piece and a can of chicken broth and of beef broth for 77¢ a piece.
I go to the store just about every day. I never know what I wanna make for supper so I decide while I’m at work and then I go get what ever meat I need. I keep canned or fresh veggies on hand and potatoes and rice etc. I just like to go every day too. I’m weird like that 😂
it was fun! I would do it more often if I didn't live in the middle of nowhere, even the dollar general is 15 minutes away, doesn't sound like much but it adds up. at my last house family dollar was a 2 minute drive, it was nice to be able to pop in and out
You've been on NBC several times! Thanks so much for all of your hard work in order to help so many!
I shop once a month and go out to lunch every Monday.
One day a month i shop at the farmer's market.
If I need something like tomatoes or milk, I will do a fill in trip. But, I try to stay on my budget of $120 total each month.
There is only myself to consider, so I just make it up as I go along.
I know what I like and honestly do purchase some similar items each month.
I say it almost every time... this video may be a new favorite. You are so dang creative. And I would eat every single one of the meals you created. 😃
Love love love these videos!
Thank you!!
I have learned so much from you and every video teaches me more. Great videos when food is so expensive these days! Thank you for all you do!
The breakfast bowl looked delicious! I can eat breakfast any time.
What a fantastic video! I had to watch twice, taking notes the second time around. Love your videos!!
I stumbled on your channel a couple of weeks ago. I am so happy I did! I went back and watched all your videos 🙂 Rebecca, you truly are a breath of fresh air. Your great ideas make cooking fun. I have already tried a couple and this weekend I am going to make pumpkin bread; I just found pure pumpkin at DT. You see I told you I went back to watch all your videos. ☺Thank you for your time and dedication.♥
Thank you so much!! that pumpkin bread is still my favorite, I was actually going to make some this week as well!
Great dinner ideas. Keep them coming. Thank you for your time, thoughts and willingness to help others during this time where prices are so high and everyone is trying to save money where we can.
Love your videos ty so much for sharing
I was today years old when I learned the tomato paste hack! SO SMART! Great ideas as always!!!
The best!
Well done! I love your take on food. I love the idea of going more frequently and just picking up a few things for a day or two. You have really given me something to think about. Thanks for another fabulous video ❤
I do this and it works for me. I listed the reasons in my post above
I really enjoyed this approach.
I had a meal kit once and it had me add sour cream to my spaghetti for a spaghetti bolognaise & my son loved it. Another idea for the spaghetti noodles is a tuna casserole.
Sounds great! I put cream cheese in spaghetti too
I'm sure your daily visits were challenging but you pulled off an incredible attempt stretching your money budget. Thanks Rebecca and hey why not more breakfast for dinner? I love breakfast for dinner too.
I can definitely do that! I always keep breakfast ingredients on hand, because I know that's a great fall back plan on any given day for dinner
@DollarTreeDinners Just keep doing what you're doing. When an older lady like me is getting new ideas speaks volumes about what you're doing.
I just have to say that little red pot is adorable. You are definitely very creative in the kitchen.
Thank you so much for sharing your ideas and recipes! Your creativity is amazing.
If you're open to ideas, I would love to see some vegan meal ideas with groceries from either Dollar Tree or Dollar General.
Thank you so much for your work. I use your ideas to help me come up with ideas for my family.
I agree . I find if I shop more frequently I don’t spend as much . I tried both ways over the years and if I tried to do a big shop once a week I would end up going back to the shops anyhow because the meals didn’t appeal to me on the day or everyone would say’ there’s nothing in the house to eat. So daily shopping meant less waste and more inspiration. After loosing a large larder of food to flour weevils (arrived in a 20kg organic flour bag we bought, I’m not a fan of long term storage. I have a good larder basics store in smaller amounts and I add food as needed.
Thank you as always! But super thanks for daily shopping for your dinners! It has opened my eyes to another way to save money! If I'm out anyways a quick trip to a store is a no brainer!using DG was perfect as they are everywhere!
You are so welcome!
Totally agree with this. I do a lot better going everyday!!! I can't do all the planning, things change, schedules change, etc. I head to the dollar store after work then pick the kids up and my dollars stretch a lot better.
Thank you for the extra effort! This was a great video and there are a few things that I'm definitely going to try myself :)
You always make the best dinners on a budget!
Thank you Sheila!
Thank you for these videos! You might be surprised how many people out here need this. Really appreciate it
EXCELLENT JOB! YOU MADE SOME REALLY ENTICING MEALS FROM DAY TO DAY! THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND COMMITMENT TO BRINGING US BUDGET FRIENDLY YET DELICIOUS DINNERS!
I am so excited to get started on all this!! Tomorrow’s payday (UGH-finally!!) and I am going to be putting so much of your awesome hard work to work for me!! Thank you for the fantastic ideas! I’ve already made my list for DT as per one of your other vids, so now I will add a list for DG and make it happen! In my little town here in Texas we have a DT, 2 DG’s, a WM, and a local grocery store, so between all that, I’m about to hit the food budget bonanza (so appreciated since this month it’s about 1/4 of my normal with my Christmas budget and my newest and 4th grandbaby!), mostly with your help!
These look seriously delicious. I've gotten my mom interested in some of these as well and she's a picky person about quality, she thinks they look great!
These were all so fantastic. Honestly one of my best menus yet
BEST.CHANNEL.EVER.
thank you!
Thanks for your videos another week of meal plan thanks ❤😊
Late to your video but had to visit the hubby in the nursing home. I cannot express just how much I love and appreciate your channel and videos and ideas ❤❤❤❤❤ thank you so very much 😊❤ You Rock 🎉
I used to shop daily or every other day for dinner. I’d get off work and grab what we needed. It was definitely easier to get what we were craving. But now I do weekly. Ya girl just wants to go home after work. Lol. I was in my 20’s back then. Now I’m in my 40’s.
Thank you. My food budget has been cut back so I'll be looking at a lot more budget dinners (not that I bought expensive items before). Thank you for great ideas.