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20 Dinners That Cost About $5

June 28, 2018 by jlpenner 18 Comments

5dollarAre you looking to cut down on your grocery budget?  Well, it’s easy when you spend about $5 to feed a family of 4 dinners!

Around the Penner house, we do whatever we can to cut down on the cost of meals.  One great tip is to balance it out… it’s ok to have a meal or two a week that costs a bit more when the rest of your meals are low cost.

It’s an easy way to splurge while still keeping your budget in check.

It seems a little weird, but one of our favorite meals is the first on the list, Sweet Potato and Chickpea Burgers with Curry Basil Aioli.

They really are awesome and can be eaten as a burger on a bun or on a salad (just thin out the aioli for a dressing).  My husband LOVES them, and we don’t even miss the meat in that meal.

I hope you enjoy this list and it gives you lots of ideas for low cost, but delicious meals.

Please keep in mind your mileage may vary with these suggestions.  Some items may be more expensive in your area than the recipe authors’.  That said, all these are budget meals which will keep your wallet heavy!


Another great tip if you want to use fresh produce is to use a company like Imperfect to have products like fresh organic produce delivered to your home.

I just received my first box, and I was very happy with it! It included some super yummy fruits and veggies (including a bag of organic dates) for a great price.

It was delivered straight to my door, and I had the option of customizing my box. Unfortunately, I forgot and missed my customization window. But even so, I was pleased with my box.

Check out Imperfect to save time and money on your groceries! Use the code IMPERFECT25 and get 25% off your first organic box like I did.


Vegetarian

  • Sweet Potato and Chickpea Burgers with Curry Basil Aioli
  • Crockpot Vegetable Chili
  • Tomato and Macaroni Soup
  • Pasta With Herb Roasted Tomatoes


Beef Dinners

  • Beef Goulash
  • Sloppy Joe Sliders
  • Baked Pasta

Chicken Dinners

  • Chicken and Veggie Chowder
  • Easy Chicken Bake
  • Chicken a la King
  • Honey Lemon Chicken with Rice

Seafood

  • Spicy Salmon and Gnocchi
  • Spicy Shrimp Boil
  • Tuna Noodle Casserole

Mexican or Tex Mex

  • Taco Cups
  • Taco Salad and 5 more Recipes
  • Burrito Bar
  • Cheesy Burrito Casserole

Pork

  • Ham Casserole
  • Lentil and Sausage Soup

This Post Contains Affiliate Links - Disclosure Policy

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes, Recipes

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Comments

  1. Melody Gravitt says

    June 20, 2014 at 12:27 pm

    You have some nice ideas but any of your recipes calling for beef is quite a bit more than $5 now. Hamburger meat, on average, is nearly $5 a pound by itself.
    Reply
    • jlpenner says

      June 20, 2014 at 9:41 pm

      It just depends on your area or if you wait for sales. I am in San Diego and I can still get ground beef for $2.50 to $3 a lb, sometimes less (if I snag some markdowns)
      Reply
  2. Tatanisha W says

    June 21, 2014 at 9:54 am

    Thank you for featuring our recipes! You have a great collection of round up meals under $5 bucks!
    Reply
  3. missusmann says

    July 10, 2014 at 2:51 pm

    I'm not sure how you are thinking these meals are $5. I do a lot of couponing and bargain shopping and unless you already have a lot of these ingredients and spices on hand, it does not compute to $5. Disappointed.
    Reply
    • jlpenner says

      July 10, 2014 at 7:25 pm

      You know, I think it all depends on how you shop. I often make similar meals for right around $1 a serving. If meat is expensive in your area, try subbing in beans, lentils or rice for some meat. It would work in some of these recipes. :)
      Reply
  4. SGreen says

    July 17, 2014 at 1:30 pm

    The Tomato & Macaroni soup recipe under "Vegetarian" takes you to some cupcake clipart blog? :/
    Reply
    • jlpenner says

      July 17, 2014 at 3:13 pm

      Thanks a lot.. it was the right blog, but wrong page. All fixed.
      Reply
  5. Rachel says

    July 18, 2014 at 2:44 pm

    Great links! Thanks! We live in HIGH PRICED Southern California ... And I can do all of these meals, as stated, for $5 or under. Meat MUST be purchased on sale or discount and divided properly- if you shop wisely this is all doable! :)
    Reply
    • jlpenner says

      July 18, 2014 at 3:46 pm

      I think so Rachel, I live in So Cal, too.. but I know every area is different.
      Reply
  6. Felix Whelan says

    September 30, 2014 at 5:30 pm

    TVP (textured vegetable protein) is super cheap if you buy it in bulk, and would stand in nicely for the beef to bring the price of those recipes down to size. My family is vegetarian, but my daughter's boyfriend is not, and he honest;y prefers our TVP tacos to the greasy beef kind he gets at home.
    Reply
  7. Caitie says

    January 9, 2015 at 8:13 am

    These ALL sound delicious! Especially the sweet potato burgers with aioli!
    Reply
    • jlpenner says

      January 9, 2015 at 9:00 am

      It's SO yummy Caitie
      Reply
  8. jennifer says

    June 9, 2015 at 8:04 pm

    Your recipes sound great, but barely at 5.00. Your sloppy Joe recipe calls for Hawaiian rolls, there at least 2.50 on sale here in N.E. Pa. That's not including the ground beef and other ingredients. And don't you feed your family a veggie with dinner. Sorry... good recipes, yes. But 5.00 or under no way ! My family of 4 would walk away still hungry and in need of dessert, or at least a snack.
    Reply
    • jlpenner says

      June 10, 2015 at 8:07 am

      You have to realize your millage may vary. The author could have well used coupons to get those rolls or picked them up on clearance. If one ingredient is expensive in your area choose to substitute a less costly one. I can get hamburger and slider rolls at my .99 only. Cheers!
      Reply
  9. Veronica says

    October 31, 2016 at 5:23 am

    Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe not on website, Taco Salad and 5 more recipes not on website Enjoy your recipes, thank you
    Reply
  10. Sarah | I Heart Frugal says

    June 2, 2017 at 5:03 pm

    These are amazing recipes for the price! Thanks for sharing!
    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 5$ Dinners « Rhodes Eats says:
    October 26, 2014 at 8:01 pm
    […] https://www.frugallivingmom.com/20-dinners-that-cost-about-5/ […]
    Reply
  2. Over 300 Frugal Healthy & Tasteful Recipes That EVERYONE Will LOVE! - Beautiful Budgets says:
    May 17, 2015 at 4:17 pm
    […] Frugallivingmom – I’ll take these meals over a 5 dollar footlong anyday! […]
    Reply

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