My $1.50 Meal

I've been trying really hard to shop smart by using coupons and shopping sales, and all my hard work has definitely been paying off! The biggest indicator of success is that since we've had a baby we've only had to increase our grocery budget by $5 a week, and daipers probably cost at least $8 a week. Granted he's not on solid food yet, but it's still impressive that out budget hasn't had to increase that much since I've had the time and spent the energy to be really smart about what we spend.

Here's an example. Last week I shopped some sales and made a complete dinner for two for about $1.50. Don't believe me? Here's the math:

3 chicken drumsticks @ .68/lb = $0.84

2 ears of corn @ .10/ea = $0.20

1/2 bag steak fries @ $0.79/bag = $0.39

TOTAL = $1.43

I couldn't believe it myself, and it was a delicious meal! I guess you could throw in a few cents for a glass of milk each and some BBQ sauce, but this is still some fantastic savings. Sometimes doing the math is helpful to remind me that it pays to take the time and do the work to shop smart.