In the areas of meal planning and budgeting, there are some potential “budget busters” that can cause us (well, me anyway!) to want to throw in the towel and forget about the budget for awhile. One of these areas for me is the few times a year when our extended family gets together and we have to feed a crowd that will include picky children, different diets (gluten intolerance, etc.), and hungry teens. There are the typical frugal dishes like spaghetti that can provide one meal, but what if you’re on vacation and you have to feed that crowd for multiple meals, away from home?
Do you throw the budget out the window, thinking it’s a “special occasion?” Problem is, that could be a slippery slope in our thinking, with many things becoming “special occasions” during the summer. Or more importantly, we just don’t have the room in the budget for “throwing in the towel.”
Our family is together for our annual summer get-together this week. There are 15 people, and each family is responsible for a day’s meals, plus a few others during the time we’re together. I thought I’d share with you my meal plan for one of the days and give you some approximate cost breakdowns.
I’ve found the key is planning, preparing things at home, and bringing most of the food I’ll need using the food I’ve bought at the best prices. If I had waited to shop where we are, I would’ve paid, well, I think probably three times more.
Here’s what I made today (all * items were made before I left home):
- choice of 4 different kinds of cereal, 3 bought at about .50 each, 1 bought at .25=1.75
- *homemade yogurt, made with 1/4 gallon whole milk= .50
- 18 hardboiled eggs = 1.50
- 1/2 gallon milk = 1.00
- fruit: apples, cherries, backyard berries = 2.00
Total for 15 people: $6.79 or .45 per person
- *3 recipes homemade pita bread at about .50 a recipe = 1.50
- 8 oz. feta cheese, 3.34 – $1/1 mfc = 2.34
- *4 cups homemade hummus using dry beans = 2.50
- 1 can olives, 1.25 – $1 in coupons = .25
- *whole chicken, cooked and shredded, .49/lb = 2.29
- *tzatziki, a garlicky greek yogurt spread, made with the other half of the yogurt, garlic, and garden herbs = .50
- 1/3 bag baby carrots =.66
- garden produce: lettuce, snap peas, broccoli = 0
Total for 15 people: $10.06 or .67 per person
(Note: this meal worked really great for a crowd – they could make a pita sandwhich using whatever they wanted, or make a chicken salad with pita and hummus dip, and the kids could take what they liked.)
- *chili, made with dry beans and ground turkey, approximate cost for and 8-qt. pot= 4.50
- 3 packages hot dogs = free with coupons!
- 3 packs buns, .79 each = 2.37
- shredded cheese = 1.00
- slaw and salad made with garden produce= 0 /with dressing= .25
- berry crisp made with backyard berries= 0 /*topping = about 1.25
- 2- 1.75 qts. vanilla ice cream = 6.98 (had to buy here!!)
Total for 15 people: $16.07 (more than 1/3 is the ice cream alone…) or $1.07 per person
So I was able to feed 15 people 3 healthy meals for less than $33 dollars, or $2.20 for each person (plus there’s enough leftovers to make almost another meal). My goal is to keep each meal at about $10, which would just not be possible without planning and preparing a lot at home. Coming in under the goal on breakfast allowed room for the splurge of the ice cream at dinner.
I’d love to hear your ideas on feeding a crowd good food for less!
Get more recipe ideas at Grocery Cart Challenge’s Recipe Swap.