$15 Weekly Meal Plan with a Dollar Tree Food List

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7-Day Ultra Cheap Meal Plan with Dollar Tree Food

I’m a firm believer that no matter how much money you make, you should have a set budget for food. As long as you have a finite amount of money coming in and goals that you’d like to achieve…you need to keep your grocery bill under control.

If you want to challenge yourself to see just how much money you can save, while still eating like royalty, this Dollar Tree food challenge is definitely something to check out!

You’d be delighted when you see the quality of these recipes and mesmerized when you taste them. Let’s discuss the facts and see exactly why I strongly recommend meal planning around a Dollar Tree food list!

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According to the latest figures by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, food is the third highest expense in American households. That’s after housing and transportation costs at first and second respectively.

The Ugly Truth About Your Food Bill: Why Meal Plan?

Consider this: At any given time, your housing and transportation costs are relatively fixed. Your mortgage or rent remains constant for the most part. And additional bills and fees associated with your living situation are relatively stable.

The cost of your commute to work is more or less the same. If you have a car payment each month, that doesn’t change. Fuel and maintenance costs don’t vary by much either. Even if you utilize public transport or hired means…this is easy to predict and would not vary by much.

Food is your biggest expense, that you are fully in control of! You decide whether you want to spend dollars and cents per week or hundreds and even thousands per week. It’s that volatile!

If you don’t manage your eating expenses well, you’d be throwing money down the drain without even realizing.

I’m not saying that you should be meal prepping strictly from a Dollar Tree food list. I’m just warning you that if you have financial ambitions and a fixed income, you should not be living with an open ended food budget!

Whether you want to accept it or not, the fact is your weekly meal plan has the power to make or break you financially. Save a fortune or spend a fortune. You choose!

If you want to crack the whip and buckle down like a hard core penny pinching scrooge, a weekly Dollar Tree food budget can be as little as $10. That’s your personal choice and you’d definitely see that this is possible from the meal plan that we put forward.

However, if you want to live comfortably, eat well, feel satisfied and enjoy every meal, all while living your best life; we’ve got you covered for $15 weekly. Amazing right? Let’s check it out!

What To Expect from this Dollar Tree Food Plan?

This ultra cheap meal plan is built around budget friendly groceries from Dollar Tree. Here’s what you can expect:

1. Seven days worth of meals for one person: breakfast for 7 days, lunch for 7 days, dinner for 7 days.

2. A shopping list stating exactly what you need to purchase.

3. The prices of all the items needed to prepare the meals for the week.

4. Basic meal preparation advice.

5. Additional tips to save money on your grocery budget.

Additional Points to Note For The Dollar Tree Meal Plan

1. Items, sizes, quantities and prices are based on the current conditions at Dollar Tree.

• With Dollar Tree raising prices a few years ago, this is important to note.

2. A few additional items are only available in an established grocery store.

• The prices of these items are based on the current prices in my neighborhood Walmart.

• You can decide whether you want to omit these or not.

3. The additional items cost very little and elevate the overall menu from basic to luxurious.

• There may be a price difference of a few cents based on your location.

4. Sales tax is not included.

5. Full fledged recipes are not included.

6. Most meals are common, household favorites.

7. Basic meal preparation advice is given to the less common meal options.

8. Meals are very easy to prepare.

9. Consumables and basic pantry items such as: salt, seasonings, pepper, oil and condiments are not included in the grocery list.

• We will assume that these are available in your pantry as they typically last a long time, with minimal cost.

10. There are no 5-star lavish recipes included.

11. Leftovers are factored in for consumption on another day or time, in order to save money.

12. All meal portions are filling.

13. All meals are delicious!

The Shopping List of Dollar Tree Food

Head over to your nearest Dollar Tree and pick up the following items:

List #1: Dollar Tree Grocery Shopping List

Hungry Jack Pancake Mix (16oz Box) – $1.25

Whole Wheat Bread Loaf (16oz Loaf) – $1.25

Spaghetti (20oz Box) – $1.25

Pasta, Penne or Elbow (20oz Box) – $1.25

Pasta Sauce (24oz Can) – $1.25

Brown Rice (2lb Bag) – $1.25

Mayonnaise (8fl oz) – $1.25

Milk (32fl oz) – $1.25

Mixed Vegetable Blend (15oz Can) – $1.25

List #1 Total = $11.25

If you really want to squeeze a bit tight, you can make do with the dollar tree food list above. However, you’d be omitting meat, eggs and a few potato based recipes that we have. That’s your call.

With the list above, you could easily prepare the following meals to last an entire week:

Breakfast: Pancakes, toast, French toast.

Lunch / Dinner: Vege casserole, spaghetti with tomato sauce, pasta salad, stir fried rice.

I just wanted to show you that you could survive quite comfortably with $11 or even as low as a $10 weekly meal plan.

If you want to step out of surviving and into thriving, it’ll just cost a few bucks more.

Optional Walmart vs Dollar Tree Groceries (Your Call)

As long as you’re willing to spend an additional $4 per week, you can have full access to our mega delicious, ultra luxurious, super cheap meal plan for a total of $15 per week.

If you don’t care for eggs for breakfast or prefer to leave it out from your lunch and dinner recipes, you can just pick up a couple additional items from the Dollar Tree, as shown in List #2.

These items would give you the option of adding chicken to your recipes. Plus you’d be able to make some potato dishes like potato salad, mashed potato and tater tots.

Unfortunately, you’d need to step over to Walmart or your neighborhood corner grocery to pick up eggs since Dollar Tree no longer sells them. Due to instability in egg prices, Dollar Tree stopped offering eggs in 2023.

If you want eggs and way better value for your extra $4, I recommend that you bypass List#2 completely and head over to Walmart to pick up the items on List #3.

List #2: Additional Dollar Tree Grocery Items

Diced Potato (14.5oz Can) – $1.25

Canned Chicken, 2ea (4.5oz Can) – $2.50

List #2 Total = $3.75

TOTAL DOLLAR TREE FOOD BILL = $15.00

If you don’t mind the additional drive over to Walmart, be sure to pick up the following items on List #3, instead of List #2! These items provide 2 weeks of servings so you’d only need to buy every other week.

Fresh meat and produce are also the healthier, tastier option when compared to the canned stuff.

List #3: Additional Items from Walmart

Idaho Potato (5lb Bag) – $2.78 (2 Weeks’ Supply)

Chicken Drumsticks (3lb Package) – $3.00 (2 Weeks’ Supply)

Eggs (12ct Package) – $2.16 (2 Weeks’ Supply)

List #3 Total = $7.94 (2 Weeks) = $3.97 Weekly

TOTAL WEEKLY WALMART & DOLLAR TREE FOOD BILL = $15.22

$15 Weekly Meal Plan with Dollar Tree Food

We strongly recommend that you shop all the items on List #1 from your local Dollar Tree. Dollar Tree groceries would constitute the bulk of your meals for the week.

You’d only need to run over to your neighborhood Walmart and pick up the three items on List #3, every other week.

With all those items (List #1 and List #3), you’d be able to eat quite luxuriously. We’re certain you won’t feel like you’re on a budget at all. Here’s some of the delicious food that you’d be able to make!

Dollar Tree Breakfast Ideas for a Week

1st Day: Pancakes.

2nd Day: Toast and scrambled eggs.

3rd Day: Hash browns and poached eggs.

4th Day: Waffles or pancakes.

5th Day: Tater tots and a hard boiled egg.

6th Day: Toast and a sunny side up egg.

7th Day: French toast.

Bonus Breakfast Ideas

Pick a side and your choice of how you want your eggs. Or you can just convert a side option into your full breakfast. Mix things up based on what you like or prefer. You have lots of options to choose from.

Sides: Pancakes, waffles, tater tots, seasoned wedges, stir fried potatoes, hash browns, toast, French toast.

Breakfast Protein: Scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, eggs sunny side up, poached eggs.

Breakfast Preparation Tips

1. Remember that eggs can be prepared a ton of different ways. Get creative and you’d never be bored at breakfast time.

2. Be sure to enjoy a delicious panini ever so often! You have the ingredients.

Dollar Tree Lunches for a Week

1st Day: Egg salad sandwich.

2nd Day: Spaghetti and pasta sauce with shredded chicken.

3rd Day: Potato salad and barbecue chicken.

4th Day: Grilled chicken and seasoned wedges.

5th Day: Pasta salad and oven baked chicken.

6th Day: Chicken salad sandwich.

7th Day: Egg fried rice.

Bonus Lunch Ideas

There are lots of different ways you can pair your sides and proteins. Get creative! Here are a few extra options that are simple:

Protein: Fried chicken, grilled pepper chicken, sweet and sour chicken, Chinese style fried chicken, hard boiled eggs, egg salad.

Sides: Potato salad, baked potato, steamed rice, stir fried rice, pasta salad, pasta pie, pasta casserole, stir fried pasta.

Lunch Preparation Tips

1. Get adventurous with your chicken preparation. Try new things from recipes online or stick with what you know and love. It’s up to you!

2. A pasta casserole made with some leftover grilled chicken is a delicious way to create something new. This can be enjoyed as a side or complete meal.

3. Shred or finely chop up some grilled chicken and add it to your pasta sauce to create a rich, yummy, chicken infused pasta sauce.

Basic Lunch Recipes with a Dollar Tree Food List

Pasta Salad

Cook elbow or penne pasta, in boiling water, as per the instructions on the package. Drain water and cool off. Thaw and prepare mixed vegetable blend as per instructions on the package. In a large bowl, stir in mayonnaise and mixed vegetable blend. Add salt and seasonings to taste.

Potato salad can be made by following the same instructions with cubed potatoes instead of the pasta.

Egg Fried Rice

Cook brown rice, in boiling water, as per the instructions on the package. Drain water and cool off. In a pot or wok, add a few tablespoons of oil. Toss in some fresh seasonings such as green onion and garlic, if you wish. Add an egg and let it fry while shredding it apart.

Toss in some mixed vegetables and allow to fry for a few minutes. Add rice and stir all ingredients in the pot together. A couple teaspoons of oil can be added while the rice is being stirred in order to avoid burning. Cook all ingredients together on low heat for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

For plain stir fried rice, just omit the egg.

Stir Fried Pasta

Prepare the meal following the same instructions as for the stir fried rice, just replacing the rice with spaghetti. If you have a couple leftover packets of soy sauce from Chinese takeout, this can be added to give an exciting flavor.

Pasta Pie

Cook elbow or penne pasta, in boiling water, as per the instructions on the package. Drain water and cool off. In a casserole dish, add pasta, stir in some milk, an egg and add salt with seasonings to your taste. Some cheese can be added but is not necessary. Bake in oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Some leftover grilled chicken can be added to the mixture to upgrade the pasta pie to a pasta / chicken casserole.

7-Days of Dollar Tree Dinners

1st Day: Spaghetti and pasta sauce with shredded chicken.

2nd Day: Egg salad sandwich.

3rd Day: Potato salad and barbecue chicken.

4th Day: Pasta pie or casserole.

5th Day: Pasta salad and oven baked chicken.

6th Day: Egg fried rice.

7th Day: Chicken salad sandwich.

Dinner Preparation Tips

1. Dinners and lunches can be co-mingled. The dinner that you prepare one day can be packed for lunch the following day, or later that week. Leftover lunch on some days can also be eaten for dinner. This saves time, energy and money!

2. Follow all the additional tips and recipes that we included for lunch. These also apply to dinner.

Tips to Stretch Your Dollar Tree Food and Save Money

1. Determine your budget and stick to it

Whether your weekly food budget is $10, $15, $20 or $200, you need to decide what the number is that works for you and plan around that. Determine the figure and buy your groceries accordingly.

2. Meal plan smartly

Meal plan so that you save time, money and energy. Dinner today can be lunch tomorrow. Lunch on one day can be eaten for dinner as well. Leftover food can be used as the base for a completely different meal.

When it comes to saving money, breakfast, lunch and dinner meals can be eaten around the clock. There’s no shame in that. Whatever fills your stomach and saves you that extra cash.

3. Plan around your pantry

Use what you have before buying additional. Try to create meals from what you already have. If you need to buy items to accompany them, go right ahead, as long as they fall within your budget.

Do this before doing any shopping to satisfy completely new recipes.

4. Be Adventurous

You do not need to get bored by eating the same meals over and over. Get creative with the ingredients that you can afford. The same combination of items can be cooked several different ways. Budget food does not need to be boring food!

Search some recipes online and try different techniques. Keep your food exciting.

5. Don’t Overthink Cooking

Spices and fancy seasonings are good, but you don’t need them if you are trying to save. Leave them out if you have to, or work around cheaper alternatives.

Once you have salt, pepper and cook your food long enough, you’d be fine. Taste it and add more salt or pepper if needed. Don’t overcommit to the extra seasonings in any recipe…it’s overrated when money is tight.

If you have allergies or dietary restrictions, feel free to substitute proteins and other ingredients.

6. Meal Prep

Prepare your raw ingredients as much as possible in your free time. This way you can just grab a portion from the fridge and cook with ease. This takes the hassle out of meal preparation during the work week.

If possible, you can do all your cooking on off times and just refrigerate your food. This would remove the temptation to order takeout during busy periods.

7. Prepare Meals that You’d Like to Eat

There are dozens of dollar tree food recipes included in this post. And there are lots more that you probably know of. Just pick recipes that you know you’d like. You’d enjoy your food while you enjoy saving money.

For example, if you love rice and hate pasta…focus on those rice recipes. That’s perfectly fine. As long as your tummy is filled and you stay on budget.

8. Don’t waste food

Eat what you have, or have a plan to eat what you have, before cooking or buying more food. Wasted food is wasted money!

Raw ingredients may be able to roll over into another week but cooked food cannot. Consume your perishable items before they go bad.

9. Shop Online and Minimize Physical Shopping Trips

Minimize your exposure to instore shopping by shopping online. The atmosphere of a physical store is built strategically around getting persons to over-shop. Avoid the temptation as much as possible.

One or two weekly shopping trips should be more than enough.

10. Make Use of Money Saving Options

Use coupons, spot deals, membership clubs or whatever means you have to save money. You can buy in bulk and adjust your budget to make it work. Once you’re saving money, that’s all that matters.

11. Capture Options to Make Money Online

We all have essential expenses whether we like it or not. Whenever possible, utilize cash back platforms such as Rakuten, in order to perform your essential shopping. This way you’d be putting some money back in your pocket for another day.

Frequently Asked Questions for Dollar Tree Meal Plan

FAQ: What foods are good to buy at Dollar Tree?

All of the food sold at the Dollar Tree is good to buy and safe to eat. Most of the packaged grocery items, snacks, condiments and canned goods come from top brands and are of high quality. The same items are actually sold in other retail stores at a higher price.

Is food ok from the dollar store?

All of the food sold at Dollar Tree is fit for consumption and safe according to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Even though fresh produce is unavailable and most items are either packaged, canned or frozen, they all come from high profile, reputable manufacturers. The food is 100% safe to eat!

Are Dollar tree frozen vegetables good?

Frozen vegetables at Dollar Tree are of great quality, from reputable brands and are definitely a good deal. If you are concerned about the taste, you have nothing to worry about. It’s as good as it gets and perfectly safe.

Does Dollar Tree take food stamps?

Yes. However, the food stamp program is now referred to as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) cards are now issued to participants of the program. Dollar Tree accepts EBT cards as a form of payment.

Is Dollar Tree food safe?

Dollar Tree food is completely safe, comes from reputable manufacturers, familiar brands and of high quality. All items are approved by the FDA and rated as fit for consumption. All of their products are sold at other retail chains all over America and the rest of the world.

You’d just be paying less for it at Dollar Tree.

Is Dollar Tree raising prices?

A few years ago, Dollar Tree had a price increase of 25%. And now most items are $1.25. That’s basically it for the foreseeable future.

However, there are several different sections at Dollar Tree stores with varying price points. The highest being $7. Therefore, if there are any price increases to cheaper items, they may just get repositioned into one of the higher priced sections.

Final Thoughts on Saving Money with Dollar Tree Food

Do you realize how much money you could be saving weekly, just by buying most of your groceries from Dollar Tree? And you’d still be eating like royalty! For $15!

7 days… 21 delicious and satisfying meals… fifteen bucks total! Mind blowing right?! Good quality items, at a bargain price. That’s all. Go ahead and save yourself a ton of cash moving forward.

Do the math and be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Additionally, do you have any other budget meal ideas from Dollar Tree grocery items? We’d love to hear these as well! Share with us in the comments section.

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Weekly Meal Plan with a Dollar Tree Food List