Dinner on a Budget

Jake had a job interview this morning, but we are still extremely tight with money until one of us gets a position somewhere. God has continued to provide for us and our daily needs, but he also gave us the sense to not spend any more than is utterly necessary since things are so uncertain. With that, I'd like to share with you the recipe for one of our favorite meals, and it can be made on less than $3 to feed a family of 5. I'll break down the cost of ingredients, but remember that I say $3 for the recipe because the measurements of some of the ingredients don't equal the cost of the entire purchased item.
Here is the recipe:
Chipped Beef on Toast
Ingredients:
3 cups medium white sauce
3 packages sliced, roast beef (Carl Budding is a good brand)
2 or 3 pieces of toast per person, torn into pieces
Directions:
Prepare medium white sauce as directed. (see below)
When sauce is thickened, cut beef into small pieces and mix in.
Serve over toast.
Makes 4 servings.

Medium White Sauce (1 cup serving)
2 tbl butter or margarine
2 tbl self rising flour (if using all-purpose flour, add ¼ tsp salt)
1 cup milk
Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in flour. Add milk. Stir over medium heat until smooth (no lumps). Continue stirring until thickened/bubbly.


Now I'll break down the shopping for the Chipped Beef ingredients. These prices are what I generally find at Kroger, but you may be able to find them somewhere for even less. (If you do, let me know!)
1 loaf of bread: $1.29
3 pkgs Carl Budding sliced beef @ $.50/ea: $1.50
1 lb. self rising flour: about $1.00
1 pkg of margarine: $.60
1 gallon of milk: $3.25


So your total grocery bill (without tax) is $7.64, and most of that was the milk. All of the ingredients for less than $10, and you can use the rest of the flour, milk, and margarine for other cooking, or go get another loaf of bread and some more beef to make more chipped beef. Applesauce and peas are good sides with this dish, and also cheap. Enjoy!