Short Rib Dinner $3.00

Hello hungry people!!! This entry is going to show you how you can fix a great meal using store discounts. This may seem like an obvious thing for a lot of people but I'm running into people who really aren't all that familiar with shopping for themselves and tend to spend more on what seems simple (like a pizza or fast food) when something like this is cheaper and almost just as simple.

These short ribs were originally $8.21. The potatoes sell at Albertsons for over $4 unless on sale, but I'm sure they probably run somewhere in the $3+ range at someplace like F4L (food 4 less) but for the time being the 99¢ has them. The lg can of greens beans is a more normal than not item but to be safe don't just run in thinking you'll be leaving with them. You can always go for the 10/$10 frozen bags that tend to be on sale a lot at Ralphs or F4L.

OK so using the regular prices----

Ribs-----------$8.21
Potatoes------$3.00+
Green Beans-$1.00
Total             $12.21

Now here's where your savings kick in. The ribs were on sale for $6.21 at VONS, but also were in the e-coli bin at 50% off so the actual cost was $3.07. We also took off at least $2.00 on the potatoes.

New Price----

Ribs-------------$3.07
Potatoes--------$1.00
Green Beans---$1.00
Total                $5.07

Now the cost is less than 1/2 it's original and if your fixing it for 1 person that means you've got dinner for tonight plus leftovers to freeze and have another night, so the cost is approximately $2.50 per meal. Try getting that price at any restaurant!! No really.....go try and get back to me. :)

Normally I would be BBQing these ribs and even though the weather is outstanding right now I'm still going to opt for doing them in the oven. I've got them marinating in this great BBQ sauce and while it's a bit pricey it's well worth it. OK I'll admit I got it at the 99¢ last month! There were several flavors and it's great tasting.....but for those of you that missed it, you can usually find Hunts at the 99¢ or F4L pretty much all the time.

I get most my spices at the 99¢ as well, but something to also keep in mind is there are some items that seem like a deal at the 99¢ until you see it elsewhere cheaper. This is one of those things. You can get some of the same popular spices (same name brand) for 50¢ out of a bin at Walmart. So again it's about keeping prices in your mind of who sells for less but you don't spend $5 in gas to get there.

Anyways I don't think this is in the Walmart bin (it's more stuff like garlic salt, powder, parsley) but I use this tenderizer seasoning from...ummmm....uhhhhh........oh YEAH!! The 99¢!!!

   Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..............................................

 

Again I'm using the 2qt pot for the green beans so you can see that can gives you a HUGE ASS portion that could actually stretch over into 3-4 meals if you're not a green bean piggy like I am. The good news is for those of us with gardens this becomes a great treat because nothing tastes so good as home grown. For those of you that don't, no crying (yes there is crying in cooking but not right now) because you can get some great fresh ones at the (yeah yeah yeah) 99¢ or even on sale at sprouts at a low prices. I've got mine on low with a teaspoon margarine, a small piece of ham bone (left from Easter ham) and some of the ham fat I always save and freeze to use for flavor. Same with Bacon grease and chicken broth after I boil chicken for whatever.

 

 

The potatoes are good for the grill, but again I'm just putting them in the oven, adding some shredded cheese and a dab or sour cream once done and here's a tasty Rib dinner for under $3.00!

 

 

 ENJOY!! And feel free to share you great finds out there or share ideas!!