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The HBHW Recommends
$45 Emergency Menu for 4 to 6
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I’ve seen various places around the web claim that in an emergency you can feed your family for only $10 or $20 a week. While I appreciate their intentions, I have noticed that they all assume you have certain supplies already on hand. In my experience this isn’t always the case. Forty-five dollars will seem outrageously abundant to some, while it will seem minuscule to others. It is the smallest amount I was able to come up with that will provide enough supplies to an empty kitchen to feed an entire family for a week. The servings are ample and a few adjustments allow you to increase the quantities from 4 servings to 6. Newly added nutritional information makes it clear that except for sodium, these recipes are nutritious and healthy. They are low in fat and cholesterol, high in protein and rich in fiber. To reduce the sodium you can use half as much salt and bouillon as called for in the recipes, and purchase store-brand reduced sodium canned vegetables instead of the regular variety.
You may also want to take a look at the ebooks and resources provided by Living On A Dime - their ebooks are well worth the small fee they charge for all the money saving tips and ideas that you will get out of them. I usually make up the money I pay on the ebook within less than a week (often in one shopping trip) from purchase. Take a look and see for yourself at LivingOnADime.com.
Menus
PDF File (right click; save as)
|
Breakfast |
Lunch |
Dinner |
Snacks |
Nutrition |
|
| Monday | Pancakes; Syrup; Orange Juice; Milk; Hot Tea | Lentil & Vegetable Soup with Dumplings; Milk | Pinto Beans; Onions; Hoecakes; Collard Greens; Iced Tea | Cinnamon Toast; Milk for Children; Tea for Adults | 1656 Calories; 33g Fat (17.5% calories from fat); 71g Protein; 275g Carbohydrate; 42g Dietary Fiber; 54mg Cholesterol; 3312mg Sodium |
| Tuesday | Oatmeal; Toast, Margarine & Jelly; Orange Juice; Milk; Hot Tea | Peanut Butter Jelly Sandwiches; Macaroni & Cheese; Carrot Sticks; Milk | Bean Burritos with Homemade Refried Beans & Homemade Tortillas; Fried Onions; Iced Tea | Plain Muffins with Jelly; Milk for Children; Tea for Adults | 1826 Calories; 50g Fat (24.1% calories from fat); 73g Protein; 279g Carbohydrate; 32g Dietary Fiber; 37mg Cholesterol; 2812mg Sodium |
| Wednesday | French Toast; Syrup; Orange Juice; Milk; Hot Tea | Batter Bread; Margarine; Spinach; Milk | Creamed Tuna & Peas over Rice; Garlic Toast; Iced Tea | Peanut Butter Tortillas; Milk for Children; Tea for Adults | 1771 Calories; 55g Fat (27.7% calories from fat); 76g Protein; 245g Carbohydrate; 12g Dietary Fiber; 187mg Cholesterol; 3213mg Sodium. |
| Thursday | Hot Rice in Milk; Toast, Margarine & Jelly; Orange Juice; Hot Tea | Peanut Butter Jelly Sandwiches; Macaroni & Cheese; Carrot Sticks; Milk | Black Bean Soup with Carrots, Celery & Onions; Cornmeal Muffins; Iced Tea | Cinnamon Toast; Milk for Children; Tea for Adults | 1737 Calories; 52g Fat (26.7% calories from fat); 61g Protein; 262g Carbohydrate; 20g Dietary Fiber; 51mg Cholesterol; 2631mg Sodium |
| Friday | Oatmeal Pancakes; Syrup; Orange Juice; Milk; Hot Tea | Leftover Black Bean Soup; Biscuits; Milk | Hot Dog & Veggie Stir Fry over Rice; Iced Tea | Peanut Butter Tortillas; Milk for Children; Tea for Adults | 1781 Calories; 52g Fat (26.1% calories from fat); 73g Protein; 259g Carbohydrate; 20g Dietary Fiber; 140mg Cholesterol; 3202mg Sodium |
| Saturday | Hot Rice in Milk; Toast, Margarine & Jelly; Hot Tea | Ramen Noodles with Carrots; Celery & Onions; Oatmeal Muffins; Milk | Butter Beans; Scalloped Tomatoes; Garlic Toast; Iced Tea | Biscuits & Jelly; Milk for Children; Tea for Adults | 1727 Calories; 52g Fat (26.6% calories from fat); 59g Protein; 261g Carbohydrate; 24g Dietary Fiber; 43mg Cholesterol; 3281mg Sodium. |
| Sunday | Pancakes; Syrup; Orange Juice; Milk; Hot Tea | Lentil Chili; Corn Bread; Baked Custard | Corn Fritters; Steamed Carrots; Macaroni & Cheese; Iced Tea | Cinnamon Toast; Milk for Children; Tea for Adults | 1796 Calories; 47g Fat (23.1% calories from fat); 70g Protein; 282g Carbohydrate; 28g Dietary Fiber; 247mg Cholesterol; 3527mg Sodium. |
| Averages for Week |
1756 Calories; 29g Fat; 69g Protein; 267g Carbohydrate; 25g Fiber; 108mg Cholesterol; 3140mg Sodium. |
Shopping List
PDF File (right click; save as)
2009 Prices 2006 Prices Items 3.98
0.93
0.98
2.28
3.50
1.06
2.38
2.68
3.04
14.28
1.88
1.76
1.14
1.24
1.50
0.48
3.33
1.36
0.88
0.87
0.54
0.56
0.56
0.58
0.58
2.00
1.87
1.23
0.82
1.64
1.48
1.88
0.74
0.50
0.50
0.50
0.50
0.50
2.00
1.841.92
0.62
0.77
1.77
0.99
0.88
1.88
1.50
1.76
8.87
1.20
1.30
0.60
0.60
1.00
0.30
1.38
0.96
0.89
0.89
0.50
0.42
0.45
0.40
0.42
2.00
2.00
1.20
0.44
1.50
1.00
1.00
0.50
0.50
0.50
0.50
0.25
0.50
1.00
1.0010 lbs all purpose flour
3 pack of yeast
Baking Powder
Oatmeal
3 lbs long grain white rice / 5 lbs rice in 2009
2 lb bag of cornmeal
5 lbs sugar
Vegetable Oil
2 cans frozen orange juice concentrate
20 quart box of instant nonfat dry milk
2 pounds lentils
2 lbs pinto beans
1 lb black beans
1 lb lima beans
3 boxes Macaroni & Cheese
3 packs of Ramen Noodles
2 dozen eggs (2.5 dozen in 2009)
2 lbs margarine
1 lb hot dogs
1 28-oz can tomatoes
1 15-oz can tomatoes
15-oz can green peas
15-oz can corn
15-oz can greens
15 oz cans spinach
5 lb bag carrots
3 lb bag onions
1 bunch celery
6-oz can tuna
18-oz jar peanut butter
Jelly
Pancake Syrup
Vinegar
Cinnamon
Garlic Powder
Chili Powder
Salt
Pepper
Bouillon Cubes
100 Count Box of Tea Bags$70.37 $45.16 Note: The prices were gathered in February 2006 and March 2009 from Dollar General and Walmart. Your prices may vary. NOTES
If you receive WIC, Food Stamps or have food from a local food bank, you’ll be able to do much better than this menu plan. It is based on bare minimums.
There isn’t much meat in these menus. That’s because meat is expensive and beans aren’t. Beans provide lots of good protein for growing children and hard working adults. When beans are combined with certain other foods their protein increases. The amino acids in grains like flour, pasta and cornmeal or milk products cooperate with the amino acids in the beans to make an extremely high quality protein. Don’t worry about the lack of meat, there is more protein in this menu than you can shake an expensive protein bar at.
The milk may seem overpriced to some, but it is vital for growing children and mom’s who are pregnant, nursing or who may become pregnant. It is also very high in protein especially when combined with grains or beans (see above).
Orange Juice is served every morning but Saturday. The plan assumes 4 servings of 1/2-cup each for every morning it’s served. Orange Juice supplies Vitamin C and Folic Acid, once again, necessary for pregnant mothers and growing children.
In the recipes that call for buttermilk use regular reconstituted milk soured with a tiny bit of vinegar. This works just as good as buttermilk in cooking.
For the recipes that call for dried onion, substitute a small amount of finely chopped fresh onion.
For the recipes calling for fresh garlic, substitute a small amount of garlic powder instead.
To serve a hungry family of 6 you’ll need to make the following changes:
Increase the flour to three 5 pound bags & bake 6 loaves of bread at a time instead of 4.
- Buy 3 cans Orange Juice Concentrate instead of 2
- Double the Macaroni and Cheese served for lunches making 2 boxes at a time instead of 1.
- Double the cans of Tuna, Peas, Corn, Greens & Spinach.
- Double the recipe for Creamed Tuna & Peas.
- Double the recipe for Corn Fritters
- Double the recipe for Lentil Chili, adding 1 more can of tomatoes to the shopping list.
- This will increase the total spent to approximately $51.
Daily Work
Sunday Night: Mix up the dough for Overnight Bread. Set it aside to rise. Mix up a gallon of milk and a gallon of Tea. Put both into the fridge to chill. Clean the kitchen. Go to bed.
Monday: Begin the week with a hearty breakfast. After the breakfast dishes are done, prepare the vegetables for Lentil Soup, and put the Lentils on to cook. Soak 2lbs of pinto beans in boiling water to cover for 1 or 2 hours. Half of them are for supper tonight and the other half for supper tomorrow. Punch down your bread dough which should be nicely risen by now. Divide it into 4 loaves. Allow it to rise for 1 or 2 hours and then bake. After soaking the pinto beans, boil them until tender and refrigerate. Reheat half of them for dinner and use the other half for tomorrow. Check the milk & iced tea supply, prepare more as necessary.
Tuesday: After breakfast prepare enough tortillas for dinner tonight and for 2 snacks during the week; 16 to 20 tortillas should be enough. Store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Prepare a dozen Muffins for snacks later in the day. Check the milk & iced tea supply, prepare more as necessary.
Wednesday: When preparing the rice, make enough for dinner tonight and breakfast in the morning. 2-cups dry rice, cooked in 4-cups of water should be enough. Prepare the dough for Overnight bread before going to bed. Check the milk & iced tea supply, prepare more as necessary.
Thursday: Soak the beans in boiling water to cover for about an hour or two. Simmer until tender. Prepare the soup as directed and chill until supper time. Divide the bread dough into 4 loaves and set aside to rise until doubled in bulk. Bake as directed. Check the milk & iced tea supply, prepare more as necessary.
Friday: Make enough rice for supper tonight and leftovers for breakfast in the morning. 2-cups dry rice cooked in 4-cups of water should be enough. Check the milk & iced tea supply, prepare more as necessary.
Saturday: Soak the lima beans in boiling water to cover for about an hour or 2. Simmer until tender and season as directed. Chill until supper time. Check the milk & iced tea supply, prepare more as necessary.
Sunday: Put the lentil chili on to cook and prepare the custard and cornbread to bake at the same time. Check the milk & iced tea supply, prepare more as necessary.
Recipes
|
Breads & Cereals |
| Old-Fashioned Low-Yeast Bread | Biscuits use margarine instead of shortening |
| Homemade Tortillas | Hoe Cakes |
| Pancakes | French Toast |
| Oatmeal Pancakes | Basic Muffins |
| Oatmeal Muffins | Batter Bread |
| Cornmeal Muffins | Corn Bread |
| Cooked Rice | Hot Rice Cereal |
|
Main Dishes |
|
Vegetables |
| Corn Fritters | Scalloped Tomatoes |
| Collard Greens |
|
Miscellaneous |
| Classic Baked Custard | Snickerdoodles |
| Perfect Iced Tea | Reconstituting Milk |
You may also want to take a look at the ebooks and resources provided by Living On A Dime - their ebooks are well worth the small fee they charge for all the money saving tips and ideas that you will get out of them. I usually make up the money I pay on the ebook within less than a week (often in one shopping trip) from purchase. Take a look and see for yourself at LivingOnADime.com.
Come join me and over 200 other frugal-minded women in this new and exciting community. Share tips and recipes, learn new frugal skills and have fun with others just like you.
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Comments
26 Responses to “$45 Emergency Menu for 4 to 6”
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Website & Graphics by ccd
May 2nd, 2009 at 7:44 am
I just found your website today and I LOVE it! I work in the emergency preparedness field and will definately be referring people to your website. Thanks for the great work you have done. Bonnie
May 4th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Thank you for updating the prices to 2009 - I found it very interesting that the cost of food has doubled while I’m sure people’s income hasn’t.
May 6th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Thank you for updating this for 2009.
May 11th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Let people know that if they can find a restaurant supply in their town that is open to the public you can buy a large brick of active dry yeast for less then $3.00. I think it was a pound, in any case I cut it open and it filled a 32 oz yogurt container.
May 12th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
i want to know where you put all those stockpiles of sugar, flour, rice, etc. i have looked into these and can’t see to find a reasonable, cheap price for food storage containers. can you please email me back and let me know. i live 30 miles from the nearest walmart and don’t go over there that often. we have dollar general, freds, maxways and family dollar here in town. any ideas would help. am looking at getting a freezer for my daughter and i too store up frozen foods and cooking ahead. any other ideas would be a blessing.
May 13th, 2009 at 1:11 am
Hi and thanks so much!! I really appreciate this menu…I have one question though ..why do you make iced tea for dinner meals? We only have milk for breakfast - and the whole family has water for lunch and dinner daily..but I am wondering why you do iced tea daily? No ill intent in my question, just curious! thanks so much
May 15th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Sara–
I stockpile and place my flour etc in just regular totes– just wait for it to go on sale. I happen to know that Dollar General has great plastic sealed “drawers” that stack for 6.00 each. This is what I use for mine…
May 26th, 2009 at 7:51 am
Eeek, what happened to the $75 emergency menu?
I guess I should have saved it to my computer.
Karen
May 26th, 2009 at 11:28 am
It’s right here http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/70dollarmenu.htm
Susanne
June 4th, 2009 at 1:25 am
Thank you for updating the price list. I have have used this meal plan a few times and the $70 one as well. I used this sites recipe for choclate syrup to add to the dry milk for a treat.
June 26th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
This would be great, except that leaving for work at 7:45, getting home around 5:45, means no time to do all that I would need to do and be sane.
June 30th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Sara-
You can also ask local restaurants or a grocery store w/ a bakery if they can save containers for you. Icing, strawberry glaze, pickles and many other supplies come in 1-10 gallon plastic buckets. They are just like the paint buckets you can buy at WalMart or Lowe’s. I also buy bulk pickles for the kids as a treat, the huge Vlasic ones are great because the jar has a wide mouth. I use a coupon, get them for next to nothing, and the jars are wonderful for iced tea, homemade fridge pickles, sugar, flour, etc.
July 26th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
I make soups/beans on week-ends, freeze them in plastic containers for the next week. Most breads freeze well, too. Saves time on busy days for others, as I am away from home all week going to school.Try making spaghetti complete with the noodles, freezing in “seal-a-meal” baggies. You can drop the baggies into boiling water, have dinner in minutes, stress free. Works great for camping trips, too.
July 31st, 2009 at 12:26 pm
I first came across this site at the end of 2008 while searching for “how low can you go” as far as a grocery budget. At that time, my rough calculation of the cost (in my area) of the groceries on the shopping list was about $70, so pretty much right on the button with your 2009 costs. (I think actual cost here is probably even more today - depending on where you shop and whether you can hit a good sale - I’ll have to look). It really is true that staples like flour (and associated products), dried beans, rice, eggs, potatoes, canned and some frozen foods - have gone up significantly in the last year or two. Milk and cheese, after going up, have now fallen quite drastically. Especially milk. (I can only imagine the grief that is causing dairy farmers.) We’ll see if other staples gradually come down, as well, or whether we’re headed into a lasting inflation.
I appreciate how much work you put into creating this helpful menu, as well as this site. Thanks, and keep it up!!
August 25th, 2009 at 11:23 am
Thanks for all of the hard work that you put into this website. It is greatly appreciated!
May I make one suggestion? Please change the title of the $45.00 emergency menu to reflect this year’s cost. i,e, “$70.00 emergency menu”. It is misleading and turns out to be disappointing when you realize it isn’t accurate. Thanks!
Pam
September 1st, 2009 at 3:35 pm
You can still buy many of the items closer to the 2006 price at Aldi. Even some of your Wal-Mart prices are higher than what I pay in my area. Prices have definetly increased in the past 3 years, but not quite so much in my area of the country:)
September 1st, 2009 at 9:56 pm
I was wondering if the original 70 dollar list was still on here somewhere..the one that said “everyday menu” or something like that. I was looking for it on here and can’t find it. If its not here it would be great to have it back or maybe you could constuct a “frugal” menu for around 90 dollars which has more to it.
Thanks
Amy
September 3rd, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Thank you so much for updating the prices! I’ve been referring to your website for years as well as referring it to others.
re: Shalin, alot of Southerners drink ice tea daily.
September 5th, 2009 at 3:07 am
An easy way to reduce the sodium in this menu is to substitute real veggie broth for the bouillon cubes, and the broth is easy to make and won’t impact your budget at all. Just save all the trimmings and peelings from your fresh veggies - carrot peels and the ends, the leafy bits of celery, the tough outer layer (not the papery layer) of onions, etc, in a Tupperware container in the freezer. When the container gets full, dump it into a pot on the stove, add salt/pepper to taste, and boil for a few hours. Overnight in a crock pot on low works, too. (Filling the container with water twice is a good rule of thumb.) Strain out the veggies, and freeze the broth, either in ice cube trays or Ziploc baggies, in whatever portion works best for you. (I freeze in 1 cup portions.)
September 21st, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Our local legislators decided to try eating on $50 for a week to see how hard it is for people on food stamps and limited incomes. They were hungry all week and complained about how hard it is to eat anything healthy. I’m going to send them the link to your site to show them how wrong they are, not that it’s easy but that it’s about making choices.
Also I am reading a book by MK Fisher called How to Cook a Wolf. It is very fun to read an older piece about using everything to make nutritious meals with very limited resources.
October 12th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
I have been using the menus for 3 years now and they have been such a blessing! Even tho I live in Alaska, the prices here are usually triple or even more, especially because I still have to have the groceries shipped to our home, we have still saved money! And I LOVE the routine! It just helps to have it all figured out and we feel so much healthier. I always add apples and blueberries/strawberries and yogurt to our day. Right now for a 1 gallon jug of milk we pay 7.99 and the 20 qt. box of powdered milk is 24.99. OUTRAGIOUS in my book, but because we NEED it, we have to choose to let the other stuff go. ( like chips, ect…) Just wanted to say how much I have appreciated this web site and all the recipes! Thank you for all that hard work!
October 17th, 2009 at 10:03 am
Dollar Tree? Who would have thought. Though it’s not a huge savings, it’s worth mentioning that at Dollar Tree you can get a 100 ct box of tea bags for $1. They also occasionally have items like Cereal Straws (for the kids) that are getting close to expiration at grocery stores so they sell them to Dollar Tree (expiring in about 2-3 months). Recently I found Garnier hair product items that are typically over $3 at Walmart. Lastly, I have found that making a specific day “BAKING DAY” helps. I get $1 clearance bread and make the whole loaf into french toast. Baking muffins, breads, rolls, etc. and freezing what we don’t eat that day. It really helps on busy mornings and when the kids want something to snack on, and quickens up time in the kitchen as a whole during the week.
October 20th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Hi! I’ve sent many people to this website and they all love it. You used to have another menu posted; I believe that it was a $75/week menu complete with shopping list and recipes. Is that menu still available in your archives? Thank you.
October 21st, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Dollar Tree also has A-1 type steak sauce (same size bottle) for $1! Also, the bread is great!!! I just freeze 4 loaves or more and always have good bread for sandwiches! At $1 a loaf! They also offer 3L soda for $1! Great for a treat! Thanks for sharing all your great ideas and helpful hints! I love your newsletter and read it all the way through!!
October 27th, 2009 at 12:53 am
I just found this site. IT’S AWESOME!!!!! You are sure right, that lentils are a great source of protein, but they are also extremely healthy for you depending on how much fat you cook them with. I just feel like I’ve went back in time at my nanny’s house while she was cooking for her family. She took care of me from the age of 2 until I was old enough to do it myself. But, we had black-eyed peas, greens, and cornbread all the time. Us kids, put a little sugar on our beans… lol.
I will be referring this to everyone. Many of us are having tough times these days regardless or where you come from! So loving it! I wasn’t sure when I heard the name. Maybe it’s time for the Divas and Hillbillies to unite?! lol
Thx, Divalicious Amber
October 27th, 2009 at 12:59 am
Oh! Big P.S. for the other commentors, YES! The Dollar Store is the new stop for a few dinner items! Yes, at my Dollar Tree we get A1 steaksauce, name brand seasonings that I pay twice as much at our big chain grocer… Tons of teas, crystal lite, kool-aid, and even sometimes good bread.
PSS Dont forget to check local bakeries for reduced priced bread. We have a bread company that is local and truck all their products around the state. If you go in, they actually have huge discount racks of every bread they make! If times are tight, check local bakeries and bread factories!