c/dollar-store-dinners

Dollar Tree canned chicken turned into a decent pot pie last Tuesday

My oven died mid-bake and the crust was raw in the middle, so I tossed everything into a skillet with a $1.25 bag of frozen mixed veggies. It came out way better than the pie would have been. Anyone else fudge a meal when their appliance quits?

Canned chili beat fresh ground beef at my dollar store

Everyone in this group talks up the dollar store ground beef for tacos and spaghetti. I tried it twice, both times it was greasy and needed a ton of seasoning to taste like anything. Last month I grabbed a 1.25 can of chili with beans instead, just to stretch a pasta night. I browned some onions from the freezer section, dumped the chili in, added a splash of water and a spoon of dollar store hot sauce. It made a thick, hearty sauce that covered a whole box of cheap spaghetti better than any meat I've done from there. My wife actually asked what I did different, thought I bought real sauce from a regular store. I still use canned chicken for some things, but for anything saucy, chili cans are now my go-to. Anyone else ditched the raw meat for canned options at the dollar store?

Dollar store ramen vs dollar store pasta, I made the wrong call at 2am

Last Tuesday I only had $4 left before payday and hit up the Dollar Tree on Elm Street. I stared at the instant ramen packs ($1.25 for 6) and the spaghetti boxes ($1.25 for 2) and grabbed the ramen thinking it'd stretch further. Big mistake, the seasoning packet tasted like salty cardboard and I ended up dumping hot sauce on it just to finish two bowls. Has anyone else found a decent use for those cheap ramen packs, or should I just stick to pasta with the dollar store canned sauce next time?

The dollar store canned veggies got noticeably smaller since 2019

I picked up a can of green beans from the usual spot last Tuesday and the label said 12 ounces. Back in early 2019 I remember those same cans being 14.5 ounces, I even checked an old receipt from the kitchen drawer to be sure. The price stayed the same at 79 cents but you get less water weight and fewer beans for the dollar now. Has anyone else noticed this shrink on other items like soups or corn, or is my local store just slacking off?

Frozen pizza from Dollar Tree looked great, cooked like a crime scene

Spent $3.25 on their store brand pepperoni pizza and the crust came out soggy in the middle but burnt on the edges after the exact oven time. I followed the box literally and it was inedible, ended up scraping toppings onto bread for a sad quesadilla. Anyone else had better luck with a different dollar store frozen pizza brand or should I just stick to the canned stuff?

Dollar store canned chicken turned out better than the name brand

I was at the Dollar Tree on Broadway last Tuesday grabbing pasta and sauce when I spotted their canned chicken for 1.25. I figured it would be gross and watery, but my budget was tight so I grabbed three cans anyway. Back home I made a quick buffalo chicken wrap with some store brand ranch and tortillas. The texture was actually shreddable and not slimy at all, which shocked me since I expected the worst. I even tried it cold on a salad the next day and it held up fine. The name brand stuff I paid 3.50 for last month was stringier and had more gristle. Anyone else found a dollar store protein that surprised them, or am I just lucky with this batch?

My neighbor clowned my canned biscuit dumplings, now I don't skip the rinse step

I used to throw a can of mixed veggies straight in the pot, juice and all, because why waste it, right? My neighbor watched me do it and said my stew tasted like tin and salt, which stung because it did. Now I rinse every can under cold water for about 30 seconds, even the beans, and it cuts the sodium way down. The flavor difference is huge, especially with the 1 dollar store brand diced tomatoes I get for 1.25 at Dollar General. I also started draining and patting dry the canned chicken before frying it, that changed my whole taco night. Has anyone else got a cheap can trick that a friend or family member forced on them?

One comment on my chili post changed how I buy canned beans

Someone pointed out I was paying 50 cents more per can at the chain store when the dollar store brand tastes the same in my 3-bean chili. Now I stock up there every first Tuesday and save about $4 a week, plus I actually drain and rinse them now instead of dumping the liquid in.

My dollar store rice cooker died after 14 meals, so I rigged one with a coffee maker

Last Tuesday the little 3-cup cooker I bought at Dollar Tree for $8 stopped heating mid-way through a batch of beans and rice, so I put the rice in a glass bowl over a Mr. Coffee hot plate I already had and it came out fine, just stirred it every few minutes, has anyone else had to MacGyver a broken appliance from the dollar store instead of returning it?

TIL the 99 Cents Only store has better spices than the name brand place

My neighbor Marie told me last Tuesday that she dumps out the big brand paprika and refills the jar with the dollar store kind, and I laughed until I tried it on my chili. The dollar store stuff has way more flavor and it costs $1.25 versus $4.50 at Kroger, does anyone else skip the fancy aisle for the basic rack?

The $1.25 spice packets at my local store beat the $4 jars, fight me

I heard this lady in line behind me at Dollar Tree say she only buys the big brand spices from the regular grocery store because the dollar store ones are 'full of fillers.' Man, that got me thinking. Ive been using the Great Value knockoff taco and ranch seasoning packets from the random discount shelf for like 6 months now and honestly the flavor is basically the same. The trick is you gotta check the sodium content on the back, some of them are crazy salty. I made a whole pot of chili last Tuesday with a $1.25 packet of chili mix and nobody at my table noticed the difference. Plus I saved like $9 compared to buying three separate jars of cumin, paprika, and garlic powder. Has anyone else tried the store brand seasoning packets or am I just lucky with my location in Pittsburgh? Maybe the quality varies by region or something, idk.

My Dollar Store Brunch Set Off a Smoke Alarm at Whole Foods

I was heating up a $1.25 can of chili and a 99 cent cornbread mix in the break room microwave on Tuesday, and the smoke detector went off so loud that the store manager ran in yelling 'who brought the gas station food in here,' so now I only test instant ramen combos at home before work.

Dollar Tree's frozen veggies finally clicked for me after 6 tries

I kept buying the store brand frozen mixed vegetables and they always came out mushy or watery, no matter what I did. Last month I tried roasting them straight from the bag on a sheet pan at 425, no thawing, with just a little oil and salt. Total game changer, they got those crispy edges like the expensive stuff. I did it with the 1 dollar bags of broccoli and cauliflower, and it stretched into three dinners for me and my roommate. The trick is spreading them out so they don't steam each other, and giving them a solid 20 minutes before flipping. Now I'm wondering if the same method works for their frozen stir fry mix or if that's just a lost cause. Has anyone else gotten the frozen aisle stuff to taste decent without a ton of extra seasoning?

Dollar store pasta is 20 cents a box here, but the sauce math surprised me

My aunt's instant ramen upgrade hack was a total game changer

She told me to drain most of the water, add a spoonful of peanut butter and a squirt of sriracha, then crack an egg in. Tried it last Tuesday with a 99 cent pack from Dollar Tree and it turned into a proper meal, easily feeds me for under $2. Anyone else got dollar store add-ins that make basics taste fancy?

Overheard someone say canned biscuits beat homemade and I need opinions

I was in line at Dollar Tree in Columbus and this older guy told his wife the $1.25 canned biscuits are better than his grandma's scratch recipe. I've only tried the store brand ones once and they came out flat and greasy, but maybe I cooked them wrong. Anyone found a specific can brand there that actually rises decent in a toaster oven?

Hit $2.17 for a full dinner after 3 weeks of dollar store tracking

The math finally clicked when I made beef stew, garlic bread, and canned peaches for less than my usual coffee run, and it actually tasted good. Anyone else keep a running total of their cheapest meals or am I just a weirdo with a spreadsheet? lol

My dollar store rice cooker burned out, but a stranger's question fixed my whole meal plan

I was relying on that $10 rice cooker from Dollar Tree every day for 6 months until it died last Tuesday, and a coworker asked why I didn't just use the microwave for everything. She pointed out that I was overcomplicating meals by buying separate gadgets instead of sticking to shelf-stable basics like beans, instant potatoes, and canned veggies. Anyone else ditch the specialty appliances and just cook dollar store stuff in a single pot or microwave? Maybe I'm missing something cheaper that works better.

That cashier's one question about my canned corn stuck with me

At the Family Dollar on 5th Street, the lady at the register asked why I wasn't grabbing the name brand since it was only 30 cents more. I realized I couldn't actually tell her the store brand tasted any different in my chili recipe, I just assumed it did. Anyone else ever catch themselves avoiding dollar store cans without a real reason?

Hot take: stop trusting canned nacho cheese sauce dates

I bought a $1.25 jar from Dollar Tree in March and used it last Tuesday, the 'best by' date said April but it smelled like feet after I opened it. Now I sniff every can before I dump it into my mac and cheese, has anyone else gotten burned by expired dollar store dairy?

That $1.25 can of biscuits turned into a 3 hour cleanup at 2AM

I grabbed a can of those cheap Pillsbury-style biscuits from Dollar Tree last night, figured I'd finally try the breakfast casserole trick everyone posts. Popped the tube and it exploded like a confetti cannon, dough slapped the ceiling fan and flung chunks all over my kitchen in Wichita. I spent until 2AM scraping dried dough off the light fixtures and cabinet tops with a putty knife, meanwhile my cat kept licking the raw pieces off the floor. Anyone else ever fight a rogue biscuit can, or am I just cursed with bad luck?

That $2 bag of dried beans turned into a $14 lesson in patience

Spent 45 minutes soaking pinto beans from Dollar Tree and they still came out crunchy as gravel, so tell me, is there any brand of store brand beans that actually soften before my next birthday?

Best dollar store week ever versus worst one, which matters more for your budget?

Last Tuesday I fed my family of four for five nights on exactly $23 from Dollar Tree with canned beans, rice, and frozen chicken, but then on Friday the same store's off-brand pasta sauce gave us all heartburn, so is consistency or occasional wins the real reason we keep shopping there, or do you think the savings justify the gamble every time?

Can we talk about how long it took me to find a decent can opener at Dollar Tree?

I grabbed a can opener there last week and it completely jammed on my second can of beans. After 15 minutes of fighting with it, I tried another brand from the same store and that one took me 20 minutes to get open because the handle kept slipping. So which is better: spending $1.25 on a gamble that might waste your time, or just paying $5 for a real opener at Walmart? Has anyone else had this problem or found a specific dollar store brand that actually works?

Warning: Those instant mashed potato packets from Dollar Tree actually work better as a thickener for soups than the expensive cornstarch I used to buy.

I dumped a $1.25 packet into my bean soup last night after realizing my usual roux trick was a no-go, and it held up 10 times better without getting that weird slimy texture - has anyone else found a weird dollar store hack for classic cooking staples?