$75 Walmart Grocery Challenge

Recently, I was challenged to create a 7-day meal plan for a family of four, including breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. While this sounds pretty easy, I was given one restriction: I was only allowed to spend $75 total. Here are my results.

Shopping List:

Great Value Butter Flavored Pancake Syrup - $1.84

Imperial Margarine Spread Sticks - $0.69

Great Value Buttermilk Complete Pancake & Waffle Mix - $1.47

Sunny Meadow Grade A Large Eggs 18 Pack - $2.46

Carolina Pride Bacon - $2.78

Jimmy Dean 1lb Sage Sausage - $2.50

Great Value Jumbo Flaky Canned Biscuits - $1.36

Great Value Garlic Salt - $1.34

Great Value Salt & Pepper Shaker Combo - $0.93

McCormick Low Sodium Taco Seasoning Packet - $0.50

Wesson Vegetable Oil - $2.50

Bananas - $0.49/lb. x 2.03lbs = $0.99

Betty Crocker Four Cheese Instant Mashed Potatoes (2 Pack) - $0.98 - $0.50 Manufacturer Coupon = $0.48

Betty Crocker Cheddar & Bacon Scalloped Potatoes - $0.98

Great Value White Bread (Two Loaves) - $1.00 x 2 = $2.00

Gallon of Whole Milk - $3.38

Gold Medal Flour 5lb - $1.50

Great Value Flour Tortillas Fajita Size - $0.98

Great Value Meat Flavored Spaghetti Sauce - $1.33

Kraft Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese - $2.00

Great Value Canned Green Beans - $0.67

Great Value Pizza Crust Mix - $0.44

Great Value Dried Pinto Beans 1lb - $1.00

Great Value Deli Sliced Turkey Breast - $2.88

Head of Lettuce - $1.44

Great Value Sour Cream 16oz. - $0.98

Great Value Sliced Sharp Cheddar Cheese - $2.28

Great Value Heavy Whipping Cream 16 oz - $1.68

Great Value Pizza Sauce 14 oz. - $1.00

Boneless Pork Chops - $4.18/lb x 0.90lb = $3.76

Butcher Counter Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts - $1.78/lb x 5.8lb = $10.32

Walmart Brand Ground Beef 3lb - $6.78

Great Value Parmesan Cheese - $2.48

Great Value Canned Vegetable Medley - $0.67

Great Value Canned Sweet Peas - $0.67

Great Value French Style Canned Green Beans - $0.67

Great Value Canned Corn - $0.67

Great Value Canned Apple Pie Filling - $1.68

Great Value Whole Wheat Thin Spaghetti - $1.00

Great Value Whole Wheat Linguine - $1.00

Sub Total: $73.41

Tax (1% in South Carolina ): $0.74

Total: $74.15

Meal Plan

Monday:

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs; Pancakes; Margarine; Syrup

Lunch: Turkey Breast, Sharp Cheddar Cheese & Lettuce Sandwich ; Banana

Dinner: Baked Chicken*; Betty Crocker Cheddar & Bacon Scalloped Potatoes; French Style Green Beans

Tuesday:

Breakfast: French Toast; Bacon; Margarine; Syrup

Lunch: Chicken Salad Sandwich *; Banana

Dinner: Spaghetti with Meat Flavored Sauce; Parmesan Garlic Meatballs*; Garlic Bread*

Wednesday:

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs; Toast

Lunch: Meatball Sandwiches (made with leftover Parmesan Garlic Meatballs in Spaghetti Sauce)

Dinner: Apple Pork Chops*; Betty Crocker Four Cheese Mashed Potatoes; Sweet Peas

Thursday:

Breakfast : Eggs; Pancakes; Margarine; Syrup

Lunch: Grilled Cheese Made With Sharp Cheddar Cheese Slices; Vegetable Medley

Dinner: Ground Beef Tacos; Homemade Refried Beans*

Friday:

Breakfast: French Toast; Margarine; Syrup; Scrambled Eggs

Lunch: Bean Burros Made With Leftover Refried Beans

Dinner: Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza*

Saturday:

Breakfast: Biscuits; Sausage Gravy*

Lunch: Cheese Quesadillas*

Dinner: Chicken Alfredo*; Garlic Bread*

Sunday:

Breakfast: Scrambled Egg & Cheese Breakfast Burros*

Lunch: Turkey , Bacon, Cheese, & Lettuce Wrapped in Tortilla; Banana

Dinner: Southern Fried Chicken*; Betty Crocker Four Cheese Mashed Potatoes; Corn

Recipes

Baked Chicken Recipe:

Rub chicken breasts with garlic salt and pepper. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until no longer pink inside.

Parmesan Garlic Meatballs

Mix 1lb ground beef, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, garlic salt to taste, pepper to taste and one egg together. Roll the mixture into meatballs and then bake on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees until browned.

Garlic Bread

Mix 1 tablespoon margarine with garlic salt to taste. Spread on a piece of bread and brown under a broiler.

Apple Pork Chops

Rub boneless pork chops with salt and pepper to taste. Place the meat cuts into a glass baking dish. Pour over one can of apple pie filling. Bake at 375 degrees until the pork is no longer pink in the center.

Homemade Refried Beans

Remove any bad beans, small stones, etc. from a bag of dried pinto beans. Rinse the beans well with water. Place the beans in a stock pot with water three inches higher than the level of beans. Simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Drain the cooking water. Chop several pieces of bacon into bite sized pieces. Fry up the bacon in a frying pan. Add the beans, garlic salt, and pepper to taste to the bacon and grease. Mash the beans with a potato masher and fry until you reach a desired refried bean consistency. (If the beans start to get dry, add a bit of water a teaspoon at a time.)

Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza

Mix dry pizza crust per package directions. Spread on pizza sauce, cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup ground beef, and bacon crumbles. Bake until golden brown.

Sausage Gravy

Brown a package of sage sausage in a pan. Add milk, salt, and pepper to taste. Add one tablespoon of flour. Stir all ingredients together over medium heat until it reaches gravy consistency. Add more milk if the gravy gets too thick and a bit more flour if it is too thin.

Cheese Quesadillas

Lightly oil a frying pan. Spread margarine on both sides of a flour tortilla. Fill the center with shredded cheese. Fold in half and brown in the frying pan on both sides.

Chicken Alfredo

Mix one cup heavy cream, one cup milk, one cup parmesan cheese, and 2 tablespoons butter together in a sauce pan. Add garlic salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for five minutes. Add warmed diced cooked chicken. Serve over noodles.

Scrambled Egg & Cheese Breakfast Burros

Add scrambled eggs and shredded cheese to a tortilla.

Southern Fried Chicken

Combine 2 tablespoons salt with several cups of water. Place boneless skinless chicken breasts into the water mixture and set for an hour. Remove the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Mix 1 cup flour with salt and pepper to taste. Beat one egg fully. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture and then into the flour mixture. Shake off the excess flour mixture and then dip back in the egg. Dip a second time into the flour mixture. Fry in vegetable oil until golden brown.

Summary

I came to Walmart completely ready to do serious coupon and price match shopping. I had my binder chock full of the weekly sales ads from competitors and weeks worth of manufacturer coupons. Much to my surprise, however, I used only one coupon and did absolutely no price matching! Most of the "Great Value" (aka Walmart's generic brand) items were cheaper than using any other method.

If you are looking for a lot of value for less, Walmart is definitely the place to go!