How to Ruin Thanksgiving with $5 a Month

Just before the holidays my husband made an off-hand comment about how I’ve “Ruined Thanksgiving”. What??? He explained that the big, traditional meals used to be something reserved for special occasions but now he eats that well all of the time. My response? YOU’RE WELCOME!

When we think of the traditional meals, we think of Mom or Grandma getting up at 4am and slaving in the kitchen all day. That’s not how I do it, and I’m going to teach you how a big family-style meal can be made from your own “convenience foods” while shaving a lot of money off your grocery bill. The reason flour-based foods like noodles, dumplings and pies were so popular during the depression are due to their economic value. We already established a bag of flour only costs $1.59 and you can do SO much with it. The key is to take an afternoon and spend it doing prep work. If you have little ones around, they love being involved in this process.

When I think of comfort food I immediately think of noodles. Sure, they sell the Amish-Made noodles in bags at the grocery store. For a small family size bag (to feed 4) they cost around $3.50 - $4.00 a bag. That’s not a terrible price, but with a little planning you can make your own for .23 a batch. That’s correct, you can create your family’s main dish for under a quarter. If you’re having guests it may cost you an entire .50! The recipe below is for 1 batch of noodles. Yes, it’s a little time consuming. However, this recipe is very easy to multiply. I multiply it x 12 and it’s no more complicated to make than a single batch. Let the noodles dry for a few hours, divide them into freezer safe containers or Ziploc bags and you now have ready-made noodles any time you want them. They will keep for up to a year frozen in an airtight container. All you have to do is drop the noodles in some broth and they’re ready to go! For easy clean up I recommend laying out newspapers on your kitchen table to make the noodles.

NOODLES (1 small batch)

• 1 large beaten egg
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 TBS milk
• 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

Combine first 3 ingredients. Add enough flour to make a stiff dough. Roll the dough on a heavily floured surface. Roll the dough very thin. (this is based on your preference, keep in mind the noodles will swell a lot during cooking. I roll mine as thin as possible) Occasionally shift the dough to make sure it isn’t sticking to the surface. Smooth a little flour on top & let it sit for at least 20 minutes. Once it’s dry roll up the dough & slice it 1/8” thick (more or less based on preference) Separate the noodles and spread them out on the floured surface. Let them dry at least 2 hrs. Then, either fix for supper or store in a freezer-tight container. (1 batch per container) To cook: drop the noodles into boiling broth and let them cook approximately 15 minutes.

If you multiplied x 12 your family can now enjoy a nice “noodle” dinner once a month for the rest of the year! All you have to do is open a freezer bag & dump them in the boiling broth. If you had bought 12 bags of noodles the total cost would be at least $42. However, YOU only spent $2.76.


Now…what to do with those noodles? You can make Budget Friendly Beef & Noodles. This can be made in the crock-pot or stovetop. (we prefer crock pot because it’s easy) For a family of 4, buy 1 lb of beef stew meat. Put it in a pot full of beef broth. I use bouillon cubes and add 2 cubes per 1 cup of water. Add 1 tsp of salt, 2 - 3 tsp of Italian seasonings, 1 tsp of garlic powder, a splash of Worcestershire sauce, half a finely diced onion (optional) and pepper to taste. Let it cook until the meat is tender. (At least 6 hrs in the crock-pot or about 2 hrs on the stovetop) When the meat is tender add the noodles. They will take about 15 minutes stovetop or about 25 minutes in the crock-pot. Stir frequently when you first add them to keep them from clumping. Serve with mashed potatoes and a canned vegetable of your choice. 
You just fixed your family an amazing meal, but what did it cost? According to my grocery list yesterday, if you shopped at a discount grocery store the meat was $3.99, the noodles were .23 the canned veggie was .59 and the potatoes were around .40. Congratulations you spent $5.21 to feed your entire family one amazing meal.


Not into Beef & Noodles? Try Chicken & Noodles! (or turkey) This one is much easier and is great if you have any kind of left-over poultry. Even fried chicken translates well.
Cut up any leftover cooked poultry removing as much fat as possible. Toss into a pot of chicken broth. Season as desired. Once the broth is boiling add your noodles. Serve over mashed potatoes.

Are homemade mashed potatoes too time consuming to fix all the time? While you're waiting for your noodles to dry peel & cut an entire 5lb bag of potatoes. Partially boil  them in salt water. Drain, allow to cool completely and put in freezer containers (or bags). When you're ready to use just put the frozen potatoes in boiling water & they should only take about 10 minutes to finish cooking. Voila..."Instant" homemade potatoes!

Random Retro Mama Fact:  If your noodle broth seems to “soupy” put some of the broth into a bowl & whisk in enough flour until a soft paste forms. Add the paste to the broth & stir well. Repeat if necessary. This will gradually thicken your broth.