Walmart Shoppers: How To Buy All Your Groceries for Just $50 a Week
Written by
Cynthia Measom
Edited by
Elizabeth Constantineau
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Rebecca Chobat, the creator of TikTok’s popular Dollar Tree Dinners, received a question from a TikTok user who asked if Chobat could do a Walmart Meal. “I only really have a Walmart near me, and we have about $50 for a week’s worth of food,” the user said.
Here are the groceries for one week that Chobat found at Walmart, which totaled under $50.
Breakfast Foods
Chobat covered breakfast options first.
Discount Bakery Rack
The first place Chobat visited in Walmart was the discount bakery rack to look for breakfast pastries. She didn’t find any, but she did find some mini croissants for $1.91. However, she didn’t opt to buy them. She gave a tip that you can freeze these discounted items for later use if needed.
18-Count Eggs: $3.48
Make scrambled, fried, poached or hard-boiled eggs for breakfast. You can also use some eggs and bread to make french toast as a special treat one morning.
12-Ounce Bag of Great Value French Roast Coffee: $4.47
If you’re a coffee drinker, the Great Value brand of coffee can help you save at about $0.37 per ounce. A 12-ounce bag of Dunkin Donuts ground coffee is about $0.66 per ounce.
Imperial Margarine: $1.48
Toast with margarine is a simple yet tasty breakfast food. Plus, you can use margarine in countless recipes.
Great Value Half-Gallon Milk: $1.92
Milk can be used for pouring on oatmeal, drinking or using in recipe mixes.
Great Value Flavored Oatmeal: $1.82
Great Value Flavored Oatmeal comes in a variety of flavors, including fruity ones. Chobat chose Strawberries & Cream. Other fruit-flavored options are Peaches & Cream, Blueberries & Cream and Bananas & Cream.
Bananas: $0.72 Per Pound
Chobat said to slice the bananas and add them to oatmeal. But you could also peel and freeze them for a snack or eat with toast and peanut butter or jam.
Great Value White Sandwich Bread: $1.32
You can’t make toast at breakfast without bread, and this loaf is a steal at around $0.07 per ounce. Wonder bread is over twice that price at around $0.16 per ounce.
Ingredients for Dinners
Here are Chobat’s money-saving picks for dinners.
10-Pound Bag of Chicken Leg Quarters: $7.72
Meat for around $0.77 per pound? Yes, it’s true. And you don’t have to rely on eating it off the bone every night, either.
Great Value Seasoning Packets: $0.48-$1.22 Each
“Never discredit the little seasonings packet section — especially if you’re new to cooking or learning how to cook,” Chobat said. She grabbed Garlic Parmesan, Lemon & Pepper and Caribbean Jerk seasoning packets to flavor the chicken leg quarters.
She also picked up brown gravy mix, spaghetti seasoning and taco seasoning in this section.
1-Pound Bag of Great Value Long Grain Rice: $0.92
One night’s dinner can be classic chicken and rice. If you have a can of cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup, you can add it to this dish to bulk it up and keep the rice moist.
Chicken-Flavored Stuffing: $0.93
Chicken and stuffing is another idea for a meal. Box stuffing is fairly quick and easy to prepare on the stovetop.
Great Value Boxed Instant Mashed Potatoes: $1.32
Another easy side dish is instant mashed potatoes. All you need is hot water and margarine. Use the brown gravy packet to make gravy, if you like.
Flour Tortillas: $1.84
Chobat mentioned making fajitas for dinner one night, so tortillas are a must. She said that tortillas are usually in multiple locations in Walmart stores and recommended checking the international food aisle, bread aisle and bakery department to find the cheapest option.
Green Bell Peppers: $0.86 Each
Chobat purchased two of these to round out a fajita meal one night. She said she planned on seasoning some of the chicken with taco seasoning for the fajitas.
Three-Pound Bag of Yellow Onions: Price Unknown
Chobat added a note in her TikTok that she forgot to record that she also put a three-pound bag of onions in her cart. She noted that buying onions in bulk is a good buy, because they are versatile and can be added to just about anything.
Great Value Frozen Vegetables: $0.98-$1.16
Chobat selected the green beans, peas and broccoli. She said for broccoli, she prefers florets, but broccoli cuts are cheaper.
Great Value Spaghetti: $0.98
Spaghetti is cheap — and especially cheap in the Great Value brand. You might even be able to get two meals out of the box, depending on how big your family is.
28-Ounce Can of Great Value Crushed Tomatoes: $1.52
The spaghetti sauce seasoning packet recommends tomato paste, but Chobat decided that crushed tomatoes would make for a fresher-tasting sauce. This particular can also contains tomato puree.
Snacks, Drinks and Desserts
“I believe that budgeting in treats and snacks can make a tight budget feel a lot more manageable,” noted Chobat. Here are her budget picks.
Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix: $0.52
Corn muffins can be a meal addition or a snack. The box makes about six muffins and requires egg and milk.
4-Pack Great Value Key Lime Yogurt: $1.96
These four-packs cost less than $0.50 per yogurt. If key lime flavor is not for you, there are plenty of other flavors, including strawberry banana, peach, blueberry, vanilla or cherry.
Great Value Honey, Cinnamon and Vanilla Creamer: $2.68
If you don’t have room in your budget for flavored coffee creamer, Chobat pointed out that an alternative is sweetened condensed milk, which comes in a can. You can find it in the baking aisle.
Jiffy Blueberry Muffin Mix: $0.98
Chobat said these muffins can either serve as a breakfast item or a snack. Other options include raspberry, apple cinnamon and banana.
The Final Total
The total for all of these groceries was $49.85. Chobat kept a running total as she shopped. She subtracted each item she put in her cart from $50, so she could keep track of how much money she had left to spend.
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