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    $5 Dinners | Budget Recipes, Meal Plans, Freezer Meals

    Budget Recipes, Meal Plans, Freezer Meals and Cooking Tutorials for the Busy Home Chef

    Join Erin's 5-Ingredient Challenge in 2023

    20 Meals for $150 Using Ingredients from Costco: FAQ

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    Did you know that I’ve developed a super cool software that will allow you to create your own Costco plans?!? Click to learn more!

    Have you been following along with our Warehouse Store Meal Plans found here?  If you are new to the series, then you’ll want to read the following Frequently Asked Questions about our Costco plans:

    Why is the price for each meal in these plans greater than your normal $5/meal price?

    • I realize this makes for roughly $7.50 dinners. Meat at Costco is more expensive than sale prices at grocery stores, and many argue that the quality is better, which according to their policy of only carrying Choice and Prime grade meat makes sense!  Plus, you’ll have LOTS of leftovers, which you’ll see on each plan that helps reduce the actual meal prices!
    • You could absolutely play the game of getting the meat when it’s on sale at the grocery store and get the remaining bulk ingredients at the warehouse store. I would estimate you would save between $15-25 in savings by getting the meat when it is on sale at another store.

    Will I find the exact same pricing in my area?

    • Hopefully! But, know that prices may vary by region and season.

    How many people does each meal feed?

    • Meals are for a family of 4. Larger families, or families with teenagers will need to adjust quantities.

    Are any of the meals freezer friendly?

    • Absolutely!  Most of the meals included in these warehouse store meal plans are freezer friendly.  And, I’ve even included specific instructions for freezing those meals on the printables in each plan.
    • If you want ALL freezer friendly recipes, then be sure to check out these options: 20 Gluten Free Slow Cooker Freezer Pack Meals ~ Meal Plan #4 and 20 Slow Cooker Freezer Packs for $150 ~ Meal Plan #6

    Will my family (especially my kids) enjoy the meals?

    • Meals are as kid friendly, family friendly, and allergy friendly as I could make them. Hopefully you will enjoy them!  As always, you are responsible for reading labels and ensuring that everything meets your family’s needs, especially on our Costco Gluten Free meal plan.

    Do you have any food allergy friendly Costco Meal Plans?

    • Yes, we sure do…
    • Gluten Free:  21 Gluten Free Meals for $162 AND 20 Gluten Free Slow Cooker Freezer Pack Meal Plan for $150 ~ Meal Plan #4.
    • Whole30 & Paleo Modifications: 20 Slow Cooker Freezer Packs for $150 ~ Meal Plan #6
    • Dairy-Free & Vegetarian Modifications:  Plan #7 (Breakfasts & Snacks).

    Do I have to stick to the exact recipes and ingredients in the Costco plans?

    • Absolutely NOT!  I encourage you to “Mix and Match Meals” because of the bulk purchasing!  This is really a game of mixing and matching ingredients. The ingredients are very common and work in a wide variety of recipes, so feel free to use them in other recipes besides those listed on each plan.  Nothing is set in stone!

    Will I have to purchase any other ingredients to make the meals?

    • Some pantry and fridge ingredients like milk, butter, spices etc. are not listed on the Ingredients List, since most household already have those items.  However, every ingredient you need for each recipe is listed on each individual recipe linked on each plan AND on the Printables at the end of each plan.

    Do I have to purchase the printables to use the meal plans?

    • No, you are not required to purchase the printables.  To make your life easier, we have created very helpful printables with all of the information you need including full recipes, Costco shopping lists, a list of additional items from your pantry or grocery store you’ll need, freezer instructions, and more.  We think you’ll find the inexpensive printables well worth the price!

    Can I use these plans at other stores?

    • Absolutely! You could also get the printables and make adjustments to what you would find in a traditional grocery store or other warehouse store. You can find all of the printables here.
    Disclaimer: I have no formal relationship with Costco and am not paid by them to share these plans. I created these plans to help myself (and you!) spend less money at Costco, while using up all the bulk ingredients without them going to waste. Hope they help your family as much as they help our family!
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    Comments

    1. Jean Greene says

      August 12, 2014 at 1:29 am

      Great idea. Can’t wait to see the recipes.

      Reply
    2. Mireille says

      August 13, 2014 at 9:06 pm

      I am anxious to see these recipes!

      Reply
    3. patricia says

      August 14, 2014 at 12:00 pm

      are the sams club plans gluten free – or only the one from costco

      Reply
    4. Sam says

      August 16, 2014 at 3:31 pm

      I looked but couldn’t find info on dumping my freezer bag full of goodies into the crockpot. I would ASSUME that I should try to get the items into the crockpot in the order listed– i.e.–meats on the bottom, as with most crockpot recipes.

      If this is the case, would it make more sense to load the bag in backwards order, so that when thawed you could up-end the bag into the crockpot, depositing the meats first??

      I’m new here, so sorry if I’ve missed this discussion already! Can’t wait to try my 20 Costco recipes for the crockpot.

      sam

      Reply
    5. Mrs m sharma says

      August 17, 2014 at 8:41 pm

      Are these gluten meals available in uk costcos

      Reply
    6. Bill says

      August 18, 2014 at 6:42 pm

      I just finished assembling the 20 meals from Costco for $150.00.
      I am anxious to try cooking them. Nice instructions.
      I did purchase the printable s.
      I was confused on a few items. I selected Plan #4. On the assembly line instr. it said use 5 onions cut into the various cuts. My count on reviewing the recipes are ( 10 onions) Am I not following correctly?
      Also concerning the chicken broth.
      Chicken Tortilla Soup – 1 qt. broth per pack = 4 – 16 oz. containers
      Chicken & Sausage Stew- 2 cups broth per pack= 2 – 16 oz. containers
      Beef Stew 3 cups broth per pack = 3 – 16 oz. containers
      which adds to 9 containers not 6 which is implied by leftover list.
      Thanks for all your work, I really am excited about it all. Spouse has RA and has difficulty preparing meals as before. This will help immensely.

      Bill H

      Reply
      • Jacqueline says

        August 18, 2014 at 10:17 pm

        Hi Bill,

        Thought maybe I could help with your broth question, a cup is 8 oz, so a 16 oz container is 2 cups or 1 pint or 1/2 of a quart.

        Reply
    7. Christy Fellers says

      August 22, 2014 at 11:38 am

      I just purchased the 150 gluten Free meals printable package for $5.00. My proof of purchase order number is 3811-0517-7929-7072. I thought the package would be downloaded on my iPad after I selected the “download” button, I got an error message and never received the package I purchased.

      Reply
    8. Scott says

      August 25, 2014 at 9:56 am

      I have a question about cooking the freezer packs in a crock pot. Do you remove the ingredients from the freezer bag or put the bag and all in the crock pot? If you cook in the bag, do you put water in the crock pot?

      Reply
      • Jenn K says

        August 25, 2014 at 10:15 am

        Remove the frozen food from the freezer bag, Scott, and cook in the slow cooker.

        Reply
    9. natalie says

      September 8, 2014 at 2:27 am

      So I’m assembling my bags and I get down to the BBQ chicken and realize that I’m out of chicken… the recipe list says 1 – 6 pack chicken breasts, about 6 lbs. … is there something that I’m missing?? I’m slap dab right in the middle of assembling these things…

      Reply
      • Jenn K says

        September 10, 2014 at 3:59 pm

        Natalie – the six pack of chicken breasts each contain 2 breasts for a total of 12 chicken breasts.

        Reply
    10. URSULA SALAS says

      September 10, 2014 at 3:26 pm

      Hi – I have not been able to find the link for the video – help! 🙂

      Reply
      • Ginger B says

        September 20, 2014 at 11:02 am

        I’m having the same issue finding the video after purchasing package #1. Any help would be appreciated.

        Reply
        • Lauren N. says

          September 28, 2014 at 8:59 pm

          I am having the same issue… where is the video?

          Reply
          • Jenn K says

            September 28, 2014 at 9:17 pm

            The videos are located on the assembly page of the $5 printable pack for the Costco Meal Plan #4 (the freezer pack edition).

            Reply
    11. Dawn says

      September 13, 2014 at 10:08 pm

      I have just gotten back from Costco and haver purchased all the ingredients (other than sweet potatoes as our Costco no longer carries them).

      I have a questions about potatoes, apples, and beans. Won’t these get mushy if they are frozen and then cooked in the crockpot?

      Reply
    12. Tracey says

      September 28, 2014 at 12:47 am

      I was wondering that same thing about the potatoes!

      Reply
    13. socorro jimenez says

      October 10, 2014 at 8:43 pm

      where is the video?

      Reply
    14. Candace says

      October 17, 2015 at 6:42 pm

      I recently purchased the plan #9, 20 freezer meals for $5. A couple of notes… there are only 11 recipes with 10 being replicated for 2 meals based on the ingredients purchased. Secondly, 7 out of the 11 recipes call for tomato sauce/diced tomatoes, including the beef stroganoff which was weird. That equated to 14 out of the 20 meals being tomato based and I would have preferred more variety.

      Reply

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    I’m Erin Chase…

    Also known as the
    $5 Dinner Mom.

    I have a little problem. I cannot make a meal that costs more than $5.
    It’s a fun challenge,
    and my pocketbook
    thanks me.
    Want to join me?

    Learn more here!

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