Make This Affordable Holiday Meal for Under $5 per Person Using Only Dollar General Finds
The holidays are supposed to be joyful—but the reality is that feeding a family a festive meal gets expensive quickly. With food prices continuing to rise, I know many families are feeling the pressure to stretch every dollar, especially when it comes to holiday dinners.
This year, I challenged myself to create a complete, comforting, joy-filled holiday meal for $5 or less per person, using ingredients that are easy to find, affordable, and convenient for busy families.
I partnered with Dollar General to show you have to make a hearty, filling and festive holiday dinner with budget-friendly pantry staples, semi-homemade shortcuts, and even holiday decor.
With their private label brands like Clover Valley brand and a handful of national-brand items like the Smithfield ham and Grown in Idaho hash browns, it’s absolutely possible to create a full, delicious holiday meal without overspending—or sacrificing flavor. Plus – I have a few cooking tricks in mind to help increase the flavor on your plates!
The Affordable, Festival Holiday Meal Challenge
THE CHALLENGE: Make a festive holiday dinner that serves 4 people for under $5 a person, using as little leftover ingredients as possible, and shopping ONLY at Dollar General.
What I ended up with is a cozy, satisfying menu that feels special enough for the holidays but simple enough for a hefty holiday weekend meal or even weeknight dinner. The Ham & Hash Brown Bake and Quick Biscuits makes 8 servings, where the Buttered Corn and Green Bean “Almost Casserole” will make 4 servings. You’ll have plenty of your main meal, plus leftover biscuits and bake.
The Ham & Hash Brown Bake is creamy, cheesy and comforting, the Buttered Corn is a classic, the Green Bean Almost Casserole has all the holiday favorite flavors but simplified, and the Quick Biscuits are the east holiday bread you’ll ever make!
To keep things extra festive, I also grabbed a pack of holiday napkins and a cute centerpiece because I had a little extra room in the budget because I was shopping on a Saturday. (Read on!)
Whether you’re hosting a small gathering or simply want to create a special holiday dinner without breaking the bank, this Dollar General–friendly feast is proof that you can make something delicious, beautiful, and festive—without spending a fortune.
Below, you’ll find the full shopping list, the detailed cost breakdown, the video walkthrough, and step-by-step recipes for this holiday meal.
The Menu
- Ham & Hash Brown Bake
- Buttered Corn
- Green Bean Almost-Casserole
- 3-Ingredient Quick Biscuits with Jelly
The Shopping List
- 2 – 8 oz. Smithfield hamsteaks
- 30 oz. bag Grown in Idaho thick cut hash browns
- 10 oz. can Clover Valley cream of mushroom soup
- 1 tsp Clover Valley garlic salt
- 2 cups Clover Valley shredded cheese
- 15 oz. can Clover Valley whole corn
- 4 sticks Clover Valley butter
- 15 oz. can Clover Valley french cut green beans
- 6 oz. bag Clover Valley french fried onions
- 40 oz. box Clover Valley baking mix
- 16 0z. Clover Valley sour cream
- 12 pack cans Sprite (but you only need 1 can)
- 15 oz. can Clover Valley jellied cranberry sauce or other jelly, optional
The Costs
Below is a breakdown of the costs for this meal. My goal was to have as little leftover as possible, and what was leftover were ingredients I could easily use in other meals – like butter, sour cream, and baking mix. I have prorated the costs, with consideration of the ingredients or portion of ingredients that I did not use in preparing this meal. Also, the “most expensive” ingredient was the soda…but I only needed 1/2 cup to make the biscuits. The rest of the soda is now in the fridge, waiting for the boys to enjoy! As a slightly more affodrable alternative, you could opt for a 1.25 or 2 L bottle of soda!
Also, please shop on Saturdays so that you can take advantage of the $5/$25 coupon. With the extra savings from the coupon, I decided to grab a pack of $1 napkins and a cute $2 decoration to add to the middle of the table for a little festive pop of color. I love all the simple and affordable home and table decor that Dollar General has on hand – be sure to grab whatever fits your budget and will bring that holiday flair to your table.
Here is the breakdown of costs for this holiday meal:
- 2 hamsteaks – $9.50
- 32 oz. bag hash browns – $4.75
- can Clover Valley cream of mushroom soup – $1
- garlic salt (used in multiple parts of the meal) – $1
- Clover Valley shredded cheese – $2.50
- Clover Valley whole corn – $.85
- 1 stick Clover Valley butter (used in multiple parts of the meal) – $.95
- Clover Valley french cut green beans – $1
- 1 oz. Clover Valley french fried onions – $.50
- 2 cups Clover Valley baking mix – $1.80
- 1/2 cup sour cream – $.90
- 1 can Sprite – $.40
- Clover Valley jellied cranberry sauce or other jelly, optional – $1.75 (not included in total)
Please note that the 9×13-inch baking dish is 8 servings and I have accounted for that in the total meal costs and the total per person cost.
Cost for Ham & Hash Brown Bake (8 servings) – $9.40 (for 4 servings)
Cost of Buttered Corn – $1.30
Cost of Green Bean Almost-Casserole – $1.40
Cost of Quick Biscuits (8 servings) & jelly – $1.75 (for 4 servings) + $.50
Total for the Meal – $14.85
Plus negligible costs for chicken bouillon base, salt, and pepper, so rounding up to…
Total per person – under $4/person
The leftovers include 11 cans of sprite, 3 sticks of butter, sour cream and french fried onions.
The Video
The $4/Person Holiday Meal Recipes
Ham & Hash Brown Bake
Ingredients
- 16 oz. ham chopped
- 30 oz. bag frozen shredded hash browns
- 10 oz, can cream of mushroom
- 1 cup water, broth or milk
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Open the can of cream of mushroom soup.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cream of mushroom soup with the water, broth of milk. Add in the chopped ham with the garlic salt. Then mix in the shredded hash browns, folding until all is well combined.
- Pour into a baking dish and top with the shredded cheddar cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until warmed through and cheese on top is melted and beginning to golden.
- Serve Ham & Hash Brown Bake.
Buttered Corn
Ingredients
- 15 oz. can corn
- 4 Tbsp butter
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Drain the corn and add to a saucepan. Toss in the pads of butter and let melt over medium heat. Let simmer for 4 to 6 minutes, or until creamy sauce begins to form around the corn kernals.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!
Green Bean Almost-Casserole
Ingredients
- 15 oz. can French style green beans drained
- 1 tsp bouillon base for broth
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 2 Tbsp French fried onions crushed
Instructions
- Add the green beans to a small saucepan and then pour in the cup of broth. Bring to bubbling, then reduce heat and simmer until the broth has boiled off.
- Add the butter and garlic salt to the green beans and gently toss.
- Spoon into a serving bowl or onto dinner plates and then top with a "dusting" of crushed French fried onions. Enjoy!
Quick Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups Clover Valley baking mix
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup Sprite or carbonated water
- 1/4 cup butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 F. Add the butter a 8x8 or 9x9-inch square baking dish and place in the oven for 4 minutes, while it's preheating, to melt the butter.
- In a mixing bowl, add the baking mix and sour cream. Cut the sour cream into the baking mix using a pastry blender, until crumby dough forms.
- Pour in the carbonated soda into the dough and mix until dough forms.
- With clean hands, mix up the 5 to 8 dough pieces by getting your hands wet and then forming the dough into small, flat discs. Place into the melted butter, filling the base of the baking dish.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and let cool before serving with butter and jelly. Enjoy!
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