Prepackaged meal kits can be fun and easy for busy families, but they hardly provide enough food for most families. There are some inexpensive ways to stretch out prepackaged meal kits and make sure that everyone has enough to eat.
Let me first start by saying that I normally pass up those prepackaged meal kits because they can cost a lot of money for little food. Often, I can make my own version of these types of kits just by grouping things in my pantry that you find when you open the box of one of these kits. I’ve written about this before.
What is normally in a meal kit? Things such as a small bag of stuffing, a can of chicken (or you add your own fresh chicken), noodles, powdered cheese sauce, freeze dried potatoes or potato flakes, spices, and soup mix or canned soup. These items can all easily be added to your pantry.
That said, there have been times when I have purchased the meal kits. A few years ago, by combining coupons and loss leader sales, I picked up 20 boxes of the stuff at a price of 25 cents a piece. That is not a bad deal to feed a whole family.
As our family has grown from two adults and one baby to two adults, one child, one preschooler and one baby, however, the meal kits don’t go as far. I’ve learned to stretch them out a bit as needed. Here are some ideas that won’t make preparation any less convenient.
Add some noodles to the meal kit. You can use prepackaged ramen noodles, egg noodles or even pasta. You’ll only add between 20 and 50 cents to the cost. Noodles are a great way to fill up a family.
Add some stuffing mix to your prepackaged kit. You can buy large packages of stuffing mix for very little cost. I buy bags at the bakery thrift store at a cost of $1 for a large bag that lasts me for months.
Add some frozen or canned vegetables to the meal kit. It doesn’t make preparation any harder, but yet you are adding nutrition to the meal and making it stretch nicely.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
Pantry Challenge: Making My Own Boxed Bake
Four Delicious Ways to Stretch a Meat-loaf
Rubber Chicken: Stretch that Bird!
How Much Does It Cost to Eat at Home?
A Frugal Secret: Bakery Thrift Stores