About $2 Dinners
$2 Dinners was born out of necessity- it's based on cost-saving strategies I used when I was a single parent with young children, and my grocery budget was skimpy at best. Because I had to make the most out of limited resources, I developed ways to stretch my food dollars while still feeding my kids the home-cooked meals they love. Today, even though my kids have all grown and no longer live at home, those thrifty habits have stayed with me and I continue to use them to stay on budget.
In early 2009, when the economy began its downward spiral and so many people began experiencing severe financial stress, I knew it was time to help others by sharing the tools that have helped me. Through my $2 Dinners blog, newspaper column and cook book, I’m proud to bring cost-saving strategies, tips and recipes to anyone searching for a better way to save money and get the most out of every food dollar spent.
What is $2 Dinners?
So are you ready to save money on your food budget the $2 Dinners way? How about getting started with some taste-tempting recipes? Or click here to check out some fantastic hints and tips. Have some great ideas you want to share? I want to hear from you...leave a comment or give me a shout on Twitter @2dollardinners.
In addition to my "day job" as a grants and contracts manager at a major University, I have a personal chef and catering business, am developing my own line of sauces and seasonings, and write not only my $2 Dinners syndicated food column, but freelance food articles for websites such as BigOven.com, Examiner.com, and Half Hour Meals.com as well.
$2 Dinners was born out of necessity- it's based on cost-saving strategies I used when I was a single parent with young children, and my grocery budget was skimpy at best. Because I had to make the most out of limited resources, I developed ways to stretch my food dollars while still feeding my kids the home-cooked meals they love. Today, even though my kids have all grown and no longer live at home, those thrifty habits have stayed with me and I continue to use them to stay on budget.
In early 2009, when the economy began its downward spiral and so many people began experiencing severe financial stress, I knew it was time to help others by sharing the tools that have helped me. Through my $2 Dinners blog, newspaper column and cook book, I’m proud to bring cost-saving strategies, tips and recipes to anyone searching for a better way to save money and get the most out of every food dollar spent.
What is $2 Dinners?
So what is $2 Dinners? It's easy and creative ways to prepare budget-friendly, delicious meals for $2 or less per serving- without sacrificing taste, clipping coupons, or running from store to store shopping the sales! The key is our $2 Dinners Savings Pyramid - a winning combination of taste-tempting and inexpensive recipes, paired with easy, money-saving strategies, and our optional "extras" that can help your savings add up even more. The best part about $2 Dinners is that it works for anyone, no matter how busy they are, because you can pick and choose the recipes, strategies and extras that work best for your lifestyle and still save money!
Here's how the pyramid works:
- The foundation of the $2 Dinners Savings Pyramid is our fantastic collection of recipes. Each recipe is designed to be easy, economical, and uses common, easy-to-find ingredients. You won't need lots of time, special equipment, or exotic ingredients to make these delicious recipes!
- Money-saving strategies are the center of the $2 Dinners Savings Pyramid. These strategies re easy to implement and don't require hours of effort, research, or searching for bargains. By simply planning your weekly menu and making a shopping list, you are already well on your way to saving on your food budget! Add money and time-saving cooking strategies like using your slow cooker, double-batch cooking, and "re-imagining" leftovers, and you'll see your savings increase even more!
- The top of the $2 Dinners Savings Pyramid is our optional extras. These are things you can do to realize even more savings, but are not required for $2 Dinners to work for you. For example, you can check out the sales ads from your local supermarkets and shop around for deals on items you could stock up on. Or you can join the legions of smart shoppers who maximize their savings by using coupons. There are lots of systems and strategies for using coupons, some of them more elaborate than others, but the key is to find one that works for your lifestyle (to find out more about couponing, click on our links page). Another great way to add to your savings is to check out the bargain racks at your store. There are great deals to be found that are worth considering, such as day-old bread (great for croutons, bread pudding, etc.), discontinued canned goods (it's ok- they're still good, your store is just not going to carry them anymore), and meat that may be about to expire (take it home and use it for a quick soup or stir-fry). Please note that coupons, sales, and bargain items were not used in calculating the per-serving costs on any of our recipes.
So are you ready to save money on your food budget the $2 Dinners way? How about getting started with some taste-tempting recipes? Or click here to check out some fantastic hints and tips. Have some great ideas you want to share? I want to hear from you...leave a comment or give me a shout on Twitter @2dollardinners.
About Me
I live in North Carolina, between Greensboro and Raleigh, where I enjoy spending time with my children and grandchildren. Cooking, entertaining, and writing have been my passions for as long as I can remember, and hardly a day goes by that does not find me in my kitchen, cooking or developing a new recipe!
In addition to my "day job" as a grants and contracts manager at a major University, I have a personal chef and catering business, am developing my own line of sauces and seasonings, and write not only my $2 Dinners syndicated food column, but freelance food articles for websites such as BigOven.com, Examiner.com, and Half Hour Meals.com as well.
I am interested in anything food-related and enjoy doing book, product and restaurant reviews. I am open to spokesperson and cooking contest judging opportunities, and accept advertisements on my blog on a limited basis. You can contact me via Twitter: my user name is 2dollardinners, or please feel free to use the "contact me" link on this blog. My disclosure policy can be found here on my blog.
