Learn how to Grocery Store on a $20 Price range, Based on a Grocery TikToker

Intentional and arranged grocery purchasing can considerably affect how successfully you maximize your grocery haul with out overspending. Whereas some customers might simply spend greater than $100 in a single journey, others try to take care of a extra disciplined strategy to maintain their complete beneath $50. Your spending largely hinges in your grocery planning, the variety of individuals you’re feeding, the meals you put together, and, after all, your price range.

One standout voice on this planet of budget-friendly grocery purchasing is Rebecca Chobat, the creator behind Greenback Tree Dinners. Based mostly in Virginia, Chobat went viral in November 2024 for crafting an entire Thanksgiving feast utilizing Greenback Tree components — all for simply $20. 

Chobat’s content material focuses on offering inexpensive, accessible recipes and grocery lists geared toward serving to households prepare dinner nourishing meals with out breaking the financial institution. On her TikTok account, she showcases her creativity with a collection on how you can grocery store for a complete month on $100, or how you can put together household dinners for 4 with simply $20. Her strategy is straightforward, highlighting versatile, sensible components from the Greenback Retailer that can be utilized throughout a number of meals.

Chobat’s mission resonates with a large viewers — over three million followers on TikTok often tune in for her suggestions and concepts. In a single video the place she demonstrates how you can put together an Easter dinner on a $20 price range, a commenter writes, “Thanks for doing this and serving to households with particular vacation dinners. With cash being tight and groceries getting costlier, issues like this are so invaluable.” 

Listed below are a number of recommendations on the way you, too, can save on groceries at your native Greenback Tree.

Create a stability between easy-to-prep and high-effort components

One key ingredient of Chobat’s strategy is educating her viewers how you can strike a stability between high-effort and low-effort cooking by pairing time-consuming components (reminiscent of do-it-yourself tortillas) with pre–cooked components (reminiscent of refried beans) that solely take minutes to organize. In a video demonstrating 4 household dinners on a $20 price range, she explains that she “reused components throughout recipes, balanced high-effort cooking with fast shortcuts, and ended up with a meal plan that felt far more comforting and full than the worth tag suggests.” 

For example, she made pierogies from scratch however opted for fast mashed potatoes within the filling “to maintain it lifelike and save time,” she says. 

Use shelf-stable components to make full meals

Chobat additionally created her extraordinarily widespread “Meal in a Bag” collection, which showcases full dinners — reminiscent of Minestrone soup or a five-can chili — utilizing solely shelf-stable pantry components from Greenback Tree. Every meal suits neatly right into a ziplock bag, providing a handy answer for many who want ready-to-make, low-cost meals. These luggage usually are not solely useful for her followers, however Chobat additionally donates them to native meals pantries and blessing bins to help others in want.

Some pantry staples she continuously highlights from the Greenback Retailer embrace four-cheese prompt mashed potatoes, refried black beans, canned inexperienced beans, garlic and herb biscuit combine, and boxed mac and cheese. These things are inexpensive, simple to retailer, and adaptable for a wide range of recipes.

Recreate quick meals meals at house, which might usually be cheaper (and extra nutritious)

One other widespread ingredient of Chobat’s content material is her quick meals recreation movies. She exhibits viewers how you can make their favourite restaurant-style meals at house — usually for much less cash and with more healthy components. In a single video, she recreates Chick-fil-A hen sandwiches utilizing a single giant hen breast sliced into three thinner items. For her household of 4, she makes use of two hen breasts to create six crispy hen sandwiches.

In one other video, she demonstrates how you can make a do-it-yourself model of Starbucks’ Ham & Swiss Croissant utilizing a can of Crescent roll dough, deli ham, and sliced cheese. These recipes not solely fulfill cravings but in addition assist keep away from the markups and supply charges related to consuming out.

Greenback Tree Dinners has develop into a trusted useful resource for anybody trying to stretch their grocery {dollars} whereas nonetheless placing flavorful, comforting meals on the desk. Chobat’s recipes usually are not solely budget-conscious and simple to observe, but in addition creative and satisfying, proving that scrumptious meals doesn’t have to come back at a excessive value.