Davd and I got up on Wednesday morning and I let David know I needed to go grocery shopping. David said he needed to go to Winco to pick up a new Roku Streaming device.
We headed out and before we got to Rufe Snow I told David I wanted to run into WinCo before we went to Walmart to look and see if they had Mac & Cheese on sale. I belive this was the LORD’s way of helping me stock up on groceries we needed.
I walked in and WinCo had 99¢ Hamburger Helper and I picked out 3 flavors and 2 boxes of each but David said we needed three boxes and then we continued throughout the Store and I found other flavors on the shelf we got as well.
Sometimes you find a grocery bargain that makes you stop in the middle of the store and think: “At that price, how many should I buy?” That happened to me at WinCo. When you’re feeding a family on one income, that’s not a price you complain about.
That’s a price you pay attention to. So I started looking at the varieties they had. And then I started thinking about how much a little box like that can actually do. Before I knew it I had a cart full of Hamburger Helper and David was asking me if that was enough.
When a boxed meal is 99 cents and can help feed several people, I look at it differently. There are nights when we have the time and ingredients to make everything from scratch. There are nights when we don’t. And sometimes the box is simply more convenient.
That doesn’t mean my family doesn’t know how to cook. It doesn’t mean we don’t make our own versions of these meals. It means sometimes I appreciate having something in the pantry that can help me get dinner on the table. And at 99 cents? That’s a convenience I can live with.
As soon as I saw Hamburger Helper for 99 cents, I picked up my phone and called my mother n law. I asked her: “Do you and Mike still eat Hamburger Helper?” She said yes. Them she asked me if I found it on sale.
I let her know I did. Then she asked me to pick up two boxes of the Stroganoff. Well… You already know me. At 99 cents a box, I couldn’t just buy two. David and I bought her four boxes.
Because four boxes of dinner for less than the price of one meal out? I can get behind that. When we went over to Mom’s house, she tried to give me money for them. I told her: “I don’t want your money. You’ll buy me something later, and we’ll call it even.”
That’s how families work. Sometimes Mom buys something for me. Sometimes I buy something for Mom. Sometimes somebody brings over dinner. Sometimes somebody sends you home with leftovers.
We don’t keep score. We help each other when we can. And now Mom and Mike have their Stroganoff sitting in their pantry. And if I ever forget to pick up more? Well, I’ll be sending David and Charlie over to mom’s for dinner, because that’s one of their favorites, too.
And while everybody else is eating Hamburger Helper, I’ll be perfectly happy with a peanut butter sandwich. That’s just how our family works. One grocery trip split between two households.
One of the reasons I don’t mind buying boxed meals is because I know they’re not the only way to make them. Take cheeseburger macaroni. We make our own version here all the time without using a box.
Once you’ve made a meal enough times, you start figuring out what goes into it. Ground beef. Pasta. Cheese. Seasonings. Whatever else your family likes. Eventually you realize: “Hey, I can make this myself.”
And that’s one of the wonderful things about cooking. A boxed meal can actually be a starting point for learning how to recreate a recipe in your own kitchen. The box gives you a basic idea. Your kitchen gives you the freedom to make it yours.
People sometimes act like you have to choose. Either you cook everything from scratch or you buy boxed food. I don’t believe that. We do both. David’s parents did that and so does mine and when Charlie gets his own place he will do the same.
There are meals we make completely from scratch. There are meals where a packaged product saves us time. And there are days when I see the price and think: “Yep. That’s coming home with me.”
When you’re watching your grocery budget, you learn to recognize value. A 99-cent box that can help feed several people? That’s value. That is something I can keep in the pantry to bless others with.
Another reason I love finding bargains like this it can lead to a whole lot of content for a blogger. When I bought several varieties, I wasn’t just stocking the pantry. I was creating opportunities to try something new.
We can cook them. We can compare them. We can figure out which ones the family loves. We can talk about which ones we’d make again. We can share our favorites. And suddenly, one little grocery-store find becomes a whole collection of new stories and reviews for Greatful Moments.
That’s how content can happen naturally. You don’t have to sit around wondering what you’re going to write about. Sometimes you just have to pay attention to what your family is already doing and eating.
And yes, I’m going to say this out loud. One day, I’m still praying that Betty Crocker will reach out and want to work with us. Would that be wonderful? Absolutely. But if it never happens? That’s okay, too.
Because I’m still buying the products because they can help me feed my family. I’m still trying them because we enjoy finding out what we like. And I’m still able to create content from our real experiences.
I’m not waiting for a company to tell me whether something is worth trying. I’m trying it with my family and telling you what we think. Because I share the items we use even if its not our favorite.
Here’s another thing I want people to remember. Just because it’s called Hamburger Helper doesn’t mean you have to use only hamburger. Depending on the variety, you can make these meals with:
Ground beef. Chicken. Turkey. Or whatever works for your family creating a healthy diet friendly meal for me. You can make substitutions. You can add vegetables for the people who refuse to eat them.
You can add cheese. You can change the seasonings. You can use what you already have. That’s how you stretch groceries. That’s how you turn one Hamburger helper idea into several meals.
Gerald asked me to go back and get the Philly Cheesesteak variety. So I’m taking that as a pretty strong endorsement. Even though I can’t eat it because it’s spicy I will pick it up because Charlie and David also like it a lot.
He also likes the Stroganoff with Potatoes version which my granddad used to make and I like a lot but David doesn’t but that is okay because sometimes he isn’t home so I can make it for David and I.
And now we have a new one sitting in the pantry: Cheesy Ranch. We haven’t tried that one yet. So that’s going to be a new experience for our family. And I love that. You don’t always know which flavors people are going to love until you actually put them on the table.
We’ve cooked enough of these varieties to know that some are definitely favorites around here. Cheesy Italian Shells is my favorite and instead of hamburger meat I like to use the Mild Italian Sausage in it.
Lasagna is another of mine and David’s favorite. And then there’s the one Charlie and I really enjoy: Cheesy Enchilada. But there is another variety I am still trying to find. Crunchy Taco is the variety which is Charlie’s all-time favorite.
And naturally, I couldn’t find it. Now that I know that’s the one he really wants, I’m going to be looking for it everywhere. That’s just how mothers work. Tell me my son has a favorite food, and suddenly I’m on a mission.
Charlie has his own way of making these two Hamburger Helpers and that is another reason I love boxed meals. You don’t have to stop with what’s printed on the package. You can make it your own.
For the Crunchy Taco variety, Charlie likes to add the blue bag of Doritos right on top. And honestly? That sounds pretty good. That’s what I mean when I say a boxed meal can become a starting point. The box gives you the basic meal. Your family adds the personality.
Remember when preparing Hamburger Helper you can make the meals your own if your family wants extra cheese add it. Maybe they want vegetables mixed in add them. Maybe they want chicken instead of beef add it. Maybe they want turkey use it.
Maybe they want crushed chips on top just let me know what kind and I will make sure you have them. Maybe they want sour cream that is fine too. Maybe they want hot sauce which is what David does more times than not.
Maybe they want nothing added at all. There is no rule saying dinner has to look exactly like the picture on the box. Make it yours. That’s how family cooking works and that is how dinner becomes yours.
So when I saw those 99-cent boxes at WinCo, I didn’t just see cheap boxed meals. I saw possibilities. I saw inexpensive dinners. I saw pantry staples. I saw future reviews. I saw opportunities to experiment with different proteins. I saw meals that could help feed several people. And I saw a chance to let my family tell me which varieties they really love.
That’s one of the things I enjoy about shopping on a budget. You start looking at food differently. You’re not just asking: “What sounds good?” You’re asking: “What can I do with this?” And that’s a much more powerful question.
When You’re Feeding a Family on One Income There is no shame in using convenience foods. There is no shame in making everything from scratch. There is no shame in doing a little of both.
The goal is feeding your family. The goal is making the grocery money stretch. The goal is putting food on the table that people will actually eat. And sometimes that means buying a 99-cent box of Hamburger Helper.
Sometimes it means making cheeseburger macaroni from scratch. Sometimes it means using chicken instead of beef. Sometimes it means adding a few ingredients you already have. And sometimes it means opening the pantry and letting an idea come to you.
If your #Homeschooling let your children do a cooking class because a box can teach your students how to cook and then they can create the recipe from scratch. Which is probably my favorite part of the whole thing.
A boxed dinner doesn’t have to be the end of the learning process. It can be the beginning. You can taste it. You can decide what you like about it. You can figure out what you would change. Then one day you might realize: “I don’t need the box anymore. I can make this myself.”
That’s exactly what happened with our cheeseburger macaroni. We still use boxed mixes sometimes because they are convenient. But we also know how to make our own. That’s not a contradiction. That’s cooking.
Some days you have time to cook from scratch and some days you don’t. Some days you want to stand in the kitchen and cook from scratch. Some days you want to open the pantry and say: “Thank goodness I bought that.”
In my kitchen there is room for both. And when the box cost 99 cents? I don’t feel guilty about it at all. I feel like I made a smart grocery decision not matter what boxed meal I’m purchasing because I’m able to not only feed my family but share with my friends and family.
A 99-Cent Box Can Become a Family Memory That’s what I love about food. You can buy something because it’s cheap. Then somebody tries it and loves it. Another family member hates it. Someone else asks you to buy it again.
A child adds Doritos on top. Mom gets four boxes of Stroganoff instead of two. Gerald requests Philly Cheesesteak. And suddenly, a grocery-store bargain becomes part of your family story. That’s what happened with us.
So yes, when I see Hamburger Helper for 99 cents, I’m probably going to pick up several varieties. Not because I don’t know how to cook. I do. Not because boxed meals are the only way we eat. They’re not.
I buy them because sometimes they’re convenient, sometimes they’re economical, sometimes they’re a fun experiment, and sometimes they give us a starting point for creating something ourselves.
And somewhere between Mom’s four boxes of Stroganoff, Gerald’s Philly Cheesesteak request, Charlie’s search for Nacho, our love of Crunchy Taco, and those blue Doritos sitting on top, we’re making these meals our own.
That’s what dinner should be. A little convenience and a little creativity and a little budget stretching and a little learning and a whole lot of family and friends and yes, even the puppies get a bite or two.
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates