The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
Anyone who does the weekly groceries is likely aware of the climbing prices of everything from fresh produce to meat and even non-perishable items.
With that in mind, I've been trying to eat on a budget every week and often try to find good deals on food items before heading to the store.
On my last trip to my local Dollarama in Victoria, B.C. I walked through the food aisle to see what they had and was surprised to see a bunch of cheap but solid meal options on the shelves.
That's when I decided to challenge myself a bit and come up with a week's worth of dinner ideas from the dollar store.
Here's what I ended up getting for seven nights' worth of dinners and it all came to a total under $40.
Campbell's Chunky soup
Campbell's Chunky soup at Dollarama in Victoria, BC.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
Even though spring is almost here, evenings can still get a bit chilly here on Vancouver Island and there's nothing more comforting than a bowl of soup.
I ended up getting a can of Campbell's Chunky soup, which you can typically find at any grocery store at a higher price.
Luckily my Dollarama was fully stocked with various flavours and they all sounded pretty good.
Price for Campbell's Chunky soup: $3.25
Rice, beans in a tomato sauce and veggies
A can of beans, vegetables and basmati rice at Dollarama in Victoria, BC.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
Rice pairs well with just about anything and since Dollarama is limited when it comes to protein options, I decided to pair it with a can of beans in a tomato sauce.
I felt like veggies were missing so I grabbed a can of a garden medley which I feel will pair nicely with the meal once they're heated up.
Price for 800 grams of basmati rice: $2.50
Price for beans: $1.50
Price for veggies: $1.50
Penne pasta, tomato and basil sauce and chicken
Catelli tomato and basil sauce, penne pasta and canned chicken at Dollarama in Victoria, BC.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
There's nothing easier than making pasta so when I came across a jar of Catelli tomato sauce I knew I had to use it in a dish. I paired it with penne pasta and a can of chicken flakes for some protein.
If you have some parmesan cheese at home then that's a nice way to top off the meal.
Price for a 450-gram bag of penne pasta: $1
Price for Catelli tomato and basil pasta sauce: $2.50
Price for chicken flakes: $1.75
KD mac and cheese with mini sausages
A box of KD mac and cheese and a can of Vienna sausage at Dollarama in Victoria, BC.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
I rarely have KD mac and cheese, but when I saw boxes of it selling for $1.50 I knew I had to add it to my dinner list.
I've heard KD pairs well with little hotdogs so I thought I would try it out and added a can of Vienna sausages.
Price for a box of KD mac and cheese: $1.50
Price for Vienna sausage: $1
Knorr Sidekicks pasta, pink salmon and green peas
Knorr Sidekicks pasta, wild caught salmon in a can and a can of green peas at Dollarama in Victoria, BC.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
Knorr Sidekicks pasta is such a quick and easy addition to dinner and I often have a bag or two in my pantry for a quick side.
For my week of Dollarama dinner ideas, I opted for the butter and herb pasta and paired it with a can of salmon and some green peas.
Price for Sidekicks pasta: $2
Price for canned salmon: $2.25
Price for green peas: $0.75
Heinz tomato soup, pasta, crackers
A can of soup, a box of vegetable crackers and a bag of macaroni at Dollarama in Victoria, BC.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
As I mentioned above I love soup and tomato is one of my top three flavours.
However, soup is never filling enough when it's simply just broth so I decided to add some elbow macaroni and vegetable crackers. You can easily stick to the macaroni or crackers if you think having both is too much.
Price for Heinz soup: $1
Price for pasta: $1
Price for crackers: $1.25
Tuna wrap with pickles
Wraps, tuna, Miracle Whip, French's mustard, sriracha sauce and a jar of pickles at Dollarama in Victoria, BC.
Asymina Kantorowicz | Narcity
I decided to get a bit more creative for my final dinner idea, which ended up being a tuna wrap. Since my Dollarama didn't have bread or tortilla wraps, I figured these thin pizza crusts would do. I also like my tuna salad to be spicy (hence the sriracha) and I love adding in a bit of a crunch (hence the pickles).
I plan to heat the wraps before adding the tuna mix and I'm pretty excited to see how it turns out.
This idea was the most expensive since it came to a total of $14. However, if you have all the condiments at home then you'll pay half of what I did.
Price for wraps: $2.25
Price for tuna: $1
Price for Miracle Whip: $3.25
Price for French's yellow mustard: $1.50
Price for Sriracha sauce: $3.50
Price for a jar of pickles: $2.50
At first, I was skeptical that I would find seven nights' worth of dinner at Dollarama, but with a little bit of creativity, I was happy with all the options I ended up leaving with.
Dollarama can also be a hit or miss and you may find better options at your local store. However, most tend to have canned staples like fish and beans, which are good proteins to build a meal around.
It's not just food items either where you can save quite a bit of money.
I recently compared brand-name beauty aisle items to other stores like Walmart and Shoppers Drug Mart and was shocked at how big the price differences were.
I also tested six different electronics and gadgets from Dollarama to see which ones were worth buying. There are several ones that I would recommend picking up at the dollar store versus paying full price for a brand-name option elsewhere.
The store is also full of home decor, kitchen products and a lot of unexpected items that you may not even know you could get at Dollarama.
These prices are confirmed at the time of publishing, but they can change at any time. Taxes and fees may not be included.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.