Best Cheap$kate Food Finds of 2021

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to check out my Best Cheap$kate Finds of the Year! And these are just the highlights. First off, I have to give my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree a big 99 thanks! It's quite fun to riff on what they stock on their shelves. Sometimes I will only use one ingredient for a recipe from there, and other times a recipe rises fully formed. So read on and imagine what you would come up with if you had run across any of these great deals.

Sometimes I like desserts first, how about you? 

I have started the day with many of the following breakfast items I've found.

Most times the eggs from my local  Dollar Tree come in 8 count containers, this one time they carried a full dozen for a buck!

I bought a couple cans of Homemade Sausage Gravy to review, so come back for that one..if you can stomach it! My own Homemade Country Gravy with Sausage recipe is based on a childhood breakfast, so click here to see the real thing.

Jalapeño Cheddar Grits would go great with my nephew Matt's Shrimp & Grits Recipe. We made a tasting party video you can see here.

I mostly run across sugary cereals for a buck and I am not a kid anymore, so when I find one with low sugar then I'm on it and get many boxes, as they will keep quite a long time. The Kashi brand is a tasty cereal.

I like milk in my coffee and that's about it. I prefer Almond "Milk" in my cereal and oatmeal these days. 

I was skeptical about trying Hemp, Sesame, Oat, and Mushroom Oat Blends but they are quite tasty. I can recommend them all, especially for 99.99 cents. I prefer unsweetened as even organic cereals have added sweeteners.

Dollar stores were late to stocking organics and so were most chain grocery stores. Every year there are more organic and gluten-free products to choose from. 

I can always get rice and beans for the right prices.

Here are some toddler eats for your littlest 99er.

I like a cold-cut sandwich with cheese or dairy spreads. And when I fly to Louisiana to visit mom I always make a sandwich to take on the plane, it's cheaper that way. My local 99c only Store almost always stocks deli meats and cheese. 

I've tried these vegan imitation cheese slices and can't get behind them. I mean they are okay, they melt and all. The packages use cheese names like cheddar, mozzarella, and provolone, but they taste nothing like advertised. As a test, I made grilled cheese sandwiches one after the other so I could see if there was a difference -- hmmm, not much really. Cheddar should have stood out, but it was dull and barely tasted like the mildest type of cheese, not cheddar at all. The vegan cheeses are fine if you really want non-dairy, I think they are nothing to brag about, yet. 

I've been lucky to find tasty loaves of bread at budget prices and I'm talking about artisanal bread. My street corner has a Superior Latin market, a Dollar Tree, and a chain Ralphs supermarket that has a bargain bin with locally made loaves for a buck or two, that normally sell for four dollars and more. 

The budget bin bread is not fresh, maybe even a little stale, but I find when you toast it the bread center becomes soft again plus you get an extra crunchy surface that makes great sandwiches. Sprinkle a little chopped garlic and a drizzle of olive oil on a few thick slices then broil a few minutes for great Garlic Bread.

Marble Rye - great with my Homemade Pastrami.

Mill Bread

Sourdough

Pumpernickle

Seafood is the most expensive protein, but I still manage to find deals for around a buck, mainly of the canned variety. Get out the cheese, crackers, nuts, and olives for tasty appetizers with tins of sardines, smoked oysters, or salmon. 

I still get canned tuna for a buck and boy do I have a great Loaded Tuna Salad Recipe video a click away.

I like cod fillets for a very crunchily British Fish & Chips and of course I have a recipe for that, too. These dollar fillets are small but you can still get a couple of nice bites per package. 

I've been making Stir Frys lately and the above-cooked shrimp is enough for one large serving.

I'm a fan of fake crab or Krab. It's just fish that is reshaped and shredded to form chunks or sticks that taste like crab. I first had it as a California Roll, which you can find in almost any grocer deli case now. I made my own version of a California Roll and also a Mexican Krab Ceviche, both tasty party appetizers.

I'll finish my Best Cheap$kate Food Finds of 2021 with a few odds and ends.

It was a pleasant surprise to find Zapp's Potato Chips at my corner Dollar Tree. These are my preferred chips that are locally made right near where my Mom lives in Louisiana.

Hmmm...should I do a Cheap$kate Review of Cheetos MAC 'N CHEESE

Flamin' Hot?