Buzz
If you’re human, you’ve probably noticed that grocery prices have been on the rise. Cooking at home is still a more affordable option compared to having meals delivered, but it can still be tricky to stick to a budget. This has led many to search for financial help to cover their grocery expenses, which is worrying (and a bad idea), and to come up with creative ways to make their food budget last longer (and make the most of their food).
One growing trend: shopping at dollar stores like Dollar General or Dollar Tree. It’s not as far-fetched as it seems. For some, dollar stores are their only option for buying food, and many of these stores carry everything you need to prepare a healthy meal, including fresh and frozen vegetables (or canned ones), proteins, beans, tuna packets, versatile chickpeas (whose aquafaba is an inexpensive alternative to eggs), and oatmeal. These chains have also stepped up by providing recipe suggestions and helpful guides for maintaining a healthy diet.
Enter CookTok influencers, who are offering tips on how to shop for groceries at dollar stores and transform those ingredients into surprisingly tasty dishes. If your grocery budget is tight, check out these five TikTok accounts for all the budget-friendly cooking wisdom you could ask for.
Dollar Tree Meals
Rebecca Chobat is quickly becoming the go-to expert for dollar-store cooking. Her TikTok channel, Dollar Tree Dinners, is packed with shopping tips, recipes, and step-by-step videos showcasing how to prepare a week’s worth of breakfast and lunch for only $15, or a dinner for $5 or less. She also demonstrates how to make the most of Dollar Tree's $1.25 pricing, showing how to manage a full week's groceries for under $35. The best part of Chobat’s content is that her meals look incredibly tasty, despite their budget-friendly origins.
Clint Svatos
Svatos, a father of four from California, knows all about the challenge of feeding a family on a budget—especially when it’s six people, including four growing kids. He makes it look effortless, sharing his Dollar Tree grocery hauls (with his lively daughters often in tow) and preparing family dinners for $10 or less. While his focus is more on maximizing grocery dollars than on culinary flair or presentation, his channel is a fun and practical look at making cheap meals work.
Abbey Sharp
Abbey Sharp is a Canadian dietician who uses her TikTok platform to teach people about food and groceries. While her channel isn’t entirely dedicated to dollar store cooking, she often shares tips and practical shopping guides to help people eat healthily on a tight budget. Her approach combines scientific principles with real-world advice for those buying ingredients from places like Dollarama.
Jenna Eats Good
Jenna Lueke’s TikTok channel isn’t centered around dollar stores, but she offers plenty of useful advice on how to stretch grocery purchases. She shows how she turns $50 to $60 worth of groceries into 10 to 20 meals, each costing between $3 and $5. Her tips can easily be applied to dollar store shopping, and she prioritizes healthy, nutritious meals, making her channel a great resource for families cooking on a budget.
Thundermane328
Alanya Williams is a professional chef who shares TikToks of how he prepares healthy, tasty meals for under $5 by shopping at dollar stores. A key part of Williams’ method is stretching ingredients to make meals go further, and many of his videos highlight this aspect of dollar store shopping, making his recipes even more budget-friendly. He also offers guidance on which staple ingredients and spices to buy in bulk, helping save money while stocking up on essentials for months of cooking.
