Who Needs IHOP...?

I'm always looking for ways to treat my family without breaking the budget! A meal out for nine people is just not practical when I could buy four or five bags of groceries for the price of one meal that only satisfies for a couple of hours. And frankly a meal out with a 1, 3, and 4 year old is not relaxing;) I do like a bit of a break from cooking once in a while though.

I have and answer to all of this with brunch on Saturdays. We hold off eating much until closer to lunch and whip up pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream. YUM! It doesn't take much effort to make pancakes from a mix that you only need to add water. EASY! The strawberries come frozen, clean and already sliced. I just sprinkle with a tablespoon or so of sugar and let them thaw into their wonderful topping goodness. YAY! And I don't even "whip" the cream. WOOHOO!
We eat 'til our hearts content and I don't even think about cooking again until dinner. Homerun for Mama!!
Here's the math:
All the ingredients for a month of Saturday Brunches....
From Sam's Club(rounding up prices)

• Pancake Mix(just add water)-$6
• Frozen Strawberries-$9
• 3 large cans of whipped cream-$7
• total of $22.00
• $5.50 per meal for all of us (if I could think of another word to cap and ! I'd throw it in here, wink, smile)

This post is a part of Frugal Friday and Weekend Fun Food.