Soup for supper, what constitutes a thrifty meal? (W/picture)

[pipoman]

One reason I like winter. Tonights fare was a pot of potato soup and a pot of cream of mushroom. Both are scratch soups and three loaves of crusty French bread. Total cost $15.00. Three of us ate all we wanted tonight and there is enough for another meal for 3 or 4 adults left over. Assuming the three of us eat another meal our cost per meal will be $2.50. I like to shoot for $2.00 or less per adult meal. It is very important to me for the meal to be delicious and not just cheap. I know we could eat cheaper but there is a point when the food becomes stomach filler and not something that the eaters want to have seconds or thirds. We really are not on too tight of a budget, this is just a little game I have started playing with myself over the last few months. Beyond leftovers I don't make the same meal more than once per month as a rule.

My questions are, does anyone else have a budget they are shooting for on a per meal basis? What is your idea of a thrifty (but delicious) meal? What is the projected cost if all the ingredients are purchased at the store? How many will the recipe feed?