In sync with America’s economic hardships, McDonald’s Corp. has decided to expand its range of dollar meals with breakfasts. The world’s largest hamburger chain announced the plan Dec. 10, 2009.

Come January 2010, the Golden Arches would sell a set of breakfast items for $1. Such menu would feature the chain’s signature Sausage McMuffin, a sausage burrito, a sausage biscuit, a 12-ounce coffee and a hash brown.

McDonald’s latest promo would be accompanied by a heavy marketing blitz across the US. The company had already set aside a huge budget for advertising in 2010, in a bid to compensate for slow sales.

This move is widely seen as a natural consequence of rising unemployment and stiff price competition among fastfood chains. As more people lose jobs, less people dine in restaurants for breakfast.

“We know now, more than ever, our customers continue to look for everyday affordability wherever and whenever they choose to eat out,” said McDonald’s spokesperson Danya Proud.

McDonald’s $1 dollar breakfasts may vary across the country. For instance, some branches may sell the coffee in larger servings, since a 12-ounce coffee is already priced at 89 cents in some locations.

On top of the dollar breakfast menu, McDonald’s would also begin selling the Big Mac Snack Wrap around the same time. Part Big Mac, part chicken wrap, the item consists of a beef patty, cheese, pickles, lettuce, onions, and sauce—sans the buns.

Yet again, this should make for affordable fare; the item should be sold at $1.49. Four-hundred restaurants across the US have so far tested the item last week.

This would not be the first time McDonald’s has sold one-dollar breakfast menus. The company had launched the promo as early as August, albeit in comparatively fewer branches.

Generally, breakfast consumption in US fastfood chains dropped by 2% this summer, according to data released by research firm NPD Group.