cheap eats?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

corazon

Executive Chef
Joined
Jun 24, 2005
Messages
3,859
Location
Native New Mexican, now live in Bellingham, WA
Behind on some bills, gas prices are outrageous and a baby on the way, I need to do some budgeting. Any ideas for cheap dinner ideas? I'm going to have to quit my job in another month, so money will be really tight until I find another job probably next year. I'd appreciate any ideas.
 
Cora,

There are many things you can do...Buy only in season fruits and veggies, meat,chicken, fish when there are sales..Stews, beans, rice, pasta with just some roasted veggies and some evoo and garlic throw a salad together some biiscuits..You can do it and I bet everyone here has a quick easy and thrifty recipe to offer...I don't know if you like pinto beans, but my dad made a mean pot of beans with onion and maybe a 1/4lb. of bacon If you want it I'll post the recipe for you. My kids use to love what they called spanish rice...the highlight for them was the tiny meat balls about the size of a lima bean I made and put into the rice after I'd browned them..that and salad and some bread and a green veggie and they were set..Lots of time they only wnated the rice and salad..Tell us some of your likes and let us see what we can do recipe wise..
kadesma:)
 
A friend of mine makes a casserole in a pot that she calls "Shut up and eat it". It has ground beef, vegetables, noodles, sauce and cheese. She can make quite a large amount for very little money. They are retired military and she said she made if often when the kids were home and money was tight in their early years.
 
As someone mentioned before its not only the dishes but buying the ingredients that are important.

Number one rule for anything, do not by fresh produce or meat from a supermarket. Always more expensive, without fail.

Bone up on your pasta/noodle/rice dishes. Any italian chef would be put to shame by the variety of pasta dishes that a uni student living in residence knows :P.

Soups and stews are also great money savers as well. You can buy cheaper cuts of meat (which are generally more flavourful) and by cooking them long and slow come out more tender than the more expensive cuts, additionally you can pad them out with vegetables (carrots, celery, parsnips, sweeds/turnips, potato etc etc).
 
We do what we call a "Mexican Spud" at our restaurant. Bake a potato...and top it with taco meat....or spiced up chicken....anything you like really!
 
Also, eliminate waste. Economy isn't always buying lots of something. I like to make meals with planned leftovers. Many taste better the second time and it isn't like inventing the wheel over again. If there are leftovers they can be used in different dishes for a completely new idea. A totally free dish is soup made from leftovers - and one of the best. My dh would never eat soup until I started making it from scratch and he even took it to work for lunch each time I made it. You can vary it to suit your taste and it can be very healthy.
 
Mince is usually cheap and has many uses. I find to save money I stop buying so much prepacked stuff and buy in bulk. Making biscuits and cakes is usually cheaper than buying snacks too. I have some great quick easy cake recipes if you like.
 
Here is a whole thread with some ideas
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4095

Some of these recipes are also inexpensive
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9195&highlight=Chicken+rice+casserole

This usually makes enough for 2 or more dinner's
Cornbread/Hamburger Casserole

1-1/2 lb. hamburger meat
2 15oz. cans Ranch Style Beans
1 medium jar picante sauce
2 cups shredded cheese (we use colby and Jack or mozzarella)
2 boxes jiffy cornbread mix
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk

heat to 350

Brown hamburger meat and drain
Place hamburger in a deep 9x13 baking dish
stir in beans and 3/4 jar picante sauce (or to your taste)
Top with cheese
Prepare cornbread as directed on box
pour cornbread over hamburger/cheese
Bake until cornbread is golden brown (appx 20-30 minutes)

A few more ideas
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6508&highlight=cornbread+casserole

I usually can eat off of this recipe for a week
Spicy Vegetable and Beef Soup

3 quarts boiling water
soup meat (any amount) uncooked
2 packages (1 box) lipton onion soup mix
1 lb. can tomato sauce
1 lb. can tomatoes, petite diced
1 1/2 t. marjoram, dried
1 1/2 t. basil, dried
1 1/2 t. pepper
1 t. garlic powder
1 T. salt
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 t. parsley flakes
2 large bags frozen vegetables of your choice
(over the years I have added small diced pototes and/or okra to the recipe)

Simmer meat and onion soup mix in water for 25-30 minutes.

Add next 9 ingredients and cook on low simmer for 15 minutes.

Add vegetables and cook on low for 2-2 1/2 hours.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. (I like to add a slice of american cheese to mine instead of the parmesan).
 
Buy a turkey..the bigger the better. Turkey has the least fat and highest protein per dollar of any other meat. The larger the turkey, the more you save. You can freeze extra meat in little packages for casseroles and soups later, and you can boil the carcass for some great broth.

Don't buy beef stew meat...find chuck or arm roast on sale and cut it yourself. Same way with chicken...buy the whole thing and cut it up yourself. Any parts you don't use then, can go in a bag in the freezer for boiling later. Find whole boneless pork loin on sale, and cut it into chops or chunks yourself. You'll have meat for roast, crock-pot BBQ, stir-fry, or chops at a fraction of the cost of buying these things already cut.

Eat breakfast for supper...pancakes, French toast and the like are cheap, tasty and filling. Eggs are an inexpensive source of protein, and fritatas are a great way to use up leftovers. My guys can make a meal off of biscuits and sausage gravy.

Shop the ads in the paper, and save your coupons. Some stores give double or even triple off for coupons. Take advantage of it. Plan your week's meals around what's on sale.

Make a list before you shop, and stick with it. Impulse items add a lot to your bill.

Don't buy junk food. Chips, Oreos and the like are very pricy, and not good for you anyway. Snack on things like popcorn, oven-toasted tortillas (brush with a little olive oil and season to taste, cut into wedges), raw vegies with homemade dips, jello, box puddings, and things like Apple or Cherry crisp that you make yourself.

Drink iced tea instead of sodas. You'd be surprised how much money that saves.

Don't throw away your stale bread...freeze it before it molds to use for bread pudding, bread-crumbs or croutons.

Don't be ashamed to have a meal of chicken noodle or cream of potato soup with toasted cheese sandwiches once in a while. It tastes good, and gives you a night off from cooking.

Waste not, want not. If you have leftovers, utilize them. Be creative and not afraid to experiment.

Hope I helped! I have been on a very tight budget many times, but I always kept my family well fed. Maybe TOO well...LOL!
 
Some of my fondest memories of comfort food as a child were the "cheap" meals that Mom cobbled together using the least expensive ingredients and most abundant from our garden.

If you have a farmer's market in your area, shop there instead of at the supermarket for fresh fruits and vegetables. You can make an entire meal of vegetables. As kids, we grew pole beans in vast quantities and often the fresh string beans with stewed tomatos, bacon bits and grated parmesan cheese made an entire dinner (sort of like using the string beans in lieu of pasta).

Eggs are also very inexpensive. Try building your meal around eggs instead of meat as the protein. The American Egg Board (http://www.aeb.org/recipes/index.html) has lots of ideas for meals based on eggs for all courses.

Dried beans, legumes (lentils & split peas) and rice are also great basics for meals. They are cheap and with spices and sauces can be very satisfying. They can also provide great left overs for more than one meal.

Best wishes. You'll remember the good old days when all you had to eat was beans with fond memories.
 
Thanks for the link gwkr36a, I'm always looking for "on a dime" recipes, to help stretch the shoe string :mrgreen:

While this might not please everyone in your house, I'm often happy with a big apple and some slices of good quality cheddar (or other) cheese. Or chow mein noodles cooked up with a hint of soy sauce, sesame oil, green onions and topped with sesame seeds.
 
I agree with Constance - if you have a big freezer then you can buy loads of cheap turkeys at Thanksgiving (many stores round here only charge $5 for a 20-25lb turkey, but limit you to 1 turkey per customer, or 1 turkey per trip...so you have to shop several stores and get a turkey from each!).

Watch out for special offers and shop at the end of the day when many fresh meats are marked down...you can always freeze them.

Personally, I would rather go vegetarian than eat cheap ground beef - but you can buy cheap steak instead, trim off any excess fat and grind it yourself in a food processor. At least you know what's in it!

Any meat that has had 'extra work' done on it (like boned, skinless chicken breasts) will be more expensive than if you buy it in a more natural state and do the work yourself - plus you will have the extra bits left over for making soups and stocks.

It's much cheaper to buy meat in bulk and then bag it up into meal-sized portions yourself and freeze it.

Cut down on meat and bulk-out meals with veggies and/or pulses (healthier as well as cheaper).

If you have a grocery store very nearby (as I do - have to drive right near it to pick DD up from school anyway), then it can be cheaper NOT to plan meals, but just go into the store every day and look to see what's on special offer and build a meal around that.

Paint.
 
Last edited:
Number 1 Rule: Don't go to the grocery store hungry. :LOL: That's when you tend to spend more and buy things you really don't need and can't afford.

TUNA CASSEROLE

1 box macaroni and cheese (Made according to package directions)
2 Cans of your favorite tuna, drained
2 cans cream of muchroom soup
1 soup can milk
Desired amount of potato chips, crushed (any kind or flavor). About half a larg bag

Mix well all ingredients and put in casserole dish and bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, uncovered.


MEAT LOAF

1-pound hamburger meat
1/2-pound ground pork
2 eggs
1/2 cup ketchup
1 onion, diced
1 pkg. dried onion soup mix
1 single pkg. saltine crackers
1 cup oats, dry
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and put in baking dish. Cook in 350 degree oven 1 to 1-1/2 hours.


This is a stew that I came up with for supper last night and it was really good.

Whatever you wan't to call it stew

2-pounds ground beef fried with diced onion. Add 1 pkg. frozen mixed vegetables, 1/2 box of leftover macaroni and cheese from the day before, 1 can tomato sauce, 1 jar spaghetti sauce, 1 can of bean sptouts, 1 (8-oz) glass of water and salt and pepper to taste. Cook all ingredients in pot until frozen vegetables are tender and food is hot to the liking.


CHICKEN AND RICE


4 to 6 chicken pieces (legs, wings or thighs)
1 cup white rice
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 soup can water
Desited amount lemon herb seasoning


Mix rice, cream of chicken soup, and water and place in baking dish. Arrange chicken pieces on top of rice and sprinkle with lemon herb seasoning. Bake in 350 degree oven 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

You can also make the dish above using egg noodles instead of rice and it turns out just as good.


TUNA SALAD SANDWICHES

2 cans tuna, mixed with the desired amount of the following ingredients. Mayonnaise, onion (finely diced), celery (thinly sliced), and 2 boiled eggs (shelled and diced). Pud desired amount of salad on bread or roll up in a large leaf of lettuce and enjoy.
 
Haggis said:
Number one rule for anything, do not by fresh produce or meat from a supermarket. Always more expensive, without fail.

I try to do most of our produce shopping from the local farmer's market and limit us to $20 a visit. I find it is a great way to get cheap and delicious produce with only a $20 bill in my pocket and no credit card machines to be found. Our market is twice a week, but I usually only get to one of them, so trips to the grocery store do happen to get one or two things. What will I do when the farmer's market is over for the season and produce prices go sky high?

As far as meat goes, we are costco shoppers and buy our meat there. My husband doesn't like seafood and we can't really afford steaks or things like that, we end up eating quite a bit of :chicken:

Thanks for all your ideas so far, they have been helpful!
 
A couple of us made up a co-op and went to a chicken farm which had a shopfront and bought bulk chicken pieces then divided it amongst us all. We saved heaps of money and didn't have to spend a lot at once. I have friends who do this with vegetables every week, one family at a time goes to the vegie markets then the bulk bags are divided evenly.
 
Wow you got some great responses. Check out the previous links to other posts regarding this topic there were some great ideas on that also.

I just recently purchased a bone in ham for 7 dollars and odd cents. I was able to get 3 + meals out of that bugger. Baked ham was the first......then ham & beans......hobo hash......plus slices of ham for breakfast and sandwiches.

Research ways to use turkey or ham and purchase whole hams and turkeys when they are on sale and you'll save a lot when it comes to your meat budget. Ground Beef is another meat that goes a long way.

Also rice, pasta, and potatoes are very reasonable for side dishes and can be jazzed up in all sorts of ways.

Research your grocery ads from the newspaper and see whats on sale regarding meats and vegs and plan your menus on those items.

Be sure to make out your grocery list prior to going and stick to it. Oh and don't do like I do occasionally and go shopping on an empty stomach.........huge mistake :)

And finally, see if there is a store in your area that will match competitors prices.........that'll save you gas so that you don't have to hop from one store to another. Because lets face it if we have to drive a ways to get to the other store we're not really saving because of the gas we're using to get to the other store.
 
This isn't something you may want to do often, but I buy pizza from Domino's 3 for $5 each. We can eat lunch for several days. Also on Tuesday they have large = buy one get one free for $14.00. For about $15 we can have good pizza about 6 meals for the two of us. We eat what we want the first day and I package the rest in 4 pieces each in freezer bags. It is just as good reheated and we can have it when we want it or when I don't want to cook.
 
Spam with french toast for breakfast
Creamed Spam on biscuits for lunch
Fried Spam and onion sandwich for dinner
 
Back
Top Bottom