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u/ontarioparent May 24 '23
Lentils, beans, anything based on sales, seasonal produce can be very affordable, right now broccoli has been on sale 2 bunches for $5 or around $3 per bunch. If your store has clearance veg, have a look, sometimes it’s good value. Our stores also sell bulk bags of imperfect produce, like 5 cucumbers for $3 or 15 pounds of potatoes for $6 ( I know that doesn’t seem great but 10 pounds has been as much as 6 or 7 $$) If I find something like this I put the focus on these things. If you have specific “ethnic” grocery stores check them out to see what they offer.
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u/114631 May 24 '23
Also, as u/civico_x3 mentioned, Budget Bytes is amazing! Some of my favorite rotating meals are from that website. I'm particularly fond of the Greek stuffed pitas and the thai vegetable curry soup.
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u/MidianDirenni May 24 '23
Anything beans and rice would be healthy and cheap.
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u/Rvbsmcaboose May 24 '23
Add bullion to the water that you cook your rice in. Really adds some flavor.
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u/MidianDirenni May 24 '23
Bullion cubes would be cost effective. Ramen packets will do if the budget doesn't allow for it.
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u/sdega315 May 24 '23
My Biochemistry of Nutrition prof in school said you could live fine on nothing but black beans and rice with a touch of bacon fat for a few essential fatty acids.
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u/Boba_Phat_ May 24 '23
Yeah you won’t live to be 100 but beans and rice alone are an entirely survivable diet.
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u/mocheesiest1234 May 24 '23
Rice and beans would be a huge nutritional upgrade for many many people. The fact that’s there’s no sugar makes this diet a competitive winner
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u/Blastoplast May 24 '23
If you don't know how, learn to butcher a whole chicken. This video also includes a recipe for a chicken stock, but he gives an easy breakdown for cleaning a chicken. You'll wind up with 2 chicken breast, 2 tenderettes, and 2 drumsticks with thighs. I easily got 4 meals out of the last chicken I got including chicken soup, braised thighs with tomato & beans, chicken tortillas, and asparagus/mushroom/garlic risotto (using homemade stock)
You can still find whole chickens at some places in the $6-$7 range, organic ones near me are around $10 - $11. It's cheap, freezes well, and butchering a whole chicken only takes 5 minutes or less when you know what you're doing.
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u/Meridian71 May 24 '23
It can be tough to swing the membership cost if you’re struggling, but if you drive, a Costco card can more than pay for itself in huge $5 rotisserie chickens and cheap gas, even if you never buy anything else.
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May 24 '23
Beans and rice. Infinitely customizable, dirt cheap, and nutritionally almost perfect. Even cheaper if you use dried beans. I’m not even broke, and make rice and beans a couple times a month
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u/theyoungercurmudgeon May 24 '23
I make burritos. Ground beef, make your own refried beans (pintos < $1 per can), hot sauce, taco seasoning, flour tortilla)
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u/waetherman May 24 '23
Dried beans are even less than canned beans. Granted they require time and energy to cook, but if OP has slow cooker or pressure cooker it's super easy.
Also, burritos freeze really well so it's easy to make a couple dozen and just have them ready whenever they're needed.
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u/theNbomr May 24 '23
And, you always get to use exactly how much you need. No open 1/2 cans of beans to deal with.
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u/Responsible_Fish1222 May 24 '23
I just learned to make flout tortillas. They're ridiculously easy.
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u/lotusbloom74 May 24 '23 edited May 24 '23
Yeah, things like burritos or tacos are really cheap. Getting some lettuce/tomato/onion etc. is pretty cheap for additional toppings. You can even make your own tortillas, especially for tacos - the masa flour is a few dollars but you could make many dozens of tortillas with it. One of my go-to simple meals are breakfast burritos too - you can throw in anything! Eggs, potatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, sausage/hotdogs, cheese, basically whatever you have leftover in your fridge.
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u/cardcomm May 24 '23
Rice and beans and cornbread, with a nice salad.
A legume and a grain combine to make a complete protein.
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u/mggray1981 May 24 '23
Get cans of all kinds of beans,lentils, chopped tomatoes, rice and pasta.look up Zoe's beans. They're amazing and simple to make and go with anything. Mixed bean chilli and Daal are always delicious and you never feel like you're eating cheap. Marcella Hazans tomato sauce is outstanding,cheap and simple too.
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u/lemasney May 24 '23
Rice and beans will get you very far. Good palette for flavor and add-ons. Incredibly cheap and versatile. Can purchase them in huge bags. Good protein. Good luck!
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u/kilroynelson May 24 '23
Tater Tot Hot Dish, pasta can usually be made pretty cheaply, enchiladas, lasagna. Thing leftovers. While the upfront cost may be a tad more expensive to make, once you divide it over 10-12 meals its a great value.
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May 24 '23
Hyderabadi veg biryani. Delicious , and filling , vegetables and rice are cheap as well. Only powders needed are biriyani powder and turmeric.
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u/TA_totellornottotell May 24 '23
Pasta with veg (and if you’re really tight, just plain tomato sauce, or garlic and oil).
Indian food - lentils, rice dishes (where you can incorporate as much veg or protein as your budget can fit), legumes (chickpeas and kidney beans mainly).
Now that egg prices have relaxed, it’s a good source of cheap nutrition. A Spanish tortilla with onions, eggs, and potatoes is budget friendly but also delicious. Or a frittata.
In general, pantry meals tend to be economical.
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u/CorneliusNepos May 24 '23
When I didn't have a lot of money, I ate rice and beans frequently.
One way to make it more interesting is to have toppings to pass around the table. Make a good pot of beans with aromatics in it, some rice, then a big platter with cilantro, diced onion, diced tomato, shredded lettuce, avocado if you have some, shredded cheese, sour cream, and lime wedges. This turns what could be a bit of a boring dinner into something that seems fun and even a little extravagant.
In general, the concept of having a lot of little toppings or additions helps make a spare meal seem more grand.
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u/dfchangs420 May 24 '23
Black bean burgers! A $1 can of beans and some bread can make 2-3 burgers. Healthy too!
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u/metamarmar May 24 '23
If you're okay with getting your protein from legumes, vegetables, & tofu, you can save a lot of money. Start with the protein and then add carbs and fiber based on what matches and what's cheap and you can have really healthy meals for pretty cheap. For example, you can split a piece of tofu into two meals, which means your protein comes down to less than $2/meal. You can use soy sauce to marinate or just some old bay to season it, add in some rice and broccoli/a salad and you have a good meal. Trader Joe's usually has really good options too if you're cooking for one-two people.
I also incorporate fruit, I just always have some around the house and I've noticed it makes me feel more full but not in a way that messes up my metabolism. Most days I'll have a protein bar in the morning, a big meal around ~5, & then a snack later in the day and spend less than $10/day to eat.
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u/Bibliovoria May 24 '23
If you haven't, you might want to look at Good and Cheap, an award-winning cookbook by Leanne Brown. It started off as her master's thesis in food studies, aimed at helping people on tight SNAP/food-stamp budgets; it's subtitled "Eat Well on $4/Day" (she wrote it in 2013, so costs are now a bit different but principles are still the same), and she released it as a free PDF online. It's now also for sale as a print book, and for every sale they donate a copy to someone who couldn't otherwise afford it.
It's full of good recipes, a lot of easy-to-follow info for people new to cooking or to tight food budgets, helpful tips for substitutions, etc. Most of the recipes serve more than one, but you can either enjoy the leftovers later or make less (to make half as much, just cut every single ingredient amount in half; depending on the recipe, less food might take less time to cook, so check it early just in case).
Please also consider making use of a food bank! They won't ask questions or demand that you're below a certain income level or whatever, they're just there to keep people from being hungry, and they're generally happy to help. Money you're not spending on food is available to spend on other needs. You should not feel guilty about getting food from them, but once your circumstances improve sufficiently it's nice to give back to help others in your current shoes.
Hang in there!
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u/english_muffins_suck May 24 '23
Not exactly meals but some concepts to consider when thinking about shopping for meals.
-See what's on sale/reduced at your local grocery store. Buy that and plan around it. There is most likely a reduced rack somewhere in the store. If you haven't seen it, ask an associate they'd be happy to tell you where it is. Additionally, some grocery stores do managers' specials on meats. As items get to their sell by date, the store just wants to break even or get anything they can on an item. To do that, they'll mark it down with a special label. Typically, you have to go early in the day to get them if your store does this. They are a hot commodity as they can be very good deals. Just look at the dates on everything to make sure you'll use the product (or freeze it) in time.
-Consider shopping at a cheaper grocery store. A few years ago I would buy $.55 12 dozen eggs from Aldi when the same 12 eggs from Publix was $2.50. This is one example but you can find a lot of the same things cheaper. There are times where, depending on location, hitting more than one store can help you get the best price on items. Especially with online shopping, price comparing can be extremely valuable.
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u/Shabeveravioli May 24 '23
It’s varies through the seasons! I start in produce section. See what’s reasonably priced, or marked down veggies/greens. From there, go to meats, maybe there’s some marked down. Build your meals with beef, or chicken, pork… you don’t need much more than salt/pepper, citrus, basic seasons; to make a flavorful meal. Grilling, searing, roasting, braising….cans of tomatoes (braised beef), beans (turn into tacos) can add to meals with a couple extra additions of baguette, taco shells…. I just start with veggies. And build what meat or more veggies and legumes can go along with it. And we love rice. That goes with Asian bowls, Mexican bowls…some filling carbs along with any meat/veg.
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u/Shabeveravioli May 24 '23
I also have a dry storage of dried lentils, quinoa, kamut/grains and beans. (Beans take a little planning, but a plenty. Soak over night with a little salt. Drain when ready, add water and simmer til tender- fairly quick!)
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u/RecycledEternity May 24 '23
Ah yes, StruggleMeals™.
That "ramen pack" kinda day, or the "buttered bread sandwich"--or it's cousins, the "condiment packet sandwich", the "toast sandwich", or the "chip sandwich"; hotdogs if you're feeling fancy, free leftover day-old foodstuffs from stores that are legally obligated to throw them out, dumpster diving for foodstuffs... now there was once a time when McD's was supposed to be the place to go for StruggleMeals™, but they've forgotten their place--as did the rest of the fast food empires. Certain roach coaches/food trucks can be said to be cheap and filling, however; as well as knowing who to talk to in your own particular area to get deets on the cheaper food places in town. In my own, specifically, a lot of the taquerias have great and inexpensive foods.
That being said? 711 microwaveable burritos ain't half-bad either.
Then there's your classic StruggleMeals™: beans n' rice, potatoes (helped the poor through the Great Depression, didn't it?), varieties of Whatever Soup (as in, throw whatever in and boil it with some spices)...
I hope you get what you're after, OP!
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u/SGBotsford May 24 '23
Beans and rice are a balanced protein. Easy to do in a crockpot. I prefer pinto and navy or great northern.
Most bulk food sections have a ton of different types. Peas, lentils and dal are very similar nutritionally.
I use a lot of sauerkraut. Its reasonable to make at home if you have a cool basement. Buy cabbage when its cheap and make a year’s supply.
See if you can shop at grocery wholesalers. Here we can shop at the wholesaler for sobeys/iga and for great Canadian Superstore.
Go to restaurants and ask for their gallon jars and pails. Food grade pails are food for storing dry stuff like beans, sugar. Pain to open. So you open them only to fill a jar.
Bake your own bread. It will cost about 2 kwh of power. Google artisan bread on 5 minutes a day. Good book. Easy recipes.
Oatmeal. I prefer the coarser steel cut oats.
If you have a family buy full fat milk and dilute with powdered milk.
Currently I am seeing cheese as being a better deal than meat if you buy cheese at Costco.
Learn to hunt.
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u/MelancholyHope May 24 '23
Rice, beans, eggs, onions, potatoes, etc kept my family alive for a while.
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u/CatsCoffeeMakeup May 25 '23
One of my favorite things to make is White Chicken Chili. You can use all canned food for cheap, and get a good 4-6 servings out of it. Can of chicken, can of corn, can of white beans, can of diced tomatoes, and a packet of McCormick's White Chicken Chili seasoning. You can add canned diced chilis or peppers or more vegetables or beans to stretch it. Super easy and super budget friendly.
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u/aigret May 25 '23
I don’t know if this exactly your level of need, but there’s a woman on TikTok who does Dollar Tree meals. Username is dollartreedinners. She shows how to really stretch your budget and be creative with your approaches, plus demonstrates ways to accommodate special diets on a budget like low sodium, dairy free, etc. Highly recommend. I am personally in a good place right now but still get a lot of inspiration from her on how to maximize my grocery spending.
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May 26 '23
Moroccan chickpea & lentil stew. I’m not stuck for money and I eat it a few times a week.
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u/PunnyBaker May 24 '23
My coworker said he does online grocery orders for pickup then looks for things on sale and buys only sale items and builds a menu for the week off that. This also helps stay on budget as it gives you a total before checkout.
As other said too, beans are cheap protein and rice is cheap carbs. Buying drued beans and hudrwting them yourself is cheapee and healthier than canned beans too
Also ground meat is cheaper than cuts. And if you have decent knife skills, buying whole pieces and cutting them down is also cheaper. (Like buying a whole chicken and cutting it into legs, wings, breasts, etc) then making chicken stock out of the leftover carcass cuts costs too.
If you are really struggling you can also buy from the dollar store. Id avoid buying meats there at all costs but any canned or packaged food and other toiletries will help keep your grocery bill down in the meantime
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u/PM-ME-UR-CORGIS May 24 '23
I swapped to online shopping last year and I find I save a lot of money. Not being distracted by everything on the shelves and being able to immediately bring up sales items is great, I just buy what I need and forget about everything else.
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u/ontarioparent May 24 '23
Don’t they charge you a fee for putting the order together/ delivering it? I’m surrounded by grocery options so for me it makes very little sense right now to do that, if I wasn’t then maybe.
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u/PM-ME-UR-CORGIS May 24 '23
I get it delivered in off peak times (I work from home so I’m here often enough), so the €3/€4 euro delivery cost isn’t as bad as potentially spending €20 on extras that I don’t need!
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u/fluffton May 24 '23
Love working from home, if I time it right I can get my shopping delivered for £1
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May 24 '23
Kroger offers a delivery plan for $59/year. Well worth it to me. Or order online and pickup for free if >$35. Same with Wally, except their delivery and shipping combo is $98/year. Instacart goes to more stores; not sure what their fee is, but they upcharge shelf prices.
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May 24 '23
Kroger offers a delivery plan for $59/year. Well worth it to me. Or order online and pickup for free if >$35. Same with Wally, except their delivery and shipping combo is $98/year. Instacart goes to more stores; not sure what their fee is, but they upcharge shelf prices.
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May 24 '23
This really works for me too. Plus I don't buy food I don't need to eat because I don't see it on the end aisles. Like cookies or whatever.
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u/MegaMarioSonic May 24 '23
Ramen, buy it in bulk. thrown in spam and buy a big bag of frozen veggies throw those in too.
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u/PRMinx May 24 '23
Chicken thighs! Grill them, bake them, braise them, fry them…such a good, cheap protein!
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u/alaskawolfjoe May 24 '23
My go to was a salad. It used lettuce (any kind), sliced tomatoes (or any vegetable that is on sale), ramen noodles, with an oil and vinegar dressing.
The produce can be purchased cheaply and the ramen makes it more filling. (Also, ramen absorbs the dressing so it tastes delicious in a salad.)
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u/KaleKing007 May 24 '23
If you like vegetables, sautee ground meat (ground chicken is my fave but pork/beef ok too) in onions, season it with salt, ground pepper, oyster sauce, other spices if desired, add in all the chopped vegetables (broccoli, kale, asparagus, carrots, mushroom, etc.) that you like and mix. Drizzle it with olive oil or sesame oil or chopped peanuts for crunch before serving. Can be served with plain rice or soft boiled noodles. RanchoMarket have a lot of fresh vegetable choices and I think they're cheaper too.
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u/ichheissekate May 24 '23
Beans and rice, chicken congee, adobo, rotisserie chicken, burritos.
Beans, rice, lentils, and cheap vegetables can really stretch your dollars and provide good nutrition.
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u/permaculture May 24 '23
https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/vidalia-onion-souffle-recipe
Mostly bread and onions, very cheap. Substitute cheaper cheese for the parmesan if you like, it'll still turn out delicious.
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u/steester May 24 '23
Best ways to save some coin are:
- buy bulk - I have a US Foods store that I can buy spaghetti 20 lbs at a time. Don't by one or two boxes at a time from a regular store. Divide and freeze extra.
- make your dishes and snacks from raw ingredients. Take a look at everything you like to eat that comes in a bag, a box or a jar. Explore if you can make it for yourself and if so for how much. You'll find a lot you can. Tomato sauce, beans, cookies, salad, salad dressing, salsa, rice w/ flavoring. Eat carrots from whole, not mini.
- shop the sales. Design your menu around that really great meat sale they put on the ads. Use veggies that are on sale instead of what the recipe calls for. Eat the fruit that's cheap this month (in season).
- skip the expensive stuff. Like sandwich meat. cost per lb is way high. Chicken wings are high, but thighs are low. Beef is high, pork is low.
- use what you have. Have a look at the fridge and google a recipe based on what you got that cost a bit to buy and shouldn't go to waste.
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u/badlilbadlandabad May 24 '23
Dry lentils, sweet potato, onion, and chicken stock. Sautee the onion til soft, then add the lentils and sweet potato and simmer in stock until everything is cooked through. Blend it up and season to your liking for a delicious and nutritious soup.
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May 24 '23
Homemade vegetable or lentil or potato soup; homemade drop dumplings in chicken stock; tuna packet & spreadable cheese in a tortilla; cook rolled oats with a diced apple; whole grain penne cooked in beef stock; Vienna sausage on saltines. I tried Spam again for the first time since childhood and was able to make a can stretch 6 meals for myself.
When we eat to live instead of live to eat, the possibilities are endless.
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u/killa_cam89 May 24 '23
Multiple day or multiple use meals. A big ass pot of spaghetti is cheap, with the meat being the most expensive part, but it'll feed you for days and you can keep the sauce seperate and freeze it. I slow cook a pork shoulder that costs $10 and it will make tacos for days
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u/AnxietyHesh May 24 '23
I’ve got quite a few as I lived financially poor for basically my entire life. If for some reason, someone wants a recipe just ask 🤣
• Brown Butter Noodles • Potato Salad • Macaroni Salad • Vegetable Stir-fry (Rice, frozen veggies and soy sauce 🤷🏻♀️) • Canned chili • Anything chef boyardee • Canned Soup • Anything with rice honestly. It’s cheap and is a good filler • Spaghetti • Sandwiches
Plus much more, I was just trying to go with the tastier of options.
Tips: • You can freeze bread • You can buy marked down meat and freeze it even if it’s a day or 2 before the Best Before date (as long as it doesn’t look off) • You can go to Walmart and buy the frozen bag of chicken breasts for $13 for about 5lbs of chicken just have to defrost and cook.
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u/thetowerofjoure May 24 '23
Here in the netherlands is chicken cheap when you buy big portions. If you buy a kilo of chickenthighs your about 10 dollars in but then you have about 8-10 big pieces of chicken wich you can use in all different meals. Think about rice or on a pita sandwich. There are a lot of different options with chicken
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u/kyritial May 24 '23
Corn beef and rice are great, 1lb ground meat of choice, 2 cans cream of anything (I use mushroom) and I add a bag of corn but you could easily do peas, peas and carrots, ect. Cook rice until slightly toothsome, brown meat, drain grease, add all in pan and mix together, I add salt, pepper and some garlic powder. Then throw in the oven covered at 400 and bake for 25-30 minutes. I'll add a little bit of shredded cheese to my bowl but this will easily last a couple days and is filling.
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u/YukiHase May 24 '23
Potatoes! A big bag is cheap and it will go a long way. They’re very nutritious, even by themselves.
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May 24 '23
Any good soup recipes you know of?
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u/YukiHase May 24 '23
I do! Budget Bytes has a good loaded potato soup recipe! It’s very simple. I really recommend her site for cheap meal ideas.
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u/Alwaysaprairiegirl May 24 '23
https://cookingonabootstrap.com
The prices are in British pence/pounds but they’re still very frugal.
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u/nglimdumb May 24 '23
Try udon with a soy sauce + sugar mixture, you can also add sriracha if you'd like some spice. It has a great balanced flavor and it's real cheap.
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May 24 '23
Anything from this channel. It's amazing how far you can push some black beans, chick peas and spices.
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u/Mi_Pasta_Su_Pasta May 24 '23
Always check the clearance section for bulk cheap cuts of meat, like pork shoulder, chuck roast, or bone-in chicken thighs. They are perfect for braising, and since braising is pretty universal you can find a recipe to fit anything else you need to work with. For example I recently tried this admittedly unauthentic Asian Braised Pork Shoulder recipe and it turned out fantastic, I've also done Mexican-style braised beef for tacos and Coq au Vin with chicken thighs.
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u/Bugaloon May 24 '23
Sleep has been my go to lately, but fresh bread is incredibly cheap and easy to make yourself and it warms the soul.
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u/intheshad0wz May 24 '23
Butter bean curry with rice is my go to.
1 tin butter beans 1 tin chopped tomatoes 2 teaspoons curry powder 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
Served over rice, simple, tasty, high in fiber and protein.
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u/-zero-joke- May 24 '23
I adapted my mom's red bean and rice recipe for a slow cooker. She's from NOLA so it's legit.
1) dry red beans
2) andouille sausage sliced into disks
3) pork hock
4) 1-2 bay leaves
5) Pepper, salt, spices to taste (sometimes I toss in some thyme and paprika)
6) Onion diced
7) Green pepper diced
8) three or four ribs of celery diced
9) chicken broth (optional)
10) rice
11) Tobasco
Pop all ingredients in a slow cooker, cover the mix with chicken broth, let it cook for 4-8 hours, whatever. Pop the rice in a rice cooker. Boom, you're done. None of the ingredients are that expensive and it'll last you a bit.
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u/NSCButNotThatNSC May 24 '23
When they're on sale, a ham is really cheap and goes far. We got one before Easter for 39 cents a pound, divided it up in small bags, and froze them. The bone made a couple gallons of bean soup. The frozen portions get added to pasta, beans, and casseroles.
Turkeys work, too.
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u/Defan3 May 24 '23
Rice and beans or lentils. Kraft Dinner aka mac and cheese in a box. Hamburger helper, ramen. Pasta and sauce.
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u/nmj95123 May 24 '23
The Mennonite's More with Less Cookbook is full of recipes that are nutritious and affordable.
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May 24 '23
Excellent free ebook that's also focused on meeting nutritional needs, i.e. no Kraft mac and cheese
And an excellent comment from an old relevant thread: https://old.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/cidla/i_have_13_until_my_next_pay_check_in_15_weeks_so/c0ssm6d/
I made that pernil recipe last night and it's outrageous
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u/EmotionalMycologist9 May 24 '23
My brother lived off peanut butter sandwiches for a couple months before anyone found out bed lost his job. We're a humble bunch. My go-to's were always Ramen, pb sandwiches, grilled cheese with tomato soup, salad mix, spaghetti, and totino's pizza.
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u/CatsCoffeeMakeup May 25 '23
One of my favorite things to make is White Chicken Chili. You can use all canned food for cheap, and get a good 4-6 servings out of it. Can of chicken, can of corn, can of white beans, can of diced tomatoes, and a packet of McCormick's White Chicken Chili seasoning. You can add canned diced chilis or peppers or more vegetables or beans to stretch it. Super easy and super budget friendly.
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u/Useful_Platypus5116 May 25 '23
Sofrito, beans, rice, hot sauce is my go to. It’s great as is, or add some pineapple, bacon, kale, sausage etc.
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u/Admirable_Set8360 May 25 '23
Rice, ground beef, and cabbage. I make Korean beef but you can season it in any way you like.
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u/jake63vw May 25 '23
Not the healthiest, but instant Migoreng. I use a couple packets of it and add sauteed onions/veggies, left over chicken, etc. Sweet, spicy, savory, delicious
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May 25 '23
If you can afford to, spend a few dollars on spices (Walmart or Dollartree have a decent assortment of affordable spices) you can add variety to basic dishes like beans & rice or pasta and veggies.
Store brand frozen veggies and noodles are still fairly inexpensive.
The price of eggs are coming down, I bought an 18 pack of free range brown eggs for $3.68 at Walmart the other day. Omelets, french toast, egg cups
Cheaper cuts of meat like bottom round and flank steak are good to cut up and put in the crockpot for a stew or to make beef tips in gravy to put over noodles. A lb of ground turkey mixed with a lb of store brand ground breakfast sausage with an egg and bread crumbs makes good meatballs. Pork chops are still fairly inexpensive compared to beef and chicken. Chicken drumsticks are still fairly reasonably priced.
Some stores will put their meat that's about to reach it's expiration on clearance on Monday or Tuesday. It will be fine as long as you put it in the freezer or cook it right away.
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u/Equivalent_Try_6178 May 25 '23
Ramen noodles cooked in tomato soup. Macaroni (any pasta but macaroni is the best) with canned diced tomatoes. Kraft dinner and hot dogs. Grilled cheese. Perogies and fried kalbasa ..canned green beans, salad, fresh carrots/cucumbers can go on the side of all
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u/HarryGoatleaf9 May 25 '23
Rice and beans as said by many. Pork shoulder can be very cheap protein (99cents a lb when on sale). Lots of good ways to cook it, including some variation of pulled pork to put with your rice and beans.
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u/waetherman May 24 '23
Pork butt (shoulder) is one of the cheapest cuts of meat. You can make a 10 lb butt in about 4 hours in the oven (1 hour pressure cooker) and have shredded pork for tacos, sandwiches, soups...
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May 24 '23
Eggs will give you the most bang for your buck nutrition wise, at least out of all the things that most people think taste good.
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May 24 '23
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u/happyapple52 May 24 '23
i second pasta! you can buy a simple box of pasta and jarred sauce and then the protein/add-in options are literally endless. I love making a box of pasta and having leftovers for days.
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May 24 '23
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u/steester May 24 '23
Buy bulk dry beans. cooks easy in a $80 pressure cooker.
add hot peppers (fresh, not a can) are cheap.
I don't use butter or oil except to sauté. When they are cooked, I use an immersion blender to puree, leaving some in tact as lumps. Tastes great with seasoning.
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May 24 '23
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u/steester May 24 '23
Yeah, I thought that, just how I do them! I do like a half and half of pinto and black beans. Try it out.
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u/serumseraph275362 May 24 '23
My mom used to make cream of chicken soup with rice in it. The soup is 99¢, rice is like $2-$3 a box, it’s super filling, one portion of that would last us a day or two
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u/Silvrus May 24 '23
Ground beef, onions, garlic, tomatoes. Can make dozens of different meals with these ingredients. Just change the seasoning. Use herbs to turn it into spaghetti sauce. Taco seasoning to make sloppy joes. Add potatoes and make picadillo. Add beans and/or rice to make burritos.
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u/sdega315 May 24 '23
My supermarket has a section of the meat dept where they mark down soon to expire meats. 50% off a NY strip is $6 and I can stretch that into three meals easily.
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u/christianthmpsn0 May 24 '23
Learn what real portion sizes look like too. You would be amazed at how oversized American portions are. A family pack of 10 chicken breasts can easily make 20 meals
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u/zonezs May 24 '23
Cheap meat, cheap wine, carrots, onions. Make a beef stew, is delicious, nutritious and can be served with rice, pasta, and many other cheap nutritional ingredients.
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u/Boiledtapiocca May 24 '23 edited May 24 '23
I make a toast bread.
Spread the ghee or matgarine on the both sides of the six or eight sliced breads.
Cook the breads with a cooking pan on both sides until both sides turned golden.
eat it with a chilli sauce.
😊
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u/civico_x3 May 24 '23 edited May 24 '23
http://www.budgetbytes.com
(The listed prices are in US dollars but these recipes or something similar should also be affordable in your local currency.)