Low budget food ideas/meal ideas

elphie754
elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
webrocery shop weekly, but these next two weeks we need to cut our bill almost by half thanks to a payroll problem that led to both of my significant others without a paycheck this week. Was wondering if anyone had some good suggestions for low budget meals.

Must be gluten, wheat, barley, oat and red dye#40 free. Thank you!
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Replies

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I agree with the potatoes beans and rice. Get eggs and an onion too.
  • mybigfat
    mybigfat Posts: 162 Member
    Get bone in skin on chicken and you can trim it yourself its a good 4 or so bucks cheaper
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Cook at home. Plan your meals. Balance your meals and eat up everything you buy (everything that is edible). Buy more of the cheap stuff and less of the more expensive stuff. Don't get sucked in by health claims and other advertising. Look at price per pound, price per serving, nutrients per dollar. Then buy what you'll actually eat, but leave the things you know you will want to overat.
  • Vailara
    Vailara Posts: 2,449 Member
    Pulses are your friend! If you like them, that is. Lentil and split pea soups and dahls, bean patties, vegetable chillies, Meditteranean-style bean stews.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    Potatoes, beans, and rice ok? (just doublechecking). Also, if cornmeal is cheap you can make a nice soft polenta that can be eaten sweet or savory.
    Top with eggs for primary protein. They're often the cheapest. Shop the sales for frozen or canned veggies. Even salsa can perk up an otherwise bland meal.

    Potatoes, rice and beans are good-rice is actually a major staple here (we hav a rice cooker). Oatmeal is out though (even gf oats) since I'm allergic to oat it's self (found that out the hard way).
    jgnatca wrote: »
    jgnatca wrote: »

    Thank you! Both sound awesome.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Recent thread with links about living inexpensively for two weeks:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10565773/tight-budget-grocery-list#latest
  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
    Burdget bytes and Cooking on a bootstrap
    Both have search functions that show up diet requirements when you enter it Persnoally a great fan of the second one, she knows how to cook well on nearly nothing (she was incredibly poor for a while, when her son was around2 years old, Her cooking saved her)
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    RodaRose wrote: »
    Recent thread with links about living inexpensively for two weeks:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10565773/tight-budget-grocery-list#latest
    Burdget bytes and Cooking on a bootstrap
    Both have search functions that show up diet requirements when you enter it Persnoally a great fan of the second one, she knows how to cook well on nearly nothing (she was incredibly poor for a while, when her son was around2 years old, Her cooking saved her)

    Thank you both.
  • hltc13084
    hltc13084 Posts: 27 Member
    http://www.goodlifeeats.com/gluten-free-black-bean-quinoa-burgers/

    I started making these and they are amazing. If you don't have all the spices just use garlic, onion powder, some hot sauce you like, salt pepper and lime. They are for real amazing. I was gf for a looooong time until the drs realized I had a bad gall bladder. You can cut a sweet potato into large rounds and use those as "buns".

    Also, says to refrigerate it for like 20, instead put them in the freezer for 15
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    Food pantry. Nothing wrong with taking help when you need it. That's what they are there for.

    I also love budgetbytes website.

    We are not in such a dire situation that we need a food pantry, it's just having to wait until the next pay period. I would actually feel guilty because there are others out there who truly need the food pantry.

    hltc13084 wrote: »
    http://www.goodlifeeats.com/gluten-free-black-bean-quinoa-burgers/

    I started making these and they are amazing. If you don't have all the spices just use garlic, onion powder, some hot sauce you like, salt pepper and lime. They are for real amazing. I was gf for a looooong time until the drs realized I had a bad gall bladder. You can cut a sweet potato into large rounds and use those as "buns".

    Also, says to refrigerate it for like 20, instead put them in the freezer for 15

    These sound really good!
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    Anyone use aldi? I've heard they are cheaper than some of the bigger name brand stores. Do they carry gluten free items or just normal grocery stuff?

    We went to the local farmers market this morning-always have good luck getting awesome fruits and veggies at 1/3 of the price that you find in the grocery store.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,646 Member
    elphie754 wrote: »
    Anyone use aldi? I've heard they are cheaper than some of the bigger name brand stores. Do they carry gluten free items or just normal grocery stuff?

    We went to the local farmers market this morning-always have good luck getting awesome fruits and veggies at 1/3 of the price that you find in the grocery store.

    The Aldi's in my hood has a gluten free section.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    elphie754 wrote: »
    Anyone use aldi? I've heard they are cheaper than some of the bigger name brand stores. Do they carry gluten free items or just normal grocery stuff?

    We went to the local farmers market this morning-always have good luck getting awesome fruits and veggies at 1/3 of the price that you find in the grocery store.

    The Aldi's in my hood has a gluten free section.

    Great! Will try shopping there first tonight.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    Went to Aldi-it's okay but not the best. They had a gluten free section but they didn't have the big brand (udis or schar) so we didn't get much. We ended up going to the regular grocery store instead.
  • fidangul
    fidangul Posts: 673 Member
    My mum sometimes buys fruit/veggies in crates or boxes from the wholesalers . Then she splits it between friends and neighbours. This way she saves tons plus because they weren't hanging about in the shops she saves on the shelf-life too. Therefore, they stay fresher for longer.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    fidangul wrote: »
    My mum sometimes buys fruit/veggies in crates or boxes from the wholesalers . Then she splits it between friends and neighbours. This way she saves tons plus because they weren't hanging about in the shops she saves on the shelf-life too. Therefore, they stay fresher for longer.

    I don't think there's anything like that around here but will look into it. We eat a lot of fruits and veggies so might be worth it.
  • dutchandkiwi
    dutchandkiwi Posts: 1,389 Member
    elphie754 wrote: »
    Went to Aldi-it's okay but not the best. They had a gluten free section but they didn't have the big brand (udis or schar) so we didn't get much. We ended up going to the regular grocery store instead.
    That is what Aldi does, to keep prices down. They don't stock many A-brands and instead focus on third party (basically let others produce the Aldi labels) as well as having some 'own' factories (read produce exclusively for Aldi as bottom prices).
    Personally I don't shop there as I know some of their business ways/dealings and I don't like them.