Meal Ideas on a Budget

kjimmie4848

I rely heavily on my crock pot to cook for me. I am usually gone in the evenings (my daughter is an all star cheerleader) but it is healthier than frying too. We also have a strict food budget. Frozen and canned vegetables are cheaper than fresh so I use those a lot. I buy no salt added canned and then rinse them off.

I shop at Food Lion 3-4 times a week. I go on the days they do date mark downs plus they give coupons from the machine at the door. I save 50-80%. I don't use manufacturer coupons though, don't have time for that.

Close out stores around here like Ollies and Big Lots have started carrying gluten free, whole grain, natural flax seed, etc. like Bob's Red Mill pretty cheap.

ETA: My chest freezer stays packed. I only buy milk when it's half off and freeze it. I freeze bread, cheese, lunch meat, everything.

KatieWH

Easy, full-proof and cheap. I'm pretty sure they even sell frozen onions and peppers together to save even more...you can even make your own chicken broth (or use veggie). Only about 160 calories a serving and really filling.

Spicy Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup (serves 6)
Ingredients:
• 1lb of dry black beans, soaked overnight
• 4 tsp of diced jalepenos
• ½ onion, chopped
• 6 cups of chicken broth
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• ¾ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp hot sauce

Directions:
1. Drain black beans, and rinse.
2. Combine beans, jalapenos, and chicken broth in a slow cooker. Season with garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, pepper, and hot pepper sauce.
3. Cook on High for 4 hours. Reduce heat to Low, and continue cooking for 2 hours, or until you are ready to eat.

This sounds yummy!

MuseofSong

I HIGHLY recommend getting a slow cooker if you do not already have one. Even cooking challenged people can make good food out of cheap cuts of meat, root vegetables, and other simple ingredients with a slow cooker.

As for saving money at the market: Buy it when it's on sale, not when you need it.

Since you're feeding more than one person, buy bulk. Read pricing labels in markets carefully, sometimes the smaller containers are cheaper per unit than larger, but sometimes you get a good deal on the larger size of items.

Buy storable items (dry goods and frozen foods) whenever they're on sale and stock up. Remember if you see BOGO sales on meats, you can freeze meat, too. That way you'll have it when it's on hand, just have 2-3 days available before you need it to thaw the meat in your fridge.

As long as you're willing to plan ahead, you can save money. Eating on a budget doesn't mean eating beans, ramen, or macaroni everyday either.

I buy BOGO meat deals and freeze it. I buy my frozen vegs when they're on sale and then I fill my freezer. I buy fresh fruit & veg as needed, but look for sales whenever possible.

For my more expensive items: nuts, dried fruits, cheeses, and specialty goods, I shop for the best prices. For wine, I take advantage of the 5 cent wine sales with BevMo, so there's good wine available for cooking and drinking.

Just cooking at home is going to save you money. Even if you're just making a simple hot dog, cutting it in half and eating it on a piece of toast with mustard, you're going to save money from not buying a restaurant hot dog.

laursoar

Cook broccoli slaw! From there, I usually throw in a vegetable (broccoli is my favorite) and a meat or meat substitute. I usually use a sauce of a tbsp and a half of PB2, three tbsp of water, a tbsp of low sodium soy sauce, and a smidgen of hot sauce, but you could use whatever sauce you'd like. I cook the meat first, then throw everything else in and let it saute in the sauce. It's really delicious!