I need cheap meal ideas

singingmom

I have one word Aldi. If you have an Aldi near you go there. I get most my food there because it is super cheap especially the canned goods, milk, eggs, and produce. I still need to go to a chain grocery store for things like my healthy life bread, cereal (cuz I do not like the Aldi brand, etc) but I get at least 75% of my food there and its much cheaper than a chain grocery store and even Wal-Mart.

Pearcecat

Hi!..it's really hard trying to please everyone, save money & keep healthy..I feel your pain!. I agree with buying meat in bulk, seperating it down in to portions & freezing it.
Do you like curry?..you can make it mild for the kids (by using low fat yoghurt when cooking it) and have it with steamed rice.
I make a stew with carrots, onions, chuck steak pieces, roughly chopped potato, Oxtail packet soup (soo cheap) and water.
You can dice chicken and fry it in light oil, then place it in a large oven dish & add a lot of chopped frozen broccoli. I mix low fat condensed chicken soup with water to thin it and pour in to the dish. Then I top it with mashed potato and cook in the oven until browned.
I don't know if you've tried smoked fish before?..I cut it up in to chunks (raw) and place in a pyrex dish lined with low fat butter, then grate garlic over it. You just have to par-boil some potatoes and then cut them in to thin slivers-arrange them over the fish and cook in the oven until slightly browned..the fish underneath doesn't take long to cook. Then serve with a selection of veg.
As someone already suggested, you can make chilli (maybe make a large batch, keep it bland and then add chilli for the adults).
My little boy likes Pierogi Ruskie (you can buy a big bag of them in your local Eastern European shop). They're frozen dumplings with potato & cheese filling..very cheap!
I buy a large batch of eggs each week and use them for breakfasts, omelettes, egg fried rice (healthy version), quiches & salads.
You can get bumper packs of plain noodles. I cook up some mixed veg (frozen), add soy sauce and a bit of sesame oil. I boil the noodles in some chicken stock and then mix up everything. I put some extra hot chilli sauce on for my portion.
You could maybe try to make some banana bread & apple crumble to get some fruit in to your kids..my boy hates it!.
These meals might not be healthy enough for you but you could tweak them!. I think they key to success on a budget is just planning your 3 meals a day, writing them down, sticking them up on the kitchen wall and sticking to them. Good luck with it all!

prov31ms

Something that really helps my family is we have an Oroweat / Thomas Bread Outlet that I buy all our breads from - they sell the "good" stuff there (whole grain) at reduced prices - I can buy bread for my family for the entire month for about $10-$20, depending. They sell everything from plain bread to tortillas to bagel thins & english muffins. I know other bread companies have outlets as well (Wonder / Hostess, etc.). You can search online to see if you have one within driving distance - plus you can freeze bread for future use.

I also recommend shopping the specials - you can view all the grocery store ads online & buy what is on sale - stock up on things you use all the time when they are on sale (canned tomatoes, frozen veggies, pasta & sauce, etc.). I will buy at least 10 cans of tomatoes and beans when they are on sale so I have them in stock when they are not on sale.

Two cookbooks I would recommend are "Cheap.Fast.Good!" & "Saving Dinner" - both are filled with economical, family friendly, healthy recipes & ideas.

There are also several websites you can sign up with to receive recipes daily or weekly that will help with budget cooking ideas. Sign up at "LivingOnADime.com" & check out PinchingYourPennies.com for some great budget living advice & recipes - both sites are free.