Food Ideas for when you are broke

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  • simplydelish2
    simplydelish2 Posts: 726 Member
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    Pasta is always inexpensive - I use 1 box (16 oz) of pasta, 1 lb. of hamburger, and 1 can of Hunts pasta sauce. The pasta and sauce usually cost be $1 each and the burger about $3. I can usually get about 5 meals - at $1 and about 500 calories per meal.

    I also use a ton of (store brand) frozen veggies - usually about $1 per package (with at least 4 servings per package).

    I read through the feed - there's many great suggestions. Be creative and keep an eye on the calories. You'll do fine!
  • capriciousmoon
    capriciousmoon Posts: 1,263 Member
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    Check the produce section, fresh fruit and vegetables can be cheaper than you'd think. I eat a lot of bananas when I'm broke. If you want to cut costs you're probably better off skipping meat and going for beans and grains (whole wheat bread, pasta, rice).
  • gvheintz
    gvheintz Posts: 138 Member
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    What about pasta with sauce and veggies? Also google depression era cooking on youtube because there is this old lady that makes super cheap meals and talks about the depression. She's very cute and funny!

    Thanks for sharing about the depression era cooking with Clara! Just watched a couple ... they are adorable. Will have to go back and watch some more.
  • Mellie289
    Mellie289 Posts: 1,191 Member
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    Ditto on the rice and beans ... and make sure you buy them from bulk bins! You can get a better deal probably than if you are shopping the isles of a grocery store.

    I quite like a 10 bean soup I get from Sprouts Farmers Markets. I also get brown rice there, lentils and chick peas. Some of these are really great with some onions and curry. I went through a period when I ate a lot of this stuff - I was challenging myself to keep my meals under $2 - this is quite the challenge if you include meat though, so it was more of an average for the day (more on dinner, less on breakfast). I ate a lot of pasta! I occasionally eat liver, which is fairly cheap and shop, shop, shop the fliers for sales. I recently picked up two whole chickens for about $3 each that I will use in about 5 meals - some with the 10 bean soup and maybe with "fried" rice. Maybe you have soy sauce left from your noodles or can get condiments at the Dollar Store. Fine for packaged foods but you'll need to look elsewhere for fresh food though.

    Eggs are great for cheap meals! I like eggs for breakfast protein and try to buy them on sale if possible (like $1.50/dozen - just over 13 cents an egg!) although Target has one of the better regular prices on them that I see around here (about 16 cents an egg).

    I also like steel-cut oats for breakfast sometimes, which I also buy for significantly cheaper in the Sprouts bulk bin than I've seen some of the packaged stuff in supermarkets.

    Sometimes, saving money doesn't mean cooking different things but looking around to get it cheap.
  • jolinemariem
    jolinemariem Posts: 462 Member
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    If you have a large Dollar tree in your area hit them up! I buy my whole grain bread there, and they have a freezer section. the Pict Sweet mixed veggie cartons are only about .98 at walmart and youll have enough for about two meals. Add that in some raman with a little soy sauce and voila!


    yes dollar tree and aldi are my favorite places
  • snaxandpop
    snaxandpop Posts: 71 Member
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    A large container of yogurt is only a couple of bucks and can be portioned. Mix it with sugar free jello to change the flavor for variety.
  • jawheb
    jawheb Posts: 295 Member
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    Cottage cheese is really cheap and has 12grams of protein. Look for the sales papers, usually 1 out of 3 stores will have it marked 2 for $5
  • JaimeLaRae
    JaimeLaRae Posts: 278 Member
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    I have a recipe for a great low cal turkey chili. Might cost about $10 a pot, but would feed you for a few days (or you can freeze it). And its yummy! Hit me up if you're interested!
  • Gidzmo
    Gidzmo Posts: 904 Member
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    We have several dollar stores in our area. A few of them sell produce and dairy (just remember to check the expiration dates).

    Pasta can be as helpful as ramen noodles (btw, lose that seasoning packet in ramen, as it's loaded with sodium).
  • Kissybiz
    Kissybiz Posts: 361 Member
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    Eggs are my staple.. they are inexpensive and you can do a lot with them.. salad, scrambled, hard boiled. Great source of protein. I am also a fan of making a big pot of soup.. lots of fresh vegetables and chicken breasts. You can actually slow boil til they are tender a variety of vegetables, carrots, leeks and/or onions, celery, mushrooms, cabbage, etc.. season the broth to taste, add boneless skinless chicken breasts at the end and let them simmer with the lid closed.. remove the chicken when done.. you can cube some of the chicken to put back in the soup, and slice part of it for sandwiches, etc..
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    - crock pot recipe : black eye peas, fresh kale (or spinach), onion, canned tomatoes. all together that's like $5 total for 8-10 servings. more if you have it over brown rice

    - eggs are cheap. like $1.60 for a dozen
    - frozen fruits and veggies are always cheap and almost always on sale
    - canned vegetables. you can rinse them before cooking to save some sodium
    - chicken thighs, wings, and drumsticks are usually cheap and much more flavorful than breasts anyway
    - if you want ramen, add in some veggies and an egg or 2 and use less of the high sodium packet
    - buy plain yogurt and add your own flavoring using fruit, jam or peanut butter
    - peanut butter and jelly
    - shop at farmer's markets where produce is cheaper
  • missallenxox
    missallenxox Posts: 175 Member
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    when im flat broke, i make a batch of black bean veggie burgers, Here is the recipe i use. i cook them all and freeze them in individual bags or tupperware. usually makes about 8 patties.. they are delicious and packed with goodness. infact i eat them when im not broke too lol!!!!

    http://allrecipes.com/recipe/homemade-black-bean-veggie-burgers/

    with this recipe i leave out the onion and pepper, it wont stay together well. and instead of bread crumbs i use cornflake crumbs. i also add in red lentils. it super stretches out the recipe. you could add quinoa aswell. basically anything!

    another cheap combo:
    brown rice
    wild rice (optional)
    lean ground beef (optional)
    frozen corn
    frozen peas
    chopped onion
    any color pepper
    reduced sodium soya sauce
    chilli powder
    minced garlic

    you just cook it all up in a large pan, easy to stretch it out. u can add basically anything!! its spicy rice i call it lol i've made it since like grade 7. if you only have rice and corn it still tastes good, you dont need too many ingredients to complete it. as long as you have the soya sauce and chili powder.

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