Recipe ideas on a low budget?

skmeyer7143
skmeyer7143 Posts: 11
in Recipes
I am seriously on a tight budget. To put things in a nutshell, my mom lost her job and now the only money we have to spend on food is the food stamps we get ($147 a month on the two of us). I know that buying lots of fruits and veggies can keep the cost down for us. But my mom and I don't want me getting bored on salads and stuff like that.

Anyone know of some recipes that are low cost and won't have me getting bored quick? That has to be one of my weakness, getting bored of the same stuff. Would it be better if I just cooked things in bulk and freeze the portions?
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Replies

  • breepi
    breepi Posts: 12
    This website here might have some ideas to help you out! http://budgetbytes.blogspot.ca/
  • katkins3
    katkins3 Posts: 1,360 Member
    www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/budget/
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
    bump!
  • marcenepea
    marcenepea Posts: 364 Member
    http://budgetbytes.blogspot.ca/2012/08/taco-stuffed-shells-1465-recipe-147.html




    I want to look thru both of the suggested sites. I just looked for a sec and found this recipe, I think my husband and son would love it and it looks easy and inexpensive. Thanks for sharing
  • chara79
    chara79 Posts: 4 Member
    Bump
  • WillowBreeze
    WillowBreeze Posts: 102
    Buying in bulk definitely helps. I make big batches of things and then separate them out and freeze stuff all of the time.
  • butterflylover527
    butterflylover527 Posts: 940 Member
    I just found this site and I LOVE it, it's my bible!! There are a ton of recipes on here too ;)

    http://www.poorgirleatswell.com/
  • Rurouni_Kou
    Rurouni_Kou Posts: 180 Member
    You might try looking up some of the recipes from Depression Era Cooking with Clara!
    http://www.youtube.com/user/DepressionCooking
    Clara is awesome, I love the history and tales she gives while cooking and I love her recipes! My fav is the Poor Mans Meal.
  • cyndimcd
    cyndimcd Posts: 112 Member
    This website here might have some ideas to help you out! http://budgetbytes.blogspot.ca/

    I love this site. I fixed the black bean quesadillas for a huge crowd last week, and they were amazing and inexpensive.
    http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2012/02/hearty-black-bean-quesadillas-661.html
  • alibean
    alibean Posts: 7 Member
    You can do so many things with pasta - add sauces, veggies, cheese, chicken, or put into soups. Not to mention, 1 lb. costs about a dollar ..and very delicious and hearty. It's the secret of every italian on a budget!
  • CupcakeHarpy
    CupcakeHarpy Posts: 100 Member
    bump
  • sssygirl
    sssygirl Posts: 55 Member
    Try buying frozen veggies and adding them to your rice, pasta meals. Also make large batches of soup like vegetable, minestrone, cabbage. These are filling and low calorie.
    Buy your meat on sale and try to go meatless a couple days a week.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,287 Member
    I found shopping at ALDI a lifesaver during the economic downfall of the past years. I could all of a sudden buy fresh vegetables and fruit...eggs..oatmeal..at a fraction of the major super market prices. My husband and I ate well and healthy on $40 a week. Please see if there is one in your area.

    We still shop there..and always will no matter how much things improve financially..it just makes sense to save the money if you can.
  • aprilwilliams2729
    aprilwilliams2729 Posts: 107 Member
    Dried Beans!! If you have a crockpot they're easy and fast. We use lentils to make a filling for tacos/burritos. Yummy! And I second frozen veggies. You can get them on sale (we just stocked up when Kroger had their frozen veggies 10/$10).
  • pamelak5
    pamelak5 Posts: 327 Member
    My favorite dish to make, budget or no budget, is mujadarrah. Rice, lentils, onions, olive oil, black pepper, salt. That is it. And it's incredible. You can feed six for five dollars or less, and it is super healthy. rice and lentils form a complete protein. Olive oil = good fat. YUM.

    http://greatgrub.com/stories/mujadarrah_memories
  • Ange03063
    Ange03063 Posts: 55 Member
    Bump! I'm on a tight budget too and can't wait to look at all the great websites posted!
  • PhilyPhresh
    PhilyPhresh Posts: 600 Member
    eggs... especially ones with yolk in them. :wink:
  • linz1125
    linz1125 Posts: 441 Member
    I love the site www.thegraciouspantry.com. Most of her recipes (I really think all of them are) are clean eating recipes, and all of the ones I have tried have been very good. My favorite is the Clean Eating Lemon Chicken Zucchini. I serve it with brown rice, and it is incredibly filling and delicious.

    Other than that, my best suggestion is to get creative. My favorite thing to do now is to take veggies(my most recent adventure was to put eggplant, zucchini, and cauliflower in a pan, spray a teeny bit of olive oil and squeeze some lemon juice on it, and grilled it - BTW it was so yummy!) and grill them...I usually put a little lemon juice on them to give them some extra flavor.

    Also, while you can shop at farmers markets. They can be more willing to deal with you on prices, and you can get great quality veggies for very cheap. I don't know if they take food stamps, but if you had an extra 5-10 dollars you could go and find a lot of food.

    Other than that, if you can buy any food in bulk that does save money. Maybe also reach out to your local food pantry and see if they are able to assist you.
  • betancourta229
    betancourta229 Posts: 171 Member
    Great websites to checkout!

    You could also look into local food banks to get some staple items and use those to build around other meals! It might save you a few bucks too!
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I just made a cheap, yummy dinner the other night. Brown 1/2 to 1 pound of ground beef, add about 2-4 cups of spinach, cook just long enough for spinach to wilt, then add two tablespoons of soy sauce, a can of cream of mushroom soup, and stir well. Then put it all in a skillet and top with 1/4 cup cheddar cheese. Bake at 400 for about 10 minutes, or until cheese is brown/melty. Cool and serve. I was surprised at how yummy it was.

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