Food ideas for a VERY tight budget

Not sure if you've seen this already, but agirlcalledjack.com is a great blog, picked up by The Guardian from a woman feeding her child with meals usually under £1. She has some great recipes, and an inspiring story:
http://agirlcalledjack.com/category/recipes-food-etc/page/1/

Ask the meat department manager when they mark down their meats. My grocery store does it on Friday right around 5 PM, and they also do the produce around the same time for the packaged produce. Rewrap produce is usually something I pick up on Saturday mornings since someone actually has to rewrap it.

I try to time my visits around then...

I usually end up with tons of filet mignon, the MBA Smart Chicken, and nice pork chops for a fraction of the retail cost.

I'm a couponer too.... I spend a lot of time before my shopping trips clipping coupons and matching them up to the sales, and I've got a small stockpile and stock up on stuff when there's a really good deal ---- and over time it definitely pays off.

I ran across this website today while looking for a chicken and dumplings recipe (which is about to go in the crockpot momentarily - yum!)

http://www.budgetbytes.com/

She breaks the recipes down into a cost-per-serving and spells everything out in detail so you can learn some of the basic from-scratch techniques as you go. I'm looking forward to trying her stuff!

Here are some of my favorite cheap/healthy meals:

Cabbage is, in my opinion, the #1 budget-friendly vegetable. It is insanely cheap (if you buy it by the head, not pre-shredded), full of vitamin C, lasts forever in the fridge, tastes great when cooked (really!) and is very filling. I make an easy/cheap fried rice with scrambled eggs, shredded cabbage, carrots (also cheap if you get regular, not baby, ones!), and rice--just season with some soy sauce and sriracha.

Lentils. A few scoops of dried lentils makes a surprisingly GIANT quantity of soup that is easy to portion and freeze. I make a soup with lentils, vegetable bouillon cubes (cheaper than broth), canned tomatoes, carrots, and some kind of cooking green (spinach can be cheap if you buy bunched regular spinach instead of bagged baby spinach).

Sandwiches. Not matter what kind of a bad rap bread gets, honestly, it is cheap and filling, and you can get whole wheat for extra health benefits. Egg sandwiches are my lifeline when I'm on a budget and cleaning out the fridge. Canned tuna and sardines (try them--they sound scary but are delicious and a good source of omega-3s!) are also cheap and make for filling sandwiches. Seriously, sardines + avocado on toast = the most filling sandwich on earth, plus it is cheap and full of healthy fats.

I like a red cabbage, I shred it and place it in a pot with a little water and two tablespoons of apple cider vinigar, and when it wilts down, I add a can of whole berry cranberry sauce. Sweet, tasty and filling. A medium size head will give about 12 servings.

Letils are great, I use a product called "better than bullion (low sodium)" glass jar, it is better than the cubes and has a better price per serving.

Try to find multi-grain breads, they are more filling that the air filled sponge white/wheat breads.

Quiche is amazing and cheap!!!
Cabbage rolls ae cheap and tasty.
Soups are easy with left overs.
A simple spaghetti sauce or chilli made from the veggies on the 'reduction' rack at the local grocery store.
The reduction racks are easy on the budget. Many of the fruits and veggies are perfectly fine and are there because new produce has arrived in store. Don't be afrait to stock up and freeze some for later use.

I've been able to cut my grocery budget pretty well by trying to buy more fresh foods than packaged/processed foods. Also, I keep an eye on condiments to make sure I'm not spending too much on them. Some things I will use routinely but others may stay in the fridge for awhile unused...

If you have a crockpot/slow cooker, they are great to use to cook inexpensive cuts of meat that are normally tougher but soften up really well in the crockpot.

Also, I've found that if I make my own treats I save money there too. One example is instead of buying frozen ice cream pops/desserts, I slice up bananas and dip in cocoa powder mixed with coconut oil and some stevia then freeze them. They make a nice snack and also are a good way to use up bananas that are perhaps a bit too ripe to want to eat by themselves.

Also, making your own muffins and sweet breads at home can save on money and if you use whole wheat flour/oat bran or other healthy baking ingredients, you can make them healthier than store bought. And you can use up fruits that are a bit too ripe when you bake.

Soups are a great way to use vegetables that are also quite ripe and may not be as "attractive" in a dish.

If you buy fresh herbs, you can freeze the parts that you don't use immediately for later.

Another way I was able to cut down on the budget was to reduce waste or thrown away groceries. I don't buy bread every week because if I do some will go to waste (sometimes we tend not to want to eat the same foods again and again). When I do buy it I make sure to use it up in sandwiches or breakfasts so that we finish the loaf. I try to do some planning ahead but then also keep a constant eye on what I have on hand and try to whip up meals with what I have before stocking up on new ingredients if possible.

Best of luck to you! This community is a great resource for tips and advice and I know you will find some great tips!

Hi
I, too, am on a tight budget. I've found that cooking lots of vegetables and cutting down on meat has helped to both reduce costs and make our meals much healthier. We've recently found a shop where we can buy carrots, onions and potatoes by the sackful - about £13 total for a sackful of each, and these will last for quite a while and form a healthy basis for lots of meals. Perhaps you could find somewhere in/around Cardiff that sells in bulk? Not easy to carry them home on public transport, but you may be able to work something out or even beg a favour from a friend with a car once a month or so. Add a one or more other veg and a protein source (eggs/cheese/meat/fish/vegetarian alternative) and you've got a healthy meal which can be very varied. Carrots, for example, can be chopped and microwaved in a casserole dish for the more traditional British way of serving, or try frying them gently in a saucepan in a small amount of butter/olive oil mixture and adding a finely chopped onion/leek/few spring onions, for a tasty alternative. Try making your own healthy alternative to chips — cut up potatoes into either chip-shaped bits or just into wedges (either peel, or scrub and leave the skins on for healthier alternative particularly if they're "new" spuds) and put into an oven-proof dish so that they're spread out as much as possible. Drizzle a little olive oil (you don't need much) over them and use your hands to coat the potatoes. I sprinkle some paprika over them for a little extra flavour and colour, but have also used crushed garlic for an alternative flavour - neither is necessary, or you could experiment with other flavours (e.g. a little chilli powder or curry powder or your favourite herbs). Pop into a fairly hot oven (180-200°C) and cook until tender and starting to brown on the corners, but turn them regularly, particularly if they're deeper than a single layer. Cheap and healthy.
Also, porridge oats are cheap to buy and make a cheap and nutritious breakfast that's filling too. Make it with milk and/or water and then add a spoonful of jam for a bit of sweetness and flavour. 3-4 dessertspoons of porridge oats will make a big bowlful of porridge and provide a good filling breakfast for children, too. Make with whole milk for young children and add fresh/frozen fruit if you can and it's even better. I make mine with half skimmed milk and half water as I'm watching the calories.
Lots of other useful tips from others in this thread.

Lentils are a huge staple here. Also if I do ham I make sure it's with the bone since that + a bag of split peas makes a great soup. there's a 14 bean soup mix that needs little helping and can be done in a crock pot just google 14 bean soup!.

My grandmother's pasta & bean soup is another cheap staple here. Literally you dice garlic (however much you like (I do 1/2 a clove) and brown it slightly in some olive oil. To that you add in 1 can of tomato puree (28oz) and 1 6oz can of tomato paste and your choice of italian seasonings. I just use a little dried oregano when cooking and finish with some fresh parsley. Take that off the heat (and word to the wise it does splatter so shield yourself with a pot lid when you add the tomato!) Meanwhile cook a box of ditalini pasta but take out 3 mins from cook time. When the pasta is "done" you add it to the tomato base and use the pasta water to get your soup consistency. Pour in a can of drained cannellini beans and let it cook through for another minute or 2. simple as that Feeds my family of 6 with leftovers to spare!

Hope some of this helps! Cooking on a dime can be hard!

in for ideas

Bubble and squeek or potch? Hotch? Darn can't recall.

Take leftovers add cabbage and potatoes boil. Serve with mustard.
Cheap, filling, etc.