Cheap, and I mean CHEAP recipes

brown rice and dried beans with a little taco seasoning.. cheap and easy, and filling

Veggie wraps, add brown rice and greek yogurt to fill you up and get protein to keep you fuller longer.

peanut butter and bread? In season veggies shouldn't be too badly priced.. or frozen ones. A package could last you a couple meals. Or maybe make a chili from canned beans & veggies - generally decently inexpensive, and when I make a big batch it pretty much lasts me 1 meal per day for two weeks.

I agree, beans and rice are quite delicious and satisfying. Steel cut oats can be made with water and are super cheap

I've been unemployed for a long time... I keep:

- rice
- potatoes
- eggs
- milk
- beans
- oats
- spaghetti

Oh, and cottage cheese and apples.

I know it seems counterintuitive to healthy eating, but if you've gotta make that money stretch, try to focus on cheap, calorie dense foods that will carry you closer to your calorie needs. That's why i say potatoes and not lettuce.

You're going to have to stick with rice and beans, sounds like. Some great recipe ideas on http://www.brokeandhealthy.com

Another idea - do you have a blood plasma center nearby? You can always give plasma and they give you from $15-20 per hourlong visit. And you can go twice a week.

Sorry I found this a bit funny, sell plasma for food money! ha sorry but it is a good idea and a good thing to do for others so I'd seriously consider it no matter how funny i think it sounds upon first glance

Bump

fresh veggies are tough, depending on the market... but frozen ones would be smart as they are normally cheaper. Rice & beans sound the way to go.

Also, check out "Poor girl eats well" You might have to sift a little but I go there when I need some budget friendly veggie dishes. :-)

Make a soup with:

1 can black beans
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
2 cans chicken broth (or 1 can broth and 1 can cream of chicken soup)
1 can diced tomatoes w/ green chiles

Season it with some cumin and chili powder. Add some light sour cream & low fat cheese if you have it. One person can eat on this for days & you can use all store brand items to make it even cheaper.

I haven't seen any mention of dried beans and peas and lentils. You can buy a pound of any for $1.00 at a dollar store or Walmart. It will feed you for several days. Cook according to directions and add dried onion, herb seasonings or southwest seasonings and any vegetables you have, carrots, celery, potatoes, squash. They are a good source of protein, high in fiber. Lentils cook in a very short time and when seasoned well are very delicious. Look online for recipes.

In Australia there's been a campaign to raise money by living on $3 a day. Here's the link to a sample menu. You could tweek this each day - the chicken wings are probably not so great for weight loss, but I can't see the rest of the day being that calorie laden, so no doubt you'd have spare cals for them?

http://www.fromcuptocrop.com.au/the-challenge/recipes/lyndey-milans-3-per-day-menu/

*BUMP*!

So many of you have awesome tips!! I'd love to try some out. I'm trying to spend as little as possible on food because I'm saving for my wedding.

I just thought of something else...sometimes the grocery store will seriously mark down meats if its the last day of the "sell by" date. The meat is perfectly fine if you use it or get it in the freezer right away and I've saved big money that way.