I need cheap meal ideas

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color_me_skinny
color_me_skinny Posts: 106
in Recipes
Bills are piling up and we're finding it harder and harder to keep up, and buy healthy foods. Maybe I am just not doing it right, but it seems that the "good for you" stuff is more expensive then the bad.

We tend to do grocery shopping 1 time for the month, sometimes 2. But gas prices are sky rocketing (We're supposed to see $5/gal by memorial day! And it's only $3.00 something now) so we try to get what we can in one trip if possible sinc we have to drive 45 minutes for the nearest grocery store. And our next months grocery shopping we will only have about $450 for groceries, to feed 2 adults and 2 children (1 year old and 4 year old).

Some people will probably say that is easy- but it's not for me. Grocery shopping is not my strong suit!
So please help!
What are some cheap meals we can do, that are still healthy? I've got to start getting it planned out, otherwise if I send my boyfriend to do the shopping, he will get all microwavable, precooked crap!

I wouldn't say we are picky eaters. Boyfriend is the most picky, he wont eat spaghetti, lasagna, etc (I think it's the spaghetti sauce that he doesn't like)., he wont eat fish either. My oldest daughter doesn't like meat- period. I have yet to figure out why. So...ideas please?
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Replies

  • muskogee
    muskogee Posts: 11
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    Beans and rice
    You can preboil the beans and season them differently to taste
    A pack of dry beans at walmart is like $1.50 .enough for 10 servings
  • sjh24f
    sjh24f Posts: 6
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    I know how you feel. I have to same problem. Not to mention my boyfriend is a vegatarian so I tend to buy alot of produce, which is kinda pricey. I try to buy generic brands as much as possible.
    Now that summer is upon us, I have started going to the farmer's market. You can sometimes get better deals there. I also started growing my own garden. It is small and mostly herbs, but I have bell peppers and tomatoes (staples in mine and my boyfriends diet).
    I know this does not sound like much and probably does not save a lot, but it can add up.
  • kmitzell
    kmitzell Posts: 9
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    Go to www.hungry-girl.com and look at her "trio" recipes. All recipes are lo-cal versions of high-cal meals, and they all have only three ingredients each! (You can also buy her new book - 300 under 300 [300 recipes under 300 calories] and there is an entire chapter of "trios".) Most of her other meals are super cheap-o to make, too. Check it out!
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 MFP Moderator
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    Buy the basics... staples... dried beans, peas, rice, frozen bags of veggies (not the single serving steamer packs where you get... WOW a single serving for $1 while you can get a full kg bag for $2 just having to portion it out at time of serving.
    Lots of cheap options, BUY when on sale, I'll buy a 12 pack of soup at $0.59 a can to avoid paying the $1.89 each price when they're not on sale, they last about 2 years by the date on the can so no harm buying a few extra cases. When tuna is on for $1 a can I'll buy 24 of them again to avoid the $1.89 regular price.
    Bulk pasta rather than individual servings, you can get a 2kg bag of elbows for about $2-$3, you only get 3 boxes of kraft dinner for that and it's only 600grams of elbows.
    Buy bigger containers for the cheaper per unit price and portion it out (1kg bag of almonds is $11 here, but you can pay $1.39 for each 50 gram bag if you want to)
    Buy a block of cheese and portion it into whatever serving size you use, I always use an ounce of cheese if I'm bothering with cheese so I cut it into one ounce blocks and shred them as I need it. A bag of pre-shredded is $7 here for 380grams or I can get a 700 gram block for $9.... hmm almost twice as much cheese for only $2 more? It's worth it.
  • sarahsmom1
    sarahsmom1 Posts: 1,501 Member
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    Bills are piling up and we're finding it harder and harder to keep up, and buy healthy foods. Maybe I am just not doing it right, but it seems that the "good for you" stuff is more expensive then the bad.

    We tend to do grocery shopping 1 time for the month, sometimes 2. But gas prices are sky rocketing (We're supposed to see $5/gal by memorial day! And it's only $3.00 something now) so we try to get what we can in one trip if possible sinc we have to drive 45 minutes for the nearest grocery store. And our next months grocery shopping we will only have about $450 for groceries, to feed 2 adults and 2 children (1 year old and 4 year old).

    Some people will probably say that is easy- but it's not for me. Grocery shopping is not my strong suit!
    So please help!
    What are some cheap meals we can do, that are still healthy? I've got to start getting it planned out, otherwise if I send my boyfriend to do the shopping, he will get all microwavable, precooked crap!

    I wouldn't say we are picky eaters. Boyfriend is the most picky, he wont eat spaghetti, lasagna, etc (I think it's the spaghetti sauce that he doesn't like)., he wont eat fish either. My oldest daughter doesn't like meat- period. I have yet to figure out why. So...ideas please?

    I wish gas was in the 3"s here the cheapest is 4.09 anyways you can make chili you can make navy bean soup soak and cook the beans while cooking put in ham hock or bacon I put carrots and peas,corn what ever you have or just beans and ham hock. vegetable and egg noodle soup, stew all those dishes you can cook and freeze very easy good luck
  • sarahsmom1
    sarahsmom1 Posts: 1,501 Member
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    desserts bananas or strawberries in lite whip topping very yummy or yogurt with granola
  • emilex
    emilex Posts: 95 Member
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    It sounds like you might live in a rural area...if your family eats meat...it's more cost effective to buy bulk. I have always wanted to go in with somebody to buy half a cow which I will do as soon as I find somebody to split it with me :) but also, do you have a sams or costco or something around you? Then you could buy some things in bulk and put them in your freezer. I would really recommend having a good freezer. When you can only make it a couple times a month to the store, and the store is so far away, it's really important to be able to freeze your meats and produce (or buy frozen fruits and vegetables, not the best but something you might have to do when you live that far out)

    Anyway, sometimes I will buy a pork roast and cook it in my crock pot. I split it in half and get two meals out of it. Typically I shred it with forks and use one half for tacos and the other half for sandwiches or tostadas or something. I also do this with a chicken or turkey. Bake in the oven or a roaster and then pick off all the meat and shred. Split your meat in half for two meals. You can make all kinds of stuff with the chicken like chicken noodle soup, plain roasted chicken breast, chicken sandwiches, chicken salad, chicken tacos etc.
  • MaryD4900
    MaryD4900 Posts: 135 Member
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    homemade soup w/ beans and frozen veggies?
  • emilex
    emilex Posts: 95 Member
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    Buy the basics... staples... dried beans, peas, rice, frozen bags of veggies (not the single serving steamer packs where you get... WOW a single serving for $1 while you can get a full kg bag for $2 just having to portion it out at time of serving.
    Lots of cheap options, BUY when on sale, I'll buy a 12 pack of soup at $0.59 a can to avoid paying the $1.89 each price when they're not on sale, they last about 2 years by the date on the can so no harm buying a few extra cases. When tuna is on for $1 a can I'll buy 24 of them again to avoid the $1.89 regular price.
    Bulk pasta rather than individual servings, you can get a 2kg bag of elbows for about $2-$3, you only get 3 boxes of kraft dinner for that and it's only 600grams of elbows.
    Buy bigger containers for the cheaper per unit price and portion it out (1kg bag of almonds is $11 here, but you can pay $1.39 for each 50 gram bag if you want to)
    Buy a block of cheese and portion it into whatever serving size you use, I always use an ounce of cheese if I'm bothering with cheese so I cut it into one ounce blocks and shred them as I need it. A bag of pre-shredded is $7 here for 380grams or I can get a 700 gram block for $9.... hmm almost twice as much cheese for only $2 more? It's worth it.

    That is really great advice
  • swtshortie08
    swtshortie08 Posts: 2
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    I always buy lots of frozen vegatables, usually much cheaper than fresh and just as good. And when our local grocery stores have the buy one pound get one free sale on chicken breasts, I always stock up! I always try to buy what I can on sale. (Sometimes it involves going to different grocery stores.) Check your local grocery stores weekly circular to find good deals.
  • deadmittens
    deadmittens Posts: 536 Member
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    Rice is going to be your savior. Brown rice! Just add some salt (or Ms. Dash if you're watching sodium). Then try costco for some naked nuggets :)

    Just buy basics. Basic chicken breast, basic rice, basic veggies... avoid premade meals and buy in bulk for your family :) I was REALLY broke for the longest time and found that Ramen noodles and italian sausage were a great, cheap way to survive (but know that's the most horrible meal for my poor heart)
  • 000angie000
    000angie000 Posts: 152 Member
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    bump
  • melissaforster07
    melissaforster07 Posts: 145 Member
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    bump
  • djwalt
    djwalt Posts: 1
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    Try Kraft Foods website. They have budget meal receips, kid friendly receips, and healthy receips. I enjoy it and use it several times a month when I need meal ideas.
  • healthyjen342
    healthyjen342 Posts: 1,435 Member
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    Totally understandable...some things DO cost more, but theres a lot of options out there that are healthy and cheap like:

    Beans
    BIG Bag of Brown rice (the kind that takes like an hour to cook..it will last longer)
    TUNA (this really is a wonderfish)
    Frozen veggies
    Bananas are pretty cheap...you can buy and then freeze when they start getting over ripe.
    Eggs
    Chicken Thighs and legs are fine in moderation and without skin
    Same with Chicken breast on the bone..it tends to be cheaper, just cut around the bone and peel the skin BEFORE cooking



    Theres a start...If they have sale papers at the grocery store in question, price matching, discount isles, ANYTHING, see what you can make out of it..it is time consuming sometimes, but in the end, much more worth it!

    Good Luck!
  • kellytime
    kellytime Posts: 23 Member
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    Shop the loss leader sales (buy one get one free) sales and use coupons on them. You can save lots of money, but it does take planning. There are websites that can teach you how to do this. Look up couponing on youtube or google.
  • Sugar5593
    Sugar5593 Posts: 22
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    I find that as long as you have meat, poultry, noodles, brown rice, potatoes, a variaty of frozen vegies, canned stewed tomatoes,and cream of __________ soup...... There are a ton of difrent combos you can make

    1 grilled chiken, rice, saute vegies
    2 cubed turky sauted with noodes vegies and cream of cheese soup (when using the soup to make a sauce i only add 1/2 can skim milk. It makes it thicker)
    3 lean steak, stewed tomatoes, sliced potatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, saute together, top w/mozzarella
  • brandilea_willoughby
    brandilea_willoughby Posts: 45
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    I am a full time student with a $400 a month budget which needs to cover cell phone ($36.00), internet ($30.00), gas (3 full tanks a month at about $55-60.00 a pop) and groceries. This generally leaves me with about $50-60.00 a week for groceries. I buy as much frozen veggies and chicken and salmon, canned tuna, canned fruits and veggies. I drain the juice from the fruit and store in the fridge in water until I am ready to use it. I keep brown rice and dried beans, buy oatmeal in bulk, keep flour white and brown sugar, maple syrup and corn meal and corn starch and baking powder on hand. I make my own bread generally because I don't eat enough to warrant buying a loaf that goes stale before I use it. I buy milk by the gallon and freeze it in 1-2 cup portions until I am ready to use it. When you thaw the milk, make sure to shake it up a bit as it tends to separate a little but it tastes the same before and after. Watch you expiration dates. Milk that has been frozen will generally last a few days longer (3-4) If I am not drinking it, I use canned evaporated milk or powdered milk for recipes. I don't have time to shop and coupon hunt and I don't have the patience to insist on a price match with a store that does not value their customers unless they are spending boat loads of money. When I first started doing all of this 3 years ago, I didn't think I was going to make it. It takes some ingenuity and the ability to freeze in portions, but you'd be amazed at how well stocked my kitchen is. Also, as soon as you are out of a spice, buy the one, then you spend $4 on one instead $15 on three or four and it doesn't seem so bad. You can keep a small herb garden in your kitchen next to a window. Gardens are great if you have space. Good luck!
  • RillSoji
    RillSoji Posts: 376 Member
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    You might check out http://www.e-mealz.com/ . When the hubby and I were on a very tight budget for a time we used them. It's $5/month but the do the whole shebang for meal planning and grocery list. They keep it cheaply priced and you can choose your meal plan according to your diet needs and # of people you're feeding. And it takes then something awesomely silly like 6 months before you'll see some repeat meals. We used emealz for 2 on the low fat plan for about a year. It was awesome. They'll even customize the plan according to where you shop!
  • CNYKrista
    CNYKrista Posts: 61
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    I eat this almost everyday for lunch

    Lite Flatout Flatbreads (Wegmans has them in the section near the english muffins-if you have a Wegmans)
    Deli Turkey
    Sante Fe Marinade
    Lettuce, tomato, jalapenos

    Fat Free pringles

    You can also buy can of sauce and make pizza with the flatbreads

    I also cook alot of chicken and buy the value packs-

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