Cheap meals desperately need help

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zachbonner
zachbonner Posts: 4,285 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone I've screwed myself over by spending my money stupidly and now I have about 50 dollars for the month before I'm back at home for the summer. Can you guys tell me some good meal ideas and very cheap so I don't run out of money? thanks!

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  • butterfly0819
    butterfly0819 Posts: 94
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    Cans of tuna are pretty cheap and make good lunches with crackers, bread, pitas, or just by itself.. a little bit of olive oil mayo, pickles and onion is what I put in mine.. another cheap meal for breakfasts is yogurt. you can get them pretty cheap.. and not always the best for you, but the michaelina frozen healthy meals you can usually find for a dollar in the local grocery store :) good luck. I am always looking for cheap :)
  • graelwyn
    graelwyn Posts: 1,340 Member
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    Baking potatoes aren't expensive here, not sure about there. Cans of beans, wholewheat pasta, bread, eggs, yoghurt, frozen veggies aren't expensive here, but I am in the Uk. A bag of brown rice is a good staple as well, to stick tuna and beans with. Baked potatoes can be filled with so many things. Buy a cauliflower, throw some cottage cheese over it and cook, that is another one. I am sure you can make a fairly cheap stew too that could last several days. Shop around and make sure you have the staples around the place. A bean stew shouldn't cost much to make.
  • jenniprr
    jenniprr Posts: 119
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    Brown rice (the long cook variety) is cheap as are beans. Get the bags of dried beans and you will get the most bang for your buck. Make some homemade soup with whatever veg is on sale and in season. You can add the beans to the soup, too. Get bullion cubes, which are cheaper than buying the cans of broth. My grocery store has a spot in the back of the produce section with all the veggies that are on the verge of being over ripe and are sold very cheaply. Natural peanut butter is good. You can buy it cheaper from a discount store (do you have a Job Lot near you?) than a grocery store typically. Also, start clipping coupons and matching them to the store circulars to get the best discounts. Most stores will give you the left over Sunday paper for free on Monday if they have them leftover. The dollar store can be great, too. Mine has large cartons of soy milk for $1 and 100% whole wheat bread for $1. I also agree with canned tuna. I grab them when they are 2 for $1. Hope this helps!
  • Jessamine
    Jessamine Posts: 226 Member
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    Hi everyone I've screwed myself over by spending my money stupidly and now I have about 50 dollars for the month before I'm back at home for the summer. Can you guys tell me some good meal ideas and very cheap so I don't run out of money? thanks!

    Rice
    Beans
    Discounted meats (less than $2/lb)
    Only drink water
    Dented canned goods at discount grocery stores. Just watch the expiration dates and make sure they not TOO dented.

    There are now a lot of online coupons for groceries (even for eggs and produce). Do you have a Vons or Ralphs in your area? You can sign up online and add coupons to your card. They often have coupons in their circulars, too.

    Rice-a-Roni and Top Ramen may appear cheap at first, but they're not compared to the volume of plain white rice you can get for the same amount.
  • Jessamine
    Jessamine Posts: 226 Member
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    Yeah... bags of potatoes and onions are pretty cheap if you shop the sales.
  • Hollywoodcvt
    Hollywoodcvt Posts: 2 Member
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    My hubby and I just had a baby so I know how to fix cheap for us! Eggs are great and I buy the 18 count cartons to get a better deal. I hard boil some to mix with tuna and eat one with Franks hot sauce for breakfast. I buy big containers of Greek yogurt, rice, pasta, tuna and canned chicken. I really like cheese so that I will splurge on but one of my hubbys favorite food is a cup of rice, can of chicken and cheese. That will feed him for 2 meals! I also buy tortillas all the time. I use those instead of bread for sandwiches, fill them with eggs and salsa for breakfast burritos and can bake them for chips!
  • Jessamine
    Jessamine Posts: 226 Member
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    Eggs are going to be really cheap right now since we're approaching Easter. They're currently 88 cents for a dozen at our grocery store.
  • zoeluiisa
    zoeluiisa Posts: 392
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    Beans, lentils, rice, potatoes, all dirt cheap. As are the less exotic veg -carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, onions etc. If you want meat, how about those bargain bumper packs of chicken legs (much cheaper than breasts). I'd say steer clear of packaged and processed stuff - much less nutrition for your money.
    (I'm in the UK, don't know if prices are the same where you are).

    ETA- if you're not sure what to do with all that veg, make soup! So easy, just chop it all up, simmer till soft and blend. Make a big batch and freeze in single portions for easy meals all week.
  • F1uffy2
    F1uffy2 Posts: 84 Member
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    Potatoe, onion, stock cubes and seasoning can form the basis for a huge amount of homemade soups. Just add whatever veg and meat you fancy (doesn't need to be in huge quantities either, just enough to add flavour). Real cheap and the extra will freeze for another day.x
  • graelwyn
    graelwyn Posts: 1,340 Member
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    I suggest seeing this as a challenge and enjoying the experience of coming up with cheap and nourishing meals. It could be quite fun experimenting, you never know. Eggs, beans, toast, not a bad meal. You could make omelettes as well, by throwing in some potatoes and veg with the eggs.
  • HardcorePork
    HardcorePork Posts: 109 Member
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    Hi everyone I've screwed myself over by spending my money stupidly and now I have about 50 dollars for the month before I'm back at home for the summer. Can you guys tell me some good meal ideas and very cheap so I don't run out of money? thanks!


    lentil stew - lentils, onion, celery, carrots ...very cheap & high in protein

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