What are the cheapest meals you make?

[greencrayon]

After my H and I separate, I will be living off of ~$1800/month ($650 mortgage, ~$300 for bills, $70 on dog food (will be changing brands to Costco dog food from taste of the wild) and $370 for my half of daycare, $283 car payment) so I need to really cut down on my grocery bills. It's just me and my daughter (12 months) and she's allergic to eggs. Daycare supplies some food, but I have to supply some because of her allergies. I don't really like rice and pasta, but I understand that in bulk I can make cheap meals with that. I basically want to make 7 meals that I can make every week, so I know ingredients and how much it will cost every week. I realize this isn't feasible and will probably start some debt, but I'd like to keep it down. Thank you

[aurora]

My first answer was going to be pasta, but since you want to avoid that my next two answers are burritos (bean, cheese, and veggies) and soup (combining whatever leftovers you have on hand - a small amount of chicken will go a long way with some veggies and barley, for example).

[shamrockshake]

I've made a lot of things from here that have been good
www.budgetbytes.com

[magpie]

lentils and rice. I make curried red lentils, but you can make it with onions and garlic if you don't have the spices. I lived on lentils and rice in my leanest times. I buy rice in bulk from ethnic stores (Asian or Mediterranean). I buy my lentils and spices there too, now that I think about it.

[xokell2]

Where do you grocery shop? Do you have cheaper options like aldi?

[everafter07]

A lot of these recipes can be made for cheap, no meat, with dried beans, lentils, chickpeas, grains, and low cost produce, like potatoes and subbing in frozen veg where you can (spinach, kale). I've made a bunch of these, and they've all been good. Hugs to you, by the way.

www.buzzfeed.com/deenashanker/meatless-30-minute-meals?s=mobile

[audette]

I do a lot of soups/stews/chilis/etc... If you're able to, most soups freeze really well, so you can make up big batches and have them ready for lunches/suppers. And, you can avoid rice and pasta easily with them - I like barley when I use a starch in soups.

Also, with a stick blender, you can whiz up the soups for meals for your kid (assuming the adult-bite-sized stuff in the soup is an issue at all).

I also do some really simple lazy meals - Soften a diced onion in a bit of olive oil, or onion and celery, or whatever you have on hand, toss in a can of beans, and a can or two of diced tomatoes. Add some spices - I often go for garlic, cumin and oregano. Or curry powder and similar, or chili powder, jalapenos, garlic and cumin... And eat it with a starch of some kind (I usually opt for brown rice). It's relatively fast and easy, has some protein, has some veggies, has a bit of good oil, and some flexibility to match what you feel like eating. And it usually makes enough for leftovers that can be frozen or eaten again for another meal.

[everafter07]

And ditto Budget Bytes, I love that site!

[mbcdefg]

Rotisserie chicken ($5 at Costco or Shop Rite), or buy a whole chicken on sale and roast it yourself ... Roast chicken with potatoes and vegetables; then chicken pot pie or shepherd's pie on night #2; then stir fry or fried rice or tacos on night #3. Save the bones plus vegetable scraps to make broth (and throw in whatever you want for soup).

Eggs - omelets, quiche (throw in any meat or vegetables you want), scrambled or fried eggs. Pancakes or waffles from scratch. Potato hash. (ETA: sorry, I missed the egg allergy!)

Pizza - DIY dough, or you can usually get it for $2 or less at the supermarket ... Add any meat/veg/cheese you want. A great way to use up small bits of leftovers.

London broil is a cheap cut when you're craving steak. Flat iron steak is cheap in the summer (in my area, anyway) and is awesome on the grill. Chuck is cheap since it's tough - stew or braise it slowly and it's yummy.

Bone-in skin-on chicken thighs usually run me about $5 for 12 pieces, which is three meals. Drumsticks are also a cheap cut. Boneless skinless breasts are usually the most expensive. I don't buy a whole chicken unless it's on sale for about $6 or less.

Pasta plus vegetables and oil/garlic is quick, cheap, and easy. Or use rice, cous cous, or quinoa if you don't want pasta. I also keep some ramen noodles on hand for quick stir fry lunches.

Pork is very cheap at my supermarket. Pork chops breaded in Panko and grated Parmesan is really tasty. Put a pork shoulder in the crockpot, shred and add barbecue sauce, and you'll have pulled pork for a few nights.

Keep an eye out at the supermarket for cheaper options of the same thing. A bag or clamshell container of washed spinach costs me between $3-6 ... but a loose bunch of fresh spinach is less than $2, and all I have to do is pick the leaves off and rinse them well. Plus, no wasteful packaging!

Nothing wrong with cereal or PB&J for dinner sometimes. We all get tired or run low on the grocery budget.

[greencrayon]

Jan 26, 2015 22:01:18 GMT -5 xokell2 said:

Where do you grocery shop? Do you have cheaper options like aldi?

I do have an Aldi right down the street! What do you buy from there?

[greencrayon]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I will check out that site!

[LoveTrains]

I like this! Its a roast chicken and a weeks worth of meals using the chicken for $26.

cheaphealthygood.blogspot.com/2009/02/1-chicken-17-healthy-meals-26-bucks-no.html

[msamyfarrahfowler]

Tacos and Asian stir fry are my most budget friendly meals.

[Deleted]

For lunches, I freeze portions of homemade soup. That way I don't have to eat a whole batch at once, and I get some variety. I've usually got 3-4 kinds in the freezer.
Summer I switch to mason jar salads.

[xokell2]

Jan 26, 2015 22:20:10 GMT -5 @domerjen said:

Jan 26, 2015 22:10:33 GMT -5 greencrayon said:

I do have an Aldi right down the street! What do you buy from there?

I <3 Aldi.  Stay out of the random crap purchase aisle though (that's my fav). haha

Stuff I buy there:
- organic lettuce
- organic pasta/sauce
- many fruits and veg (some organic, some not)
- cheese - their cheese sticks and blocks of cheese are very well priced
- dairy in general seems inexpensive there (sour cream, yogurt, etc...)
- I don't buy it there, but their meat seems well priced
- They have good bread, at great prices. 
- canned beans, fruit, etc... as needed
- cheap baking supplies - flour, sugar, oil, etc... are so cheap vs. other stores.

All of this! Fruits, veggies (canned and fresh), coffee creamer, nuts, salad dressing, cheese, yogurt. I got there at least twice a month. I can fill my cart and get out for under $100. It's definitely an acquired taste if you're used to the fancier places but between there and costco I save so much more $$

[illgetthere]

We cook with a fair amount of chicken. I buy the Perdue breasts when my store does them b1g1 and can split a breast in half lengthwise. Each breast will feed 1 adult and 1 kid, plus I can cook them on the stove with any seasoning. Each breast will end up about out $2. Base the sides on what style you do the chicken. We do frozen veggies, potatoes, pasta salad, rice, etc. We also have breakfast for dinner one night. Leftover chicken pieces are saved for bbq chicken pizza.

[Deleted]

I ate a lot of seasoned rice and beans in college. Add a piece of fruit and a veggie on the side.

We cut up a loop of smoked turkey sausage and sauté it with frozen broccoli and serve over pasta/rice/couscous. Add pepper flakes and/or Parmesan on top if you like.

[Deleted]

Chicken and rice - t.today.com/food/cook-once-eat-all-week-chicken-casserole-sweet-potato-soup-1D79801699

Tuscan bean soup - can of tomatoes, stock, beans, greens, carrot, onion, celery, pasta if you want

[gt7301b]

I make black bean soup with a bag of beans, chicken broth, and a pound of sausage (you could skip the sausage or use a half a pound if you wanted to go cheaper). I add cumin, curry, garlic, salt, and pepper.  I soak the beans over night and cook in the crock pot while I am at work.

If the baby doesn't do soup you could pull some out of the black beans out before adding sausage and serve black beans and rice or with a tortilla.

A small bag of black beans lasts us several days (for two) and with sausage runs ~ $5.

[greencrayon]

Jan 26, 2015 23:53:35 GMT -5 milsaroo said:

Do you not like all rice? Another cheap easy filler is potatoes.

Good luck!

Love potatoes! I don't know what it is, but I just don't like rice. I eat it if it's covered in something delicious, but the last time I bought it was because the dog was sick lol.

Thank you for the advice about treating myself. I need to remember that.

[greencrayon]

Jan 27, 2015 5:56:09 GMT -5 RockNVoll said:

If you have access to a Costco, their rotisserie chicken really can't be beat in terms of both flavor and value.

We do! A gets rotisserie chicken for dinner most nights and I put it in salads. I'm going to go from the $110 plan to the $55 one though.

[orval]

I buy almost everything at Aldi. Just went yesterday and spent $102 bought tons of produce, lunchmeat, cheeses, eggs, frozen pizza, bread. Their produce prices are great - for example 3 green peppers for $1.99 (if that is too much for you being just one person, you can chop them and freeze them for later). Their meat is actually very, very good. Some of the best steaks I have made have come from Aldi.

[Deleted]

Sounds like you might qualify for food assistance? I'd look into that so you don't have to worry so much about eating foods you don't like and being able to afford fresh fruits and veggies.

[imojoebunny]

I make burritos without the wrapper. Dried beans are crazy cheap and healthy. You can soak them and cook a couple bags at a time, then put them in single serve freezer bags that you can thaw quickly. It's is a good, healthy, filling protein for less than $0.20 a serving. A bag of shredded cheese is $5.00 for 8 servings ($0.62 a 2oz serving). You could do the same cook and freeze all at once with rice if you need more calories, and you can have a decent meal for under a dollar. You can top with a variety of veggies and fruits to change the flavor and add in nutrients. Whatever you can get for cheap. It might up your cost to $2.00 a meal if you add an avacado, onion, mango, ect, but if you could stand eating it every lunch and dinner, have oatmeal for breakfast, you could eat very healthy for $129 a month.

I lived on beans and rice at least 4 days a week for 10+ years, but you might want to see if you can get food assistance, since you also have to feed and clothe your daughter, and even spending $129, your still $2 short.

Can you get a roommate?

[tigress]

Jan 27, 2015 7:50:45 GMT -5 orval said:

I buy almost everything at Aldi. Just went yesterday and spent $102 bought tons of produce, lunchmeat, cheeses, eggs, frozen pizza, bread. Their produce prices are great - for example 3 green peppers for $1.99 (if that is too much for you being just one person, you can chop them and freeze them for later). Their meat is actually very, very good. Some of the best steaks I have made have come from Aldi.

I buy the majority of my food at Aldi too. I only go other places if I can't get it at Aldi. It takes some getting used to but now its my favorite store. I can get in and out of there quick and for cheap. LOVE. I have had no issues with meat from there. 

[martini]

I want to ditto those who mentioned Aldi. I love that store. Can't believe how much money we save by going there! There are organic options as well which is nice. DH didn't get my love for Aldi at first but once he went with me and filled up our cart and was shocked at how cheap the total was. We are doing Whole30 right now, so we expected our grocery budget to go up quite a bit, but since we shop at Aldi the total hasn't been crazy high.

Do you have a slow cooker? I find that really helps me- I try to make at least one meal a week in that (check out the Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos from Budget Bytes- amazing!)

I also like to roast boneless skinless chicken thighs with baby red potatoes seasoned with rosemary and garlic; then green beans on the side. It's pretty effortless but delicious and not too expensive- that has been my go to company dish lately.

[lishie]

My sister just sent me a lentil sloppy joe recipe that was cheap and made a ton. both DH and I liked it. when we reheated I added ground beef, and it was half beef and half lentil, and DH liked it better than the all beef ones I make. Do a batch of lentil and beef, and you have a ton of meals for fairly cheap.

squashblossombabies.com/2013/04/14/lentil-sloppy-joes/

[zarapipe]

Quesidillas! If your daughter wont eat meat you can just fill with cheese. I buy a pack of chicken breast on sale ($5 or 6), green pepper (70 cents),an onion (cheap), pack of taco seasoning (50 cents). I have a quesadilla maker and can get 4 stuffed huge quesadillas or 5 regular ones. You can also freeze the filling to make later or make them all and they heat up really good in the oven.

[zarapipe]

also crockpot bbq. I get a pork roast for usually $12 if I remember correctly but it makes SOOOOO much and it freezes really well. I will make it, eat for dinner and freeze the rest in small portions to just pull out and make sandwiches one night. I usually have leftovers for 3 meals for two people.

[Deleted]

Jan 27, 2015 8:50:53 GMT -5 @lorelaireadsagain said:

Sounds like you might qualify for food assistance? I'd look into that so you don't have to worry so much about eating foods you don't like and being able to afford fresh fruits and veggies.

This is what I'm thinking. Honestly, your budget sounds very similar to mine (swap daycare for student loan payment) and I couldn't swing it on $1800. I take home a few hundred dollars more than that a month and it's tight. I'm not trying to scare you, but I think in your position I'd look into any assistance that's available. You also need variety in your diet to be healthy, so this is an area you can only cut back so much.

Beyond that, I really like this thread and I'm going to try to use some of the advice Grocery budget is one of the few areas where I probably have room to cut back in my budget too, so this is helpful.