How does this menu look to save money this month?

[wishesuponastar]

I am just posting dinner ideas....I know my family would get bored but we need to save money and this is the best meal plan I could think of.

Baked Ziti three times in one week

chili with beans no beef two times in one week

quesadillas one time per week

chicken dish one time per week

 

[ELLE-TN]

I totally understand trying to stretch your meals to save money. I do it too. But, maybe you could figure out how to repurpose those main dishes into other things to give it a little pizzazz. Example, I think the Chilli could be used to make burritoes using the same cheese & tortilla shells you need to make the quesadillas. Good Luck!

 

[wishesuponastar]

Good idea about the burritos, thanks!!

 

[DisneyCrazyX5]

My boys like egg burritos. scrambled eggs and cheese wrapped in a tortilla. My dh and I add salsa to ours. I like to add real bacon bits to my eggs sometimes for more flavor.
We also like egg bakes (quiches with out the crust) I just throw them together - we eat alot of eggs we have our own hens, here is a link to one like the ones I make.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/hash-brown-egg-bake/detail.aspx

I also like to roast a chicken in the crock pot

http://thehappyhousewife.com/cooking/whole-chicken-in-a-crock-pot/

The next day we have chicken and noodles.

 

[*Seanaci*]

I totally understand trying to stretch your meals to save money. I do it too. But, maybe you could figure out how to repurpose those main dishes into other things to give it a little pizzazz. Example, I think the Chilli could be used to make burritoes using the same cheese & tortilla shells you need to make the quesadillas. Good Luck!

Ditto this. You might also use it for chili dogs (we do this often with leftover chili).

 

[richmond282]

Is this for EVERY week or just one week? Seems ike a lot of ziti to me.

 

[java]

Plan based on the sale flyer from your store. Ours has loss leaders on a cycle- so it's a sale for 40% off Chicken one week. Steak the next pork after that*although recently they skipped pork wonder what that's all about??

Instead of thinking just ziti- 3 times a week that's a lot of pasta. I have been watching Working Class Foodies on Youtube. They give some great inexpensive and interesting ideas- I just made the zucchini cakes recently with homemade "ricotta" mmm and cheap.

Inexpensive doesn't have to be boring.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

Is this just for one week or for several weeks?

If for more than one week I would definitely think about swapping out 2 of the ziti nights for spaghetti with jarred pasta sauce and pancakes and scrambled eggs. Still inexpensive but adds some variety.

 

[disykat]

I agree, inexpensive doesn't have to be boring.

When I do a whole chicken in a crock pot we have a meal, then I cut off enough meat for another meal (maybe chicken pot pie or a pasta or rice casserole,) then I throw the rest in a pot and make soup.

If you find chickens cheap and buy a couple, one week could be crock pot chicken w/a spicy rub, chicken enchiladas, and chicken/vegetable soup. Another week could be lemon chicken, chicken/rice/brocolli casserole, and tortilla soup.

Look up budget recipes on the net and make a game of it. I've heard of hillbilly housewife (? not sure exactly) and others.

I was also going to suggest breakfast for lunch.

 

[braysmommy]

Another idea is baked potato one night with the chili or maybe some broccoli and cheese too. Still cheap but a little variety.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Ya know, reading the thread really affected me. Hormones, I mean we are talking about feeding kids, feeding a family and trying to do it so that we can afford it....My head spins when I think of all the things people are doing/changing trying to make ends meet. I think it bothers me so much as I see people that have worked hard their whole lives suddenly faced with making drastic changes to keep up with feeding and housing their families, just breaks my heart....
But I digress....just my vent.
OP,

I think that you have some good ideas.
Perhaps hamburgers baked potato and Beans one night, (meat) turned into taco night a few days later...buy the meat in bulk and get a chili out of it too, to use the following week??
Breakfast for dinner one night is a change and the kids generally like it, especially "shaped" pancakes...
Perhaps try and get some veggies in there and perhaps less pasta/carbs, because honestly, the reason many people/kids get overweight is due to the heavy portions of bread, pasta, rice, and the fact that they are least expensive and most filling............seems to be the culprit....

BUT, you have some great ideas. I have a PICKY eater myself, drives me Bonkers as the menu is often limited, so I often make multi meals to satisfy ALL of us....

Perhaps a fun PIZZA night, buy the jar sauce, mozzarella on sale/walmart, dough is cheap, kids can make their own, a salad and your done?
Or chix cutlets on sale (by me always 1.99/lb), grilled with a side and then
sliced up the next night for fajitas, with some veggies?

Just want to wish you success!

 

[ELLE-TN]

here is the hillbilly housewife's $45 menu plan (4-6 people) and $70 plan here
Neither menus include much meat.

Good Luck!

 

[wishesuponastar]

Another idea is baked potato one night with the chili or maybe some broccoli and cheese too. Still cheap but a little variety.

Thank you, I never thought of a baked potato meal

 

[wishesuponastar]

Ya know, reading the thread really affected me. Hormones, I mean we are talking about feeding kids, feeding a family and trying to do it so that we can afford it....My head spins when I think of all the things people are doing/changing trying to make ends meet. I think it bothers me so much as I see people that have worked hard their whole lives suddenly faced with making drastic changes to keep up with feeding and housing their families, just breaks my heart....
But I digress....just my vent.
OP,

I think that you have some good ideas.
Perhaps hamburgers baked potato and Beans one night, (meat) turned into taco night a few days later...buy the meat in bulk and get a chili out of it too, to use the following week??
Breakfast for dinner one night is a change and the kids generally like it, especially "shaped" pancakes...
Perhaps try and get some veggies in there and perhaps less pasta/carbs, because honestly, the reason many people/kids get overweight is due to the heavy portions of bread, pasta, rice, and the fact that they are least expensive and most filling............seems to be the culprit....

BUT, you have some great ideas. I have a PICKY eater myself, drives me Bonkers as the menu is often limited, so I often make multi meals to satisfy ALL of us....

Perhaps a fun PIZZA night, buy the jar sauce, mozzarella on sale/walmart, dough is cheap, kids can make their own, a salad and your done?
Or chix cutlets on sale (by me always 1.99/lb), grilled with a side and then
sliced up the next night for fajitas, with some veggies?

Just want to wish you success!

Thanks so much for your concern. We normally get by but this month hit us hard with needing 5 car tires and doctor bills.

I forgot that I make pizza every Friday so there goes one less ziti night!

Love the idea for fajitas. Oh, we have veggies and fruit every day. Someone mentioned the roasted chicken. I forgot I get those in a 2 pack at Costco.

To those of you who suggested breakfast for dinner. It won't work for one of my kids who doesn't like breakfast foods, no eggs, no pancakes, she's too fussy

This is going to start out for one month but if I can continue it for longer the better.

Keep the ideas coming, I'm learning

 

[Mom_Rides]

When we're short on cash and need some cheap meals, I look to see who has a big bag of frozen chicken breasts on sale and if no one has them, I'll get them from Aldi. For around $6, I can get at least 4 meals out of the bag. I'll do things like chicken fried rice (use one or two breasts), chicken and noodles (same, 1 or 2 breasts), any type of chicken casserole that I can cut down on the number of chicken used.

Then I'll suppliment the rest of the couple of weeks (I shop for 2 weeks at a time) with a pound or two of ground beef. Baked ziti is a great idea if you don't have it 3 times a week! I will generally make a batch of it and then freeze half and have it the next week. Same with chili, split the batch and use some the next week. We also do breakfast for dinner when we need to go cheap. Can't beat pancakes or eggs and toast for a cheap meal!

Good luck cutting down your budget! Get creative!

 

[robinb]

To those of you who suggested breakfast for dinner. It won't work for one of my kids who doesn't like breakfast foods, no eggs, no pancakes, she's too fussy

I too have a fussy eater, so I feel your pain. What about a PB&J or another kind of easy sandwich for that child while the rest of you eat something more interesting?

 

[wishesuponastar]

haha, she's too good for pb&j too Where did I go wrong?? LOL
She used to eat all this stuff.

 

[ELLE-TN]

Another couple of thoughts on the chilli :

1. pour some chilli in a baking dish and cover with a layer of shredded cheddar cheese followed by cornbread mixture and bake until the mixture is done. You can add corn to this to sneak in a veggie if you like.

2. add a packet of rach seasoning mix and a can of rotel to chilli to make what we call taco soup

As for the zitti (noodles), maybe you could use some of the noodles and make a chilled veggie pasta salad using cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers and some italien dressing.

I also have a very filling easy cheap recipe for chicken. Use a can of cream of chicken, a can of biscuits, and some diced chicken to make a pot of chicken & dumplings.

Diced chicken, a can of veg-all, cream of potato soup, and a cheap pie crust can be turned into a great chicken pot pie.

Don't forget about canned tuna as a cheap meat alternative. Served with a tossed salad this is a very healthy meal.

Or even better, canned salmon. A really tastey and filling meal when fried up to salmon cakes and served with corn bread, soup beans, and fried potatoes. Maybe not the healthiest meal but mighty tastey and filling.

Cook a beef roast one night with potatoes, carrots, and celery and turn it into a beef stew for later in the week.

Cook some sliced potatoes with some diced ham covered with shredded cheese and cream of chicken soup for a great one dish meal.

There are so many different cheap meal alternatives. Believe me! I live on a tight tight budget and feed two teens and a 'tween who eat like there's no tomorrow and still manage to be skinny minnies.

One way you can cut costs too is to cut out soft drinks and prepackaged snack foods.

 

[buckirj1]

A little planning and forethought goes a long way. You're on the right track.

It looks like you're using a good bit of cheese. Unless you have food stamps, cheese is very expensive, not very healthy, and should be used more as a condiment than a main source of protein.

I don't see any fruits and vegetables. Shopped judiciously, fresh fruits and vegetables can be pretty inexpensive. Canned and frozen fruits and vegetables offer a lot of bang for the buck. Avoid juices, which are pretty much a waste of money unless you buy the concentrate and make it yourself. Edit: I just saw where you have fruits and vegetables. That's good.

Eggs are still an inexpensive protein. So are canned beans, unless you have time to fool with dried beans.

Some kind of pasta is almost always on sale. The big cans of pasta sauce are about a buck, and are pretty good.

 

[PaulaSue]

Many great ideas for you already. I love see what others eat, I feel like I do the same thing every week and I am always looking for more family friendly ideas.