Need very tight budget meal ideas

[MinnieMO]

ok we (family of 5) do this allll the time


I am guessing here on amounts but yea

2 box of stuffing mix we use chicken (red and yellow box) I think a box is like 96 cents at walmart
A bag of frozen chicken breasts
and a family size can of cream of mushroom soup

mix the stuffing as the box says and pour into a oil sprayed crock pot (if you don't it will burn and stick bad) place frozen chicken on top of stuffing and then put the COM soup on top and cover

we mix it around 12 and it's ready by 5 we have it on hi for a couple hours and then on yours there is a keep warm but you could do low
it is soooooo good


we use 3 boxes and around 10 pieces of chicken but we are all over 12

if you need anything else let me know

 

[mybabesuz]

We do breakfast for dinner atleast once a week.
Pancakes or French Toast or Scrambled eggs w/ toast.

Pasta with lb of hamburger and jar of sauce.

Chicken nuggets, can of green beans, crisper fries...

Beanies and weinies... my favorite

sloppy Joes also tend to go far...
one jar and lb of meat make atleast 8-10 sandwiches

 

[java]

Chicken thighs are always on sale and cheap cheap cheap- skinless and boneless
brown them in a little olive oil. add 1/2 cup oj and 1/2 cup chicken stock
cook until chicken is cooked through.

Take out chicken. turn heat on the oj/broth up to high then
Add one tbsp of Honey
1/4 cup of a grainy mustard
couple splashes of hot sauce
whisk- until the sauce thickens to coat the back of a spoon- add the chicken back in to heat. serve over white rice.
Yummy favorite in our house.

 

[java]

oh and on the Ramen- a real cheapo meal

brown some chicken cutlets that have been cut into bite size pieces- add a little oyster sauce- or soy (but I like the thicker oyster and I always have it in the pantry- but soy will work too) add some brocoli florets-

meanwhile do the 3 minute oriental flavored noodles(2 or 3 of them if you really want to stretch it- drain almost completely then add the seasoning package- stir - toss in the chicken and brocoli.
mmmmmm.

Breakfast fried rice

cup of cold cooked rice
scallions chopped
4 slices of bacon cooked crisp
2 eggs scrambled
soy sauce
butter
get a pan HOT- add the butter and the rice- stir because it will stick(you can add a little oil too to help that.
add the soy to your taste-- I prefer less soy. Then add in the scrambled eggs bacon and scallions and stir it all together.
I'll use this as a side with something or even on it's own as a meal.

 

[kimisabella]

I think ziti is super expensive to make. The ingredients for that around here total about $20. Plain pasta is cheap, mac n cheese, ramen, hot dogs, soup and grilled cheese, buy a whole ham make soup, sandwiches, etc. out of it.

These cheeses that go into ziti can be very expensive - $5/lb for the mozzerella, $6/ricotta, parmesan, ect... What I do is wait for them to go on sale for $1.99/or so, and I stock up and put them in the freezer, the mozz and ricotta are fine when I take them from the freezer. It really is crazy if you were to pay full price for them.

 

[TifffanyD]

$10 per meal for 2 people doesn't seem that budget - you should be able to make almost anything you'd like! That's $300 a month just on dinners... our grocery budget is $400 for the month and that includes some luxury items

Anyways - we joined BJ's wholesale and buy a lot of meat there - it's pretty cheap. They have purdue boneless chicken in big containers but each pound or so is individually freezerpacked. It works great for the 2 of us because one "breast pack" has 2 breasts in it. So we get about 6 lbs for $15 or so and that lasts quite awhile. I also get ground turkey there for $1.99 a pound and split it and freeze it - I make meatballs, tacos, burgers (I will make lots of burgers ahead of time and freeze them in patty form). You can sub ground turkey in any recipe that calls for ground beef - it's yummy and much better for you!

 

[feedindy]

Recooking is usually a cheap way to eat. Make a pot roast one night which might cost a little more, but shred the leftover beef the next day and add bbq. If you have leftover roasted potatoes, fry them up in a saute pan for a French fry type side dish. Use leftover pasta sauce to make parmesan chicken. Put leftover chili over cornbread, top with cheese and have a casserole.

You end up using much less ingredients the second go around on the meat, but it isn't quite the same as eating leftovers.

 

[Mkgaapril]

OMG....someone else has goulash, growing it was a tue. meal...wed lunch...its not to bad if you sprinkly chili powder on it...omlets are cheap, pancakes with a few links will go a long way...we do omlets once a week its cheap, easy and quick...I fry up bacon, put it in the chopper, store in baggie and use when needed....great with cheese and such...good luck you will make it..(I find some of my best meals were when I was broke.

 

[tiggerx3]

Openfaced Turkey or roast beef sandwiches using meat from the deli. You just add gravy, place on bread (we like ours toasted) and you're done.

Marinate Chicken in Italian dressing all afternoon or longer and then grill it. You can serve it with a salad and a veggie or just put it on a bun.

Hot dog and fried potatoes - Brown 5 sliced potatoes in a skillet with chopped green peppers, onions, salt and pepper. Add 4-5 hot dogs sliced 1/2 inch thick. Add a beaten egg or two, cook and serve.

Chicken fettucini alfredo - Dice and brown chicken in a pan and add Ragu or 5 brothers sauce and simmer. Serve over pasta.

 

[pamlet]

When we need to eat REAL cheap ... we make rice with a can of generic "rotel" and have bean and cheese burritos ... just takes a can of refried beans (I buy no fat), a little diced onion and shredded cheddar ... very little cheese if we're REALLY REALLY poor that week... laugh...

Basically anything "Tex-Mex" is pretty cheap ... rice/refried beans ... a little hamburger meat if it's in the budget and shredded cheddar .. I'll add fresh diced tomatoes and shredded lettuce ... if not for one meal it won't matter.. We make our own flour tortillas - but they really aren't that expensive to buy..

 

[neatokimmo]

Hummus is cheap, 3 cans of chickpeas (or I bag dried cooked in a crock pot), 1/2 clove of garlic (or less), lemon juice and a can of black olives. Whirl that around and you have a great filling dip that you can eat with bread or crackers.

I make red beans and rice too. I do a pound of rice, a pound of dried red beans, an onion, a can or two of tomatoes, a pound of ground beef and lawry's seasoning salt. It comes out to about $5 and makes a TON of food.

 

[hsmamato2]

OOOH! lots of good ideas! One reminder is to shop sales,and stock when foods are cheap,like if pasta is cheap,stock extra,if meat is cheap,etc.....that way you have ingredients on hand when they're inexpensive....in our house I shop meats(expensive week) and veg/fruit/beans week(much cheaper)
rice and beans- pasta and sauce, with meat either mixed in sauce,or meatballs ,a small amount is sufficient, cheese for more protein too-
don't make burgers with ground beef,make meatloaves where you mix in the fillers,and it stretches double...when you make meatloaves, make 3,freeze 2,and use as needed,etc.
Cut out premade stuff..... shop the outer aisles of grocery- shop discount stores,make a planned shopping trip to a few stores,hitting sales,and even with high gas prices,if you keep it in a certain area,you still save.....
Buy rice at local asian markets(much cheaper) also buy spices in the ethinic aisles,much cheaper,like asian,hispanic,etc.

 

[jacobsmom]

Homemade bread dough makes a lot of things and is much cheaper and healthier than buying it from the store! I make cinnamon rolls, stuffed sandwiches, rolls, and pizza from 1 batch! Love it! Soup is always an inexpensive meal and feeds our house for quite a while.

 

[brenalexacamp]

potatoes and eggs

slice potatoes thin-fry them
then drain

put back in frying pan and add scrambled eggs
salt and peper to taste and put on a sub roll
delish

same for peppers and eggs

 

[kimsuenew]

Also goulash

One package elbow macaroni (cooked)
1# hamburger meat
One large can tomato sauce
one onion diced fine....

Serve with french bread or a simple salad and you get a few meals from it..

Oh goodness, this takes me back! My parents didn't have much money when I was growing up and we had this often... we called it "Macaroni Stuff"

Mom used about 1/2 # of hamburger bless her heart... trying to stretch the few grocery dollars she had.

It is still a "comfort food" for me, we have it every now and then but I tend to use a full pound of meat versus Mom's 1/2 pound and we always used (and I still do) a full can of tomato juice (not sauce) which makes it a bit more "soupy". I also will add a can (Mom never did) of diced tomatoes to it, it stretches the soupy mix even a bit further and this recipe is great for leftovers!

 

[powellrj]

check out this website, she has a $45 emergency menu and a $70 menu, plus lots of good budget ideas.

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/

 

[lexntaysmom]

I got this recipe from Betty Crocker and make it all the time, it's SUPER cheap to get the ingredients. It sounds different but is really good trust me.

I add cheese to the top or the eggs get a little hard. Oh and I don't use the name brands, I just get what's cheapest.

2 cups cornbread stuffing crumbs
1 can (15.25 ounces) Green Giant® whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (4.5 ounces) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles, undrained
1/2 cup sour cream
7 eggs
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (4 ounces)
Salsa, if desired

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Spray rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches, with cooking spray.
2. Mix stuffing, corn, chilies, sour cream and 1 egg in large bowl. Spread evenly in baking dish.
3. Make 6 indentations in stuffing mixture with back of spoon. Break 1 egg into each indentation. Pierce yolk of each egg with fork.
4. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until egg whites and yolks are firm, not runny. Sprinkle cheese over stuffing mixture. Bake 2 to 3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Serve with salsa.

 

[PrincessKsMom]

Bagel or english muffin pizza! Just need bagels or english muffins (duh!), sauce, cheese and spices.

 

[DMickey28]

Make a list of what you have in the freezer, fridge and cabinets. You will be surprised what you can make out of what you already have when you see it on paper.

For the short term concentrate on buying just what you need for that meal and don't look at good deals, bargains or sales. Once you get back on your feet you can take that further and start stocking up on good deals.

Look for the sales and buy only on sale for the next two weeks.

Buy a box of rice, you can make a ton of different meals out of it. Much cheaper than the convience rice.

Look for sale on frozen groceries. Our local Grocery store had a 50% off sale this week on Steamfresh veggies. That was even cheaper than the walmart price of $1.00 normally.

Drop your expectations and buy generic cheese for a few weeks.

You can realistically eat for the next two weeks on less than $40-60 depending on what is in already in your fridge/freezer.

The whole chicken is a good idea only if it's on sale. Other wise unless you are buying a huge fryer, it really doesn't go that far.

Do you have a Super Walmart? They have a family package of chicken breast for $13ish that has lasted us three weeks so far.

Get a less lean ground beef. Make mexican from it. Beef, rice, tortilla's, some onions, some cheese and a can of red beans and you have a yummy meal. I'd say under $10 easily, with stuff left over to use on other meals.

Buy a bag of potatoes. Make baked potatoes with chili from the beef.

It can totally be done and it can be fun. Just remember for the time being, only buy what you need today. Don't worry about great prices or sales right now. In a few weeks you can start adding those in. Dig up your change. One week I challenged myself to only spend loose change at the store. It worked!!!

 

[smacky1]

oh and on the Ramen- a real cheapo meal

brown some chicken cutlets that have been cut into bite size pieces- add a little oyster sauce- or soy (but I like the thicker oyster and I always have it in the pantry- but soy will work too) add some brocoli florets-

meanwhile do the 3 minute oriental flavored noodles(2 or 3 of them if you really want to stretch it- drain almost completely then add the seasoning package- stir - toss in the chicken and brocoli.
mmmmmm.

Ive made something similar to this that was also really good. Stir fry coleslaw mix and toss with cooked, drained noodles. For seasoning I just used the seasoning packet that came with it(oriental). I used 1 seaoning packet for 2 packages to cut back on sodium. We also added shrimp, but for a budget meal you could omit meat or use whatever you have or is on sale cheap that week. Any veggies that your family likes could be used as well.