Need very tight budget meal ideas

[LeesyUD]

Ok so hear is my situation, I have been unemployed recently due to a medical issue but I am getting ready to start working through a temp agency. Things have gotten extremely tight because my fiance and I had no choice but to move during my unemployment period and we had unavoidable start up costs. We had made a budget, however, we had the unfortunate and unexpected experience of both of the brakes and rotors going on our cars with 2 weeks of each other. My brakes were fine and literally went one night while we were out and our rear tire flew off while we were driving. Well we fixed just his car and do not have the money to get mine fixed for at least a few weeks. But that combine with a few other unexpected general expenses put a huge damper on our budget. Now we are living paycheck to paycheck for the next two months and the next two weeks are going to be the worst. We need to strictly adhere to our budget or we will risk being late on our rent check or some of our other bills which would be very bad. We are only going to be spending money on gas and food.

I have come up with a few ideas myself for cheap meals like getting a whole chicken to make soup for a few meals and I make homemade meatballs and gravy that gets us about 5 meals for $30 - $35. We also though of things liked baked french toast for dinner and grilled chicken on the foreman with kraft mac and cheese and a cheap vegetable and of course the ultimate cheap dinner, ramen (I feel like I am in college again). We are going to clear out what we have in the cabinets and fridge already and I am doing what I can to spend less than $10 per dinner for the both of us. I am hoping others may have some suggestions on cheap meal ideas. Our goal is that even when we get out of our current situation we can continue to do this as much as possible. Once I start working things are going to be much better but we are going to have to get another car sometime this summer and we want to get our cc bills paid off and of course we want to have a wedding eventually Anyway any ideas would be appreciated and sorry this was so long, I think I needed to vent a bit.

 

[Tazicket]

Pasta and sauce tends to be cheap (especially if you go store brand), and DH and I usually get at least 4 meals for each of us with that.

I second the whole chicken idea - I cook mine in a crockpot w/ pieces of carrots and celery and seasonings (usually onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme - we call it "Scarborough Fair Chicken" )

Another is chicken, rice, and black eyed peas. You can stretch a little chicken into several servings and it's really easy - cut up chicken, cooked rice, black eyed peas, and a can of cream of chicken soup. Add whatever seasonings you want and stir it all together. This one is also good for at least 2 meals for each of us.

Another good one we've just discovered is homemade stuffed sandwiches. We have a pizza stone at home which makes it super yummy. You need: 1 can of Pillsbury pizza crust, cheese of your choice, meat of your choice. Roll out pizza crust to an area of about 12 x 9, layer cheese and meat (and cooked veggies if you want) to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the crust, roll up (jelly-roll fashion starting on a long side) and press to seal the edges. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes (or until browned).

I hope this helps you at least a little.

 

[Darcy03231]

Anything with pasta tends to be much cheaper than other foods and is filling. I make penne pasta with chicken, broccoli and alfredo sauce which is inexpensive. I use a box of penne pasta, a jar of alfredo sauce, 1 pkg of broccoli florets and cooked, chunked chicken. With two people you should be able to get a couple of meals out of it.

Another cheap meal is turkey. I've done it one night as turkey dinner, the next as leftovers, then made turkey pot pie and then turkey soup w/sandwiches.

 

[Tazicket]

I forgot one! Baked ziti. Ridiculously easy and you can eat off of it for a few days.

1 box of ziti
1 jar of pasta
1/2 - 1 pound ground beef
1 container ricotta cheese
1 bag shredded mozzarella

Cook ziti according to box directions. Brown ground beef with any seasonings you want; mix w/ pasta, sauce, ricotta, and any seasonings you may want to add in a 13 x 9 baking dish. Top with shredded mozzarella. Cover with tin foil and bake in 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Super good, pretty inexpensive, and lasts for several meals. Can't beat it.

 

[happily single]

Soft taco's are cheap. a pound (or less for the two of you) of hamburger (normally $3.00 pound); a taco seasoning packet (.99) and a a package of soft tacos (between $1-3). My kids don't like the veggies but you can add those if you want

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

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..

 

[neffernie]

I made red beans and rice yesterday. I think it was about $5 (with loads of rice left over for other meals) for 3 people.

1 onion - chopped - less than $1
1 can of diced tomatoes - less than $1
bag of rice - about $2, I only used a cup though
1 can of red kidney beans - less than $1

heat the onions, tomatoes, and beans together in the microwave while cooking the rice. When the rice is done toss everything in the pot together. You get your protein, carbs, veggies all at once.

 

[englishteacha]

We eat a lot of pasta-it's easy and it's cheap. There are lots of pasta options. You could check on Cooks.com or other recipe sites for pasta ideas. I like pasta with jarred sauce (Save-a-lot's brand is really quite good), chop suey (pasta, tomato sauce of your choice, some browned hamburg), lasagna (expensive at the outset but I get at least 6 meals out of a giant lasagna), mac and cheese (homemade), chili mac (chili with mac, I add shredded cheese, some make it from Kraft mac and cheese). Oh, you could make "pizza mac" with pasta, sauce, pepperoni or other pizza toppings, and cheese.

I also cook a whole chicken and freeze leftovers to use in chicken pie or soup. One ham feeds us for weeks when I freeze the leftovers. Ham for dinner, ham and cheese omelets, mac n'cheese with ham, ham sandwiches, toasted ham and cheese... Any of the above can easily be paired with a salad, or potatoes, and I always keep canned veggies like corn in the house.

There are only 2 of us and we used to be a one-income family (on starting teacher pay!). We have the luxury of a bit more income now, so we do eat out more frequently than we should. I should start cooking more of my "easy and cheap" dinners!

 

[Mickey's Neighbor]

You might want to try ground turkey for the meatballs. When its seasoned it tastes just the same and its much cheaper.

Sometimes as a last resort we make mac and cheese and add a pound of scrambled ground turkey. Tastes much better than Hamburger Helper.

Also we use Tyson chicken patties with spaghetti or another pasta, fast and cheap.

 

[ceecee]

Pasta and meal less meals will save you a lot of $.
Make a big pot of chili and have it for several nights, freeze some and have it the next week over spaghetti.
Homemade vegetable soup is cheap and makes a lot (freeze half for the next week). I don't use any meat in mine. On left over night you can add a can of bisquits to the top and have dumplings.
Rice dishes are also economical if you use real rice instead of minute.

 

[pigletof4]

Another thing to think about is if you have a bread store like Wonder or Schwebel's. I usually can get a loaf of bread there for $.65. I realize it's probably day old so to speak, but it doesn't taste any different and it freezes well. It sure beats paying $2.50 for a loaf of bread.

 

[JuneCleaver]

Cheese enchiladas...super easy!

1 package flour tortillas
1 package grated cheddar ( or buy big block and grate your own)
1 package cream cheese
1 jar or can of enchilada sauce
1 small can chilies
shake of cumin

pour small amount of sauce in baking dish.
Mix together chilies, cumin, both cheeses.
Divide mixture into 6-8 "logs" (roll between hands so it looks like a log_
Put cheese "log" in middle of tortilla, roll up and place in pan
Cover with remaining sauce and a sprinkle of cheese
cover and bake at 350 for about 1/2 hour

You can make them for the freezer if you don't want to eat entire pan for a week. Put 4 in a small dish to bake and 4 in freezer. They freeze great!

Another idea:
Loaded baked potatoes and salad...my kids love this!
Frozen broccoli and cheese sauce or salsa, cheese, bacon bits and big potatoes and a salad

Quesidillas:
Tortillas
cheese
leftover chix, burger, sausage, etc
salsa

Layer between two tortillas and grill like grilled cheese....easy, fast for after work and a great way to use up bits and pieces in fridge

Another super cheap meal is potato pancakes (latkas). Basically it is grated potato, onion, a little flour and egg. Serve with sour cream and applesauce

June

 

[Petals & Pixie Dust]

We get Zateran jumbalia (sp?) in a box and add a ring of smoked sausage..
Under $5.00 and we always have a little left over for my lunch the next day...

 

[Magic Mom]

Black beans and rice

One can of Goya black beans undrained
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 small diced onion
minced garlic
salt and pepper
tbsp (or more to taste- I like a lot) red wine vinegar
optional tbsp olive oil
cook over med for 10 minutes

Serve over white rice with a little low fat sour cream. Very good, fast and super filling. This is my kid's favorite cheap meal.

 

[cirquelovers]

I forgot one! Baked ziti. Ridiculously easy and you can eat off of it for a few days.

1 box of ziti
1 jar of pasta
1/2 - 1 pound ground beef
1 container ricotta cheese
1 bag shredded mozzarella

Cook ziti according to box directions. Brown ground beef with any seasonings you want; mix w/ pasta, sauce, ricotta, and any seasonings you may want to add in a 13 x 9 baking dish. Top with shredded mozzarella. Cover with tin foil and bake in 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Super good, pretty inexpensive, and lasts for several meals. Can't beat it.

I'm making this right now

I also make a roast one night and then use the left overs in other dishes.

Cooking a whole chicken is great because you can use shredded chicken in anything.

Make french bread pizzas and freeze the extras for a quick dinner.

Casseroles are usually a cheap alternative.

Pasta is very cheap. You could even make a huge batch of sauce and freeze leftovers for later use. I do that and also makes lasagna, ziti, manicotti etc...

I try to serve one or more meals a week with no meat, it's cheaper. Of course the husband has a cow when he's home and I do it!!

 

[Magic Mom]

Pasta and meal less meals will save you a lot of $.
.

I agree....meal less meals are very cheap......

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

I make chili with beans which is cheap. Add some browned ground beef for a splurge (when I was typing that, I initially typed "browned growned"), and stir in cooked elbow macaroni after the chili is ready to stretch it even further. Also good topped with grated cheddar cheese. This recipe makes a lot.

1 large size can diced tomatoes (I like the petite diced, but buy what's cheapest and chop up the tomatoes some if they're too big)
1 can tomatoes and chilis (like rotel but I get the store brand)--substitute another regular size can of tomatoes if you want it to be not at all spicy
2-3 cans beans, drained and rinsed (I use kidney, black and pinto)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper

Cook for about 1 hour on the stove, or 8 hours on low in the crockpot.

 

[canwegosoon]

Tuna and Pasta salad is really cheap- a can of light tuna, 8oz of noodles, a little mayo and frozen peas...Cheap-o

I make enchliads- fairly cheaply(but I stock up everything generic or onsale) I use 2 small chicken brests and a can of refried beans and a large can of sauce and 10-12 tortias, plus cheese.
BLT's are cheap
grilled cheese/tomato soup too

Egg noodles with less then 1lb of ground meat(which I buy at 1/2 price late in the day) and a can of generic cream of mushroom soup and you can add fresh or frozen broccoli.

And the loaded potatoes that a PP mentioned is a great idea.


Try and use meat as a condiment, and not a main ingredient.

 

[ceecee]

I agree....meal less meals are very cheap......

Fasting!!! I meant MEAT less!

 

[summerrluvv]

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.