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Started By
Message
How to eat cheap...
Posted on 1/29/16 at 11:50 am
Posted on 1/29/16 at 11:50 am
My wife and I are trying to save some money and one of the ways we waste the most is by eating out too often.
What are some of your favorite meals that can be made on the cheap?
What are some of your favorite meals that can be made on the cheap?
27
Posted on 1/29/16 at 11:50 am to OMapologist
corn soup.
Posted on 1/29/16 at 11:51 am to OMapologist
Don't do what I do would be a good start...
Posted on 1/29/16 at 11:52 am to OMapologist
Beans and rice with sausage
Jambalaya
Pasta dishes
Gumbo
Smoking a Boston butt or cooking it in a crock pot. That's about the cheapest thing around and the flavor is unreal. And you can do a lot of different stuff with the meat.
Jambalaya
Pasta dishes
Gumbo
Smoking a Boston butt or cooking it in a crock pot. That's about the cheapest thing around and the flavor is unreal. And you can do a lot of different stuff with the meat.
Posted on 1/29/16 at 11:52 am to OMapologist
quote:
My wife and I are trying to save some money and one of the ways we waste the most is by eating out too often. What are some of your favorite meals that can be made on the cheap?
Load up on potted meat when it goes on sale. Buy crackers as needed.
Posted on 1/29/16 at 11:56 am to OMapologist
So much money is wasted on going out to eat and drink.
First off, cook in bulk. Skip buying canned products and make your own soups and stews. The ingredients total probably cost $10 (depending on the soup of course) and you can eat off them for a few days. Buy meat and vegetables. Chicken is cheap. Have a grill or smoker? Use it! If you don't, you can always bake them.
Invest in a crock pot. They are cheap and there are hundreds of great recipes out there. They are cheap and effortless.
Also, I like to make an "event" out of it. I like to smoke pork butt, brisket, etc. on Saturdays. I get up and fire up the smoker with my morning coffee. Depending on the size of your butt and brisket, they can last a few days.
Also, don't be afraid to do a lot of heavy cooking on the weekends and freezing your meals.
First off, cook in bulk. Skip buying canned products and make your own soups and stews. The ingredients total probably cost $10 (depending on the soup of course) and you can eat off them for a few days. Buy meat and vegetables. Chicken is cheap. Have a grill or smoker? Use it! If you don't, you can always bake them.
Invest in a crock pot. They are cheap and there are hundreds of great recipes out there. They are cheap and effortless.
Also, I like to make an "event" out of it. I like to smoke pork butt, brisket, etc. on Saturdays. I get up and fire up the smoker with my morning coffee. Depending on the size of your butt and brisket, they can last a few days.
Also, don't be afraid to do a lot of heavy cooking on the weekends and freezing your meals.
This post was edited on 1/29/16 at 11:57 am
Posted on 1/29/16 at 11:56 am to OMapologist
What others have said. Save $ by buying bigger portions / bulk items and cooking a lot at once, freeze the extras and eat later.
Gumbo is super cheap.
Find cheaper cuts of meat that are still pretty tasty, like pork butt, round steak, chuck roast, etc.
Pasta and rice are cheap and can be filling.
Gumbo is super cheap.
Find cheaper cuts of meat that are still pretty tasty, like pork butt, round steak, chuck roast, etc.
Pasta and rice are cheap and can be filling.
Posted on 1/29/16 at 12:03 pm to OMapologist
I got 10 lbs of pork chops from Sams for $16 this week. Chicken quarters are dirt cheap. So are big bags of vegetables. Eggs. Sausage. Ground meat.
Real food is very affordable.
Real food is very affordable.
Posted on 1/29/16 at 12:05 pm to OMapologist
I know someone that always orders kids meals from Olive Garden to go. They claim they are a great deal. And they come with a side salad which is like a meal in itself.
Posted on 1/29/16 at 12:07 pm to OMapologist
Spaghetti, chili, red beans
Posted on 1/29/16 at 12:22 pm to OMapologist
Budgetbytes is a solid place to look for recipes
/r/eatcheapandhealthy is decent place but 90% are either aren't that cheaper or aren't that healthy.
This lady has bomb arse Mexican recipes
bake some chicken thighs and some veggies. Cheap, healthy and super easy
/r/eatcheapandhealthy is decent place but 90% are either aren't that cheaper or aren't that healthy.
This lady has bomb arse Mexican recipes
bake some chicken thighs and some veggies. Cheap, healthy and super easy
This post was edited on 1/29/16 at 12:24 pm
Posted on 1/29/16 at 12:34 pm to OMapologist
quote:
How to eat cheap...
check out the food aisle at your local Dollar Store
Posted on 1/29/16 at 12:42 pm to OMapologist
What level of cheap are we talking here?
I'm gonna go against the grain here because I don't cook in major bulk nearly as often because lots of it ends up getting tossed when I inevitably don't want jambalaya for the 4th time this week. I recently made the switch from ordering out often as well, and it has already shown to be a tremendous help as far as my bank account goes. But you don't need to cook a huge pot of lentils/jambalaya/spaghetti/etc. and eat it 4-5 times to see a difference. If you're eating out a lot already, you'll notice a difference simply from cooking a new meal every night.
I have started cooking Sunday-Thursday evenings. I cook what I want.. and it is often based around what I have on hand and what is on sale. But I don't necessarily make stereotypical "cheap" meals. Last night, I did Vietnamese, for example. Each meal from the night before becomes lunch the next day. I only make huge batches of things I know I'll freeze portions of because making a huge batch of something with intentions of eating it and then it going to waste is as bad as having gone out in the first place.
I've been able to buy groceries for the week for two people, making something different each night, for about ~$75.
I'm gonna go against the grain here because I don't cook in major bulk nearly as often because lots of it ends up getting tossed when I inevitably don't want jambalaya for the 4th time this week. I recently made the switch from ordering out often as well, and it has already shown to be a tremendous help as far as my bank account goes. But you don't need to cook a huge pot of lentils/jambalaya/spaghetti/etc. and eat it 4-5 times to see a difference. If you're eating out a lot already, you'll notice a difference simply from cooking a new meal every night.
I have started cooking Sunday-Thursday evenings. I cook what I want.. and it is often based around what I have on hand and what is on sale. But I don't necessarily make stereotypical "cheap" meals. Last night, I did Vietnamese, for example. Each meal from the night before becomes lunch the next day. I only make huge batches of things I know I'll freeze portions of because making a huge batch of something with intentions of eating it and then it going to waste is as bad as having gone out in the first place.
I've been able to buy groceries for the week for two people, making something different each night, for about ~$75.
This post was edited on 1/29/16 at 12:44 pm
Posted on 1/29/16 at 12:45 pm to OMapologist
Prep your food
Eat leftovers
Buy only what you need.
Stop buying processed food and junk food.
Eat leftovers
Buy only what you need.
Stop buying processed food and junk food.
Posted on 1/29/16 at 12:58 pm to OMapologist
If you all do want to go out to eat here and there, try picking somewhere with larger servings and split the entrée vs. ordering two entrees and order waters instead of soft drinks.
Posted on 1/29/16 at 1:03 pm to OMapologist
Leann Brown's Good and Cheap cookbook uses the food assistance allowance of $4/day and is full of tasty, interesting, easy to make food. PDF here: LINK
Beans, lentils, chickpeas.....buy dried and cook yourself. Hummus is dead simple to make, yet people buy it in overpriced tubs because they don't like to plan ahead or somehow think processed and packaged is superior to homemade. I do like to cook with an eye toward freezing, and I like to stash meal building blocks in the freezer as well: think stock, sauces, already browned and seasoned beef for tacos, cooked beans, etc.
Beans, lentils, chickpeas.....buy dried and cook yourself. Hummus is dead simple to make, yet people buy it in overpriced tubs because they don't like to plan ahead or somehow think processed and packaged is superior to homemade. I do like to cook with an eye toward freezing, and I like to stash meal building blocks in the freezer as well: think stock, sauces, already browned and seasoned beef for tacos, cooked beans, etc.
Posted on 1/29/16 at 1:04 pm to OMapologist
how cheap you want to go?
when I was single I would regularly eat on $20/week with canned beans, bananas, oats and ramen
when I was single I would regularly eat on $20/week with canned beans, bananas, oats and ramen
This post was edited on 1/29/16 at 1:05 pm
Posted on 1/29/16 at 4:14 pm to OMapologist
Almost anything you eat at home will be cheaper that eating out.
Never throw away leftovers. Cook only what you guys will eat that meal, or plan on having leftovers for the next meal.
Soup is cheap and good this time of the year. Try having veggies only meals two times a week. they will be lots cheaper than a meat meal.
Find two or three ground beef meals (Spaghetti, Ground beef stroganoff, Home cooked tacos or burritos, Ground beef casseroles like chili mac, hamburger steak and gravy)
Buy whole chickens and roast/bake them in oven. Harvest chicken broth and save for other dishes. Rotisserie chicken from Sam's may be cheaper than whole chickens anywhere else and is already cooked. We (wife and I) can get two meals and a pint of broth off of a single rotisserie chicken from Sam's.
Go back to the meals you had as a kid - Mac and cheese, spaghetti, fish sticks, casseroles.
Don't listen to us when we say that the only tomatoes worth buying are the $2.50 a can Italian variety. Hunts and store brands are a lot cheaper. So are canned or frozen store brand veggies. Fresh veggies are best, but may be more expensive with potentially more waste.
Fresh carrots, potatoes and onions may be three of the best food values at the grocery. Them and some hamburger meatballs (3/4 Beef 1/4 crushed crackers, egg, garlic, salt pepper) will made a fine meal cooked as a single dish meal in the oven. Nice and cheap if your meatball is seasoned ground beef only and not 1/3 beef 1/3 veal and 1/3 pork. They, with canned tomatoes are also the base for lots of good soups
I can take any meal anyone suggests and add expensive things to make it taste better, but that is not what you asked for. Cook at home and look for ways to make it cheaper.
Never throw away leftovers. Cook only what you guys will eat that meal, or plan on having leftovers for the next meal.
Soup is cheap and good this time of the year. Try having veggies only meals two times a week. they will be lots cheaper than a meat meal.
Find two or three ground beef meals (Spaghetti, Ground beef stroganoff, Home cooked tacos or burritos, Ground beef casseroles like chili mac, hamburger steak and gravy)
Buy whole chickens and roast/bake them in oven. Harvest chicken broth and save for other dishes. Rotisserie chicken from Sam's may be cheaper than whole chickens anywhere else and is already cooked. We (wife and I) can get two meals and a pint of broth off of a single rotisserie chicken from Sam's.
Go back to the meals you had as a kid - Mac and cheese, spaghetti, fish sticks, casseroles.
Don't listen to us when we say that the only tomatoes worth buying are the $2.50 a can Italian variety. Hunts and store brands are a lot cheaper. So are canned or frozen store brand veggies. Fresh veggies are best, but may be more expensive with potentially more waste.
Fresh carrots, potatoes and onions may be three of the best food values at the grocery. Them and some hamburger meatballs (3/4 Beef 1/4 crushed crackers, egg, garlic, salt pepper) will made a fine meal cooked as a single dish meal in the oven. Nice and cheap if your meatball is seasoned ground beef only and not 1/3 beef 1/3 veal and 1/3 pork. They, with canned tomatoes are also the base for lots of good soups
I can take any meal anyone suggests and add expensive things to make it taste better, but that is not what you asked for. Cook at home and look for ways to make it cheaper.
This post was edited on 1/29/16 at 4:16 pm
Posted on 1/29/16 at 4:27 pm to OMapologist
Crockpot meals are cheap and easy.... and you can put a shitload of food into them, meaning you will have leftovers for a couple of days and the food is delicious.
Posted on 1/29/16 at 6:15 pm to OMapologist
quote:
Honestly, just watch sales. Buy meat and things when they go on a good sale and store them in the freezer if you have room.
Exactly what i was going to say. Someone said on here that Winn-Dixie had leg quarters on sale right now for $2.50 for a 10#bag. If i was still in Baton Rouge, i would be buying the limit of four, and re-bagging them 2 to a bag after trimming them. Very versatile. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are also on sale a lot for less than $2 a pound. I do the same with those.
Basically, like LL said, watch the sale papers, plan your meals. Impulse purchases can kill a budget.
I would say that if you can afford to, buy a meal saver/vacuum saver. Doesn't have to be an expensive one. It should pay for itself quickly if you buy your proteins in bulk and re bag them in meal size portions. If not, just use ziplocs.
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