Low Cost Meal Options

Yay!Gurrr

Yay!Gurrr

Better Faster Stronger
Moderator
Joined
Mar 17, 2005
Location
N. N. Raleigh, NC
Ya Ya I'm unemployed... ok down to business...

I'd like some ideas (recipes) for lower cost meals. I'm reworking my other bills best I can (cutting back cable/phone etc..)

We already shop for bargains and markdown items (items at/near last day for expiration) But I'll obviously have more time to spend prepping meals now so if i can make a good tasting meal at a good price I will..

Some things we've got on the list so far..
* Mac-Cheese w/ beef
* Pasta/Sauce w/ meat. (1lb holds us for ~2 dinners)


We've discussed a budget of $300/month for food. Me being me I think we can get it to $200... I'm not a picky eater but the wife, well..... she won't eat oatmeal 3x a day..

Obviously I will be searching, but I'm looking for some other ideas.. I like soups and the wife is warming up to them..

Ill be doing more bean soups.
Any good potato soups recipes?

Any good meat cuts that are good to eat.. I'd like to make sure were eating a nutritional meal but doing it on a small budget.

Is there a X/lb price on meats that is considered a good deal ? Other than simply picking the cheapest item/cut on the shelf. As said I'm ok having to 'work' a cheaper cut in a stew or something..

Is the Raleigh farmers market worth the trip ? can you save $ over there or is it just over priced foo-foo type stuff?

Anyways.... any input appreciated...
 
If you'd eat deer meet, I can hook you up with some steaks, sausage and roasts. Let me know.
 
Wal-mart has ground turkey for I think $2 a pound, Bi-lo will have sales on hamburger helper 10 boxes for $10 bucks. Sunday paper cupons, wed. flyer cupons.

I'll talk with my gf & have her post up she is a pro with this stuff. I watched her get six bags of gorcerys for $30 & change once.
 
yager said:
Is the Raleigh farmers market worth the trip ? can you save $ over there or is it just over priced foo-foo type stuff?
Anyways.... any input appreciated...
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farmer's market "can be" worth the trip.
BUT you have to KNOW what stuff 'should' cost.
Some things will be cheaper, and a better quality. Other things same price, and better quality, and then depending on season/luck somethings are crap quality and twice the price of your grocery store.
For meat, if you don't mind freezing and then thawing it to eat, you can get a good deal buying a lot of quality meat from local farms/butcher shops. We got a real good deal with my parents (not uber cheap, but cheaper than local grocery store, and much better quality) from a place along 86 up towards Yanceyville, nc (I think? it's on the way up to Va.) :D

But I suck at recipes, for me cheap is ramen. But wife having worked as a chef kind of ruins the "cheap" aspect of food. :(
 
sorry to hear this mike, know how it feels. Il ask Kerry about some of the things she does and get back. Also Shelly and Stan are doing great.
 
snappy said:
If you'd eat deer meet, I can hook you up with some steaks, sausage and roasts. Let me know.
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Hell ya, I grew up on the stuff :) I think the wife will warm up to it.. I'd love to have some. I was thinking the other day, back home I'd know of 12 places to go get some..

So far i've found a few good sites..

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com has a lot of good info..

Anyone know roughly how much an oven costs to run/min/hour.. I'm sure I can go look up the BTU/Amps and see how much my rate is.. Was curious as to savings seen on making bread and other stuff from floor vs buying a cheep $.99 /loaf..

As I've told some friends already, I'd rather get out in front of this as best I can vs looking back wishing I had done more sooner...

FWIW: I was 1 of 500 let go. I just want to know when my 12k check is coming... But that's a different topic..
 
In regards to the cable and phone, I had some success calling them and telling them that I am going to turn off my service and switch (if you tell them you are going to switch to anohter provider, it gives them more incentive to try and keep you) to another carrier. I have gotten better rates on both by doing this. Just a thought.

As for meal ideas, when I was in college and broke as a joke, I would eat a lot of regular old white rice. You can add anything to it that you have laying around like chicken or beef, add in a little sauce (whatever you prefer, soy, teriyaki (sp), or I have even put ketchup in it) and it fills you up pretty good.
 
One of me and my brothers favorite meals that my mom made for us was a dirt cheap one. Still one of our favorites.

Rice
Giant White Lima Beams cooked with ham
Stewed tomatoes
Topped with Chopped onion, peppers and pepper juice. (Topping optional, but it makes the meal for me)

bed of rice in a bowl, pour some beans and ham over that, and then the Tomatoes.

served with corn bread.
 
i usually buy flat iron steak one feeds me and the wife good! under 5$ or bonless porkchops like 3.50$ and get like two veggies ei:pork and beans/broccoli/mashed potatoes
 
Also one soon after college that me an my roommate use to make is the foil pouches of Mahatma Red beans and rice. Brown some ground beef, drain the meat, mix in the cooked rice and beans and a can of stewed tomatoes. Again, I like peppers, so chopped peppers and pepper juice on it for me.
 
Cheap and healthy don't really go together, but with that out of the way...


Planting a garden this year (I know longer term but might be something you enjoy as a couple)

Potato(e) - there is a reason that an entire country practically survived on them for a long time of economic downturn. You can buy an entire bag for low $...carbs = energy

Noodles and Rice are prob the next two cheapest carbs / volume for the dollar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_soup
[Lots of little "leftovers" create a pretty tasty soup..true moral being here that a good time to share]

The infamous Ramen Noodles... my brother lived on them for a couple years at UNC-Chapel Hill... he would cooked them with a little Dr Pepper and swears by it!

I seriously doubt you can beat the cheap loaves of bread by making your own.

First thing, unplug everything that has a power draw, dvds, vcrs, etc all draw down xx per hour...they add up...lower the temp on your water heater... turn down the temp in the house and wear heavier clothing...etc.

Final thought...to cut down the costs per hour of your stove

http://solarcooking.org/plans/
 
BigClay said:
In regards to the cable and phone, I had some success calling them and telling them that I am going to turn off my service and switch (if you tell them you are going to switch to anohter provider, it gives them more incentive to try and keep you) to another carrier. I have gotten better rates on both by doing this. Just a thought.
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A work buddy has a favorite past time of arguing. :shaking: But he will argue his prices on every single thing he gets. He went back and forth between phone companies on the phone and ended out recieving several checks in the mail to stay where he's at. But he tells me you'd be surprised what all you can bicker. Even when you are in debt, the banks are very willing to negotiate just to get what they can in a lump sum and call it good. I'm not one to spend an hour to save a dollar but he's gone fanatic on saving money and comes into work with something new to discuss almost daily. Kinda a rush to him to come out better on every dollar. But he's also the type to eat oatmeal 3 times a day...

There's also the art of stacking coupons.

As for cheap food, maccaroni and cheese sticks to the ribs and I've never met a soul that can honestly tell me they don't like it.
 
You can get 2 whole chickens from BJ's for roughly $7. this will last me a while, but its just me. Smoked beer can chicken is great, if your interested we can fire up my smoker.

Also you can take the bones and boil them down to make chicken stock for soups.

I would have to agree with the potatoes and rice being the most bang for your buck.
 
Pasta is some seriously cheap eats. Throw some spinach, chicken, cheese, and miscellaneous vegetables in it and it will last you a solid week. It's a good catch-all for all the stuff that would otherwise go to waste in your fridge.

I have way too much experience living like a bum.

BTW, sorry to hear about your employment misfortunes.
 
Pizza on the pick it up special day isn't too bad.

Flea markets can save a bundle on fresh produce.

Look for salvage grocery stores. Often you can buy a can with a dent half the price of a normal one.
 
Fry some bacon until it's chewy, not crispy.

boil some Penne Pasta

Saute some diced Onion, cut up the bacon into little strips, toss in with the onions for a minute, a little diced garlic and a can of diced tomatoes seasoned for Italian taste. couple tabs of butter and serve over the pasta.
 
Well off the phone with Embarq they will be my new Inet carrier got em to give me the no-frills phone deal. Got their 3Mb service with the 'simple plan' phone options, all fees and shipping/handling waived $49.94 month.. Guy was super nice on phone, I knew what price point I needed to hit with em, and I kept saying no to the normal sales pitches (I'm sure he was forced to pitch to me) and a few I'll have to get back to ya until the price got where I could afford..

FWIW: I hardly ever get the full RR advertised speeds, with all the kids and other shit going on it averaged 1.5-2m and goes to 5-7 at off peek times... So I figured 3M would be just fine and intact might be an improvement over my 'shared' access...

Once DSL is hooked up, Ill down grade my TW Internet to basic and If i can find a good decient TV antenna I may have it turned off all together... either way $9.99 basic package here I come...

Aside - While job hunting etc. I didn't want to have to rely 100% on the cell phone as if i were to drop or damage it I'd have to immediately get it fix/repaired/replaced potentially leaving me out of contact for a day or more until I can get it fixed etc. AND if need be I will dump the cell phone all together if it comes to that.
 
Nicole used to get good deals on produce from the farmer's market... it was quite a bit cheaper than the stores last year.

Grilled cheese sammiches were pretty cheap too..
 
SHINTON said:
Cheap and healthy don't really go together, but with that out of the way...
Planting a garden this year (I know longer term but might be something you enjoy as a couple)
Click to expand...
you can actually do some cheap and healthy if you do a garden - last summer we didn't have to buy tomatoes, beans, corn, watermelon & cantaloupes, plus also grew oregano, thyme, basil & sage. You can do a lot with that, plus a big bag of bulk rice & dried beans. If you get whole grain rice it's also better for you than the bleached white stuff...
Also get one of the customer loyalty cards at whatever grocery store you use. I use one and usually save at least 10% every week by smart shopping - there are usually a lot of bargains that way...also buy store brands of canned goods, cheese, etc, which will save you a little bit here and there.
and with coupon clipping Lowe's Foods does double coupons, and I think other places do too...
 
Look into doing SECRET SHOPS. My wife use to do that. We got all kinds of groceries and meals at restaurants for free by being secret shoppers. Beware of websites that want you to pay to become a secret shopper. The legitimate ones don’t make you pay to be a secret shopper.

We've only had antenna-TV for 10 years now. I recently bought an antenna at wal-mart that looks like the wing for a toy airplane for $15 and it does much better than the amplified rabbit ears I had. On my digital TV, I get about 9 PBS stations, 3 or 4 weather stations, plus all the local stuff.

Another way to cut spending is to write down everything you spend. You’d be surprised at how much stuff you won’t buy on impulse because you know that when you get home you have to write it down on your spreadsheet.
 
A crockpot of sloppie joes and a pack of hotdogs can be stretched out for several days. Sloppie joes one day, coney dogs the next.

Hamburger gravy is a good meal as well. Brown some burger and then add water. Use corn starch to thicken the water/gravy and pour over mashed potatoes or rice if preferred.

I like boiled and fried potatoes as a meal also. Half some potaoes and then boil them for about an hour/until soft, not as soft as mashed though. Drop them in some grease in a frying pan and fry to your liking. Salt and ketchup finishes it off.
 
Sams, vacumn sealer. Grill it all at one time with different marinades. Freeze until needed. Works w/ chicken, steak and pork loins.

Buy the shit in BULK and you will save money!
 
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