Cheap meal ideas?

Hey does anyone have any recommendations for cheap meals/recipes my SO and I are trying to spend about 150 for groceries every 2 weeks and I’m having a hard time coming up with things besides hamburger helper, tacos, hot dogs etc. so any ideas would be helpful :slightly_smiling_face:

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Breakfast for dinner, spaghetti, pork chops and baked potatoes

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Crockpot recipes! A lot of them are just a few ingredients! If your family likes leftovers think about casseroles and one pot meals. I’m trying this out myself… if you like tacos try a taco pie or enchiladas or even nachos…

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Chicken and rice casserole

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Ham steaks. You can buy them in 3 packs and freeze 2. They are precooked so really all you have to do it heat them up. I throw mine in frying pan for a few minutes and serve with mashed potatoes and a vegetable. Then use the left overs for ham sandwiches the next day for lunches.

tuna noodle cassorole

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Sos… i made that lastnight and my kids loved it… Frito boats, chili cheese dog caserole.

Shepherds pie- hamburger with veggies topped with mashed potatoes baked in the oven. One dish meal and it’s amazing. You can do anything with it.

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They have these new mixes you just need veggies chicken and I usually make steamed fried rice. But I make a whole meal for me and my husband and son for about $10

A roast with carrots and potatoes in the slow cooker. Lasts us about 3 or 4 days lol

Find the Facebook page called struggle meals. Frankie has a lot of good ideas for cheap and delicious meals.

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Go to the library and get the older cookbooks ; they have a lot of recipes that are meals stretched !

Mac&cheese, tuna fish sandwich, baked potatoes,

Ramen noodles are cheap and you can add just about whatever you want to them - chicken, veggies, etc.

I put a pork tenderloin, baby carrots, and cut up potatoes in a crock pot for 3 hours - lasts us at least 2 meals

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Pasta salad, chicken, stuffing and green beans in the Crock-Pot, shop at Aldi if one is near by. Definitely cheaper!

Spaghetti. Hamburger soup. Casseroles.

One of my favorites is adding browned ground beef and corn to a box of scalloped potatoes. I can it my poor man casserole. Lol. You can add any other canned veggies you would want, as well

There is a app called “Mealtime” that’s really good!

Chicken can be used for so many different meals. Always buy WHOLE chickens. I even use the I heart, liver and necks to make GREAT gravy and I add one boiled egg, ( cut up) to make this my entire family loves it! THIS IN THE SOUTH is called giblet gravy. Delicious in Pepperidge Farms Stuffing Mix!

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Potato salad, tuna macornia salad. Put chopped hard boiled eggs in for protein

Chicken tacos
Chicken taco soup
Million dollar spagetti
Chicken spagetti
Chili dogs
Hamburger steaks and gravy (homemade Salisbury steaks, SO good, makes around :sunglasses:
Hamburger meat and potatoes
Chicken and yellow rice
Meatloaf

All on Pinterest

Look for a meat and veggie. We usually add a potato or noodle too. Meatloaf, shepherds pie, tacos/taco salads, grilled chicken salads, english muffin pizzas, chicken broccoli alfredo, hamburger gravy over egg noodles, tuna casserole, cabbage and bowties with bacon, cabbage rolls… there’s tons of fb groups, Google and pinterest are your friends!

Chicken casserole, chicken & dumplings, stuffed peppers, meatloaf

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Stouffers lasanga always in the freezer $12

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Always scan for markdowns at the store. Sometimes you can be having ribs and steak for the same price as hamburger. Your freezer is your best friend. Talk to the the produce man. He might not be able to “give” you what theyre taking down but he might tell you when it will be “out back” if you catch my drift.

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Pinterest. All kinds of good ideas. I love this one Buffalo Chicken Pasta casserole. So good. Don’t be afraid of the clearance meats in the butcher section either as long as you freeze it on or before the sell by date.

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Spaghetti, casseroles are always cheap:) ppizza casserole is my go to. Tatertot casserole. Breakfast for dinner is cheap:)

How many in your family? Are there any dietary restrictions?

Spaghetti. Stuffed shells, sandwiches, chili, Shepard’s pie, eggs! Many ways you can use them. Also we sometimes buy a turkey or a big ham. It’s a little more expensive but you can use it many ways and get at least 3 meals if not more out of its we always make more than we need so we can have left overs. Good luck ! :slightly_smiling_face:

Maybe a big pot of soup, a little meat and lots of veggies

Just invest in learning to cook from scratch as much as you can. Purchase bulk staples and veggies. Scratch is a bit more work but you’ll see it in your lowered grocery costs.

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Grilled cheese with tomato soup…tuna melts…sloppy jos…tuna salad…nachos…blts…chicken salad…

Chicken, Broccoli and cheese casserole, speghetti, chicken Alfredo, hamburgers and hott dogs, Glorified hashbrown casserole, Gallo Pinto, you can do pork loin and vegetables. Chicken quesadillas we don’t eat much red meat Enchiladas are easy. I spend $50/75 a week and make all of this and usually have leftovers for lunches. Then I buy oatmeal or cereal for breakfast I go to the breadstore in my city and buy bread and bagels because it’s way cheaper.

Do you have a slow cooker? Things like stews, curry, casserole etc are great/cheap and can save any left over for another time. Also slow cooked Gammon in Coke is a hit in our house, cheap simple meal with mash etc and always some left for sandwiches for next day dinner.

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buy meat on sale , meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, chicken vegetable or potato soup. pork shoulder make barbecue or eat as roast with potatoes and carrots or do both , roast one day barbecue the next, I did a lot of planning when had a family of 4 . chicken thighs are cheap and make great stock for soup , dressing , noodles, rice, please try to get fresh or frozen vegetables for sides.

If it’s easier, but the frozen bags of veggies bc they keep and are at least dirt cheap.

But it’s better than eating garbage

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Pasta and rice are very cheap and frozen veggies!!! Frozen bags of veggies go from 75 cents to 2 dollars a bag at Walmart. Eggs and tofu are also very affordable.

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Donna and Marie I agree with what you two are saying!!!

Hamburger Helper also has chicken and tuna ones too. Frozen vegetables are a plus. Sometime cans are really cheap too. No name brands , store brand is just as good. Coupons! BBQ maybe with ribs? My friend does this. She gets cheap ribs and marinates and BBQ. Shop the outdated items in meat isle. Great steaks for minimal price. Pot roast, potatoes, carrots, onions, mushrooms. Bake in an oven bag. Can make sandwiches out of a roast then stew later with biscuits. Or garlic bread. Beans with a couple of ham hocks or lb of bacon is wonderful. Cornbread can be real easy with the packages they have now. Either a loaf or I made mine in cupcake pans with the wrappers underneath. Easy clean up then. That all I can think of for now. Making me hungry!! LOL!

Tacos
Spaghetti
Chicken
Pork chops
Egg salad
Sandwiches
Pancakes
Ravioli
Fish sticks

Chilli, chicken pot pie, skepards pie, chicken parm( chicken pattys, cheeze and sause over noodles) , sausage sandwiches ( peper and onions grilled with the sausage) and chips, if you have a weis they have good deals on meats.