Best Dirt Cheap Meal Idea

[Liss]

Share your best dirt cheap meal ideas- breakfast, lunch, dinner – doesn’t matter, just has to be cheap, filling and tasty! 2 random winners will receive a Super Laundry Sauce kit- which contains a box of borax, a box of washing soda and 3 bars of fels naptha as well as printed directions for our Original Super Laundry Sauce recipe!

This challenge can end at any time, so Hurry! Share your favorite dirt cheap meal ideas!!

[b101][/b101]

[MrsPaws]

One of our most frugal meals would have to be baked bbq chicken.
I buy chicken quarters for no more than .39 – .59 per pound in a 10 lb bag.
I freeze half, then cook the other half with 2 bottles bbq sauce that’s bought on sale,((No more than .60 each)), and s and p.
Can use the oven or Crock Pot…whatever works best for you.
We always have left overs, so the next day, I’ll usually have bbq sandwiches or freeze the meat for another day.
So, for less than $5, you have at least 2 meals…and still have the remaining frozen raw chicken.

Another fantastic frugal meal…beans and cornbread!!
I always save the bone or hock from ham.
When ready to have your beans, soak, rinse, and cook them with the bone. Can add onions, (like I do), then season.
Make your cornbread and voila-you have dinner!
Super cheap but so tasty!

During some extra lean times, we’ve had scrambled egg sandwiches for dinner…comfort food at it’s best and SUPER cheap!

[Siobhan511]

Steel Cut Oatmeal is my favorite breakfast food. At $3.29 for a 30 oz. container ($0.11 per ounce) for the Nature’s Promise organic variety.

You get roughly 4 to 5 servings per 1 cup of dry oatmeal; that’s 8 oz. at $0.11, so one meal is roughly $0.88 (if my math is correct).

Now the way I do it makes morning life even easier! I use my mini slow cooker, add all ingredients, any household seasonings that you have around (cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, etc.), set it at night on low for 8 hours. When you wake up you will have perfectly cooked and piping hot steel-cut oatmeal waiting for you in the morning.

Since it’s the heartier kind and very filling I can eat that alone until it is snack time. If you are a single girl like myself you can separate the other servings in tupperware, leave one in the fridge and the others in the freezer, the night before take out your freezer stash and defrost to reheat the next morning. That’s $0.88 for a work weeks worth of breakfast.

[homesteadmom]

1 package of ramen noodles cooked to make very soupy, add any left over meat you may have from previous meals(cut into small pieces), you can either add leftover vegies from previous meals or a can of mixed vegies. Add the seasoning packet too.
Serve with bread or crackers & apple slices.

I have been known to add 1 chopped up hotdog to ours on occasion, left over meat from taco’s, or just a small section of roast left? Cut it up & add it. I also would save the left over vegies even if it was just a small spoonful or less & put them in the freezer til I had enough.

This was a mainstay in our diet after my husband & I were in a car accident & had extremely limited funds to buy groceries with to feed us & our oldest son(only one we had at the time). I still continue to fix this periodically to help strech the budget or to give us a quick filling meal.

[Sarita1905]

Lazy gal here, I love Picante Chicken ramen noodles, I drain 1/2 of the water off after the noodles are cooked. Then I add the seasoning packet and a large dollop of sour cream and a slice of american cheese. Super cheap and YUMALICIOUS!

[Cheri2698]

Eggs. We love toad in a hole, scrambled and wrapped in a homemade tortilla, egg salad, and hard boiled. Cheap protein.

[Dreamcatcheramy]

one of my daughter’s favorites is ramen noodles, made souppy($.15) a can of tuna drained($.50) and some saltines. Pair it with an apple or banana and you have a yummy, and cheap meal!

[Virginia]

What we will be having this evening: Fish in a packet – I usually use Tilapia, but any type of fish will work. On a sheet of foil or parchment paper layer some cooked brown rice, fish and veggies (zucchini and yellow squash will be used tonight). Add salt and pepper.

Fold into a packet. Bake for about 20 minutes at 450 degrees until fish is done and flakes easily with a fork and veggies are cooked (a fork goes in easily). Enjoy!

Thanks; Virginia

[forever_fox]

Breakfast for dinner is always a hit. Super fast and super cheap, especially pancakes, scrambled eggs, or my homemade waffles! Of course we are trying to watch the carbs….

so we have the eggs more often.

BBQ pulled chicken in the crock pot is another cheap meal that we have a lot. My kids totally think its pulled pork and it is so much healthier and cheaper! They just get tired of hearing that we are having chicken……again!

🙂

Spaghetti is also cheap and pretty fast even the whole grain that we always have.

My daughter has taught me that you can do just about anything with a tortilla, and we really have. From breakfast burritos to nutella rollups, you name it and very inexpensive and filling.

[rkbalcazar]

Cabbage and Keilbasa soup

1 head Cabbage
1 onion
1 thingy keilbasa (or whatever type of sausage is on sale which at my store its usally keilbasa and I can get 2 “thingys” for about $3.00)
I usually add about 1 potato per person eating so four people 4 potatoes
Chicken broth (optional) Salt Pepper

Bring large pot of water to boil, add cut up potatoes and cut up onion (at this point you can add the chicken broth if you are using it)
after about 3 to five minutes I turn the heat down to a simmer and add the keilbasa Cover and allow to simmer for about an hour or two tasing periodically to see if it is tasting good and if you want to add some spices (sometimes i do garlic and whatnot.)
At first the soup wont taste good you have to give it some time for the keilbasa flavor to really take over the water (that is why some people like to do chicken broth but it isn’t absolutely needed)
Once the soup tastes good to you chop up the cabbage and throw it in let it cook until its soft. It doesn”t take long at all.

[Urallee]

I like to buy the cheaper pork (meat for carnitas) I cook it in the crock pot with carrots, potatoes and onions until it is falling apart, then I serve it as is the first night. With the lerftovers I can make hot or cold sandwiches, a pot pie, or pulled pork. We nearly always get at least three meals off one cooking.

[Tinabobina]

Since we’ve started following the $50 grocery menu plans on the site we’ve been buying ground turkey at Aldi instead of ground beef.

1 can crescent rolls (usually .99 a can at Aldi)
1 pound ground Turkey ($1.69)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion (.15¢)
1/3 cup chopped dill pickle slices .12¢
2 tablespoons ketchup free (use packets from fast food places)
1 teaspoon prepared mustard (use packets from fast food places)
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons dill pickle juice
2 tablespoons milk
2 cups shredded American cheese, divided $1.25

Line the bottom of an 8″ pie plate with the crescent rolls (unroll them first silly!) In a skillet, brown the turkey and onion, drain then add chopped pickles, ketchup and mustard. Sprinkle the flour over the top, add milk and the pickle juice, and stir really well to incorporate all the ingredients.

SHut of the heat and add half of the cheese, mixing it in. Pour it into the crescent roll crust and bake for 15F at 375F.
Take it out of the oven and add the remaining cheese. Top with extra ketchup & mustard if you like.

That’s my cheap recupe that everyone at my house loves.

[bethaliz6894]

I like to make extra waffles for breakfast. my maker makes 4 square waffles, about 4 inches by 3 inches. I freeze any not eaten. then I take boneless breast of chicken, cut in half and pound out.

I can get 3 small slabs off of one. so I use 2 for the 5 of us. fry the chicken and toast the waffles.

some leftover lettuce and on a good day, a tomato from my sad garden. I open a couple of bags for green beans and steam them and we have a complete meal.

[Ms Alusa]

I will often make a batch of homemade bread dough (a little time consuming and labor intensive, but CHEAP! Cut it into triangles and wrap up hot dogs defrosted from the freezer, that I purchased when they were on sale for .99 ea.) Bake, about 25 minutes. Open a couple cans of pork’n’beans, add about 2 Tablespoons BBQ sauce (homemade, I keep in Fridge), about 1 teaspoon of prepared mustard, and 1/2 cup of brown sugar, heat it up ’till it’s hot.

Open a can of mixed veggies if I have them, and heat those up too. Add 1 Tablespoon of butter or margarine (which ever I have the most of), salt and pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of barbeque rub (also homemade I keep on the shelf). My kids love this meal, and aside from Macaroni and Cheese in a box, or Cold canned fruit and bread ‘n’ butter there isn’t anything cheaper that will feed them.

My kids are 1/2 Tongan, and when they need to eat….they need to eat! a single package of ramen (saimini) will not cover it. they each could eat a whole box by themselves!

if we do eat ramen, i sometimes will add a little cornstarch to some cold water, stir until dissolved, add to the boiling water with the ramen, and as it cooks i will crack a few eggs into it (kinda like egg drop soup) it’s better with some thinly sliced green onion, and a small pat of butter or margarine added, if you have it.

[Ms Alusa]

Another really low budget but pretty good meal is: 1 can of tuna, drained, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1/2 can of water, little minced onion, salt and pepper. Cook up a pot of egg noodles, or rice. Mix it all together.

Grease a baking pan lightly, pour mixture into the pan. Sprinkle seasoned bread crumbs (made at home stored in freezer). Bake for about 15 minutes or until hot.

Serve

[Ms Alusa]

I also do the oatmeal for many a meal. Very cheap and nutritious! A meal that lasts until your next meal time!

[oldgrannyd]

A meal we call Mum’s Special. 1 pound hamburger,onion. Fry it up and add 2-3 cups cooked macaroni and 2 cans tomato soup.

Add salt ‘ pepper and a shame of chili. Makes a huge pot full and foes a family of four several meals and school lunches. You could also add any left over veg’s.

if u want. Very quick and cheap.

[FrankNantucket]

My favorite: 5 lb of potatoes is around $3, give or take depending on location. A three pack of peppers (I prefer the yellow, orange and red variety) is about $3.50 or so. Chop the peppers into large chunks an enough of the potatoes to have a good mix, to your individual taste.

I’m a huge garlic lover so I’ll add as much as half a bulb of garlic to the mix (less than a dollar there), add olive oil to taste and give the spices something to stick to. Then add salt, pepper and whatever other spices you like. I throw in some paprika, you can add dried red chilli pepper or even cayenne if you like it spicier.

Toss in some Worcestershire sauce too. Just fry it up. This is very filling and satisfying.

Can easily feed 4-5 people.

[MabelMartha]

A meal that is a hit with meat lovers and vegetarians is pumpkin ravioli. Use basic or flavored homemade pasta dough. Stuff with a mixture of cooked pumpkin, cheese (even the parmesan in a can will work) sage (fresh or dried) and a little beaten egg to bind it all together, and salt and pepper.

The sauce can be reduced chicken or vegetable broth with white wine reduced or browned butter. Since pumpkin isn’t in season, I’m using canned pumpkin I purchased at the end of the holiday season for $.99 a can. A half can plus cheese and seasonings and pasta dough plus butter makes a filling main course for less than$1.00 for four people and is very flavorful and elegant.

[MzLia]

Chicken and rice. 1.00$ pack of rice and a 3.79$ pack of chicken. Feeds the whole family and is tasty

[karenb4717]

My favorite cheap meal is a favorite from my childhood: Half-Fried Potato Sandwiches!

Peel Russet potatoes and slice lengthwise about 1/3″ thick. Pour oil in fry pan to completely cover bottom of pan and have about an 1/8″ depth to it. Heat the skillet and when the oil is hot (bounce a splash of water in it) lay out potatoes in a single layer.

Cook on medium heat until the bottom of potato is lightly brown. Turn the potato and cook slightly on the other side. Cook for about another 2 minutes or until you stick the potato with a fork, the fork goes in, but with some resistance.

The potatoes are done. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place between two slices of buttered bread…yummy! Not a recipe for anyone watching their carbs though!

[StacG]

On occasion we make our Po’ Man’s Dinner when we are short on cash/food and/or don’t have a lot of time to cook. It is your favorite box of mac ‘n cheese made per the instructions (though I make mine with a little extra butter and no milk so it’s thicker) and sliced polish dogs or hot dogs cooked up in a frying pan (seasonings optional). Mix both together with a drained can of veggies, some frozen veggies (thawed/warmed) or even fresh veggies from your garden.

As low as a few bucks for the whole recipe and it feeds 2-3 people at least. Quick, easy and cheap!

[ldt1660]

childhood favorite….Tomatoe gravy served over rice. Make a rue add cannned tomatoes, salt, pepper, onions and let it simmer. It will thicken up and turn a tad brown.

Can be served with biscuits also. If it was a good week you might have gotten a hamburger patty to go along with it.

[opal1973]

Turkey. That is the most economical meal we have. I can then take the left overs and make many more meals with it.

So, we start with roasted turkey, then turkey sandwiches- some with turkey salad, turkey noodle soup, and turkey pot pie. All these meals equal less than a few dollars per meal for our family of four. This is why I buy an extra turkey or two when they go on sale during the holidays and freeze them for later.

Even buying a brand named one for $0.59/pound, saves us a ton of money every year. Although last year, I found store brand for $0.39/pound. Also, I am known for making double batches of dinners and freezing half for later, which I often do with turkey meals.

One can eat only so much turkey at one time. lol

[stinkerbell1031]

quick & easy chicken soup:1-64 oz can Chicken Broth,3-4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast,1- 10.5 oz can of Cream of Chicken Soup(optional), 10.5 oz Minute Rice, 10- frozen Mixed Vegetables,or Vegetables of your choice.1/4-1/2 cup Chopped Onion,1 teaspoon Salt,1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper,1-2 Carrots,sliced, In large pot add Chicken broth,Carrots,1 teaspoon Salt,1/2 teaspoon Pepper, bring to a boil.Add chicken breast and cook for 12 to 18 minutes at a low to medium heat.Remove chicken make sure it’s cooked through.

Set it aside. Add cream of chicken soup, mix well.Add vegetables,onions,cook while you are shredding the chicken with a fork.I usually let it cook for another 10 to 15 minutes at a low boil. Add the chicken just just a couple of minutes to warm back up .

Serve and enjoy.

[lucygoose]

When my boys were little we had chickens. One fall day, when the pantry, freezer & fridge were nearly empty, we decided to cook one of the chickens. That bird had to be the toughest ever, I cooked it for 3 days, simmering on the stove.

I made chicken & dumplings all three days, and on the 4th day, when the chicken was still too tough to chew, we gave it to the dog. Probably not the BEST meal, but certainly frugal, lol!
As for a good meal, I made Pizza Beans. I cooked a big pot of pinto beans, took about 1/2 of them and stirred in my homemade spaghetti sauce (nearly always had some ready in the freezer) and some pepperoni slices, onions, whatever I had that sounded like it would go on pizza.

I put it in a casserole dish or the crock pot, and sprinkled mozzarella cheese over & baked it till it was bubbly and gooey like pizza. The other 1/2 of the beans were saved for beans & cornbread & fried potatoes.

[susies1955]

This is my first post. Hi everyone!
My frugal tasty meal is:

1 can Dinty Moore beef stew $2.39
2 cups cooked rice (pennies)
2 apples $1

Susie in northern NY

[Kimmie628]

When I was a kid we always had what mother referred to as, “sh!t on a shingle”. Essentially, it was homemade drop biscuits with whatever leftover meat & veggies we had in the refrigerator diced dumped into her fantastic homemade gravy. The veggie/meat gravy mixture was the dumped over buttered biscuits (if we had any butter).

To this day, Sh!t on a shingle is my favorite meal to make when we’re broke.

[svidal]

Well last week pork chops we on sale for .88 cent per pound. So of course I bought 30 pounds.
So PORK is on the menu.
today will be main cooking day. Hubby will grill pork chops that we will use in meals sat sun & mon
Saturday
Porkchops with potato salad (eggs from our chickens) and veggies from the garden
Sunday
pork fried rice (dice up a little of the grilled pork really small)
Monday
Pork quiesadillas
Tuesday we will be Switching to beef (raise our own beef) so we can save our pork!!

[bellacupcake]

Frito Pie!! 1 bag of Frito’s, 1 can of chili, diced onion and grated cheese…voila!! Cheap, easy, yummy and CHEAP!!!

😀

[jkpjohnson]

Simple ~ 1 small box of minute rice, 2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup, 1 can tuna, a little milk. Bland (but 1 of my favorites)

[luckwo]

We love what I call Campetti. Pour chili over spagetti noodles top with lettuce cheese (optional) sour cream tomatoes and any other veggies you want and wala Campetti very filling cheap and a wonderful way to use up that extra salad and chili

[torimwar]

Top ramen creamy chicken noodle soup; 1 can mixed vegetables (drained); 1 can cooked chicken. Cook soup then add vegetables and chicken. Optional severed with crackers or bread.

[asimplehomestd]

Our favorite cheap meals are one that stretch and use up leftovers. Fried rice is simple to make with leftover or frozen vegetables and leftover meat. We also like to make something called skillet scramble which is leftover sausage or ring bologna, leftover baked potato, onions and mushrooms pan-fried and then we add eggs.

A filling dinner or weekend breakfast meal.

[jfkluka81]

feeding a family of 5, so I buy 2 family sized cans of soup (any kind. my fav is the vegetable beef) and a box of generic ritz crackers. feeds everyone with a little leftover for my hubby’s work lunch the next day.

[ang70]

Spaghetti ala Ceci (Rachael Ray recipe)
Even my meat-and-potatoes-loving husband enjoys this dinner!

1 lb.

spaghetti
14 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
dried thyme
garlic
crushed red pepper
olive oil
(white wine optional)
Put on water to cook pasta, and add spaghetti when the water boils.
Meanwhile, chop the chickpeas very fine in a food processor.
Heat up a little olive oil in a non-stick skillet, saute the garlic, thyme and red pepper for a couple of minutes, until fragrant, then add the chopped chickpeas and cook for about 4-5 minutes.

(add a little white wine at this point, if desired, and cook down for about a minute) Then add the crushed tomatoes, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Heads up! Before draining the pasta, take a ladle-full of the starchy water and add to the sauce. It helps the sauce cling to the pasta!

[johnhunt3055]

My wife makes a dish she calls, “I Don’t Know” and sometimes “Slumgullion”
This is what’s in it & how to make it:

1 Tbs oil
1 onions, diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 pound ground turkey
8 oz elbow macaroni, cooked till tender and drained
2 15-oz cans tomato sauce
1 15-oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 15-oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Saute the onions and garlic in a big frying pan and then add the ground turkey. Since we’ve been following the sites meal plans we’ve stopped bying ground beef.
Once it’s cooked add tomato sauce, kidney beans, cream of mushroom soup, cooked pasta, and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer a few minutes until it’s all heated throughout and then add all the rest of the ingredients, cover and simmer for a few more minutes.

That’s really all there is to it. I think she found it on the internet, but I just got this out of her recipe book in the kitchen.

[MrsPaws]

More Top Frugal Meals:
Beans and rice -from dry beans and regular long grain rice
Red Beans and Rice-from dry beans and regular long grain rice
Chili-from dry beans
Soups/Stews
Spaghetti
*NOTE*
All these ideas should have left overs for another meal or enough to work out a planned over meal.
Example:
Reserve 2 cups chili from original meal.
Reserve 2-3 cups spaghetti from original meal.
Take l/o spaghetti and add to platter. Top with reserved 2 cups l/o chili.
Warm and add desired topping. ((Shredded cheese, onions, peppers, etc…))

Have extra rice? Make a fried rice dinner with the l/o rice and any l/o veggies or meats. Perfect way to use up whatever’s hanging around in the fridge.

🙂

Mushroom rice burger helper:
1 can cream mushroom soup-commercial or myo
1/2 soup can water
1/2 lb cooked ground meat (turkey, beef, deer, chicken)
2 cups cooked rice
1 small onion
s and p-to taste
2 slices American cheese

1. In a medium pan, spray with cooking spray and cook onions for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add cooked ground meat, cooked rice, soup, and water to pan with onions.
3.

Cook, on medium heat for 15 minutes.
4. Add sliced cheese to pan. Stir.

Cook until cheese is melted. Turn off heat.
5. Stir well and serve.
*Can add any left over/fresh/canned veggies to mix.

[alaland2]

I love fast and easy, but delicious is my fave! This is all three! A friend’s grandma from Louisiana gave me this recipe years ago.

Red Beans and Rice
In large frying pan, over medium high head, brown 1 lb. ground beef (onions optional); drain. Add 2 cans dark kidney beans and 1/2 can water.

Season with salt and pepper, stir, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Serve over white rice with Jiffy mix cornbread and veggie of your choice.

Cheap and delicious.

[metoo1075]

Easy & cheap yummy-for-my-tummy mexican dish! Take a package of hamburger meat (usually weighs about 2lbs or a little over). Cook your hamburger meat, drain and add taco seasoning to your taste then add a can of whole kernel corn (drain juice) and simmer on low heat for about 5-6 minutes.

Next take two packages of cornbread mix, plain or mexican cornbread (your choice) and prepare according to directions, preheat oven according to package directions as well, then set cornbread mix aside. Once meat and corn are heated good add 1 cup of shredded mexican blend cheese and heat until melted. Take meat mix and evenly layer in bottom of 9″ clear casserole dish then pour cornbread mixture on top of your layer of meat.

Place in oven for 20 minutes (cooking times may vary depending on oven), remove (don’t forget to make sure the cornbread is done) and cover entire top of cornbread with mexican blend shredded cheese and place back in oven for 5 minutes (again, times may vary but you’re just wanting to melt cheese real good). Once the cheese is melted with a nice golden color, remove from oven and cut and serve! Sounds like a lot of work but it’s actually very quick and easy as well as cheap.

Sometimes I will use the leftovers from taco/burrito night and will also add spanish rice in the meat mixture.

[tismeinaz]

I hope that I am posting in the correct place. I am new and a little confused with posting procedures. In response to the frugal meal challenge – one of our favorites is bean burritos.

Simply take flour tortillas (about $1.00 per dozen) and a can of refried beans (.79) and a small amount of gratec cheese – an onion if you have one. Warm the beans in a skillet maybe adding a clove of minced garlic – little salt and pepper. Warm the tortillas so that they are soft.

Spread the hot beans on the warm tortilla and add a little bit of cheese. Fold over or roll up and enjoy.

[valisyoung]

One of my favorite meals ever is rice with kidney beans and salsa, topped with sour cream. I loved this before I knew how cheap it was. I was at my friend’s house as a kid and had never had that meal before.

When I told my mom she almost laughed at how much I loved such a simple meal 🙂

[Tweezz]

For a quick cheap meal, I will purchase chicken legs or quarters, bake them and peel the meat off. Cook a box of Rice-a-roni and mix the chicken in. Delicous and filling and best of all cheap.

🙂

freebiequeen;321644 wrote:

Share your best dirt cheap meal ideas- breakfast, lunch, dinner – doesn’t matter, just has to be cheap, filling and tasty! 2 random winners will receive a Super Laundry Sauce kit- which contains a box of borax, a box of washing soda and 3 bars of fels naptha as well as printed directions for our Original Super Laundry Sauce recipe!

This challenge can end at any time, so Hurry! Share your favorite dirt cheap meal ideas!!

[Walela]

Any left over chicken, or you could bake the inexpensive parts. Remove bones & dice up. Cook a bag of egg noodles, add chicken & Cream of Chicken Soup.

(I save the water from the noodles to use if needed) Mix well add frozen peas and any other frozen veggies you like or want to & heat.

Very inexpensive and filling. Protein & veggies. Kids love it.

[leeloomiana]

a yummy cheap meal for our family is Korean rice cake soup.

if made without the meat it is roughly $2.99 for a whole pot (enough too feed 4-6) MEN. if made with beef it raises the cost to about 3
$3.50 h $4.00 pot..
you make a simple broth with browned chopped beef, seasoned with garlic, salt pepper and Dashida (a Korean beef marrow bullion powder; very cheap about 99¢ for a pound) after broth is seasoned and ready add rice cake pieces, boil till tender. may add a little chopped green onions before serving..
this is my family’s favorite meal..

[CoffeeisGoddess]

My favorite dirt cheap breakfast is a peanut butter and honey roll. I just use a whole wheat tortilla and peanut butter drizzled with some honey. Fills me up and gets me protein to start my day.

If I really want a treat I use Nutella or another chocolate peanut butter type.

[MommaLearn]

I love cheddar broccoli soup, So when I don’t have time to make it from scratch I always have a bag of Bear Creek soup mix on hand. Just add water and it will serve 6-8 for under $4.00. I usually add some fresh or frozen broccoli (which ever I have on hand at the time).

My husband likes smooth soup, so after its cooked I take my hand blender and give it a quick whip.

I usually serve it up with some oyster crackers and a grilled cheese sandwich.

[Froggy Mama]

We don’t like the boxed taste of Hamburger Helper so we make our own, 1lb ground beef, 1 box macaroni & cheese, 1 can baked beans. We use tall can of Bushs baked beans because my husband loves beans. Brown ground beef while cooking macaroni.

When both are cooked mix together and add beans and cheese packet (sometimes I leave cheese out). Let cook together on low heat till flavors mix together. Enjoy!

[hotrod3048]

for a quick budget meal for 2 I have taken 1/2 pound of ground beef(hamburger), 1 carrot, 1 potato, 1/2 an onion, some garlic powder, pepper, and 1 can of condensed tomato soup. in a casserole dish chunk up the hamburger (raw) season with garlic powder & pepper. rough chop the potato, and onion (as for stew).

Cut the carrot into just smaller pieces than the potato & onion. Layer on top of the hamburger. On top of it all put the condensed tomato soup (do not dilute).

Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours at 350*. On a cold day it warms you up and with meat, vegs and potato all in one dish it is all you need. I call it poor man’s stew!

[Ketsyc]

Some of my favorite dirt cheap meal ideas were born out of necessity. It was the combination of what I had in the cabinets left for a meal. Breakfast is always a must have for my house.

Hubbie is Diabetic, s-n-l needs breakfast, and my 17 yr old son is ALWAYS hungry.

My refrigerator containd 8 eggs, a 1/2 a tub of cream cheese, 5 pieces of bacon, a little milk, and some condiments, swiss cheese, not so fresh raw broccoli, a red pepper, and gross mushrooms…I kid you not. After tossing out the mushrooms and 2/3 of the raw broccoli I pulled out all the ingrediants and took stock of the ingrediants.

I had no bread, and so that left a homemade biscuit recipe. Sort of like bisquick. Fortunately, I still had baking powder, sugar, flour, and salt.

All the dry ingrediants. But no crisco or margerine sticks…

I replaced the crisco/margerine with cream cheese
added 2 cups flour
2 tbs of baking powder
a 1/2 tsp of salt
a splash of milk
and combined for a biscuit dough

heated oven to 375
pressed biscuit dough into the bottom and up the sides of the baking dish
baked for 5 minutes to firm the crust

I mixed 6 eggs, the cup of milk, a 1/4 of the red pepper chopped up, the remainder of the broccoli, chopped swiss cheese, and crumbled bacon pieces. Pour this into the crust and finish baking about 30 minutes.

It made a wonderful quiche and was delicious, filling and we even had crumbs left for the dogs.

[hotrod3048]

After smoking a chicken in the smoker I have made Chicken and rice soup or chicken pot pies with the leftover chicken. Just debone the leftover chicken and chop. I always make my own stock with the bones.

Put the bones in a large pot and cove with water and boil for at least 30 minutes. Strain the bones out and in a frying pan I put a diced potato, diced carrot, and diced onion. Fry the vegs with a bit of butter till almost tender.

Add chicken and add the homemade stock. Bring to a boil and thicken (with some corn starch and water mix). Put the mixture into oven proof dishes (single serve), let cool and make your favorite pie dough, top the chicken mixture cut a few vents and bake till pie crust is done!

[mos]

My best is turkey neck soup;-D
It’s a clean-out your fridge kinda soup using turkey necks that I pick up from the mark-down bin. Turkey necks make great broth and I can make at least four meals for one for about $2 or a meal for four or five!

[bethaliz6894]

When we do thanksgiving dinner, we buy 2 turkeys because we deep fry them. with 7 people eating it is hard to have left overs. I take the ‘extras’ out of the bird and save it until tomorrow.

when we are done eating, I cut the meat off of the bone and vacuum seal it. I also seal one leg and one wing in separate packs. I then take the bones from the 2 birds and the ‘extras’ that come with the bird and I boil the heck out of them.

I cook them probably about 4 hours with carrots and celery, onions. I strain the broth. pick the rest of the meat off of the bones.

pick the neck clean and finely chop the livers. the gizzards wont get used because hubby will eat them before I have a chance to chop them up. I take the broth, the meat from the bones and a few bags of frozen veggies.

I cook this about 4-6 hours, very slow. when the veggies are tender….soups on! 🙂 I usually can be about 15 quarts of soup.

it will be supper and then lunch the next day and anything leftover is frozen and used for my lunches over the next week or 2. I use any kind of vegetables that I have in the freezer. mixed, green beans, corn.

sometimes I will chop up potatoes and use them. I also chop my own carrots. taste better and much cheaper.

[Liss]

Wow, what a great response! Thank you all that took the B101 Challenge, and super congrats to:

• johnhunt3055
• Kimmie628

our lucky winners of the Super Laundry Sauce Kits! You’ll be receiving a complete kit with enough ingredients to myo super laundry for about a Years worth of laundry!

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[cathyinhawaii]

Chana Masala. can go super cheap and leave out the spinach. add extra by adding rice under & yogurt on top!

ive served a similar dish to this recipe for a dinner party and everyone loved it. Chana Masala – Indian Vegetarian Chana Masala – Channa Recipe – Best Chana Masala Recipe – Indian Chickpeas Vegetarian Indian Recipe

[ladyrose]

Ok, I make this for my family and it’s cost…
lets say its all store bought…
1 pk hamburger buns .99 (also on sale or discount)
1 can tuna in water .68 on average but bought it for less
1 can condensed cream of whatever (we use cream of mushroom) .50
dashes of seasoning (garlic, onion, celery salt, etc) .10 =2.27 which makes 8 sandwiches

Now I generally do it this way…
make homemade bread rolls less then .50 for a dozen
bought tuna at around .68 or less
homemade condensed soup (make a big batch and then add the whatever to make it potato, celery, mushroom, etc) .20 per (one can)
spices .10 (because I buy garlic and dehydrate and grind my own, as well as onion which is super cheap) = 1.48 🙂
Now thats a deal for 8 sandwiches.

[lmitchell]

We make Lentil Stew that even my toddler loves. Its simple to make, really.
All you need is:

Lentils
frozen veggies (peas and carrots work well)
cubed potatoes
seasoning of your choice
tomato sauce
chicken broth (we use homemade)

Add everything to the pot (except the potoatoes)
Simmer for 1 hr
Add the potatoes about 20 minutes before serving
Once the potatoes are fork tender, the meal is done and ready to serve.

Everyone enjoys this meal and the finicky ones even ask for seconds.

[Author]

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