Cheap Meal Ideas - How to Eat Well on a Budget

There are hundreds of ways to make meals that cost less than a dollar or two per serving. Before we share some recipes, here are some basic grocery store staples:

Rice
Beans
Canned Tomatoes
Lentils
Tortillas
Spinach (frozen or fresh, whatever is cheaper)
Bananas
Milk
Oatmeal (cheaper in large drums rather than packets)
Cheese (Cheaper when purchased in blocks and shred at home)
Bread
Pasta
Pasta sauces
Butter
Peanut butter
Garlic
Onion
Vegetables on sale
Vegetable bullion

You can make:
rice and beans
garlic spinach and rice
pasta
mac and cheese
grilled cheese
peanut butter and banana sandwiches
oatmeal with banana pieces
quesadillas
bean enchiladas
vegetarian bean chili
spinach lentil stew

And much much more.

Here are some simple, ultra-cheap recipes:

Home-made egg noodles

1 cup flour
1 large egg
1/2 eggshell full of milk (use the 1/2 of the eggshell as a measuring cup)

Mix, knead. roll thin, cut with a sharp knife. Throw in some boiling water with a chicken bullion cube. Total cost is like 20 cents and tastes better then any store bought.

Potato soup (crockpot recommended)

$2.00 bag potatoes
$1.50 can condensed milk
$.65 cent block of butter
salt, pepper

This is enough for 4-5 portions.
Dice up the potatoes, cover them with water, and let cook for an hour.
when you get back add butter/milk/salt and pepper to taste.

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Vegetarian Chili

2 cans black beans (or, if you want to do the work, you can always get dry beans and soak them yourself for about half the price)
2 cans red beans (or chili beans)
2 cans of diced tomatoes (don’t drain)
1 large onion
1/2 lb frozen corn
1/2 stick butter or margarine
1 bag of generic Chili seasoning
And you can always experiment with ingredients and seasoning
Cook in a big pot on low-med heat for at least 2 hours.

It makes about 8-10 bowls.

Mostachiolli

Mostachiolli noodles
Spaghetti sauce
Mozzarella cheese
1 lb ground beef

brown beef while boiling noodles
add together in a large pot
add sauce and put in a large baking dish
sprinkle cheese on top
bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted