Affordable (ie, cheap) meals

[Brujahpriest]

Also, frozen veggies are usually much cheaper than fresh...and sometimes they're even better for you b/c they don't lose nutrients like fresh ones do.

We do alot with frozen veggies. The Krogers around here even has a 2 dollar Stew Veg frozen veg bag. I use that to make a big pot of stew... feeds 4 easily and total cost runs around 6 dollars depending on sales and how much meat you use.

 

[itsmeJonB]

Ketchup sandwich


Desperate times..

 

[Tim]

I ate a can of corn for dinner. Cheap. lol

Ideally, I'd like to be able to eat for the month for about 100 bucks.

I like a LOT of these ideas. I'm going to start my list.

Ah hell, why didn't you say that earlier...

make sure you check the super market dumpster before 10am... it's slim pickins after 1pm

 

[HottyToddyChick]

I know, right? :24:

And we almost NEVER throw anything away. Why throw money in the trash?

 

[HottyToddyChick]

Would it be better to buy a whole chicken, you think?

I know I could look when I go, but I do better if I make a list and don't deviate.

 

[Tim]

Would it be better to buy a whole chicken, you think?

I know I could look when I go, but I do better if I make a list and don't deviate.

I have found that for the meat you get, getting legs and thighs yields the most meat for the buck.
Wings are the cheapest but you get a lot of waste
whole chickens are cheaper than legs and thighs, but you throw more away as a percentage...

You can do the math for yourself because I'm sure prices are different everywhere you go.
But buying skinless and boneless chicken, you are basically paying someone to do that for you...

 

[Tim]

Hell, the farms around me sell whole chickens for $1.50





but they are live and you need to kill and prep them... :dunno

 

[HottyToddyChick]

I'll price chicken then.

This is what I came up with, the number of meals it will make is in parentheses by the "meal"

tuna melts (3)
hot dogs (2-4)
spaghetti (2)
bread pizza (6)
grilled cheese (10)
chicken and rice with cream of broccoli (2)
salad with chicken (1)
franks n beans (1)
stir fry (2)
mac n cheese (2)
---- with tuna (2)
---- with beans (2)
---- with chili (2)
crock pot roast (3+)

My quick guess comes to 40+ meals and roughly 80 bucks.

I love y'all!!!!

 

[Dana]

I'm single and some times im just assed to make anything and packaged shit is easier. I buy chicken thighs, minute rice. i eat a lot of minute rice.

 

[HottyToddyChick]

Regular rice is cheaper. I buy whatever is cheapest. Wound up with sticky rice once. That was fun!

 

[Thornless]

Quiche (pick your filllings, can also be made with just eggwhites)
CrockPot (stew, roast, pulled pork, jumbo)
Roast Chicken and vegs (left overs turn into chicken soup or chicken-n-dumplings)
Spaghetti
Chicken marsala
Tacos
Fajitas
Enchiladas
Pot roast
Stir fry
Fried rice
Caserols

If you want recipies let me know

 

[Tim]

Quiche (pick your filllings, can also be made with just eggwhites)
CrockPot (stew, roast, pulled pork, jumbo)
Roast Chicken and vegs (left overs turn into chicken soup or chicken-n-dumplings)
Spaghetti
Chicken marsala
Tacos
Fajitas
Enchiladas
Pot roast
Stir fry
Fried rice
Caserols

If you want recipies let me know

:24: You said pulled pork :24:

 

[Thornless]

:24: You said pulled pork :24:

I love it :ninja

 

[HottyToddyChick]

Ooh, pulled pork in the crock pot sounds good. I can make sammies!

I'd like a recipe for that one, please

 

[Thornless]

Ooh, pulled pork in the crock pot sounds good. I can make sammies!

I'd like a recipe for that one, please

I can't recall how pricey it is when we make it, but I say affordable because we use a pork shoulder and get 2-4 lunches from it. We buy 2 or 3 lbs of pork shoulder. Marinate it in your desired bbq sauce overnight, then toss the sucker in the crockpot. I like adding garlic and onion powder (season to my tastes, I'd say tps of each, or more)

Cook on high for first 30mins, then switch to low until it falls apart with a fork. Time length varies on the size of meat used. This is an all day cooking process nearly.

You can do this with pork chops though, if you can't be bothered with a shoulder.

I like serving it with homemade red potatoe salad, and corn on the cob

 

[JanieDough]

Black beans are a great base for anything cheap and they are healthy! also - lentils!

One of my faves is black beans over brown rice with some rotel tomatoes on top.

Of course I buy my beans dried and cook them myself.




Or black bean casserole with wheat tortillas, cheese and rotel tomatoes.

Or wheat pasta, diced tomatoes and mozarella cheese.


I always buy my cheese in blocks and grate if I need to - less processed that way, and cheaper!


Black bean burgers are also VERY good, VERY easy to make and you can make a shit ton, then freeze.

Whenever I make black beans I just cook the whole pound or so sack of dried beans, then I freeze them in sections and I use them to make different things - in soup, in burgers, in tacos, etc.



Eggs are really good too - like omelets or quiches. You can take some eggs and put them in a baking pan with milk, cheese and whatever vegetables you got - frozen spinach, onions - whatever - and bake it. Yummy!!!


I really never cook with processed foods, and I try to incorporate at least two vegetables in every meal and I'm poor most the time so ask away!

 

[JanieDough]

make your own bread, and your own iced tea too - which I think you already do. Make your own flat bread - it's easy!

make your own hummus - but that gets expensive because you have to use so much damn oil.

 

[HottyToddyChick]

My bread making failed on my third loaf.

But I can get it about a buck a loaf, so it's not SO bad.

I forgot about beans and rice. I grew up on that stuff. LOL And bow tie pasta with rotel. I never realized how "cheap" our meals were growing up. I thought we ate like kings! :24: I guess never being hungry is the key.

I don't know if a whole pork shoulder would last long around me. I'm a sucker for good bbq pork. I just have to decide if I want to make it Memphis style, or Carolina style... Decisions, decisions...


Oh, and we don't make tea anymore. We go through sugar like made crazy as is. No need to use another 2 cups a day.

 

[Tim]

If you REALLY get into a financial bind... wearing a low cut top, you can get all the free "protein shakes" you want.


I mean I would help. :dunno

 

[JanieDough]

EW!

I make mint tea or peach tea - you don't have to sweeten

Yeah meat is expensive, and it goes fast around my house too. I made pot roast with a 4lb chuck roast and it was gone in two days!