##Meatballs and Sauce

• 12oz. Frozen meatballs (apx. $4.50*)
• 24oz. Tomato sauce (apx. $1.99*)

Open sauce, add:
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp rosemary pulverized in mortar&pestle if available (if not, crush leaves between your fingers as you add them)
1 tsp thyme (can be pulverized with the rosemary; a classic combination, but not necessary)
0.5 tsp oregano
0.5 tsp basil
0.25 tsp paprika
Substitution: 1 Tbsp any Italian Seasoning blend will do
Put lid securely back on. Shake

Put meatballs in medium saucepan and pour sauce over
Cover. Heat on higher heat until sauce boils
Reduce heat to simmer. Stir
Keep covered. Cook for 25 minutes. Stir occasionally

##Garlic Toast

• 8 pack garlic toast (apx. $2.99*)
• jar of minced garlic in olive oil (apx. $2.99*)

Preheat oven to 375°F
Place garlic toast on parchment lined baking sheet (aluminum foil is perfectly fine)
According to package instructions, bake, flipping halfway
After flipping, spoon apx. 0.25 tsp minced garlic over each piece. Spread
Finish baking

Serve meatballs and sauce over garlic toast. Enjoy.

Serves 2 adults (maybe 3)
Meal is about $13 not including the spices (apx. $15 if using substitute spice blend)
(* Prices based on my CNY Wegmans grocery)

I just purchased heavily discounted 10.5 ounces of plain goat cheese in a tube shape. It's a new food for me. How do I wrap most of it to freeze? Does the texture and taste change? If frozen goat cheese is different from fresh, what can I use it for? Thank you for your help.

I don’t know if this is the right sub for this, so please redirect me if it isn’t.

The title essentially explains everything. Regrettably I never learned to cook, but now that I’m in boarding, I’d like to try learning.

Could someone kindly explain what the best appliances are (gas powered appliances aren’t allowed in the dorms), and the best ingredients that can be used for multiple dishes, ideally cheaply? Recipes are also appreciated.

If it helps, I am in Malaysia. And the dorm has a small fridge with a freezer. I know I should include a budget, but I really don’t know what an appropriate amount would be. I’m absolutely clueless on this matter.

It always surprises me when people post recipes or ideas here and talk about price, like " a week of sandwiches works out to 75 cents a day!" or "just buy a 10lb bag of rice for $3!".

Not only do we all use different currencies but we all live in different economies. So I thought I'd share a small haul of basic groceries I picked up yesterday and give people a chance to guess what this cost me, to give an idea of how the price of food varies from place to place. Receipt in the comments.

Please remove if this isn't allowed-

We've been shopping on a budget for the last 6 months so for breakfast it's usually food prepped egg & sausage wraps or smoothies. Well, I have a massive container of quaker oats and my BF loves oatmeal (probably why I bought it originally, I'm sure). I've never loved oatmeal because my mom always just made it plain. Nothing added lol.

What are your favorite oatmeal recipies/add ins? I'm used to seeing fruit toppings but I feel like the oatmeal is still so bland without the added sweetness of sugar but i'm trying to keep it on the healthier side. For reference, my fruits are all frozen that I'd thaw to put on oatmeal.

Any help is welcome!

I really enjoy putting together cheap and delicious meal plans, and got inspired to make another one today.

If anyone is interested in me doing a full breakdown of how to portion out the ingredients and what the recipes are, let me know!

Edit for formatting

Sunday

Pancakes

Ramen Noodles

Chilli

Monday

PB & Banana Toast

Leftover Chilli

Roast Pork Loin with Potatoes & Carrots

Tuesday

Apple Muffins & Apple Slices

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

Chilli Dogs/Chilli Mac & Cheesey Broccoli

Wednesday

Pancakes

Ramen Noodles

Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes & Maple Roasted Carrots

Thursday

PB & Banana Toast

Hot Dogs & Apples or Carrots

Nachos

Friday

Pancakes

Mac & Cheese & Apples or Carrots

BBQ Pork Sandwiches, Potato Wedges, Broccoli

Saturday

Apple Muffins & Apple Slices

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

Lazy Lasagna & Garlic Bread

Shopping List

Sandwich Bread $1.42

Hamburger Buns $1.46

Hotdog Buns $1.46

Syrup $2.36

Pancake Mix $1.98

Half Gallon Milk $1.52

Margerine Sticks $1.28

American Cheese $2.48

8 oz Cheddar $2.24

Bannana x4 $1.04

5lb Potatoes $3.27

2lb Apples $3.37

1lb Carrots $1.08

3lb Onions $3.14

Peanuts $2.48

Peanut Butter $1.94

32 oz Frozen Broccoli $2.28

Family Size Cheese Ravioli $6.77

8 pack hot dogs $1.18

Pork Loin Filet $4.98

2 lbs Ground Beef $8.48

Can Mixed Chilli Beans $.86

2x Can Tomato Soup $1.36

4x Ramen Noodles $1.20

Mild Salsa $1.92

BBQ Sauce $1.72

2X Mac & Cheese

1lb Dry Black Beans

2x 15 oz can tomato sauce $1.92

Tortilla Chips $1.98

So I’m not trying to get into my situation because I don’t need a pity party. But I’m wondering if anybody has some advice on the best cheap foods to eat while still having atleast a sliver of nutrition in it. I don’t care if it’s rice and beans. I’m hoping I can feed myself for $2 a day atleast for a couple months along with a multivitamin to have a somewhat complete diet. Any input is appreciated, and just fyi I don’t care how bland or boring it is I simply cannot afford seasonings, sauces, extras, etc.

I asked about meal prep ideas on here awhile back and ziti and Shepards pie came my go to. Due to freezer making the potatoes not really good, I just went to ziti

My question is, I use quite a lot of cheese to get calories, I do omad. Is there anything else I could use?

Here's my ziti

3lb ground sausage turkey

1lb cheese of various flavors

1 tub of ricotta cheese

8oz Parmesan cheese for top

1lb noodles

2 jars of sauce, Alfredo or marinara

1lb of peas

1lb of corn

So cheese was my go to for calories but I know it's not the best to eat in large quantities, so I'm trying to replace the calories. I know with current food prices, budget is becoming a loose term, but anybody got any suggestions?

Edit: this recipe lasts me 6 days

I love cooking but buying meat just when you need it is difficult in my situation and all the stuff that makes the base of meals is perishable. What kind of canned foods or meats are good and can be used in a variety of recipes?

Has anyone adopted bacalao who was not brought up with it? Is it a worthwhile budget food?

Apologies if I upset anyone or caused some controversy with my post yesterday. I think a lot of people were confused by my haul post and assumed my purchases were intended to be used as planned meals for the upcoming week. I tried to make it clear in my OP that it was not a full meal plan haul but I wasn’t clear enough with that info. It was a fun thread to interact with and digest some of the comments and suggestions!

It’s become more clear to me that our sub is pretty diverse, and while our overall goal is to improve our food expenditures we also approach things differently as individuals. Some of us have to live within a weekly budget or risk late or skipped payments on other bills. Some of us have better finances but limited storage space to plan beyond a week or even might have to buy food daily if in the city and using public transportation. There are also the rest of us who are richer or poorer with more storage options for weeks or months of food storage.

Anyways I think it’s cool to see the different suggestions and advice that comes from the different backgrounds here. LOL, to those who may think I’m a knuckle dragging caveman obsessed with eating meat - don’t worry we buy plenty of fruits, vegetables and dried beans. A few pieces of the Wright Brothers bacon will be diced up to use as a substitute for pancetta in a killer minestrone soup I’m planning to make tomorrow! I’m trying some small red beans as part of my ingredients.

I wrote and tried this recipe based on this post. My spouse quite likes frozen burritos, but his preferred brand has been discontinued. There is a replacement that is $2 per burrito, and are - according to him - on the small side.

By my calculations, based on local prices, this recipe makes a batch of 10 for about $0.80 apiece. It's tough to be super accurate, since seasonings are hard to calculate. Also this first batch was made with the broth from a small pork roast that I made into some pulled pork.

Bean and Cheese Burritos

450g pinto beans, soaked several hours in hot water with 1 Tbsp baking soda

water or stock to cover (about 6 cups)

1/2 C frozen diced onions

1 sachet low-sodium beef bouillion

1 tsp each salt, garlic powder

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp soy sauce

1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 Tbsp sambal olek

90g shredded cheese

10 whole wheat tortillas

Cook the pinto beans in water seasoned with onion, salt, garlic powder and bay leaf on high pressure for 50 minutes. Allow to release naturally. Drain and reserve liquid for another application. Mash beans with cumin, soy sauce, vinegar and sambal. Stir through shredded cheese. Divide into 10 portions (about 123g each), and roll each portion in a tortilla. Lay out on a tray to freeze, then transfer to a bag or container once frozen.

A meat market popped up on my FB feed that's about a half hour away (Benson NC) so I checked them out. I got

40 lb. case fresh boneless skinless chicken $65

10 pound chub of 80/10 ground beef $25

2 8-ish pound frozen turkey breast $17

3 pounds bacon $7.50

So 70 pounds of meat for $116 after tax.

I work in a commercial kitchen and it appears to be the stuff like we get, their supplier looks to be US Foods. Chicken was very fresh.

Today I trimmed up the chicken and broke down the beef and we vacuum sealed it along with 6 pounds of pork loin chops from BJ's club ($1.99 lb.)

Single egg omlette with sharp cheddar, spinach and red onion. So good! My previous attempt came out as a blob so I'm very proud lol.

Could have done it cheaper and probably healthier by making my own meatballs and salad. Next time, I’d add proper onion rings instead of crisps.

Lidl
Smoked cheddar Cheese Slices £1.55
Onion Rings crisps £0.99
Sweet &Crunchy Salad £1.39
Smooth Tomato cooking Sauce £0.69
Crispy Onion bits £1.89
Beef Meatballs £4.19
Mozzarella Slices £2.19

Tesco
Cheese & Herb Sub Rolls 4 Pack £1.50

Total £13.79

Had 6 meatballs leftover which I can plop on top of spaghetti with steamed carrots tomorrow for the kids for an extra cost of around £1

I fried the meatballs in oil on the hob until golden brown then let them simmer in the tomato sauce for about 40 mins. Once the bread rolls are butterflied on the oven tray, spread a little of the sauce on both sides before placing the cooked meatballs on one side. Place cheese slices on top to taste. Cook under grill until the cheese melts - roughly 8-10 minutes. Plate up with onion rings and salad and offer a sprinkle of onion bites.

Would love to start a mega thread with where people live, lowest or average monthly cost per person on groceries, and then recipes that they use weekly that are super cheap and always good. Would love vegetarian but usually you can just sub veggies or leave the meat out in meat recipes, also there is impossible now.

If y ou have a really good meal plan that reuses ingredients from other meals or cuts down on waste by combining ingredients from other meals would love to know those as well!

Include the state or city you are in because that definitely plays a role in cost!

It would also be nice to know what the average is for low cost monthly grocery shopping to give people something to aim for.

Can't wait to hear these!

Let’s say someone is homeless and they got a little money what’s something they should buy that might keep them full for the longest time,

Edit : I forgot to mention a few things,

1. It has to be vegetarian (recommend non veg if you like) eggs are allowed

2. You have limited resources to prep

3. You are allowed to add non vegetarian items if it’s a case of survival cuz yeah

$60 for this haul!

Yesterday I managed to get all of this from three stores: Winco, Costco, and a local organic food store here in Western Montana. I live by myself, so things normally last me quite a while, and I eat a ton of oats and things like that. I wanted to share because I was so impressed with my finds!

W = Winco, C = Costco, L = local organic store

• a whole organic rotisserie chicken (L)
• 3 lb frozen organic blueberries (C)
• 4 lb frozen organic broccoli (C)
• 4 lb frozen organic cherries (C)
• 5 lb frozen organic peas (C)
• 2 lb frozen shrimp (C)
• 12 oz fresh blackberries (C)
• 1 gallon organic whole milk (W)
• 1/2 gallon 1/2 and 1/2 (W)
• 64 oz (2 containers) 5% greek yogurt (W)
• 1 lb Kerrygold Irish butter (W)
• 1 lb Penne (organic, whole wheat) (W)
• 4 8 oz cans of water chestnuts (W)
• 1 head escarole (L)
• 4 organic fuji apples (L)
• an english cucumber (L)
• 1 bunch green kale (L)
• 1 head red leaf lettuce (L)
• 1 bunch chives (L)
• 1 bunch parsley (L)
• 2 bunches spring onions (L)
• 2 bunches dill (L)
• 1 lb organic round udon (L)
• half a pound of hazelnuts (L)
• 5 pounds organic rolled oats (C)
• 10 pounds all-purpose flour (C)
• 5 lb red onion (C)
• 12 portions organic rice ramen noodles (C)
• Adams no-stir peanut butter (W)
• 5 lb clementines (C)
• 2 lb garlic (C)
• 6 3.75 oz tins smoked oysters (C)
• 1 30 oz jar marionberry fruit spread (C)
• 2 lb organic hemp hearts (C)

Additionally, I got 2 12-packs of canned whole fish (sardines, herring) and a 4.25 oz can of anchovies this week for $54. Besides replacing things like herbs, veg, and fruits, this will last me several months.

TOTALS Costco: 117.99 Winco: 39.72 Local: 47.26 Fish: 54.39

All in all: $259.36

I strongly prefer to eat healthy and organic foods when possible, so things are going to be a bit pricier. However, for those that have similar preferences but are also on a budget, I wanted to share!

Some staples I tend to keep around that are not on this list include: miso paste, wakame seaweed, calrose rice, rye berries (79¢/lb at my local organic store), steel cut oats, rolled rye, dried currants and raisins, sesame seeds, yellow onions, farro, bulgar wheat, maple syrup, frozen cod, etc. These can all be bulked up or added to filler foods to make those even better.

I am also a big fan of finding purposes for unused items, so every week I save the odds and ends (garlic and onion skins/butts, kale stems, herb stems, chicken bones, etc.) and make broth. I will buy bread every now and then and make a meal of it or just have the broth for a snack or cooking base. When I cook rye or barley, I save the boiled water and drink that as well, as it gets really starchy and flavorful. I’ll make dressings out of remnants in jam containers and save fat from pork too (pork belly is fairly cheap where I am, so I eat this with rice, broccoli, and water chestnuts about once a month).

Let me know what you think!

Edit: one food I forgot to include in my staples is the Swedish rye crackers! A whole pack of those costs me like $3 at Winco, and that lasts me over a month. I use them as snacks, for peanut butter, with salmon salad, with cheese, etc. Basically everything I would otherwise use bread for. I also make a ton of porridge, like semolina porridge and cream of wheat.

My husband is really picky when it comes to food, and I’ve been struggling for months to come up with a good variety of easy & cheap dinner ideas. We live in a place where the cost of living and cost of groceries is already really high, and they’re likely going to get higher.

Unfortunately, a lot of his dislikes perfectly align with affordable ingredients and meal options. Some of the things he doesn’t like/won’t eat include: soups and stews; corn; vegetarian protein options like tofu, beans, and lentils; and any egg dish that involves a runny or jammy yolk, to name a few.

He likes rice and pasta and ground beef, so that’s usually what we eat - stir fries, burritos, quesadillas, cheap bolognese over pasta, and sometimes oven roasted potatoes and sausage tend to be on the menu.

I just need a little more variety in my life, and I honestly have no idea what to cook for him anymore. Any suggestions are welcome - thanks in advance and sorry for rambling!

Edit: sorry if I don’t respond to everyone individually but thank you all for the suggestions and advice! My husband has a much more strenuous and taxing job than I do, so I try my hardest to make sure I cook good food for us most nights of the week (and therefore have good leftovers for lunches, etc.) I’ll try and incorporate some new spice blends and ingredients into tried and true dishes and take a chance on some new ones too! Appreciate you all <3

I used firm sautéed tofu, dehydrated veggie mix, spinach, green onion, chili oil, a little of the packet seasoning and a soft boiled egg.

Sautee tofu, boil water, add dehydrated veg and spinach to simmering water, add noods and tofu, top with egg and onion.

Very yum and more nutritious than how it comes :) ~$2 or something for this meal, idk

I was hurt to learn a serving size is only half the packet >:(

I don't do small food