Eating More Legumes Helps Save MoneySalads have become quite a bit less costly around my place these past few months. I've stopped buying lettuce and have replaced it with Napa cabbage which pairs beautifully with mung bean sprouts which I've learned to grow. Three tablespoons of dry beans makes enough for two good-sized salads. The cabbage lasts about a month without turning brown or wilting, and one large head is still less expensive than a head of iceberg. Fresh sprouts are crisp and significantly more nutritious than lettuce.
Spicing Up Your Ramen NoodlesAre you tired of eating the same old ramen noodles? Well then I have a tip for you. These cheap noodles can be made into more interesting meals with just a few extra ingredients.
Dollar Tree Country HamIn the cooler at Dollar Tree, I saw some packages of cured ham for $1.00. It looked like a bargain to me and I thought it sure would make some good seasoning for a pot of navy beans.
Link: Fullcart.org for Inexpensive Food DeliveryI am on several frugal and homesteading groups on FB and one of the owners alerted me to a site that offers free food, just pay S&H. It is fullcart.org (AKA Feeding The Children). They give away non-perishable foods, mainly pastas, rice and instant oatmeal.
Omelets to Stay Inside Food BudgetI love omelets, but never made a good one until yesterday. Every time tried to make one, I ended up with scrambled eggs. I belong to a cooking group, and they were talking about the best omelet pans. Apparently the pan is necessary, and I decided I wanted one, but thought the $99 recommended one was too expensive. So, yesterday I was at an estate sale, and I saw an omelet pan, so I bought it.
Salmon Can Be AffordableCan you believe I only paid $3.22 for 0.89 lb Fresh Atlantic Salmon Fillet? Yes you read that correct, and you can easily feed 3-4 people with side dishes.
Make Smoked Salmon Bagels at HomeA few times a week, I stop by a bagel shop and grab breakfast. $3 bucks for bagel and spread is adding up for convenience. Today, I put a stop to overspending and bought bagels, cream cheese by the pack at my local grocery store.
Beefed-up Korean Spicy RamenFirst I make up a mug of instant Asian Laksa or Spicy Asian noodle soup from packet using boiling water from the electric pot. Put the cooked ramen in a bowl, and top it up with the soup from the mug. Then add canned mushrooms, peas or beans.
One Chicken for Three MealsWe are a family of three. I like to buy a nice whole chicken and then use as follows:
My Frugal Life: Cooking for Work and Busy TimesWhen we were busy or had to work all at the same time, we had to prep for how we would all eat. There was no going to a drive-thru, because there was no extra money.
Boiled DinnerI boil the ham bone with wedged cabbage, rutabaga, potatoes, whole onions, and squash. It makes wonderful meal.
Three Meals From One Rotisserie ChickenI cook for two people and get 3 meals from a $5 rotisserie chicken. Sometimes I could get a cheaper price on a raw chicken, but this has to do with time. The thigh/drums (2) make the meat part of one meal, sometimes with boiled potatoes.
Macaroni and Cheese: A Recession FavoriteToday, a box of macaroni and cheese can be purchased for between .50 cents and $2.00 depending on the brand. Here is a tip when cooking the old favorite.
Help Out Your Grocery ListFor a couple of years, my husband and I had very, very little cash flow and began going hungry at times, here and there. We never had a lot of food, but it only felt bad when we had nothing but dried noodles and water; rice, if we were lucky.
Add Ramen To Prepackaged MealsI really like some of the prepackaged meal kits. I like to use them when I am in a hurry or just don't want to do a lot of cooking. The portions are too small for families, so just cook up several packages of ramen noodles ...
Feed Family for a WeekWhen funds are low, I will buy a turkey or a couple of whole chickens. All I need are some veggies. I cook the chicken the first night and then take all of the meat I can off the bones and put in the fridge.
Thrifty Food Tips For 1-2 PeopleI, like a lot of people, have lots of food leftovers, usually they go to waste. I have noted a few ideas I will share that I have found useful!
Frugal Tomato SauceI recently decided to make my own spaghetti sauce. I buy an institutional size can (106 oz.) of ground and peeled tomatoes at a Sam's Club type store for approximately $2.50, and then add my Italian seasoning.
Virtually Free Broth From TrimmingsSave and freeze all meat trimmings and bones. Also save the celery tops, onion skins, pepper seeds, tomato skins, etc. When you have enough bones and meat trimmings of the same kind, add them to a pot with a bay leaf and some of the celery tops and onion skins.
Stretching Your Food BudgetTrying to make budget meals exciting can be a challenge these days. I use a three prong approach:
Use Inexpensive Condiment Brands for CookingIf you have a specific brand of condiment that you prefer, use the brand that's cheapest for cooking. For example with ketchup, go ahead and buy Heinz for putting on sandwiches, but use the cheaper brand of ketchup for making meatloaf and other dishes that require it.
Reduce Meat In Recipes By HalfOne of the easiest ways to save money on the grocery bill is to cut down on the amount of meat used in a recipe. When making casseroles, soups, stews, pasta dishes, and other meals where meat is not the main dish it is easy to reduce the meat in half.
Stretching Boxed Macaroni and CheeseWe are a family of six. Two of the six are teenage boys. To stretch my food bill, I buy generic Shells and Cheese. When serving it, I use two boxes, but only use one of the cheese packets.
Save Pepperoni from Sale PizzasWhen pizzas go on sale and I stock up, I always buy pepperoni. The kids only like cheese pizza though, so I've started plucking off the pepperonis and saving them.
Stretch Your Meals To Save Time And MoneyIf you're wondering what to fix for a meal, with or without meat, prepare the dish that will produce the most servings. Stretch your food dollars. You could fry up 4 hamburgers from a 1 pound package of ground meat such as beef, turkey or chicken, for exactly 1 meal.
Turkey For Frugal MealsTurkey For Frugal Meals. It's coming up on Turkey season, and so I'm saving back whatever I can from the grocery budget to get ready. Turkey is great for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but we eat at our daughter's. A whole turkey is a very good way to get poultry into our diets for very little or for free.
Baked Potato NightBaked Potato Night. Recently I was looking for some different thrifty ideas for dinner meals, this one my family loves including my husband who is a big eater, "Baked Potato Night". . .
Store Cans In Fridge For Hot Weather MealsKeep a few cans of tuna or chicken in the fridge, for in those times when you need a quick meal. They'll be great to either drain and toss on top of a green salad or a quickie dish of tuna or chicken salad.
Buying a Cheaper Cut of Beef RoastBuying A Cheaper Cut of Beef Roast. When buying meat at the butcher shop, I usually look for the cheaper cut of beef roast. If it has a bone, I keep that for soup.
Sharing Dinner with FriendsSharing Dinner with Friends. My daughter will be going to college next year. My friends and I are in the same boat, not wanting to cook for just ourselves. . .
Homemade Pizza SubstituteI raised a very large family on very little and believe I am very thrifty. Now there is only my daughter and I and neither of us eat very much so it's hard to adjust my cooking habits.
One Chicken, Three MealsBefore we started on our quest to get the most for our grocery dollar, we wasted a lot of our meat budget. I'd stick left-overs in the fridge until they could have gotten up and thrown themselves away.
Learn to Make SoupIf you don't already know how, learn to make soup. It is a healthy, nutritious and economical budget stretcher. You can use up a lot of your leftover veggies and a large pot often lasts for more than one meal.
Stretching Vegetable SoupTo almost double the amount of canned vegetable soup without doubling the price, simply add a can of mixed vegetables which usually only costs on average 25 cents. This works especially well with Progresso's Vegetable Soup because of its thick consistency.
Add Extra Rice or Veggies to Canned SoupsTo add zest and value to your canned soups, add instant rice or extra vegetables to them. Spice them with varieties of Mrs. Dash or your favorite condiments.
Make Your Own Quick MealsMake your own quick meals by making a large batch of soup or casserole and freezing meal-size portions for later. You will save on high-priced last minute fast food purchases.
Save Money With SoupEat soup one night a week.
Ramen Instead of SpaghettiRamen noodles make a great replacement for spaghetti, if you have extra sauce to use up. Just fix according to package directions and drain (don't use seasoning packet). It makes about enough for 2 servings.
Stretch Your Food Budget By Making Hearty Stews and SoupsIn the winter one of the things I do to try to stretch our budget is to make hearty stews and soups. It doesn't cost much to make a crockpot full of beef, chicken, or veggie stew or soup. It is filling, even by itself, but I also like to make a batch or homemade biscuits or some cornbread. Makes a great meal and cheap! By Robin. Editor's Note: Find some soup recipes here:
http://www.thriftyfun.com/Recipes/Soups_reccat.html
Stretching a Box of Noodle-RoniI stretch or "expand" a box of noodle-roni by adding a little extra water (and milk if needed) with my own "cheap" egg noodles or angel hair pasta.
Beef Stew Over RiceFor a quick dinner, cook enough rice to go around and heat canned beef stew to serve over the rice. Excellent!
