360312 Sun Jan 14 23:50:26 -0800 2007 164 31 Home Cooking 0 2188875 I'm sure this has been posted about before, but I can't find any. I am a poor recent graduate student that lives on a VERY limited budget. I have approx. $20 a week for food. I would be thrilled if I could cut it down to even less. I eat semi-healthy and do not want to stoop to ramen or boxed mac and cheese and hotdogs. But if it has to be, so be it. I was wondering if chowhounds could help! What are some good ideas to save money and/or cheap eat meals? I dont want to starve to death by just eating eggs! What are some good, filling, cheap eat breakfast/lunch/dinner ideas?? I cant shop at asian markets and cant join a co-op. I am restricted to "regular" grocery stores. I do have sugar/flour/condiments. My ideas so far: fried eggs over rice Buttered noodles ghetto corn chowder--can of creamed corn HELP! Sun Jan 14 23:50:26 -0800 2007 44450 asiansensation007 1 2188906 This one is a delicious and super easy and cheap recipe to make. A big pot of this lasts for a few days! I lived on this stuff when I first moved out of my parents' house. I still get a craving for this soup about once a week! AVGOLEMONO (Greek lemon soup) 3 cans of College Inn Chicken Broth 1/4 cup long grain rice 2 eggs 1/3 to 1/2 lemon or lime juice (depending on how much you like your lemon!) cooked chicken, chopped (optional) In a large pot, boil the chicken broth. Pour in the rice. Bring to a good boil again. As the rice is cooking, whisk the eggs and lemon juice together in a bowl until mixture is nice and frothy. Test the rice and see if it's tender (makes sure it's not too soft!) When the rice is al dente, and the broth is still boiling, ladle about 1 and 1/2 cups of the hot broth & rice into the lemon-egg mixture. Whisk with a fork. Then, slowly pour the whole lemon-egg-broth mixture back into the pot, stirring constantly. Lower the heat. The hot broth cooks the eggs. You should see a cloudy white-yellow soup. Continue stirring for a few more minutes until soup is hot and steamy. Do not let it reach a boil. Stir in a pinch of salt & pepper and add the cooked chicken (if you like) and heat through. Serve with hot pita bread. Enjoy!! (Makes 1 quart) Also - clip coupons!! You'll be amazed at how much $$$ you save at the grocery store. Lots of meals can be made with the following canned ingredients. You may want to stock your pantry with these: Goya chick peas (garbanzos) Del Monte tomato sauce (in a can) Goya Black Bean Soup (delicious heated with some chopped onion) evaporated milk Mon Jan 15 00:04:59 -0800 2007 2188875 59004 Sra. Swanky 2 3555375 What a delicious recipe... I'll try it tonight! I'm wondering if lemon grass would do the trick. Would it be cheaper than a lemon...if we think frugally. Thanks so much Wed Apr 02 19:09:39 -0700 2008 2188906 171058 kanosis 2 3918720 A bowl of black bean soup can also be topped with a fried/poached egg and some hot sauce for a very filling meal - one of my faves. Thu Jul 31 10:24:05 -0700 2008 2188906 21873 dubedo 1 2188907 Beans and rice ar cheap and a complete protein. Get a bottle of Tapatio hot sauce (87 cents at my grocery store) to jazz it up. When I was little, we often had egg burritos for dinner to save money. If you can spare the time, get a part time job at a restaurant that gives free employee meals. Mon Jan 15 00:05:49 -0800 2007 2188875 15900 sillyrabbit 1 2188919 Beans are one of the cheapest staple foods you can buy, and they're very good for you, high in protein and fiber. As well, beans combined with rice makes for a "complete" protein, including all the amino acids your body needs. Canned beans are the easiest way to go, and for about $1 a can they won't break the bank. However, if you have enough time on your hands to soak and cook dried beans, that's even cheaper. You can freeze them in small portions so they'll last, cooked, for months. Spaghetti (or any shape of pasta that's on sale at the grocery store) and tomato sauce is another cheap, relatively healthy way to go. Also, since you've already got flour and eggs, how about spaetzle? Your post doesn't pose a very "chowish" question, so I'm not sure how many replies you'll get. It's awfully hard to eat well on a $20 a week budget, and I wish you the best of luck with that! Mon Jan 15 00:11:43 -0800 2007 2188875 57371 operagirl 2 3332569 operagirl--Do the beans get mushy when defrosted? I always use dried, but I end up making a HUGE pot and can't eat them all. Freezing is a great idea, as long as it doesn't compromise the texture. Fri Jan 25 12:11:15 -0800 2008 2188919 56490 foxy fairy 3 3493991 Before having a pressure cooker, I would soak and partially cook beans and then freeze them in single/double serving size. When I needed them I would put them in with brown rice or millet to finish cooking.I didn't notice a difference in texture. Fri Mar 14 15:55:21 -0700 2008 3332569 169792 lgss 4 5170436 I freeze beans that I've fully cooked and they're excellent. A favorite meal of ours is black beans (I include an onion, garlic, and lots of cilantro in the original cooking and take all day to make a big, 2lb pot) w/ a poached or fried egg over it. Tue Nov 10 11:12:34 -0800 2009 3493991 15819 sholli 1 2188952 Tomato Lentil Soup is great, healthy and cheap. I amke it all the time and am not on a budget. Heat a medium pot and add a can of crushed tomatoes w/basil. Pour in water and any seasonings (boullion is cheap and adds tons of flavor). Pour in lentils. They will expand so not too many. Frozen spinach is wonderful to add too, and usually 79 cents for a package. They fit a lot in there. Bean soup, pasta, quinoa are all cheap and healthy other options. Shopping sales is a good idea and then just making things with what you have gotten. Mon Jan 15 00:25:16 -0800 2007 2188875 11587 Main Line Tracey 2 2189500 Yes -- if you shop and just buy whatever's on sale, this board can definitely help you figure out how to make the most of whatever those ingredients are! Another general tip that you've probably already figured out is that if you buy things in fairly large packages (like the whole chicken recommended below) can save a huge amount. Sometimes a double-size package is only a tiny bit more -- plus cooking a larger amount at once saves you time, so long as you're diligent about packing yourself little meals for the rest of the week. Mon Jan 15 04:19:22 -0800 2007 2188952 11485 Adrienne 1 2188982 ah, brings back those memories of grad school............ Honestly, you can save so much money buying dried beans instead of cans. Okay, a can is a $1 but if you only have $20 a week, a dollar is a lot. Just put them to soak while you are gone during the day or overnight--they really can't be oversoaked. In my grad school and post grad days, I spent a good deal of time living on an Egyptian dish that combined lentils and rice and yogurt. I can't remember the exact name but the recipe is in Claudia Roden's middle east cookbook. Anyrate, you basically saute sliced onion and ground cumin in a pan with some oil. Then add long grain rice and the largish brown lentils. You can also add some garlic. Cook until rice and lentils are done. Add salt towards the end or the lentils won't get soft. Serve with yogurt on top. Very tasty unless you are forced to live on it for months at a time..... The other thing that did very well for me was stir frys. Lots of veggies, not a lot of chicken--maybe one chicken breast sliced really really thin. Buy the chicken in bulk packs and be sure to get bone on. Then remove the chicken from the bones, freeze in individual packets and use the bones to make yourself some chicken soup. For soup veggies, the more "tired" stuff in your produce section may work nicely. Don't discount bulk packs just because you might be short on space---I did this when all I had was one of those little dorm fridges. If you pack the chicken into baggies and flatten them out, you'll be amazed at what will fit in that little tiny freezer space! Mon Jan 15 00:34:33 -0800 2007 2188875 10505 jenn 2 2189452 The nice thing about dry lentils is that you don't have to soak them before cooking. Adding onion and garlic cloves can improve their mild flavor. Fried rice- made with leftover chicken and veggies can be cheap. Canned salmon is another cheap food source (less mercury than tuna) that can be made into all sorts of things. My college, post grad and residency days-- lots of popcorn, cheese, eggs, peanut butter, celery, carrots and fresh apples. Sometimes I would bake my own homemade pizza, bread, make cornbread or biscuits for filling up. I did some of my most creative cooking banding together with other students to eat. Then we could make a lot of something and not eat it every day on our own. Beat the school cafeteria! Mon Jan 15 03:56:59 -0800 2007 2188982 55542 drmimi 2 2190676 Very tasty unless you are forced to live on it for months at a time..... btdt though I have always said it's the perfect food -- so nutritious! Mon Jan 15 17:32:39 -0800 2007 2188982 45908 orangewasabi 1 2189000 Stirfry - a great way to make basic cheap veggies like carrots and celery taste great, and if you make it saucy and serve it over rice, just a single carrot and celery stalk per person eating make a good meal . The most economical meat you can buy is chicken -- buy a whole chicken, and break it down yourself - you get the breasts, legs and thighs, which each can be a single serving roasted or sauteed - or stirfried to serve two. The wings and carcass can then be roasted, and picked for meat to add to soups or put in enchiladas, and the remaining carcass simmered for stock. Overall the most important thing you can do is cook at home from scratch, and use *everything* you pay money for -- if you are trimming carrots , save the trim in the freezer for when you want to make a stock. A surprising amount of money disappears in prep when it doesn't have too. Anna's Clam "Chowder" 1 large clam per person (clams can frequently be found for 50-60 cents apiece) 1 small potato per person 1 stalk of celery per person milk - whole is best, skim works if you add a little butter, powdered is tolerable, but again needs butter. salt and pepper to taste. Chop the potato and celery into smalllish pieces, and put them into a pot of a size which allows them to cover the bottom in a single layer. Add water to cover. Put the clam(s)on top, cover tightly and bring to a boil. The clam should open in about five-six minutes, and the vegetables be done as well. Pop the clam out of it's shell, and chop it finely, saving as much of it's liquid as possible. Add the chopped clam and juices back to the vegetables, and add the milk - enough to make it soupy. Bring to a simmer, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with saltines. A dash of hot sauce can be good on this, and little extra butter makes it richer, if you like. Mon Jan 15 00:42:06 -0800 2007 2188875 66685 AnnaEA 2 2189856 Re the chowder - what? No onion? Mon Jan 15 10:06:42 -0800 2007 2189000 13619 Sharuf 3 2190189 No onion. I use it in traditional chowders, but I've tried in this quick version, and it's just a bit too much. The flavour doesn't mellow out the way it does in a regular chowder. Mon Jan 15 15:18:26 -0800 2007 2189856 66685 AnnaEA 1 2189008 One of the poor student's diet is condiments. Get your family or friends to send you some Asian sauces to help w/ the eggs over rice. Even a spoon of cheapo chain store salsa on an egg will help. Fried rice is your friend, a .50 cent slice of ham and chopped scrambled egg and .50 cent of veggies (onion, celery and carrots) will go a long way...three meals. As mentioned, beans. Bulk beans are very inexpensive. Over rice...get some decent hot sauce and use onions. Also you can use them for soup. Lentils are similar in pricing. Potatoes can also be economical in bulk. Spanish omelettes or empanadas and basically boiled potatoes and eggs. Potato salad is also possible for cheap. Pancakes or crepes from sratch, eggs, milk, flours...cheap. Best of luck... Mon Jan 15 00:45:11 -0800 2007 2188875 27275 ML8000 1 2189030 I was checking out some of your recent posts, and my first suggestion would be to stop going out to restaurants! Can't eat BBQ on $20 a week. Face it, the only meat you're going to be able to afford is a ham hock to flavor your red beans and rice. All of the above suggestions are good, and I would add congee, which is a delicious and nourishing rice porridge which you can make from canned chicken stock, rice, ginger, garlic and whatever else you can afford to add. Saveur magazine also lists an old Japanese breakfast dish as one of its top 100: whisking a raw egg with soy sauce and pouring it over steaming white rice. It's actually delicious with nori. Also recently made a delicious lentil soup from split yellow peas--all the flavor came from frying onions, garlic and spices in oil and pouring them into the soup. Not that I'm advocating crime, but during my starving artist days I learned that it's just as easy to shoplift filet mignon as it is to shoplift hamburger! Mon Jan 15 00:54:52 -0800 2007 2188875 13003 whs 1 2189032 I echo above on the dried lentils and beans. I remember living on lentil curry for awhile when I was really poor. Also, Tofu is a cheap and healthy source of protein, and complete when you combine it with whole grains like brown rice. Mon Jan 15 00:55:15 -0800 2007 2188875 48187 trixel 2 2227537 Actually, tofu is the only non-animal source of complete protein - save that rice to eat with beans (the two together form a complete protein). Thu Jan 25 16:49:55 -0800 2007 2189032 14995 macrogal 3 3331578 I'm sure there are others: quinoa. Fri Jan 25 08:26:40 -0800 2008 2227537 137960 link_930 3 5149838 I like seasoned tofu, it has a 'meatier' texture. Mon Nov 02 12:58:03 -0800 2009 2227537 1119140 pdxgastro 1 2189050 Another thing to keep an eye open for is meat that's been discounted because it's reaching its use by date. I usually buy it and freeze it immediately, then use it at my leisure. Mon Jan 15 01:03:08 -0800 2007 2188875 48187 trixel 1 2189187 Here's a recent thread from the Home Cooking board that might also help you: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/326932?query=budget&user_name= Lots of folks have already offered great advice, especially about beans...I think I read somewhere that if you mix beans and corn, you have like some kind of perfect protein or something...I'll need to research that a bit! Wow--found the article about "complete protein" which involves beans and grains for great and inexpensive nutrition: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2006/02/15/FDG8BH2OU91.DTL Mon Jan 15 02:07:54 -0800 2007 2188875 11983 Val 2 2227269 Val, you're on to something with the grain-legume combination resulting in a complete (and cheap!) protein. Grains lack one or more essential amino acid as do beans. Combining them gives the whole enchilada. Cultures worldwide have built their menu basics around this principle -- bean burritos, soy beans & rice, hummus & whole wheat pita, curried garbanzo beans & lentils w/ naan, black beans & rice -- even the lowly PB&J fits this because peanuts are legumes not a nut. I will also admit to lying to the butcher many years ago when I was dead, stony broke so he would give me bits of meat, usually liver, for my non-existant cat. (My husband went on US Navy survival training for a week and was thrilled to get some meat during orientation) Thu Jan 25 15:41:04 -0800 2007 2189187 15743 Sherri 3 3329531 Actually, hummus is a complete protein on its own. Legumes and seeds (chickpeas and sesame seeds) also create a complete protein. Thu Jan 24 15:58:39 -0800 2008 2227269 160327 meztli 1 2189241 Seems like everyone else has pretty thoroughly covered the topic. The only thing I have to add is pbj sandwiches. I had forgotten how really good they are on a cheap, comfort food level. Also egg salad sandwiches. Mon Jan 15 02:30:36 -0800 2007 2188875 29812 vktp 1 2189361 Find a used copy of Doris Longacre's Living More With Less cookbook for inexpensive meals. Mon Jan 15 03:16:23 -0800 2007 2188875 12471 jlawrence01 2 2189504 That was going to be my suggestion. Its actual title is "The More-with-Less Cookbook" and it was published by the Mennonite Central Committee. You absolutely can't beat this book for frugal and good eating. I said this in the other thread on a similar subject, but here's what made this not a drag for me when I was in this situation: I turned it into a game. I worked incredibly hard on my menu plan and my grocery list. I estimated (got pretty good at this, actually) what things were going to cost, and when I got my list to $20 max (including food for the cat and the various non-food things you've got to have) I would clip out a few coupons (only used them for the things I would actually buy, never to buy things I wouldn't otherwise buy but they wanted me to try and get hooked on), and head off to the store with my list and a calculator. Usually I would have one or two "optional items" on the list, which I would only buy if I managed to get everything else on my list and come out under my $20 budget. Sometimes I would end up having to put things back because I went over, but most of the time I'd come out under budget and be able to get my optional items. Another suggestion: Get a crock-pot if you don't already have one. You can save a great deal by slow-cooking cheaper cuts of meat, and if you use a crock-pot you don't have to babysit it. Get it ready before you go in the morning, and when you get home you'll have a nice supper. There are good cookbooks for this as well; one really good one is called "Fix-It-and-Forget-It" and there is a "light" version out there as well, if that's a concern. Mon Jan 15 04:19:52 -0800 2007 2189361 32586 revsharkie 2 2190574 This is a good rec, though be forewarned that there are a fair number of recipes calling for cans of soup. Learn to make a white sauce and substitute. Also check into Extending the Table, same philosophy but recipes are from all over the world. Another great book is The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn. Some of her tips are, as she calls it "black belt tightwad", but I've found her "universal recipes" pretty helpful-- guides to proportions for things like muffins and casseroles to use up absolutely every scrap of leftover anything. I also find her book useful for resetting my priorities every once in a while. One other thing I did in my student days was to make a trip to a store like Big Lots or Value City-- they often have canned foods for about half what a grocery store does, though the selection is wildly unpredictable. I would get canned salmon there for $.75. Mon Jan 15 17:07:45 -0800 2007 2189361 10559 JGrey 3 2190639 There is a recipe in More-with-Less for basic white sauce, including variations in thicknesses and flavorings. Even says which one to use in place of a can of cream of whatever soup. Mon Jan 15 17:22:34 -0800 2007 2190574 32586 revsharkie 4 2255069 I recently picked up "Deep South Staples: how to survive in a southern kitchen without a can of cream of mushroom soup" (by Robert St. John). I haven't tried his "mushroom bechamel" sauce, but it looks pretty straightforward. But this is OT ;-) Fri Feb 02 17:31:12 -0800 2007 2190639 53971 momjamin 4 2258518 I'm glad the More-With-Less Cookbook was mentioned. It's one of the first cookbooks I cooked from. My parents used it when we were on a limited budget and I used it a lot as a poor college student. I really came to appreciate that basic white sauce recipe as a substitute for "cream of" soups. Sun Feb 04 09:53:42 -0800 2007 2190639 29608 Neuromancer 5 2271856 It never occurred to me that you could use white sauce instead of 'cream of something' soup! I always just assumed that if the recipe uses tinned soup it's not for me (since I'm lactose-intolerant and sensitive to msg/salt)... White sauce with cornflour is EASY to make! Does anyone know if there's a substitution chart/guide somewhere online? Thu Feb 08 07:07:26 -0800 2007 2258518 67657 Kajikit 6 2272250 I found a formula and it's dead simple if anyone else was interested - for a THIN white sauce it's 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon flour, 1 cup milk... a medium sauce is 2 tablespoons and a thick one is 4 tablespoons... plus seasoning of your choice. Thu Feb 08 08:58:10 -0800 2007 2271856 67657 Kajikit 7 3334279 The More-with-Less formula says a medium-thick white sauce is the equivalent of canned soup. That's three tablespoons of butter and three tablespoons of flour to a cup of liquid. Use half chicken, half milk for cream of chicken. Saute some mushrooms in the butter for cream of mushroom. Use tomato juice for the liquid to replace tomato soup. Fri Jan 25 20:51:26 -0800 2008 2272250 32586 revsharkie 3 2191002 For about 75% of the home cooks, using a "cream of" soup is the only way that they'll get a white sauce. Even for me, when time is of the essence, I use cream soups. Homemade IS cheaper. In addition to Big Lots, Deals and the other dollar stores, I always look at the discount bin. Last year, I bought 24 cans of Alaskan salmon for $0.25 and I am just about finished with it. Also, look for seasonal foods - like Matzohs after Passover. Or turkeys after Christmas. If you know somebody who buys a side of beef, ask for the bones. Most of the time, you get them free. I hate to admit this, but on occasion, I get bread from the localSalvation Army whenever I drop off goods there. They get so much from the local supermarkets (3-4x what they can use and end up throwing some of it out). Farmers Markets (the ones with REAL farmers) like Eastern Market in Detroit, The NC farmers Market in Raleigh or the SC farmers market in Colunbia offer some real steals LATE IN THE DAY. The farmers want to leave by 3pm and are ready to make a deal. Imagine a bushel of peaches for $2-3. Mon Jan 15 18:50:04 -0800 2007 2190574 12471 jlawrence01 1 2189443 I also want to add - don't leave out the veggies! Buy veggies that have some staying power in the fridge: carrots, broccoli, roots like rutabaga, cabbage, etc. You can buy a good size bunch for cheap and it won't go bad too quickly. Also frozen veggies (the basics, like corn, peas and spinach), can hang out for quite some time and if you're cooking for one, they'll last forever. I keep corn tortillas and nuts in the freezer, too - I'm only cooking for two, and a lot of that stuff gets stale or rancid if you don't store it properly. I disagree with tofu only because, unless you can find the two-pack that Trader Joe's sells divided into two 8-ounce packages, it's going to go bad before you can eat it all. Well, you can freeze tofu, too. Just remember that when you thaw it, it will have a slightly chewier texture. A recipe that I found recently involved cooking lentils, sauteeing whatever veggies happened to be around, layering the veggies and lentils in a bowl, and topping with a poached egg. I've been making that a lot lately, because not only is it cheap, it's quick! I also like broccoli and pasta with peanut sauce. The sauce can be as simple or complicated as you want, based on what's in the house (I won't bother posting a recipe, because you'll find a million online). And if I don't have broccoli, I use frozen peas. Mon Jan 15 03:53:52 -0800 2007 2188875 50965 LBeff 2 2190416 Lots of 99 cent stores have bulk bags of carrots and onions-- just refrigerate them-- and a grated carrot salad can be a nice change from soups all the time. Just peel and grate raw carrots, add some olive oil and lemon juice, and the flavors of your choice. Cumin and hot sauce are favorite additions of mine. Also good hot. Celery root is also usually very cheap, and you can grate it and dress it with mayo and mustard for a raw salad, or cook it like potatoes. And don't forget the "bargain" section of your supermarket's produce aisle. There are usually some almost ready to go bad veggies for dirt cheap. If you get into the habit of shopping every few days, and using the veggies the day or the next day, then you will have some variety from the canned stuff. Mon Jan 15 16:27:45 -0800 2007 2189443 10574 Notorious EMDB 3 2447959 I second the frozen veggies. One thing I make for myself that's easy and comforting: 1:1 ratio peas to water add stock cube ( i use veggie) Chop up a shallet dash of dried mint. Cook for about 5 min Whirr in blender. Takes about 10 min to make :) I also take beans in Tom sauce and make different things with them. I add taco spice and dollop sour cream on top and eat with tortilla chips, also good wrapped in a tortilla with your fave taco toppings. Also good when you are cooking the beans crack an egg into the middle so it kinda paoches in the beans. YUM Tue Apr 03 17:51:17 -0700 2007 2190416 69079 starlady 1 2189453 Here's one more: Pita pizza --> this one is with spinach, humbly modeled after one I ate at Bedouin Tent on Atlantic Ave. Bedoin Tent's is better for a myriad of reasons, but most of the time this one does just fine: Sautee spinch with a little oil, s&p. Put on top of pita with a little chopped onion, mozzerlla (Polly-O is fine) on top, put in oven and voila. Red pepper flakes are good on this if you have them around or can nick some from your local place. Also, a friend of mine makes tacos with kale, black beans and feta, and it's good. Mon Jan 15 03:57:37 -0800 2007 2188875 64585 tomato 1 2189728 I lived on "mashed potuna" once upon a time: instant mashed potato made with a bit of milk and butter - mix in a can of tuna and cup of peas. it was filling, and cost very, very little per serving. it tasted good and was comfort food - I still make it occasionally on cold winter days. Mon Jan 15 06:43:59 -0800 2007 2188875 59818 Nukedli 1 2189843 You have received a lot of ideas on inexpensive foods to sustain you, so I think I will take a different turn here. Not sure where you live, but going to the Farmer's Market at the very end, when the vendors are packing up can get you some free items! Also, someone suggested getting a Crock Pot. Good idea! But that is going to take a whack out of your food budget. Try www.freecycle.org You will probably be able to get a free crockpot by asking for one. Also, our local Freecycle often has offers of food being given away . . for free! If you have a Hare Krishna Center where you live, there is often a free Sunday Vegetarian buffet. Hummous, basmati rice, fritters, vegetables all cooked with love. You can leave a donation if you want, but it is not mandatory. And no one tried to convert me! Often times grocery stores will have tastings. Go to them! And taste! Volunteering for a fundraiser of some sort or some kind of food event will often get you a meal or free leftovers in return. Go for the meat! Ok, just a few out da box ideas. ;-) Isabella Mon Jan 15 09:25:54 -0800 2007 2188875 44582 Isabella 2 2189866 Tons of bars have free food like soup, chili etc during happy hour, football games etc. Depending on where you live many real estate agents have great food at open houses especially on weekends. Mon Jan 15 10:28:49 -0800 2007 2189843 54027 MsMonkey 3 2189901 Indeed. I did a time in art school as a grad. There was an unoffical network where people shared free food info on openings, receptions, reading, etc. The typical conversation went something like: #1: So it is cool or just sort of to meet people? #2: Not my thing, seems dumb. #1: Is there food? #2: Yeah. #1: What time do you want to go? Mon Jan 15 11:53:00 -0800 2007 2189866 27275 ML8000 1 2190150 Sadly, there are a lot of people on limited incomes in this country who, by the time they have paid for rent and medical needs, have very little money for food. In one case I know, a recent cost of living adjustment in a disability check led to a reduction of a food stamp allowence to about ten dollars a month. And this guy is supposed to be on a high protein diet so he can recover from back surgery and get back into the work force. Good information on economical and tasty nutrition is really welcome, especially when the only options seem to be rice and pulses and greens, with a little chicken or meat to add flavor. I lived on rice, beans and cabbage one summer. But our disabled and elderly poor need and deserve more than that. So please keep the recipes coming. Mon Jan 15 15:03:47 -0800 2007 2188875 53369 Father Kitchen 1 2190182 There are a few good supermarkets in my area that have outstanding clearance veggie corners. They bag up the older stock of vegetables when they get new stuff in. Very often, the old stuff doesn't look appreciably worse than the new - and usually much better than what I have at the bottom of my vegetable crisper at home. You can sometimes pick up big bags of great fruit and veggies really cheaply. If you come upon a big bag of slightly wrinkly green peppers - make stuffed peppers (stuff with lentils and rice, cook in inexpensive store-brand tomato sauce); if you happen to pick up a huge bag of bananas, you've got banana bread for a month. Mon Jan 15 15:14:42 -0800 2007 2188875 12383 Nyleve 1 2190392 As far as a crock pot -- truer words were never spoken. It is a device designed to cook beans and cheap cuts of meat. I have a couple of recipes for split pea soup and spaghetti sauce that each make about a gallon, both very cheaply. You can probably get one at a thrift store if you're looking there (actually, I would recommend this for cookware in general), but you should be able to get a new one for $20 - $30 bucks. Mon Jan 15 16:20:50 -0800 2007 2188875 14230 heatherkay 1 2190398 lots of good advice! avoid processed foods--they ALWAYS cost more. buy oatmeal, instead of cereal, or look for cereal that's on sale. i frequently have cereal for dinner because i don't feel like cooking ( i live alone, lol.) open tofu will last a week, if you put it in a ziplock and change the water a few times. a 16 oz. package is 3-4 meals. those clearance shelves for produce can be a boon. recently i picked up some tiny purple potatoes for 30 cents a pound -- they had been "featured" at $2.99 a pound, but the yuppies haven't moved here yet, so i guess they were languishing! my market also sells "ends" of cold cuts at about 1/2 price. they're wrapped up already, so i can buy the sliced cheese and turkey in small amounts. (there is also ham and other stuff i don't eat...) tins of smoked mussels and oysters pack a lot of flavor, as do sardines. all are very nutrient dense and very cheap. stirred into olive oil, they're great on pasta and a little goes along way. bacon has lots of flavor too, for adding to sauces, and is often on sale. separate the package, wrap 2 or 3 slices in saran wrap, and put them all flat in a ziploc and freeze. that way you can pull out one serving at a time. big (32 oz) containers of plain yogurt are much more cost effective than the individual sized, and you can add fruit for breakfast, or use it instead of sour cream in savory dishes. in college, we spent nearly every sunday at a bar that sold 10 cent hot dogs and dollar pitchers! also make friends on bigger budgets, and invite yourself over for dinner! Mon Jan 15 16:22:44 -0800 2007 2188875 30273 hotoynoodle 2 2190870 I love buying ends! Random tip on this -- where I've lived, nicer supermarkets have been more likely to sell ends and scraps -- but their prices on these pieces of meat have been significantly lower than the less nice stores' prices on regular sliced meat (at Central Market in Houston, which is a gourmet grocery store, packages of ends were between $1 and $2, and because they're little chunks of meat instead of slices, they were totally servicable for dinner!) In line with many other recs here, you should probably ask around where you will be to see what if any special deals are available in your area - sometimes there are even student discounts at grocery stores (my grocery store now in New Orleans gives us 10% on Saturdays!) - and definitely "join" your store to get any in-house discounts. Plus, if you're living on a campus, as someone else mentioned, there are likely to be a lot of events that involve free food. Mon Jan 15 18:18:55 -0800 2007 2190398 11485 Adrienne 1 2190617 Buy a whole chicken and a pound of rice and beans. Debone chicken and make stewed and or roasted chicken with the majority of the meat. Cook rice and beans with spices, coconut milk and garlic. Make soup with remainder of bones and freeze soup for later. Mon Jan 15 17:16:30 -0800 2007 2188875 53427 kayonyc 1 2190618 When I was married our budget was $30 a week for the two of us. Adding a couple of squirts of Sriracha and a cup of frozen peas to cheap mac'n'cheese makes it taste like real food. Or homemade salsa. Black beans are good in it, too. Smoked pork picnic shoulder is very cheap. I slow cook it, shred it, use the broth for bean soup, and freeze the meat. Pulled pork sandwiches, added to scrambled eggs, added to fried rice, added to mac'n'cheese. Plus you get a big pot of delicious bean soup (with whatever veggies are cheap) out of it. Saute a bunch of sliced onions, and poach/steam/fry eggs with them, in the juices. Eat with toast or couscous. You can do the same thing with different vegetables- anything that's good braised, and gives off lots of liquid. Make friends with raw-fried potatoes, and eat them with an egg, or a little cheese. Make friends with potatoes, period. If there are any Asian grocery stores near you, check their prices on veggies and meat. They're quite often much cheaper than supermarkets, and they have cheap tofu, miso, and condiments. Mon Jan 15 17:16:33 -0800 2007 2188875 11308 lissar 1 2190660 The supermarket where my mom shops sells these bags of what they call "bean seasoning"--actually the odds and ends and stuff that falls off when a ham is spiral-sliced. It's a huge, inexpensive bag of ham odds & ends, some of which are the right size & shape to throw in your pot of beans for a little flavor, but some of which are good-sized pieces you can use for sandwiches and fry up for breakfast. Mon Jan 15 17:27:48 -0800 2007 2188875 32586 revsharkie 1 2190663 To expand on the can of creamed corn: mom's (quasi egg drop) corn soup. Bring one can chicken broth to a boil, add one can creamed corn, return to boil. Meanwhile, mix one spoonful cornstarch with about the same amount of cold water. Beat one egg. Combine cornstarch and beaten egg, stir into boiling soup, keep stirring until egg bits are cooked, and soup is simmering. Voila, chicken corn soup. If you're feeling particularly extravagant, mince half a chicken breast into tiny ground meat size bits, and stir in before adding the eggs. Keep stirring as the soup returns to a simmer, to avoid clumping. My aunt made this for part of our thanksgiving meal this year, not as cheap eats. Mon Jan 15 17:29:06 -0800 2007 2188875 10211 i8dumplings 1 2190671 all the the lentil & rice ideas are good. if electricity costs are also an issue, here's one oven full of goodness double this recipe, using the brown/green lentils for half of it (I have tripled it, using barley for the third, and it's great too) http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_30663,00.html - then wrap up a bunch of beets, cut into quarters if they're too big put both in the oven until done. you've got way nutricious food that warms up nicely. tomato/veggie stews are another cheap rice-topper. or red lentils tossed in a pot with some water or broth and stewed until broken down. topped with some sauteed onions. easy, cheap and good for you those, together with some soya sauce and hot sauce will take you thru a tonne of meals well fed. Mon Jan 15 17:31:04 -0800 2007 2188875 45908 orangewasabi 1 2190701 yellow split pea soup with carrots,onions and flour dumplings-cheap,good and healthy- pasta with veggies-whatever you have chicken-chicken soup,chicken salad,creamed chicken,chicken sandwiches--goes far Mon Jan 15 17:37:37 -0800 2007 2188875 55914 marlie202 1 2190785 I know that you didn't want to eat just eggs, but what have you made with them? I dislike eggs cooked in the conventional ways (frying/poaching/boiling) but adore souffles. All you need are some eggs, milk, and a bit of cheese. Very elegant meal. What about pierogies? You can get 5lb bags of them for a dollar or 2. Mon Jan 15 17:58:05 -0800 2007 2188875 27754 AmandaEd 1 2190820 wow thanks for all the replies! I can't wait to try some of them out! I don't feel so poor after all. It sounds like me and beans/rice/potatos are gunna be best friends for a while... Mon Jan 15 18:04:15 -0800 2007 2188875 44450 asiansensation007 1 2190915 oh yeah, another way to 'jazz up' ghetto corn soup is to whip an egg or two into it. gets you your protein too, without ANOTHER EGG feeling Mon Jan 15 18:29:19 -0800 2007 2188875 45908 orangewasabi 1 2190955 There have been many great suggestions on this posting. The only thing I can add is it would be helpful to get a part-time job in a restaurant, deli, bakery, or grocery store. That will net you free or possibly heavily discounted goods, or even free meals, depending on the establishment's policies, as well as put a little $$ in your pocket. Product demonstrating is one way to go, if you want something very part-time. Mon Jan 15 18:38:04 -0800 2007 2188875 52113 Seldomsated 2 2191349 I was thinking something like that too -- I don't know if the OP's grad program prohibits having a job (I know PhD programs sometimes have rules like that) but no one can stop you from babysitting -- which usually also involves being fed. Mon Jan 15 20:20:56 -0800 2007 2190955 11485 Adrienne 3 2191876 Or tutoring! Mon Jan 15 22:40:49 -0800 2007 2191349 27754 AmandaEd 2 2257141 I've known several people that have worked part-time with a catering company. They often reported being fed meals before working, as well as an opportunity to leave with a plate or more of food at the end of the event. Oh, and the extra income didn't hurt, either. Sat Feb 03 15:27:43 -0800 2007 2190955 60435 braineater 1 2191020 Have you tried the Hillbilly Housewife website yet? Works great when it has to. Mon Jan 15 18:57:04 -0800 2007 2188875 35774 Selkie 2 4865647 yes! great site! Thu Jul 16 16:43:01 -0700 2009 2191020 1094281 dulcimersong 1 2205403 Big Vegetable Soup: 1 sm. can tomato paste 1 15-oz. can creamed corn a chopped zucchini some frozen peas & corn 1 big carrot, chopped up small 2 chopped celery sticks broccoli, if you like it whatever other vegetables you like/want/can afford (chicken would be good too) Simon & Garfunkel spices (parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme) Simmer in a big pot for 2 or 3 hours. Inexpensive (although I have never counted it out to the pennies), filling, and will last several days in the fridge. RATATOUILLE 3 chopped zucchini 1 chopped eggplant 1 chopped onion several (or one large can) diced tomatoes garlic, black pepper & olive oil (I have forgotten the olive oil before, though, and it didn't matter) Lay in layers in a deep covered dish. Sprinkle garlic & black pepper on top, and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 350 for 90 min-2 hours. Serve over rice, or sometimes I put potato chunks in the bottom of the dish instead. Again, tasty, filling and cheap. (wait, I suddenly can't remember if eggplant is expensive... sorry) Check out MFK Fisher's "How To Cook A Wolf." It has a chapter called "How To Stay Alive." Also I second the "Stone Soup" approach -- bunch of friends contribute an ingredient or two, and you get together and cook & eat the resulting soup/casserole/whatever. Fri Jan 19 07:31:13 -0800 2007 2188875 56950 misterbrucie 1 2205415 I'll second the farmers market suggestions above, and especially to find vegetables that will last in storage that you can buy in quantity. We scored a case of wonderful delicata squash for $5 (regularly $1 each) and it helped feed a family of four for a couple of weeks. Make a habit to do a menu plan once a week and figure out what you're going to buy ahead of time so that you shop and not get caught off guard. Fri Jan 19 07:40:48 -0800 2007 2188875 67641 edwardvielmetti 2 2205920 I completely agree on this point. When I was an undergrad on a budget, I used to go to the farmer's market with a girlfriend just before closing. We'd comb the market for farmers who still had stock of whatever was plentiful, and then bargain with them. If you know the market schedule where you live, and that there won't be another for them to go to the next day, if the produce is ripe/quickly perishable, the farmer will likely want to get rid of it rather than take it home. I remember bushels of ripe peaches for $3 in particular. My friend and I put up enough peach butter for fall and winter. We baked bread that winter, and ate well for breakfast, and inexpensively. If you're in big metro area with lots of farmers market every day of the week, this can be more difficult, unfortunately. Where we lived there were only three markets in a week, so it was a good strategy for us budget conscious kids. Fri Jan 19 15:51:18 -0800 2007 2205415 24126 amyzan 1 2205450 Won't reiterate all the same above, but omelettes :) Also, if TJ's is around, consider buying frozen fish if you can afford it... I know it's not a "cheap" suggestion, but you could add it sparingly to more starchy based dishes. Or, bags of frozen chicken breasts or tenders. Fri Jan 19 08:27:12 -0800 2007 2188875 15572 Emme 1 2205996 Everybody has beans covered, but must reiterate; PLEASE ONLY DRIED BEANS, they actually taste much better. fasolathia is a greek dish: put soaked beans in water, bring to a boil, cook till al dente, drain. saute celery, carrots, onions, oregano in olive oil, add beans, water to just cover, cook until beans are just tender, add one bunch parsley. Serve with lemon, I have even made it "ala" Avgo lemono, used in SRA. SWANK post, when itching for more lemon flavor buy small golden potatoes and bake in oven, no foil, until tender, halve, sprinkle with dried oregano, salt and pepper and drizzle with Olive oil. Don't go out to eat for a week or two and buy yourself olive oil, as it can be expensive. Fri Jan 19 16:20:02 -0800 2007 2188875 62675 E.Kolliopoulos 1 2206159 All these recipes remind me of when I first got married and we were living in England. We had Yorkshire pudding at least once a week (milk, eggs, flour beaten together and cooked in a greased pie pan - we couldn't afford proper pudding tins) with frozen veg (carrots were the cheapest) and OXO gravy. Soups, particularly bean soups and lentil soups, will be a live-saver for you. Make a big batch of split pea and barley soup (split peas, barley, water or stock, carrots, celery, salt and pepper then simmer for several hours) or black bean and rice soup (pretty much the same recipe - add cooked rice in at the end to prevent it from starching the water or disintegrating). Even a minestrone (tomato paste, water or stock, veggies, salt and pepper - add cooked pasta just before serving if you want) does well. Stock up on frozen vegetables when they're on sale. If you're near a university - shop at the local store where they expect student budgets. Don't knock ramen. It's unhealthy for you but you don't have to use the little sauce packet - use a boullion and some veggies. You can also check out mattfischer.com/ramen for more ramen recipes. Save a little of your budget each week and invest in spices. They can really liven up your meals so that you don't feel like you're eating the same meal every day of your life. Good luck! Fri Jan 19 17:00:22 -0800 2007 2188875 49948 librarian 1 2226843 If there is actually a butcher at your grocery store they may agree to give you bones or at least sell them at a very low price. Would be nice to add to your bean soups. good luck. Thu Jan 25 14:10:22 -0800 2007 2188875 56278 xena 1 2226903 Along the same lines as lentil and bean soups I just made an enormous pot of split pea soup for about $5. I've been eating it all week. Ham hocks are cheap as are onions, the split peas, carrots, etc. I even dressed mine up with some frozen peas thrown in at the end and a half bottle of drinkable (but yet unimpressive) white wine. A great way to dress up all of your meals is to be conscious of keeping leftovers to make stocks. Freeze the bones from those whole chickens, keep the carrot and celery stubs, etc and when your freezer bags are full it's time to make stock! It really makes a difference in soups, rice, sauces, etc. Good luck! Thu Jan 25 14:24:55 -0800 2007 2188875 46417 LAcupcake 1 2227170 If you only have $20 per week for food, a discount store like Aldi or a 99 cent store are good places to shop. Many cities have CSAs, co-ops, or similar places where you can do a labor trade for fresh produce and other healthy food that might not be available at discount stores. Soups, stews, and sauces, as people have already mentioned, are probably your best bet because you can make them in large quantities for relatively cheap. Good luck! Thu Jan 25 15:17:37 -0800 2007 2188875 65439 kalidaemon 1 2227267 In addition to the great advice above, making a pot of pasta sauce (stretching and flavoring basic jarred sauce with cheap ground chuck, and clearance vegetables) can be a lifesaver and easily freezable when you're tired of it. (And it can't be said enough, LENTIL SOUP). Buy whole chickens and use ALL of them, including the carcass for soup later. If you're dining out on the largesse of friends or family, take the leftovers home (if you can), including the bones for soup or flavoring later. If you can, try baking your own bread (if not, pancakes (and waffles, if you have the equipment) are a very easy and cheap alternative you can make yourself). Thu Jan 25 15:40:45 -0800 2007 2188875 26708 sidwich 1 2227426 Quick pizza can be made for pennies - a little topping goes a long way... I don't use yeast dough - my 'quick mix' dough is 2 cups SR flour, seasoning of choice, mixed with 1/3 cup of oil and 2/3 cup water. It takes seconds to mix up and you can make it into scones or biscuits or pizza bites or a fullsized pizza or the topping for a pot pie... I like to make it into vegetable slice with tomato, sweetcorn, onion, celery and whatever else is in the fridge, topped with a milk/egg mixture and sprinkled with a little grated cheese. If you're feeling extravagant, add ham. Thu Jan 25 16:20:38 -0800 2007 2188875 67657 Kajikit 1 2227453 Conclusion: regression analysis of the above replies gives you beans, lentils, pasta, eggs, and rice; plus scavenging urban opportunities. Thu Jan 25 16:28:52 -0800 2007 2188875 36661 Sam Fujisaka 1 2227541 I lived for a while on those pastas that have the added protein and fiber - you can get them for the same price as regular pasta but at least you're getting some fiber in your diet.... Thu Jan 25 16:51:07 -0800 2007 2188875 14995 macrogal 1 2227627 Dry beans are indeed very cheap and nutritious and tomato paste is a great way to add depth of flavor on the cheap. This is one of those very obvious waste-trimming ideas that inexplicably took me years to incorporate. I make a lot of bean based soups and stews and Indian curries that involve tomato paste. Recipes usually call for a tablespoon or two and I would transfer the rest to a little jar in the fridge "for later". However, much of it would get mold and have to be thrown out. Now, each time I open a can of tomato paste, I oil a tablespoon lightly and scoop out little mounds of paste onto a wax paper lined tray and pop it in the freezer. Later I transfer the frozen pieces to a ziploc bag and toss back in the freezer. Thu Jan 25 17:18:38 -0800 2007 2188875 16109 sweetTooth 1 2236872 I forgot to say, there's quite a few things that can be made easily on your own that can save quite a bit of money. Avoid boxed cereal and make your own with rolled oats and nuts which can be bought in bulk. Yogurt can be made yourself, as well as ricotta cheese. If you have a patch of earth (or even a windowsill), you can also grow your own fresh herbs. Also, rice porridge can be made very cheaply (chicken stock and rice), and then topped with any number of cheap garnishes like eggs, vegetables and herbs. Sun Jan 28 20:47:41 -0800 2007 2188875 26708 sidwich 2 2254957 out of morbid curiousity, how do you make ricotta cheese??? Fri Feb 02 16:42:23 -0800 2007 2236872 44450 asiansensation007 3 2256071 Warm milk slightly, add lemon juice or vinegar and allow to curdle. Drain through cheesecloth and voila - ricotta. I used to do this a lot when we kept goats and had too much milk. Sat Feb 03 07:39:15 -0800 2007 2254957 12383 Nyleve 4 2271089 do you continue to stir and it curdles? how long does it take approximately? finally, how is this different than cottage cheese? Wed Feb 07 20:26:27 -0800 2007 2256071 44450 asiansensation007 5 2271209 the way i do it, once the milk is scorched i turn down the heat, add the vinegar, and let it sit. It curdles on its own and i pour it through cheesecloth. Personally I think this is more like Indian Paneer in flavor, but more like ricotta in texture. I don't know if I would call it cottage cheese. Wed Feb 07 21:14:38 -0800 2007 2271089 11485 Adrienne 6 2271898 I do the same as Adrienne. It's not the exact flavour as ricotta but definitely a similar texture and can be used in any recipe that calls for ricotta. Cottage cheese is curdled with rennet, I believe. The process is quite different. Just to be clear, traditionally ricotta was made by somehow curdling the solids out of whey. I don't know how this was done because to me, whey doesn't have much solid in it. I can't remember how this short thread started (too lazy to go back and read) but it would be foolish to think it's more economical to make ricotta rather than buy it (unless, of course, you keep cows or goats). The cost of the amount of milk you'd need would make it probably more expensive. Thu Feb 08 07:19:07 -0800 2007 2271209 12383 Nyleve 1 2236933 I love to make a vegetarian barbecue with TVP - a super cheap soy protein. Available at any health food store - soak 1/2 cup in water to reconstitute and fry up ina pan with onions and a sauce of your liking...very good and resembles a sloppy joe. I also just bought a soymilk machine and it makes soymilk for like 10cents a gallon! AND- you get the byproduct - OKARA which can be used to make vegi burgers etc... Potatoes are a great standby as they can be used so many ways.... Soups are very cheap and easy too..... good luck~ Sun Jan 28 21:17:25 -0800 2007 2188875 22477 jbyoga 2 2261182 Oh, yeah. I forgot about TVP. It's a wonderful cheap meat extender. I used it in all sorts of strongly flavoured ground beef recipes, especially chili. Mon Feb 05 10:33:33 -0800 2007 2236933 11308 lissar 1 2237083 A cool thread. Paradoxically, I sometimes think I might have been happier with my far from luxurious meals during college. Even though I missed home, missed going to good restaurants, I did all right. A challenge met with a great deal of resourcefulness can result in tremendous satisfaction, almost elation, while making do with a limited budget. Now, if I were to think I could recreate that feeling by merely restricting my budget, I would be mistaken. It’s almost impossible to do a “pretend poor”. I doubt the same feeling would come back even if I did become poor again. The sappy prologue is just to let you know that I am perfectly sincere when I say I envy you at the stage of your life. It won’t last forever, so enjoy it while you can. Anyway… Possibly you could find someone who has a membership at Costco or other warehouse clubs? (Even a restaurant supply store?) They will be able to get you a few staples - sacks of pinto beans, rice, giant jars of pickles or banana peppers, nuts, soy sauce, canned food like corn, clam chowder and such that will last you months. You probably don't want to bother anyone. Understandable, but as a one time deal, I can't believe anyone wouldn't do it for you. Sun Jan 28 22:58:58 -0800 2007 2188875 61426 grocerytrekker 1 2255204 my blog: http://frugalcuisine.blogspot.com for specific recipes....it's been idle for a month or so but I will soon begin posting again. Also, http://www.ellenskitchen.com has a great page on strategies for frugal eating. Fri Feb 02 18:38:17 -0800 2007 2188875 15802 pepper_mil 1 2256137 quick pasta sauce - 1 can diced ot whole tomatoes, diced onion, diced garlic, italian seasoning (buy in bulk at co-op if poss. - but only buy a small amt.) - 1 can water or leftover wine (any shade except pink) bring to quck simmer. Tuna espanol - 1 can drained tuna (oil pack if possible), 1/2 diced onion, 1 clove chopped garlic, 1 can diced tomatoes - salt/pepper to taste if needed. Add dash hot pepper sauce or red pepper flakes - serve on pita or any chewy bread - or toss with thin egg noodles Ithis usually goes into a pie shell to be baked, but it's eminently adaptable) EGGS ! Hard cooked eggs can be tossed with a curry sauce and served over toast. Or make a spanish tortilla - take one large potato, slice it thin, and cook until almost tender. Saute thinly sliced onions, some garlic if you want, toss with the cooked potato slices. Beat two or three eggs until almost fluffy. toss with potato and onions. Heat a bit of oil in an oven-proof skillet, Pour eggs and potatoes into skillet, let the bottom set. Move the whole thing into a 375 degree oven until it's set and a bit brown on top. Serve with above-noted pasta sauce. PS - you won't starve on eggs as long as you remember to combine them with a little something else! Sat Feb 03 08:11:50 -0800 2007 2188875 11599 Alice Letseat 1 2256302 Another chicken recipe that is inexpensive and filling from my grad school days...Boil down some chicken backs (1 buck or 2) with a cube of bouillon; minced onion, garlic and pepper. Add egg noodles. Cook until the noodles are done. Chicken backs have a surprisingly large amount of meat on them. You will have enough for at least 4 or more meals if you're just feeding yourself. Another variation is to use the same chicken mixture and add rice. Don't think soup...it's more of a stew. You will look back on these days and smile! Sat Feb 03 09:28:02 -0800 2007 2188875 63743 fooddiva 1 2256416 These are all great suggestions, but as someone with experience cooking for myself on a budget I'd also offer one idea -- don't neglect the value of an occasional "splurge." I, for instance, haven't seen a single poster mention beef yet; it's more expensive than, say, chicken, I know, but it can also be quite cheap if purchased, cooked and stretched right. For instance, at your average supermarket you can probably find a London Broil for less than $5 a pound (I've seen it for $3/lb) -- at a good butcher near me, I can find hanger steak for about that as well. It'll break your budget if you use it for only one meal, but there's no reason you can't make last it four, even five meals in one week. Cook it on the rarer side and eat it as a steak the first night, then make fajitas or quesadillas, which are cheap and a great way to use up other leftovers as well, maybe throw some cut up beef in fried rice, make a steak sandwich or have steak and eggs. You're probably only paying a few cents more than you would otherwise, and the extra satisfaction is worth much more than that. Sat Feb 03 10:14:27 -0800 2007 2188875 21103 alexk 1 2256449 Call me crazy, but homemade stock is my moonlight, my waves against the shore and costs about the same. Just throw organic necks, wings, and backs (99 cents at Fairway) into a pot of water and bring to a boil. throw the water out and start again. Now add a carrot, celery stalk (or not) a yellow onion, a garlic clove, a sprig of parsley, a bay leaf and a sprig of fresh thyme. If you have a piece of tomato or a bit of tomato skin, you can add that as well. Let it cook for two to three hours and strain, using a fine sieve. Freeze in pint containers. For a classic zuppa ai poveri, heat one of your containers of stock. Salt to taste. Toast a piece of yesterday's bread, then rub gently with raw clove of garlic and dust with a little kosher salt. Set in the bottom of a bowl. On the top add simmered and squeezed broccoli rabe, or raw leaves of baby spinach or baby arugula. Shave on some parmesan and ladle the stock over. Drizzle on a little olive oil. fayefood.com Sat Feb 03 10:27:29 -0800 2007 2188875 37986 fayehess 1 2256596 I bet these are really good replies, but if I read them, I'll forget what I wanted to post. Ask your butcher to paper thinly slice your meats. If it's one chicken breast or one steak, either a round or chuck or pork chop, sliced really thin it goes much farther. Or buy said items and partiallly freeze and thinly slice yourself. The meat really stretches a long way as you're only using slivers to compliment something else. I adore red beans and rice. Agree about getting the dried beans, much cheaper, and you can buy brown jasmine rice even at the bargain stores for around a buck. Add a slice of bacon to the beans just a slice and the smokey flavor gives it a step up. What's a pound of bacon? $3. A chicken breast, $1.99, a pork chop, about the same. A package of ground beef can last a week easily. A whole chicken can too. Our college days proved that. One night it's taco's, one night it's chili, one night, it's an individual meatloaf, one night, it's stew. Vegetables are a huge savings too. I just watched Ina Garten do a vegetable soup from combining yesterdays vegetables from dinner and the rest of her salad which included dressing of vinegarette, in the blender add chix stock, reheat, done. It all depends on how truly thrifty you are. How much you want to save the money and make it stretch. I can do it, had been doing it for years while in college. Check out dollar stores, you can find, I'm telling the truth here, chicken thigh package of 4, bone in,for a buck. Eggs are there, cheese is there, lunch meat is there, butter is there, < Challenge butter unsalted/regular is a buck for two cubes. Still if you double, that's only $2 for a pound. Still less than the market price even on sale. And you've got real butter and not margarine. Watch for sales. Whole chickens go on sale here often in our supermarkets for 49¢ a lb. Easy to spend only $1.89 for a whole chicken, then consider this for that whole chicken. 4 ingred chix enchiladas. in water stew a chicken with salt and pepper, for a couple of hours until it falls off the bone. pick it apart and set aside. 1 can green enchilada sauce. put in sauce pan and lightly heat through. 1 pk corn or flour tortillas. salt and pepper or season the picked through chicken. place a tortilla in the sauce for a second,then take out, you're softening them. place on dish and continue till done with as many as you're going to use. 1 pk 4 Mexican cheese mix, Walmart, $1.67 Place small amount of chix and cheese in tortilla, roll up, place seam side down in baking dish, that you buttered. when done, pour most of the rest of sauce over the enchiladas and rest of cheese. bake uncovered in preheated 325º oven for 25 minutes. use extra sauce for dipping bites in. this meal can last what 3 meals or so and it's really tasty. found it online years ago. Sat Feb 03 11:32:25 -0800 2007 2188875 23096 iL Divo 1 2256694 Split pea soup made with smoked ham hocks is by far my personal favorite for the optimal delicious/cheap/healthy combination. When I was superpoor, I figured out the cost per bowl, and it was something astonishing like 14 cents. I still make it a few times a year. The ingredients I always use are split peas, a ham hock, and water. Save the homemade chicken broth for another soup, there's plenty of flavor in one ham hock for a whole vat of split pea. My cheapskate runner-up is oatmeal. Real, plain rolled oats. Amazingly cheap, and will keep you full for hours. Sat Feb 03 12:09:28 -0800 2007 2188875 70866 Tartinet 2 2257278 Split pea soup is a good one. I posted my last splitpea experiments on a blog that never went beyond that here: http://www.paisanaurbana.blogspot.com/ Sat Feb 03 16:34:32 -0800 2007 2256694 34428 scarmoza 3 2257640 Once when Mike and I were unemployed and strapped I made a big batch of vegetarian split pea soup. We ate it as soup for a couple of days, then the last day I mixed in a can of tomatoes and some curry powder and we ate it again over rice. After that there was just enough for me to have for lunch the next day. It was pretty good. Sat Feb 03 19:30:51 -0800 2007 2257278 32586 revsharkie 3 2271142 your split pea soup looked wonderful...how did it taste?? i'm thinking of doing a cheaper version...water, ham hock and split pea. do you think i could still get that same thick consistancy? Wed Feb 07 20:43:23 -0800 2007 2257278 44450 asiansensation007 4 2272245 The soup I make is the super-cheap-nothing-fancy version, and the leftovers are frequently sliceable by the next day! I don't know if it's the gelatin from the ham hock (seems doubtful) or some wierd split-pea-property, but thickness has never been a problem. Just be judicious when adding water as the soup cooks (sorry I have no measurements--I just go with "looks about right" for split pea). Let us know how you do it! Thu Feb 08 08:56:48 -0800 2007 2271142 70866 Tartinet 1 2257166 I know you're trying to avoid resorting to eggs and ramen, but I thought I'd add this simple suggestion to the mix. To make ramen a little less bland, try adding 1/2 cup of frozen mixed veggies and one raw egg to a package of your favorite ramen. It will give you some protein and fiber, more *real* flavor (in fact, I generally use little of the seasoning mix for my ramen when I make it this way), and is incredibly cheap and easy. Sat Feb 03 15:36:02 -0800 2007 2188875 60435 braineater 1 2257257 I made meatloaf this past week with stuff that I needed to clear out of the fridge. The groundbeef was Niman Ranch but it was still only $4 for 2 lbs. I mixed it with a cup of rice, leftover wine, pitted chopped olives, onions, sliced garlic, red pepper flakes, parmesan cheese, sage, olive oil, anchovy filet, and a couple of eggs. When I make meatloaf it's to clear out the little scraps that I'm not using otherwise. I also made mashed potatoes with olive oil and eggs. We made several sandwiches out of the leftover meatloaf on $2 Hawaiian Taste White bread. And salad, too. This serves us usually 8 meals or more. Sat Feb 03 16:25:14 -0800 2007 2188875 34428 scarmoza 1 2260118 I haven't seen this mentioned yet... Shop the bulk bins at stores. you can cereal without the packaging, and the high price. If a whole box of cornmeal or a whole bag of beans limit your buget or your menu variety you can get just what you need. Many ethnic grocers offer spices in bulk, or at least in cello packs. That beast the pants off of buying them in bottles. You pay thru the nostrils for that cute little bottle. Peasant foods exist in almost every culture... I haven't seen much mention of good old American soul food in this thread. This was the home cooking of the southern slave. The did a lot with very little. Swett potatoes, cornbread, biscuits, black eyed peas, cooked greens, grits ham hocks and neck bones make for frugal meals that won't leave you feeling empty. that must be the reason they call it "soul' food. The potato provided the backbone for Irish cuisine. It also elevates a few other humble fixings into something special when making a spanish "tortilla" Carribean cultures add great new dimensions to beans and rice. I love cuban style black beans, or Jamaican rice and peas. not to mention the fabulous things they do with goat. The island of Sicily has existed on a diet that is mostly bread and pasta for centuries. Find a local bakery with good bread and hit the place late for "stales". Most places throw stuff out, or offer a steep dicount for day old loaves. Turn it into toast, costini, or garlic bread. Sun Feb 04 23:15:17 -0800 2007 2188875 13725 Brandon Nelson 2 2272279 I agree one night a week here it is soup beans and corn bread sometimes adding fried potatoes....Cheap cheap cheap! http://www.shoplateda.com Thu Feb 08 09:06:41 -0800 2007 2260118 11854 LaLa 1 2260251 Everybody here has it covered....I'd only add to pool your resources with other starving grad students (there are a lot of them out there; I used to be one). One of my fellow students worked at a fish market on weekends; I worked part time (under the table) at a fruit stand. I'd get him apples when I could, and he'd get me some kind of cod or something for chowder when I really needed it. It makes for a "Stone Soup" kind of thing....even if you're not sharing food items, try to eat with others at least a few times a week. It's good for the soul. Mon Feb 05 04:14:49 -0800 2007 2188875 49959 thegolferbitch 1 2271518 Great ideas,I think what helps alot is what my mom called stapels to keep on hand. 1. ground beef 2.chicken 3.onion 4.celery 5.carrots 6. potato 7.eggs 8. bread crumbs 9.box chicken noodle soup 10.rice11.spices 12.can of kitchen ready tomato take 3.saute in oil add1.brown add12.11. and you have pasta sauce call it13. mix 1.3.8.7.11. you have meat loaf. top with a little 13.bake at 350.. or take that mix add a little greated cheese roll into small balls ,fry you have meatballs add to13. or take meatball mix add 10 cooked to mix and stuff peppers or cabbage top with 13. bake at 350 or take meatloaf mix in cassarole dish layer frozen corn, peas ,mashed potato made with 6. bake 350 the magic number you have shepperds pie or 2. the breast dip in 7. then 8. fry in oil you have battered chicken breast or tenders good alone or take that in baking pan add 13.parm cheese or even the single wrapped american bake at 350 you have chicken parm. as for soup here are a few 2. boil and deboned add back to broth the chicken add 3.4.5.6.one package 9. for more flavor 11. you can pour over 10. cooked or over cooked egg noodles . take 2. deboned again this time to chicken and broth add scallions and 3. 9.package, soy sauce bring to rappid boil wisk in a couple 7.s you can pour over 10. cooked,or eggnoodles again. you have sort of egg drop soup. this is my favorite cheap soup take 9.make as package says when boiling add some frozen cheese raviolis. I like the medium or small size. boil untill ravs puff and float, best if cooked a few minutes longer if a few ravs break it adds to flavor you'll luv it.! tiny tip, I add a few drops of milk to my bowl, it adds a nice flavor, but if you do., you may become an addick to those few drops of milk ha! ha! BEST OF LUCK! Thu Feb 08 02:43:28 -0800 2007 2188875 69535 maryanne.d 1 2271913 I shop often on Mondays, when chicken from the weekend is marked down, but not expired -- never had a bad experience. I also always check the rejected produce -- ripe fruit! Here's an idea for stretching one chicken to feed four people for three days --http://www.savingdinner.com/archives/recipes/rubber_chicken.html Thu Feb 08 07:22:59 -0800 2007 2188875 23305 alaughingdog 1 2272018 So many good ideas. I'll add two: 1) dollar stores have a lot of cheap non-perishables like canned clams and canned meats. 2) here's one for the brave: if you don't mind a little risk of getting caught and had a finger waved at you, there's a shameful amount of stuff to be had free by dumpster diving behind supermarkets. My dumpster-diving friend Jake finds lots of stuff that way. Thu Feb 08 07:49:36 -0800 2007 2188875 69449 watercress 1 2309444 Check out this site http://www.apbw.mistral.co.uk/ Old Scrote's Cookbook. He has a huge site full of ethnic recipes that use cheap ingredients but are very accomplished food. Some tips of types of food to look for that are good and cheap. Rustic French (their poverty foods), Irish and southern poverty foods. People already mentioned getting a crock pot from freecycle or a thrift store. You can also check freecycle toward the end of the summer. People are always giving away extra produce. Windfall apples are also dirt cheap and many people will let you pick apples off their tree simply because they have no interest is doing so. Another option is to see if you have a food pantry nearby. If you asked for staples like dried beans and frozen meat they would probably be thrilled since so many people want processed convenience food. If you know someone with a Costco membership and a couple of other starving students have them get a big bag of pork chunks. Costco sells these huge vac pac bags of cubed pork for stews or Mexican dishes and last I checked they were under $1 a pound. The best deal on spices is World Market. Most of the celophane packs are a dollar an much better quality than the bottled spices at the grocery. World Market also has a pretty good olive oil for $7.99 for a large bottle. It is great for cooking and good enough to use for things like salad or dipping bread, though not as nice as a $30.00 bottle. One cheap quick meal is cook some pasta, get a can of diced tomatoes with garlic and Italian spices already in it. Toss the pasta with some olive oil and the drained tomatoes. You could add leftover meat also. Oh, find the local bread store. They had some better bread types, like whole grain or gourmet types. Nobody else bought them so I could get them cheap, sometimes the store clerk would just give them to me to get rid of them. Everyone who shopped there wanted wonder bread. Tue Feb 20 05:18:22 -0800 2007 2188875 61071 blackpointyboots 1 2309961 I have weeks where I have to live off of $20 for groceries. Breakfast: instant oatmeal or granola bars Lunch: PB&J, fried rice, cottage cheese and fruit, yogurt or leftovers Dinner: bean burritos, pasta and sauce, omelettes, potato soup, biscuits and gravy, meatless chili, veggie plates, big salads, quesadillas, baked sweet potato I try to always make enough dinner so that I have leftovers the next day, rather than eat ramen. See if you have an Aldi nearby. You can find cheap veggies and stuff like frozen pizza for .99, 1 lb. ground turkey for .99, bread for .50, chips for .99, etc. Just don't buy their boxed pasta salad or "hamburger helper" - it's yucky. Tue Feb 20 08:23:54 -0800 2007 2188875 56308 drgnflychic 1 2448288 When my husband abd I were first married, he was a poor grad student and we had to stretch my paychekc as far as it would go. We made a point of going through the circulars of all the local grocery stores before we wnet shopping (a lot of them were posted online, some came with the local paper) and we'd plan our weekly menus based on what was on sale and what we had in our cupboard already. We also decided which stores to shop at based on which would offer the most savings on our "staples" that week. That way we weren't gas driving from store to store. There are some budget traps in most grocery stores, that is, certain things that are simply too expensive for what you get: - Most sliced luncheon meat - one store near me charges nearly $10 a pound for turkey. For that, I could buy a small breast, brine it in a few cents worth of salt, suger and spices, roast and eat sandwiches for week! - Name brand cereal. A lo of folks have said this so I won't go into too much detail but store brands, bulk versions and oatmeal can be just as delicious and even healthier if you add some dried fruit (store brands for that, too). A friend of mine who had five kids in six years ups the nutritional and satiety value of her children's hot cereals by cooking them with powdered milk. -Pre-shredded and pre-chopped anything - unless it's at the in-store salad bar and it's a very small amount of something you don;t want to buy a lot of. For example, if a recipe calls for a small amount of a vegetable that oly comes in large heads or bags such as celery or cabbage, see if you can buy a small amount from the salad bar instead. If you won't eat it outside of the recipe, why waste the money on a large quantity of it? Bonelss, skinless chicken breasts - ridiculously priced for the proten and satiety value you get. I say stock up on chicken and turkey thighs instead when your budget allows. They are only slightly higher in fat, a lot cheaper and much more filling. Plus, they don't dry out as much as breasts. Sausages are also a good cheap option when on special. A litte goes a long way to flavor soups, rice dishes, egg dishes, etc. You can stretch a half a pound of strong flavored sausage over several delicious dinners if you plan right and supplemtn with additonal proteins like beans, cheese, whole grains, etc. Tue Apr 03 20:08:09 -0700 2007 2188875 76268 newbatgirl 2 2475488 I know you have limited access to foods but please consider sprouts and sprouting your own. Mung beans are an awesome food to sprout, when freshly sprouted they taste like fresh garden peas, if you let the grow out they're awesome for making your own chow mien. I pay just pennies to make a quart of mung sprouts and all you need is a mason jar, water, and some seeds. You can also sprout other seeds like wheat, rye, and micro mixes. I hope this helps from a health POV, to buy try shopping eBay or a place where you can buy a portion from a bulk lot. I personally share 1 co-op subscription with several other people to help meet the minimum order and take a big chunk from the fee, then we split bulk items... Thu Apr 12 14:37:41 -0700 2007 2448288 90977 Lagasse2005 1 2475567 My teenage son's favorite dish at home is not my crab cakes, steak, etc...it's my hamburger stroganoff...I must say that this version is tasty...Brown 1 and 1/2 lbs lean ground beef with 1 cup up onion and 1 chopped green pepper...can use poblano if you like spicy, as well as two to three cloves garlic...When browned, drain fat, and on top of the meat mixture, spread 3 cups of your choice of noodles...On top of that pour a mixture of 3 cups spicy V-8 juice that is mixed with spices of your choice...we like chili powder, oregano, parsley, cumin, and a bay leaf...Pour this mixture over the top of the noodles...Do not mix, as this is done in layers....Bring this mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, and cover for about 25-30 minutes...Uncover and dump in one small carton of sour cream ( don't use lite..it does not work...and you might want to temper the sour cream first, or put a little of the skillet mixture in the sour cream, and then fold the sour cream in...)...If you spice this up well, it is really delicious...We always add Tabasco on top of our individual servings.... Thu Apr 12 14:56:52 -0700 2007 2188875 71851 jinet12 1 3329919 Two recipes from our impoverished-student days: Fry some bacon end pieces (cheaper than bacon). Remove when done. Cut up an onion or two and fry in the bacon grease. When onion is cooked, return bacon and add a large can of baked beans and some ketchup. Stir. Serves four. ALTERNATIVELY Cook some rice until done. Add a can of cream of mushroom soup. Stir. Serves 1-2, depending on how much rice you started with. Thu Jan 24 17:49:59 -0800 2008 2188875 10483 Joebob 1 3330472 Sometimes I like to think about the lowest possible limit you could live on and still eat great food. I think as long as you keep a minimal, but well thought out supply at hand, you can use it for a variety of dishes. I especially like to make hearty soups and stews which you can cook in batches and that are both filling and cheap. For the basic supply, you need onions, carrots and celery. Add potatoes and garlic to this and you have a great basic supply. Buy lots of bulk beans and lentils as well as bags of rice and pasta. There are a variety of grains you can buy which are healthy and cheap such as wheat berries and bulgur that add variation. When it comes to vegetables, I like to focus on cabbage and root fruits as well as frozen bags of vegetables. If you want to add some meat to your diet, then it's a good idea to buy large packs of sausage (you can usually find good quality sausage in large packs), then freeze them individually and use them to flavor a lot of different dishes. The same can be said for Bacon - buy a large pack and then freeze 3-4 slices together and use them as you need them. Eggs are another great source of protein that are both cheap and nutritious. For more ideas on this subject, I wrote a longer post: http://www.theculinaryreview.com/food/ItemID=11931877052062 I think the important aspect is to keep meals filling. There is no point in living on Ramen noodles since you're hungry 2 hours after you eat a pack. Another great idea is to bake your own bread, if you have the time and the interest. Then you can eat great food for a very cheap cost. Thu Jan 24 20:37:55 -0800 2008 2188875 133197 quelle4 1 3332444 bake your own bread! Fri Jan 25 11:39:56 -0800 2008 2188875 22624 relizabeth 1 3332511 there are many more delicious and nutritious choices for you. Beans and rice are inexpensive, and together form a complete protein. There must be at least 300 different combvinations of bveans and rice. A few seasoning, some salt and pepper, and a couple of green veggies, and you should be able to eat like a king (or queen) on very little money. But you WILL have to do the cooking! Fri Jan 25 11:56:55 -0800 2008 2188875 52499 ChefJune 1 3332729 Check out this thread: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/479547 Fri Jan 25 12:44:03 -0800 2008 2188875 81468 jjones21 1 3332805 I did polenta and eggs over easy last night. Was very good and goes well with tomatos if you have them. I also like to do black bean and sweet potatos taco style. Roast sweet potatos, add black beans and other fillings as desired and heat them through. Pretty quick, pretty cheap and pretty tasty. :) Fri Jan 25 13:01:21 -0800 2008 2188875 94635 adventuresinbaking 1 3333113 My mom gave me two recipes when I moved into my first apartment. I freaked out about feeding myself and her recipes definitely saved me during really tough months. Vegetable soup- 6 cups beef broth or consumme (use the cubes to save $), canned corn and green beans, 1 big potato cubed, sliced carrots, celery, onion and a head of cabbage (makes the soup thicker), and a can of tomatoes. Cook the onion and celery first, add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for a few hours. It probably doesn't cost more than $10 and I can eat for over a week. Salmon patties- 1 can of salmon (as I got more $ I started using with boneless/skinless), bread crumbs, 1 egg, 3tbsp minced onion, soy sauce. Mix all ingredients- I start with 1/4 C bread crumbs- form patties and saute. For both recipes- you can make them as gourmet as you want but both are tasty and healthy with the least expensive ingredients. Good luck! Fri Jan 25 14:07:39 -0800 2008 2188875 139194 lhb78 1 3333126 Tofu is great and cheap. I like the soft kind and I can get it for 1.97 a pack, which is two meals. I like to steam it, set in a small plate in my steamer with some soy and ginger, if I've got it. Also, the best way--- is to cut it into cubes, roll in cornstarch and fry- immediately. Eat with rice and enjoy. Some nice green onions top it off. Fri Jan 25 14:12:04 -0800 2008 2188875 110475 charlottecooks 1 3333791 I usually buy bread baked in house in the grocery store (its quite cheap). I keep it in the frig, to keep it fresh as long as possible. With leftovers, as its going stale, you can make stuffing with just some chopped celery, onions, and poulty seasoning, and canned or homemade chicken broth.... which will go great with your inexpensive whole roasted chicken! You can also use stale leftovers to make bread pudding - using eggs, milk, and sugar for the basic custard. If you have cinnamon or other spices, you can add them in. You can make savory bread pudding with any leftover meats or veggies you have around. Also frittatas using just the eggs, with any leftover bits of meat or veggies, and cheese (admittedly, cheese can be more expensive) You can also make pasta fagiole soup (beans and pasta) fairly inexpensively. Fri Jan 25 17:25:45 -0800 2008 2188875 150115 Mellicita 1 3333875 Here is something I "accidentally" made the other night that was super cheap and so flavorful. I was in heaven. *1 (5 oz) bag of Mahatma spicy saffron rice ($0.99 or $1.29) *1/2 jar of sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil, chopped into small bites ($1 for the jar from the Dollar Tree. I am not kidding. I have bought about 10 of these jars so far and all are delicious. I can't figure out for the life of me how they have these at the Dollar Tree. Also have the same brand of roasted red peppers. Equally good) *and then I cooked 6 chicken leg quarters and took off the meat (that whole package was like $4). Shredded the chicken/ cut into bite-size pieces Combined all the ingredients into a one-bowl wonder. It was just incredibly delicious. Fri Jan 25 18:03:49 -0800 2008 2188875 101616 Tehama 1 3334136 I'm voting once again for the sweet potato/beans combo. tonight's addition was one nuked sweet potato, topped with sofrito/cumin/pepper flakes/cilantro and black beans from a can, and a splurge of a toss on of low-fat shredded cheese from TJ's. I mean it still has to have cost less than a buck fifty, dairy product included. mmm. Fri Jan 25 19:48:25 -0800 2008 2188875 41097 chocolatstiletto 2 3334335 Spaghetti and meat sauce for 2-3 nights Chicken and dumplings x 2-3 nights Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch Cereal, milk, bananas for breakfast Spaghetti: 1.00 Spaghetti sauce: 1.00 1/2 pound of ground chuck: 1.50 Loaf of bread: 1.00 Sliced cheese: 2.00 Can of tomato soup: 0.75 1 pound of dark chicken meat: 2.00 Frozen peas and carrots: 1.00 Onion: 0.75 Small box/package of bisquick mix: 0.75 2 cans of chicken broth: 1.00 1 box of cereal: 1.50 Gallon of milk: 2.50 Bananas: 0.69 Total: 17.44 Fri Jan 25 21:30:40 -0800 2008 3334136 52988 BellaDonna 3 3335468 Wow Bella. Awesome. As mentioned by a med student above, cooking with a gang of buddies (or neighbors, roommates, share lunches and lunch cost with colleagues) is great b/c you can split ingredient costs, and not be stuck eating the same thing for days on end. Freezing is also great. Because fresh produce is so expensive, I like to use up every last bite of my fresh veggies. It is cheap and yummy to make your own cole slaw (carrots and cabbage, some grated red onion in the dressing if you have it). Then a sandwich suddenly has a small accompanying side salad, which for me feels/tastes much more meal-like. Likewise, cook up some pasta (cheap-O) and toss your extra produce (tomato, red pepper, carrot, celery, onion, olives) in for a quick pasta salad, to complement your sandwiches. A friend just did Baked Potato Night. I would never think to do this, but what a cheap and delicious way to eat up all veggies in the fridge (sautee them separately or together), a little sour cream or yogurt or cheese if you want it/have it. Potatoes are cheap. Chickpeas or beans for protein. Improvise with what you have in the fridge and cabinet. How can I make this into an exciting meal? You'd be surprised. I come up with some of my favorites (an easy-peasy chicken curry this week, suggested by someone here on CH). It's like your own version of Iron Chef-- secret ingredient = whatever is in cupboard/fridge. BUY WHAT IS ON SALE. Check for coupons in the paper, and combine these with sales. Sometimes you can get stuff close to free. I cook with and snack on ricotta all the time, and I pay $3 max for the big tub that usually retails for $6. Find a place with cheap produce. There are several near me that sell produce at a third the price of even the cheapest grocery chain stores. Produce is also cheaper, in my experience, at Latin and Asian markets. Sat Jan 26 11:41:35 -0800 2008 3334335 56490 foxy fairy 3 3336632 huh? I am not sure I could duplicate these prices at any store in my neighborhood... so decided to try and at least get an idea if it is doable. Went to Safeway.com and found: LUNCH: Cheapest bread I could find for sandwhiches: Ovenjoy White: .99 8 oz Lucerne Cheddar: $2.50 (sliced was more) Safeway Tomato Soup: .90 a can (This amount would last me two, three days of lunches at most, definitely not a week, On this budget I'd rather eat something cheaper, ie lentil soup...) BREAKFAST: Cheapest cereal I could find: $2.50 for 15 oz (Safeway Brand) OTOH, 42 oz of Oatmeal was $2.49. Better nutrition, more food, better deal Gallon of milk, Safeway brand, 3.99 (though a gallon seems like a lot, perhaps you mean half gallon?) hate bananas so didn't bother :-) And DINNER: Cheapest spagetti sauce I could find, in a can: $1.25, 26 oz spaguetti: 16 oz: .90 ok, so so far I am at about $13 before I buy the chicken, ground chuck, frozen peas and carrots, onion, bisquick or chicken broth.... sorry, but while the idea behind these menus (use a few simple ingredients) is a good one, I think it is far from being the cheapest, most filling way to live on $20 a week.... Sat Jan 26 20:12:29 -0800 2008 3334335 10158 susancinsf 4 3336810 I have to agree. I was thinking perhaps it was just the higher cost of living in my area, but I could not get the items listed at the prices given. The cheapest half gallon of milk here is $2.50 at a certain store. The cheapest 16 oz can of broth is 99 cents, except for the rare sales where you can get 2 for a dollar. (a 32 oz is about 2.39). One single can of tomato soup is a dollar, but you would need 7 dollars worth to cover each lunch for a week. The only way to get chicken or ground chuck at prices per lb near those mentioned would be to buy a huge amount all at once. The small packages will be more expensive. A whole (very) small chicken is around 5-6 dollars. And I dont think most people would be able to spread 8 oz of ground chuck (before cooking) over 3 days and be satisfied. Not to mention, one must account for sales tax. Sat Jan 26 21:58:28 -0800 2008 3336632 150115 Mellicita 1 3335968 My favorite cheap eat is Potato Pasta-serves 2 2 med baked potatoes while still hot cut in half lenthwise and slice into half moons a little over 1/4 inch thick. Put 2/3 cup olive oil (guess you could go 1/2 olive half veg ) in frying pan and start to brown when first side is starting to brown add 12 (yes 12) cloves of minced garlic and one dried red pepper broken up. Finish browning potatoes on both sides. Can be a little tricky getting potatoes browned without burning garlic(we like the garlic almost burnt) Toss over 3/4 lb thin pasta. Top with grated cheeze and sever with french bread. dc Sat Jan 26 15:01:26 -0800 2008 2188875 73130 don515 2 3336472 we are a two commission household...so when its good it is good and when its bad it is REALLY BAD...anyway Roasted veggies are a great way to use up you veggies and carry them quite a ways Baked potatoes have feed us many a night with various toppings but my favorite is salsa. Stores like Big Lots and dollar stores have great cheap finds...esp big lots because they are a buyout store. Sat Jan 26 18:37:58 -0800 2008 3335968 11854 LaLa 1 3336755 If you decide you want to bake your own bread, you might look at Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. I have only made the master recipe in it so far, but it has worked very well. You make a batch of bread dough and then refrigerate it for up to a week. Then throughout the week you can bake a small loaf as you need it. The bread is good crusty rustic type bread. I am thinking this is going to save me a lot of money, since I will be able to have good fresh bread all week for the cost of a packet of yeast and some flour. Sat Jan 26 21:24:19 -0800 2008 2188875 123744 karykat 1 3337646 I was in the same boat for a very long time so I feel you! A favorite cheapy meal: get some cheese ends (brie is great for this but any kind will do), a couple of bruised apples (I like green ones) and some day-old discounted panini, submarine buns, kaisers or whatever you can find. Makes a great panino in a George Foreman grill if you have one, otherwise just throw it in a frying pan and weigh it down with something while it toasts. You won't notice the stale bread this way and if you can score a bunch of bread, just slice it up and freeze it. The sandwiches can be made with bread straight out of your freezer. Sun Jan 27 10:26:48 -0800 2008 2188875 161039 coco_beware 1 3337814 Rice is a cheap staple that you should have in your pantry at all times. For a little flavor, try cooking it in chicken broth (if you can't afford to buy it, try making it using the bones of a chicken from another meal(s)). Also, try to keep Italian seasoning or other spices on hand -- I throw them in anything (chicken, beef, soup, fish) to add a twist to an otherwise bland meal. Try to find specialty stores - cheese shops, butchers, bakers etc. instead of shopping exclusively at the grocery store. I've found that typically they tend to be cheaper and better quality products - not to mention you're more likely to find discounted items as well, especially if they are expecting a fresh shipment. Also, if you become a regular and establish a personal relationship with the owner, they might even throw some free food at you! Sun Jan 27 11:30:40 -0800 2008 2188875 161066 ihearthothippo 1 3337928 Some things my mom & dad used to make when they were just poor college students with a young baby: tuna pattes: small sized can of tuna, hand full of saltine crackers crushed up, one egg. Mix up and form into patties. Fry in a skillet and eat w/ ketchup Potato Pancakes: Make a big batch of mashed potatoes one night. Save the leftovers for the next day and form cold mashed potatoes into patties and fry in a skillet and eat w/ ketchup Chili: 1 large can of Tomato Juice, ground chuck, onion, chili powder, chili beans. Brown the beef and onion. Throw in everything else. To stretch even further add macaroni noodles. this will freeze forever. Breakfast casserole: Make white rice, drop in an egg and cooked bacon or sausage or ground beef and stir until the eggs are cooked. Sort of like a fried rice in a way. To stretch further add frozen peas or corn. You can stirfry the leftovers the next day to make fried rice. I should add that apparently, this stuff was good when I was a baby, because I make it for me and my husband now, 26 years later :-) Sun Jan 27 12:18:15 -0800 2008 2188875 161080 Stretchad 1 3349704 I have several small pizzas in the oven made from items I had in my pantry. Talk about frugal! All you need for the crust are: yeast, olive oil, flour (I use a mix of whole wheat and AP), some vegetables, spices, and cheese. The last time I tried this I messed up the dough, but made them into faux-calzoni. Wed Jan 30 15:00:39 -0800 2008 2188875 137960 link_930 1 3349781 I still vote for beans/legumes in general...baked beans, pea soup, beans and rice, dhal soups, hummus etc etc.......buy them dry and in bulk for cheap, make and freeze lots, this stuff sticks to your ribs and will keep you going through the day. If you have any bargain giant type stores in your area, keep an eye out for chicken stock (a nearby place sells large tetra packs for 99c), cheap cans of tuna and salmon (for fish cakes), and if you've ever seen those great big jars of pickled red peppers...sub them in for any recipe for roasted red pepper soup. Bargain stores often sell cans of artichoke ends for very cheap, things like this. check out bulk TVP for a cheap protein source as well. for veggies, google "tunisian vegetable stew" by moosewood, which contains some very cheap veggies like cabbage, onions, can tomatoes, green pepper, canned chick peas, and goes a long way, with wonderful flavours. Senegalese peanut soup is basically onion , can tomato, chick peas and peanut butter which are also relatively cheap. A fine cheap meal of colcannon can be made from cabbage and potatoes. I've also seen people make "cakes" out of potted meat, those little blue cans.....corned beef hash is another option. Scour supermarkets for stuff that is being sold on it's "sell-by" date that is marked down, but can be frozen (and this includes cheese). Don't be afraid to bring it to your grocers attention and ask for a markdown, sometimes it works !!!! Something i made many a meal off of during my leaner days as an alternative to boxed mac and cheese, was "chicken" noodles. Boil up a quantity of pasta...in the mean time, make a white sauce with margarine, flour, and a big spoonful of the powdered "chicken" bouillion (yes yes i know), and once thickened, stir in milk to make a sauce....you can also toss in onions or some other cheap veg in there.......I have been known to resort to this when i'm sick and craving something really salty. Wed Jan 30 15:23:30 -0800 2008 2188875 153184 im_nomad 1 3349812 My "comfort food" concoction: saute a med. onion, add 1 huge clove of minced garlic. Add 1 can of black or pinto beans, undrained, & 1 can of diced tomatoes with chillies, undrained. Bring to a boil, add 1&1/2 cups of instant brown or white rice. Leftover rice is fine, too. Bring to a boil, then lower heat & simmer covered for 5 min. Add shredded cheddar cheese on top, cover a few more minutes. Stir & serve! Wed Jan 30 15:29:41 -0800 2008 2188875 138693 SusieS 1 3349943 My newest favorite cheap meal is vegetarian tacos: black beans seasoned w/ whatever you have (I use taco seasoning, garlic and salt and pepper and red chiles), rice and corn. top w/ cheese and salsa. Surprisingly good, even my husband likes it! Wed Jan 30 16:02:30 -0800 2008 2188875 157998 Petrichor 1 3350430 I'm languishing in poverty too, but I'm actually finding it kind of exciting to think of ways to feed myself on next to nothing. It's kind of a game now - I pretend I'm on Dirt Poor Iron Chef. I second everything everyone said about rice and beans and lentils and soups. I'm eating a lot more veggie dishes and using meat more as a condiment. My favorite is bacon. It's cheap and can go anywhere - in bean soups, on baked potatoes and green salads, in quiches, in breakfast burritos and egg salad sandwiches. And it gives me that meat flavor when I feel like I might otherwise break down and buy a steak. Whole chickens are good for that too. One roasted bird will provide me with 5 or 6 meals plus soup bones. And don't neglect the sweet stuff, or you start feeling depressed and deprived. I'm making a lot of baked fruit dishes which are cheap and nice and warming for winter, and a dozen cookies or muffins gives you a nice lift for very little money. Wed Jan 30 19:00:14 -0800 2008 2188875 102571 mordacity 1 3352785 All these responses have been very good. Of course, beans, rice, other grains in bulk (go, oatmeal!), eggs, soup, cabbage, root vegetables (baked sweet potato = lunch!), scavenging. As far as meat goes, chicken is the cheapest common one, with turkey coming in second. But consider also a picnic shoulder (.99 a pound at Star this week). Sure, you'll have to buy about 7 pounds, but you can cut it up and freeze the chunks. Beef liver is often very cheap, and brisket on sale can be cheap as well. Look for the deli ends they sell in most supermarkets - the end bits to cold cuts and cheese, priced very low. The cheese is particularly useful, because you can use it in so many ways, but also look for ham, which can add a lot of flavor to a dish in very small quantities. Also, discounted day old bread is great - for toasting, making into bread pudding and bread salad, stuffing, etc. Google "recipes" and "stale bread" and you should find lots of good peasant food. For basic baking (biscuit, pancakes, Yorkshire pudding), buy some powdered dry milk. Disgusting to drink, but serviceable in basic flour/egg/butter preparations that are filling and cheap. Hit the library or yard sales for old cookbooks - not the fancy entertaining books, but the ones from the 30s and 40s aimed at housewives. Economy is prized in those books, and they have great ideas for using up leftover bits and pieces, using eggs creatively, and so on. In general, learn as many recipes as you can for using up leftovers - strata, omelets, soups, enchiladas, crepes, fried rice - anything you can fill up with little pieces of this and that. Waste not and all that. Some very useful staples, like canned tomatoes, can sometimes be bought even in regular supermarkets in really big cans for a fraction of the usual price - buy, split into reasonable serving portions, freeze. (The freezer, like the crockpot, is your friend.) Coupons can SOMETIMES be helpful, but not if you end up buying something that was priced too high to begin with - two boxes of breakfast cereal for the price of one may still cost more, ounce per ounce, than oatmeal. Thu Jan 31 12:23:07 -0800 2008 2188875 12806 curiousbaker 1 3358765 This is a wonderful thread! thanks so much for starting it..... Sat Feb 02 11:35:33 -0800 2008 2188875 138693 SusieS 1 3388352 I'd love to hear more ideas! Mon Feb 11 21:51:29 -0800 2008 2188875 138693 SusieS 1 3487548 You'd be surprise how much you can eat on so little... if you are willing to spend time in the kitchen...my mom's survival meals during our poor days as a child...bag of flour and lard can make ..tortillas, biscuits, bread (yeast or no yeast) ; lots of fat stays hunger! Hey add a bag of sugar and now you are looking at bunelos (fried tortillas) etc. Beans are your best bet... the grocer discounts over ripe fruit which is great to make breads like banana bread...hey if all else fails, go to a local church and get a free meal. Wed Mar 12 21:04:51 -0700 2008 2188875 171058 kanosis 1 3494547 No one has mentioned cabbage. It is cheap and can be added to soups, make cabbage rolls with rice and tomato soup/sauce, for salads, borscht. A friend of mine in Victoria goes to the parks and pick blackberries in season and freezes them for smoothies. Powdered milk is nutritious and can be added to almost anything. Make a 'master mix'. It is a versatile flour mix that can be used for pancakes, muffins, cakes, etc. you make a big batch and use by the cupful, as needed, and add flavourings. I could dig up a recipe. Making from scratch is essential in budget cooking. Fri Mar 14 20:01:22 -0700 2008 2188875 162977 sarah galvin 2 3500874 I like cabbage, but it doesn't like me. :-( Mon Mar 17 10:28:33 -0700 2008 3494547 171058 kanosis 3 3556310 If you eat it regularly, your body gets used to it and you won't have that problem anymore. (same goes for beans, broccoli, etc) Thu Apr 03 06:03:17 -0700 2008 3500874 174957 Patrincia 4 3566979 I never had problems when I was younger, but now lots of stuff irritate me..but I am learning to adjust my diet by deliberately choosing whole grains and more vegys. I've never had problems with broccoli and cauliflower, but the round head of cabbage doesn't like me. I thought of subbing it with savoy or napa. They are a little pricey though. Sun Apr 06 11:15:41 -0700 2008 3556310 171058 kanosis 1 3495193 How about investing in some semollina flour and learning to make pasta? A little flour, water and an egg and you're on your way. There are hundreds of ways to sauce it. Sat Mar 15 07:57:46 -0700 2008 2188875 174874 Bubbah 1 3541343 I just made a concoction of leftover rice, a few cans of various beans, corn, scallions (or chopped onions), & some vinaigrette. Not bad! Kind of a comfort food concoction.... Sat Mar 29 16:11:02 -0700 2008 2188875 138693 SusieS 1 3555422 I had mentioned the soup lines at the local church or salvation army, but I can remember working as an elementary school in a poor neighborhood years ago and the kids would tell me they would go "dumpster diving" at the market garbage cans or they might ask the produce man for the vegy throw aways. They would take the whole lot home and their mom would see what she can use...very sad but true. Oh, one kid told me he also scrounged the florist shops for "free flowers" for his mom...So from lil Johnny to you....try dumpster diving. Wed Apr 02 19:28:31 -0700 2008 2188875 171058 kanosis 2 3556360 Here is a list of some of my favorite budget ingredients. Carrots Spinach Cabbage Onions Garlic Potatoes Bananas Oats Barley Dried beans Rice Pasta Eggs Whole chickens Ground beef Italian Sausage Rotisseree chickens (for emergencies) One $5 rotisseree chicken can provide precooked meat for several meals (chicken on a green salad, chicken enchiladas, chicken soup, etc - use that carcass to make the most flavorful chicken stock). Chili is another economical meal that is very healthy - serve it on a baked potato (super cheap-o). Speaking of baked potatoes, they are fabulous - I like to make extra so I can turn leftovers into hashbrowns. Canned salmon is fantastic - can be turned into a sandwhich spread, fried patties, eaten straight out of the can or served on a cold salad). Pasta is another inexpensive meal - even if you add a meat sauce. I think the key here is to be willing to plan your menu ahead of time, and be willing to take the time to get in the kitchen and cook - and don't be afraid to try store brands. Thu Apr 03 06:21:50 -0700 2008 3555422 174957 Patrincia 2 5170209 Dumpster diving is also more popularly known as "Freeganism." I've eaten some food my friends have pulled out of dumpsters. With practice, people start to know which dumpsters contain what stuff and good times to get it(some are good for bread, others produce) and come home with surprising amounts of perfectly edible food: oranges, potatoes, plantains, and onions, to name a few. Tue Nov 10 10:00:25 -0800 2009 3555422 94635 adventuresinbaking 1 3567412 Beans are generally inexpensive and filling. Black beans, garbanzos, lentils, pintos. When I took an intensive summer German course at Monterey Institute of International Studies in CA they had a student loan poster with a picture of Ramen noodles on it. I don't see any indication of where you live but the following might interest you: http://www.oneworldeverybodyeats.com/menus.html http://www.soallmayeat.org/ http://www.karmakitchen.org/ http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/03/21/050321ta_talk_mead http://www.terrabite.org/ (NPR ran a story on this one in the last few days.) Maybe there are similar places in other cities? Health Food Coops often have work trade options as do some CSAs. If you belong to or participate in a religious community many have potlucks where you could contribute something inexpensive and then have a variety of dishes to choose from. In all of the above cases, I would hope that when you're financially able, you would contribute accordingly. Sun Apr 06 14:20:45 -0700 2008 2188875 169792 lgss 1 3567446 Any chance you can grow some of your own food? Community garden or planters on a balcony? We grew lots of habaneros last summer in a pot on the porch, didn't save lots of money necessarily but adds some variety to menus. Sun Apr 06 14:32:40 -0700 2008 2188875 169792 lgss 1 3913681 Hot dogs can be cheap and made lots of different ways. Beanie weenie sour kraut and dogs hot dogs can be eaten on a slice of bread chili dogs pigs in a blanket Tue Jul 29 21:31:20 -0700 2008 2188875 214401 Cheapo 1 3916711 I like "The New Cookbook for Poor Poets and Others" (Ann Rogers, copyright 1979, 1966, published by Scribner's.) It's good food & good company. Wed Jul 30 17:20:43 -0700 2008 2188875 47045 THewat 1 3918360 Consider buying a couple of turkey drumsticks on sale. Braise them with seasonings. Remove the meat from the bones. Toss the skin and bones into a pot with some onion, maybe a little boullion. Simmer an hour, strain, return broth to pot, add any leftover rice, potato, or barley, some veggies, cooked or uncooked and you have soup. Use the meat for a couple meals. This works with chicken also If you invest in a fresh herb, use some for the original purpose, lay the rest out on a paper bag and leave until totally dry. Pop them into a small jar, label and you have good dried herbs for the rest of the year. In your recipe you use less dried than fresh. Thu Jul 31 08:59:19 -0700 2008 2188875 205842 The Old Gal 1 3919830 For cheap breakfast you can't beat cereal. I got an ENORMOUS box of generic rice chex for $2 and it's probably good for at least 10 12 breakfasts. No high fructose corn syrup either. PB is cheap. Keep a jar around and put it on toast, on banans(great always cheap fruit), in PB&J, on crackers, pitas, or in faux satays. Pitas are also great, cheap, and versatile. They're good if you're sick of regular old bread and can be used with hummus(can be made super cheap), PB, stuff it with egg salad, used as a base for mini pizzas, toast it for pita chips, you can even put veggie salads in it and it makes them more flling. Sweet potatoes are genius and can be made in the microwave in like 5 minutes. Just poke holes in it, wrap it in a damp papertowel, and microwave until tender. I love them plain just lke this, but you can also top with butter/cinnamon/brown sugar or cottage cheese. Baked sweet potato chips are also a great snack. You also might consider splurging on one ingredient each week and cooking around that. For instance buying a good chunk of cheese, and putting it with your eggs, making grilled cheese, in grits, pita pizzas, having it with fruit, melting it over veggies, etc. I'm not sure where you're at but for produce u-picks can't be beat. Thu Jul 31 15:30:43 -0700 2008 2188875 82243 ArikaDawn 1 4865777 Can you participate in a community garden or barter for produce? There's not much in the way of nutrients in your OP. Thu Jul 16 17:36:42 -0700 2009 2188875 169792 lgss 1 4989757 I feed a family with three adult appetites (two teen boys and me) on $50/week including toiletry items, and we eat pretty close to a gourmet diet. Essential for making this work are: • Purchasing items across a range of several stores where prices are best • Making extra large portions now and then and freezing some to have handy when variety is needed during a bland week or cooking isn't possible because of scheduling issues • Cooking from scratch • Every couple-three days I cook large portions of several dishes and we eat each dish over several meals. The variety of dishes is satisfying plus each of us has very different appetites and likes/dislikes in selection so it's nice that each person can choose what he/she enjoys eating at each meal. • Cook a lot of chicken legs with backs attached, and use the backs for soup • Have rice and beans on hand most of the time • Often cook noodles for the boys with inclusions of meat or chicken or a meaty sauce • Cook Chinese food - it's economical and tasty Tonight, for example, I cooked 4 dishes producing about 20 adult sized servings in about 2 hours (not including marinading time) at a cost of about* $12.50. Three are Chinese dishes and one uses Chinese spices (the steak). One was leftover sliced steak from a London Broil I bought for $1.50 a lb on sale and grilled. I stir-fried the steak with herbs and oyster sauce. That's for me to put over rice for easy, fast working lunches during the next few days. (Produces 4 portions) Dish 2: Cucumbers and chicken cubes in hoisin sauce (6 big portions) Dish 3: Eggplant and ground meat with bean sauce (About 6 big portions) Dish 4: Black bean spareribs (4 portions) Cost: 2 1/2 cups sliced steak $2.50 3 lb Boneless chicken thighs $3.20 1/2 lb ground pork 80¢ 1 lb small-cut spareribs $2.30 1 long cucumber $1.50 2 bunches scallions 80¢ 4 Chinese eggplants $2.50 1 small pot brown rice 35¢ condiments $1.50 Total $12.45 Many people have mentioned rotisserie chickens and I agree that they're a great bang for $5.00. Served with pasta and a veggie these make a great meal! Follow me on twitter http://twitter.com/kimi Sun Aug 30 00:29:41 -0700 2009 2188875 181219 kimijye 1 5164389 I'm in the same spot...and I am VERY picky in terms of eating. My mom gave me a recipe for tuna casserole- chow mein noodles, a can of tuna, and a can of cream of celery soup, and milk. Mixed all together, put in a dish and baked- SO good! Also, it's not really cheap up front- but I've found the best way to make the most of my meal $ is to efficiently use my left over foods. I found a fabulous recipe for chicken and dumplings off a blog called Macheesmo- I usually buy one of those "bulk packs" of chicken peices...bake it at 450 until their all cooked through and use the bones to make the stock, and 3 stalks of celery and 3 carrots are practically nothing. Flour and butter form the base and it's SO tastey. Yes, cake flour is a bit pricy up front but a bag lasts a long time. It makes a HUGE pot and is so filling/comforting in the winter, you can easily eat for a week off of one pot. Sat Nov 07 20:31:13 -0800 2009 2188875 88087 Navan 1 5167899 Wow I remember $20 a week food budgets. This is a tough job but you can eat quite well on $20 dollars per week and even come up with some very creative meals. If you have a local discount food store go there to stock up on staple items such as beans and pastas. Buy frozen mixed veggies, rice, pasta, canned tomaotoes, dry beans, lettuce, tomato and cucumber and a small bag of apples or a bunch of bananas. Buy frozen veggies since they are cheaper and last longer since you only use what you need. try looking on line for emergency meal plans like the one on hill=billy house wife. LOL sounds funny but this site has great ideas for low cost meals. Remeber to look for recipes which you can make form ingredients that you have on hand like dumpling, biscuits, or even noodles. My son loves this dish it costs about 3.00 to make and serves 8 so you could freeze it for another time. 1 can corned beef hash 1 can mixed veggies 2 cups of rice or barley cooked. Mix together with seasonings of your choice such as pepper, nutmeg, ginger, cilantro, anything you have and a cup of Ketsup. you can serve this with Jamaican style dumpling which is a stiff mix of flour corn meal and water mixed together to form a thich dough and boiled in water like noodles till done. A bag of frozen veggies and a can of beef broth with some quick cooking barley is a great meal too. Best wishes Mon Nov 09 13:22:17 -0800 2009 2188875 1123045 SisterFatPants 1 5170162 i know i sound a bit off from everyone else but i think $20 would be easy assuming you have a decent pantry of spices. buy a premade rotisserrie chicken (if you go at the end of the night you can get them for $5 or less dependent on what they have left over. buy a carton of eggs ($2), a stack of tortillas in the mexican aisle ($2-$3), a bag of generic frozen mixed veggies ($1), a bag of rice or pasta ($1-$2). you even have a few dollars left over. in terms of dinners: first night eat a peice or two of the chicken with some mixed veggies, rice if you want. then you got options -chicken wraps, fried rice (steal some soy sauce from a chinese restaurant), pasta with chicken and veggies, if you buy some lunch meat and lettuce with the extra $ you got sandwich wraps, salads, etc. breakfasts are scrambled eggs or even buy some flour and make pancakes or fruit (if its on sale) and yogurt (buy the big container and portion it out). if needed get some ramen or hot dogs for variety but you should be ok. shop in ethnic stores when they are around you save so much on fresh produce! Tue Nov 10 09:44:56 -0800 2009 2188875 192154 pie22 1 5170245 My prediction is that you are going to become a wonderful cook while you are strapped for cash because you will be forced to be more creative. There are so many wonderful dishes based on using cheaper cuts of meats braised with veggies. you will likely often find a chuck roast or chicken thighs on sale. If you avoid processed foods which are more expensive, you are also going to likely have a very healthy diet. Beans, which as people have mentioned are the cheapest food, pack a punch of nutrients. I would also urge you to make you own bread. bread is very expensive ( considering is is flour, yeas and salt). Make two loaves and freeze one. there is nothing better than the smell of fresh bread! Tue Nov 10 10:14:35 -0800 2009 2188875 158016 cassoulady 1 5170482 One that I don't think people mentioned is making your own bread. It's not nearly as high effort as it seems at first, and it comes in cheaper than a store bought loaf (except maybe the very lowest quality). Yum. Tue Nov 10 11:24:33 -0800 2009 2188875 15819 sholli