Cheap dinner ideas?

Question

We are trying to save money for a house, we spend way to much money on food. What are some cheap dinner ideas?

Answer 1

buy ground beef in bulk then you can have hamburgers, make chili, spaghetti sauce, hot dog sauce and hamburger helper. Tuna is also cheap. You can make tuna salad for sandwiches and tuna casserole. Buy chicken when it is on sale. You can make chicken salad, chicken stir fry and fried chicken. Potatoes are also on sale most of the time. You can make them in lots of ways so you can have a variety. Make your own french fries, mash them and instead of milk or cream add sour cream, butter and bacon bits. I have to feed 5 on a limited budget. I know how hard it can be. Good Luck.

Answer 2

Chicken is always cheap and if you have a walmart near you then you can get the 10 lb bags of chicken for like $4 and some change - you can then split it up 2 pieces of chicken in small freezer bags you would probally end up with 6-7 meals that way - the chicken is a leg and thigh together so of cut the piece it becomes 2 legs and 2 thighs per bag which you could fry it one night , bake it another night - you could throw some rice with it which is always cheap

Answer 3

Buy your foods in bulk, this saves money. Meat, potatoes, rice , beans.
If the butcher can't cut the meat for free learn how to cut it yourself. It really isn't difficult. Chicken and pork are the cheapest. Pork loins or picnics are easy to prepare and beef is the most expensive.

When I had to be conservative I found that a 6 oz. portion of meat with a salad or vegetable and baked or boiled potato or rice was really cheaper than pasta because we didn't have to buy the sauce ingredients to go in it.
Eat more hot cereals for breakfast and allow meat and eggs only once a week. Make homemade pancakes and waffles and eat with syrup or applesauce. Rotate your meal plans so you don't get tired of eating the samething all the time. Include fish a couple times a week.

Answer 4

Pasta dishes are always good, and with a bagged salad or some frozen veggie are filling.
Crock pot meals - they're great because they're easy to throw together and cook themselves. They also make great leftovers.
Chicken. SO much can be done with chicken, and it's inexpensive.
And, if you have a big enough freezer, bags of frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts aren't too expensive, and are very heart healthy. You can also get large, cheaper bags of frozen veggies.
Good luck with your plans for saving for your first house. Just a word of warning - don't freak out when you sit down at the closing and see all the mounds of paperwork you have to sign. And, if you don't really know your Realtor, you might want to have an attorney go over the forms and go to the closing with you. It's overwhelming and frightening, and good to have someone "on your side."

Answer 5

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Answer 6

I'm with Gina. Kraftfoods.com is great. Here is one of theirs that I tried last night. Only eight ingredients and easy easy. It cost about $5-6 to make a serving for 4.

1 lb. lean ground beef (I used ground turkey instead)
2 cups chopped red peppers (about 2 medium) - (You can use green, they're cheaper)
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
8 Flour Tortillas
1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
1/2 cup Salsa

BROWN meat in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Stir in peppers and chili powder(I added a couple tablespoons of water here); cook 5 min. or until peppers are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
STIR in sour cream and 1/4 cup of the cheese. Spoon about 1/3 cup meat mixture onto each tortilla. Roll up and arrange in 13x9-inch baking pan. Drizzle with dressing; top with salsa and remaining cheese.
BROIL, 4 to 6 inches from heat source, 3 to 5 min. or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

You can also make tuna, chicken, and hamburger helpers, They are quite cheap. So is spaghetti, tacos, and burritos.

Answer 7

We have 7 kids over for dinner every night and try to do the same thing.

Go to the bread store outlet and get your bread.

Buy onions and potatoes in bulk and keep cool.



Cheap eats...

*Stew (Use what ever meat is on sale, veggies in season and a stew packet seasoning, with beef broth)
*7 layer dip and chips (refried beans, sour cream, cheese, chopped onion, chopped peppers, salsa and ground beef)
*Grilled american cheese and tomato sammies with soup
*Hot dogs or Polish sausage w/ baked beans and whatever chips are on sale
*Chili
*Chili Mac (chili left overs mixed with macaroni and cheese)
*Spaghetti
*Tuna Melts
*BLT and Tomato Soup
*Taco's
*Meat special and Potato with seasonal veggies
*Chef Salad
*Rice and Veggie soup mix together and throw ground beef on top.
*Poor mans bake (in foil put onion, frozen veggie mix, ground beef, and seasonings..) bake in oven til beef is done serve with mashed potatoes.
*Home made pizza (just get the crust mix, sauce, cheese and a couple toppings from what you already have in the fridge...we like ham and mushroom)
*If you buy roasts on special you can have roast on night and put it back in the crock and re-cook it with bbq sauce and serve on bread for pulled pork sammies...you can do it with beef too.
*Round Steak is very cheap and if you crave steak it will do
*Make a whole chicken and boil the left overs with chicken broth and veggies and seasonings for some yummy soup.
*Nacho's are very cheap
*Breakfast for dinner is very cheap
*Grilled Portabella Mushroom caps (cheese opt.) on a bun serve with salad and soup.

Always buy what is on special and in season (as far as fruits and veggies). For instance think of how cheap corn on the cob is when it is in season as opposed to other time of the year (12 ears for $2 or 12 ears for $4)
Try to buy at open markets or farmer stands if you can because it will be less expensive.
As you know you will need to quit eating out.

Answer 8

if you have a sam's or costco buy a bag of chicken breast it is about $12 but has a lot of chicken. I marinate chicken in salad dressing like caeser, italian, or just simple melted butter and garlic over nite and cook the next day in a skillet, on a grill or george foreman.

Answer 9

ham- burg helper., canned grn bns, rolls or tuna hlpr, rolls, peas or gbns. corn,,,papa jns pizza 5or6 $$$ for a lrg pizza,instead of sides get an xtra pizza then u have a snack 4 ltr.or have eggs toast, grits&sausage patties 4 dinner....all this is filling & cheap.

Answer 10

We made it into a game. What can we use with what's in the pantry, cupboards, fridge and freezer? We ended up going 3 weeks by only having to buy milk and eggs.

Also a good way to clean out the fridge and freezer!