What kind of meals does everyone have when money is tight or eating on a limited budget?

Question

With out Eating Out!

Answer 1

Hot Dogs and baked beans with a salad, made of lettuce and tomato.

Mushroom and potato soup, with croutons or toasted french bread

BLT's

Macaroni and cheese with either Tuna from a can, or ground beef cooked, and frozen vegetables mixed in, with extra grated cheese

Spagetti, salad and garlic bread

Supper on a slice

6 to 8, 1/2 slices of french or sourdough long rolls
1/2 a pound cooked hamburger meat
1/2 a yellow diced onion
I clove garlic chopped
2 slices of cheddar cheese per roll, or any kind you like

Cook the meat, and when near done, add the garlic, and onion
Drain the fat out
Place two slices of cheese on each roll
Place on a cookie sheet, and lay the hamburger meat over the cheese on the rolls, heavily. Pile it on!
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or when the bread is toasted.
You can have some salad, or baked potato or any other vegetable you choose, hot or cold. Cheap and yummy!

Answer 2

Here is one that makes a good meal if your budget is tight. I adapted this from a tuna recipe that someone gave me. If you have some left over boiled chicken that has been removed from the bone, it works best. If not, buy a can of canned chicken (about the size of a tuna can). Cook some small elbow macaroni per the instructions (about 1 cup dry). Drain the macaroni, add a can of cream of chicken soup, and then stir in the chicken. Spread liberally over lightly toasted bread to make an open face delivery. Garnish with your favorite pickle or other relish and enjoy.

Answer 3

We had to do this for years, just became a bit more flush the last six months. Ate a heck of a lot of ground beef and chicken and weiners. Had a hubby with a big appetite and a growing teen boy to feed, so quantity and quality was still an issue. Made a lot of casseroles, so there was lots to eat, hopefully with a side of veggies and/or salad. Fresh fruit was expensive, so made do a lot of time with canned. I baked a lot, and that helped, though it was tiring. Actually, one needs a lot of time to deal with a tight budget... but in ways, we actually ate healthier. Missed fresh fruit and veggies the most - carbohydrates and junk are just sometimes cheaper.

Answer 4

1)Baked potatoes with a variety of toppings:
bacon bits, cheesy salad dressing, herbs, chili...

2)Oatmeal with raisins or other fruit toppings (cheap and filling and hot!)

3)SOUP--always healthy, filling and delicious

4)Salad (NOT raw spinach!) with nuts, dried fruits and sunflower seeds--very filling and healthy.

5)Cheese, mushroom and onion omelette (we have those for supper once in a while and they are always tasty).

6)A pound of hamburger goes a long way when you make your own meatloaf or chili and then freeze it for later meals.

If you can, avoid the "fast food" because it has too much salt and/or grease in it and is, I think, a waste of money.

Hope these suggestions help. My "crystal ball" says that your financial situation will improve soon so you can plan to go out and splurge on a great meal or two in celebration!

ENJOY! All will be well.

Answer 5

Dried beans are a very good source of protein, good for you and cheap to purchase.
Bananas are a cheap fruit and good for you on oatmeal for breakfast which is inexpensive.
Learn to make breads from scratch along with cakes. Once you have the staples like flour and sugar, etc. these are cheap to make.
Canned salmon is a great nutrient and a cheap meat and great with a meal if made into patties.
Hope this helps. Good luck.

Answer 6

You can't go wrong with a loaf of bread to make grilled cheese sandwiches. Also:

Salad, Ramen noodles (cost effective), sandwich meat. Soups in a can seem to be a bit expensive, but may work. Last but not least, tuna and crackers.

Answer 7

I prefer both fruits and fresh vegetables better, regardless how they look and taste. You desire a little of both.

Answer 8

In the event it's a fruit they have seeds, otherwise it's a vegetable. And vegetables are usually grown in the ground while fruits are grown in trees.

Answer 9

Soups and pasta dishes alone give you a HUGE variety.


Check this out for some handy tips

http://www.savingadvice.com/forums/showthread.php?s=342b631ec828a1256f083ef1e2e0c8a2&p=91570#post91570

and this one for cheap and healthy meal plans

http://www.chatelaine.com/foodrecipes/tools/mealplans/article.jsp?content=379525

Answer 10

Soups
Black Beans and Rice
Eggs