recipes and hints for frugal living?

Question

I am going back to school and need to feed my family on 1 paycheck. I would like some frugal hints for cooking cheaply and living on the frugal side.

Answer 1

http://www.bellaonline.com/site/frugalliving

http://www.essortment.com/in/Finance.Frugal.Living/index.htm

http://frugalliving.about.com/cs/r.htm



THOSE 3 SITES WILL SAVE OUR LIFE.

Answer 2

Beans, rice and whole veggies and pasta are key. You can make so many different things with these items. Do you have a Kroger? They offer 10 for 10....this means things are on sale for a dollar. Avoid buying like "family style frozen things"....they cost more than you can usually make for your self. Also buy in bulk, meats, cheeses, dressings, sauces. They can all be reduced to freezing sizes. Also buy the store brand items, some are a hit and some are a miss. And shop with coupons. Here are some of my recipes, that feed alot and cost little.


Hamburger Mac and Cheese:

1 pound ground round
1 small box elbow noodles
1 8 ounce brick cheddar cheese, shredded
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1 small onion, minced
salt and pepper

Brown the ground round, and drain. (add the onion and brown it with the meat if you want to use it)

Boil the water and make the noodles, drain and do not rinse.

Mix everything together and bake at 350 for 30 minutes to 45 minutes, uncovered until bubbly and browned. When you start off mixing everything you can add milk to this if it seems dry.


Buy a rotisserie Chicken (4$ at Walmart)
tear all the meat off
make 2 meals, chicken pasta and chicken salad, serve with bread for filler



Tomato soup and grilled cheese is good

Tuna Fish sandwiches and chicken soup, good meal

Meatloaf:

1 pound ground round or turkey
1 small onion, minced
1.5 cups italian bread crumbs
salt and pepper
1 egg
2 cans tomato soup plus two cans water, mixed up and ready to pour over meat mixture when in pan

Mix meat, onion, egg and bread crumbs, form a loaf, place in a baking pan, pour soup mix over and bake 45 minutes.

Serve with rice and beans or mashed potatos.

Answer 3

Invest in some basics if you dont already have - they will pay off quickly ( you can also check thrift stores, craigs list, e-bay for deals on these)

1. Electric Rice Cooker/steamer- these are easily found in asian supermarkets, the asin brands are good and cheap
2. A big crock pot ( the oval shaped ones are great)
3. A deep freezer

If you live near an asian supermarket, buy rice, ramen, and produce there- good quality, much cheaper. Buy what is in season and on sale. They usually have great deals on chicken parts too, I have found the chicken is good for stewing or crock pot- but not "young" enough for grilling or baking, it is tough.

Learn to "tweak' your recipes- for example, if you are making chili in the crock pot that calls for kidney beans, and you have black beans that were on sale- use the black ones!

Ramen is cheap and makes a great "base" for many recipes- this site: http://www.mattfischer.com/ramen/ has hundreds- some are really good, some are on the joke side ( lots of prison recipes...) but a very good source for ideas.

Rice is so versatile- always cook up at least a double batch in the steamer. Use leftovers for:
Fried rice
Rice pudding
breakfast rice ( fried rice with whatever you have on hand, topped with a egg however you like it, fried, over east, sunny side up, etc..)
Rice salad ( this is SO good and cheap- 2 cups cooked rice, 1 can corn, 1 can beans ( whatever kind you have) , mix and add 1/2-1 cup salsa to your taste and 1/2 cup mayo, cilantro or parsley if you have it.. yummy)

Buy meat on sale and store in deep freeze.
Cook in bulk in crock pot and freeze leftovers.

Ice tea is inexpensive to make and a good alternative to soda

Good luck!

Answer 4

Large bags of rice. Dried beans instead of canned, for the same price you get more servings. Buy blocks of cheese, shred it, and freeze it. Make your own tortillas and bread. Shop with coupons and/or look for the best deals on canned food. Sometimes the store sales are more expensive than using coupons. Buy your hamburger in bulk, divvy it up into 1 pound packages and freeze. If a whole chicken is on sale, buy it, cook it, freeze the leftovers, and use the bones to make soup. You can also freeze baby carrots for soup, and save the tops of celery for stock. Buy bulk when you can afford it and you know you can save it. Try not to buy processed foods. And conversely, don't buy too many fresh veggies, the price is sky-rocketing. Frozen veggies are cheaper.

It's kind of crazy, but I've been through this when I couldn't get a delivery or anything aside from a convenience store. You'll get the hang of it. Email me if you want.

Answer 5

Do it yourself works wonders if you have the time. Buy beans, pasta, rice in bulk. Make your own cookies and cakes instead of buying snacks. Buy whole chickens on sale and cut them up yourself (it's easier than you might think). Buy regular ground beef in large packages rather than extra lean, then drain it when you cook it if you are worried about the fat. Use a crockpot to take advantage of cheaper tougher cuts of meat. Buy whole vegetables instead of bagged salad. Learn to cook only what you need or to eat leftovers if you don't do that already. Waste costs a LOT. Well, you can see where I am heading with all this.

Never cooked completely from scratch before? Check out this site for lots of recipes and advice...

http://www.allrecipes.com


Good luck. I have been where you are now!

Bert

Answer 6

Coupons do work for prepared foods
But the cheapest way to eat is to make it from scratch. Also buying items on sale and freezing them will save you loads - Even freezing milk will work - just pour yourself a glass and freeze the rest.

Answer 7

I was a stay at home mom when my kids where little. They have since grown up and have fond memories of 'chipped beef and gravy over bread" and skillets of fried potatoes with eggs and bacon and cheese throwed in.Or fried potatoes with polish sausage all in one.I made everything homemade. Pizza,mac and cheese, goulash, chicken with homemade egg noodles.Build memories as well as your checking account, its worth it!

Answer 8

go to yahoo groups and search for frugal living and budgeting groups. I belong to several and have enjoyed them.

Answer 9

invest in the sunday paper every other weekend, use them. check for sales when u buy groceries. Shop in the clearence section only when you go clothes shopping.