Our Goto Cheap Meal List

Our Goto Cheap Meal List

It is a rare occurrence, but once and a while there won't be a lot of good sales in the ads and/or not a lot of great coupons to use to save money at the store. When this happens I utilize my list of Goto Cheap Meals.
This is a list I have compiled of meals that include ingredients which are always fairly cheap no matter if they are on sale or not.

Beans and Rice: mix any of your favorite beans with your favorite rice. Add seasonings, salsa, etc. to add some more flavor. For our family of 3 this only costs about a total of $2, or $0.67 per person.

Beans and Weenies: mix chili beans with chopped up hot dogs. For our family of 3 this only costs about a total of $2.75 or $0.92 per person. We like to use the all turkey nitrate free dogs which cost a bit more but they are more healthy. We buy 2 cans of beans and then use 1 can and half a package of hot dogs for each meal.

Breakfast for Dinner: this can mean eggs and toast, pancakes, biscuits and gravy etc. Eggs are very cheap and so is bread and pancake mix. We usually go the eggs and toast route which only runs us about $1.03 total or only $0.35 per person.

Tortilla Pizza Roll-ups: tortillas, pizza sauce, cheese, and whatever toppings you like. Veggies are the cheapest toppings. You just put the sauce, cheese and toppings on the tortillas and bake until cooked through. Then you can eat them as is, or roll them up. For our family of 3 this only costs about a total of $5 or just $1.67 per person. (cost is based on using turkey pepperoni for the topping)

Stir Fry: veggies are always the cheap way to go. Most stores sell bags of frozen already chopped stir fry veggies that are ready to dumb in the skillet. The bags are usually no more than 3 dollars. We cook these with a bit of soy sauce or teriyaki sauce and serve it over rice. For our family of 3 this only costs about a total of $5 or just $1.67 per person.

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup: bread, sliced cheese and a can of soup. These meal is most likely a comfort food from your childhood. For our family of 3 this only costs about a total of $3.32 or just $1.12 per person.

Chili: we use tomato juice, ground beef, chicken, turkey or pork (whatever is the cheapest at the time), chili beans and seasonings. We serve it with cinnamon rolls or even cheaper, crackers. For our family of 3 this only costs about a total of $8 or just $1.33 per person. (makes about 6 bowls. cost is based on serving with cinnamon rolls)

Pasta: noodles are always super cheap and you can add veggies, meat, beans, or anything you like to it and mix it with your choice of sauce. Lately I have been using tomato sauce and spinach so I will base the cost on that. For our family of 3 this only costs about a total of $5 or just $0.83 each. (makes about 6 servings)

Chicken Tacos: cook about 4 chicken breasts in the crock pot on high all day with a jar of salsa. Shred and put in tortillas. For our family of 3 this only costs about a total of $5.50 or just $1.83 each.

Tuna Melts: put tuna on toast and melt a piece of cheese on top. For our family of 3 this only costs about a total of $3.32 of $1.12 per person.

6 Can Soup: 2 cans of chicken broth, 1 can of chili beans, 1 can of corn, 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1 can of tomato soup. Mix it all together and voila! you have soup. For our family of 3 this only costs about a total of $3 or just $1 per person.

Stroganoff: noodles, ground beef or turkey and 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup. For our family of 3 this only costs about a total of $3 or just $1 per person.

Mac & Weenies: mac & cheese is only about $1 a box. (we like to use the organic mac & cheese from Trader Joe's which is just $0.99 and no added butter is needed!) add some chopped up hot dogs and you have a hearty meal! For our family of 3 this only costs about a total of $2 or just $0.67 per person. (we like to use the all turkey nitrate free dogs so the cost reflects that)

Beefy Mac: mac & cheese is only about $1 a box. (we like to use the organic mac & cheese from Trader Joe's which is just $0.99 and no added butter is needed!) add some ground beef or turkey and you have a hearty meal! Four our family of 3 this only costs about a total of $2.25 or just $0.75 per person.

Messy Lasagna: mini lasagna noodles (any smaller noodles will do), tomato sauce and cottage cheese. (you can add meat or veggies if you wish) For our family of 3 this only costs about a total of $2.50 or just $0.83 per person.