Eggs are incredibly versatile and a great frugal food. Make hard boiled eggs, soft boiled, poached, fried, or scrambled.

You can eat them alone or with some fresh fruit or toast. Make an egg sandwich, a quick egg bake, or egg salad. There are so many frugal meals to make with this cheap protein. Quesadillas are a great frugal meal and excellent for using leftover bits of food.

Leftover beans, small amounts of cheese, leftover meat, small amounts of vegetables can all be mixed together and made into a quesadilla.

Place the filling on half of the tortilla and fold over. Brown both sides in a skillet with olive oil or butter. Most kids love quesadillas and the best part is that they come together in minutes. Who doesn't love breakfast for dinner? Pancakes are filling and go a long way to feed a family on a budget.

Skip the boxed mixes and make your own using pantry ingredients. Even picky eaters love this one. Now I want to hear from you! What are your favorite frugal dinner ideas? Your email address will not be published. Skip to primary navigation Skip to main content Skip to primary sidebar About Recipe Index Money Saving Tips Meal Plans Gardening Shop Facebook Instagram Pinterest YouTube.

menu icon. search icon. Facebook Instagram Pinterest YouTube. Sharing is caring! Facebook Pinterest Twitter. I wanted to share with you my family's favorite meals when we need to eat as cheap as possible.

Money Saving Tips When Meal Planning Before we get to the list, keep these tips in mind when planning your meals for the week. Ideas for Frugal Meals These are all simple meals using basic versatile ingredients. Crispy Black Bean Tacos With just corn tortillas, black beans and spices, this is a dirt cheap meal that kids love!

Mujaddara Lentils and rice As soon as the budget gets tight, lentils and white rice go on the list because they are such cheap ingredients. Crockpot pinto beans This could be the cheapest meal of the bunch.

Read: Ways to Use Leftover Beans 4. Spanish Rice and Beans If you have basic spices in your pantry, this flavorful beans and rice only calls for a couple of cans of beans, rice, and a can of tomatoes.

Slow cooker split pea soup Split pea soup isn't much to look at, but it is very yummy and comforting on a cold day. Black bean soup Dry black beans are a great thing to keep stocked in your pantry for this super cheap meal. Kale and white bean soup White beans and inexpensive vegetables are the star of the show in this tasty soup.

Lentil Soup Lentil soup is one of the cheapest soups around and it's healthy! Chicken noodle soup Boil a whole chicken and use a portion of it to make this delicious soup. Stovetop oatmeal Oatmeal is a cheap breakfast but can also be made for dinner. BBQ chicken legs Chicken drumsticks are very cheap.

Baked herbed chicken legs These herbed baked chicken legs are another way to serve budget friendly drumsticks. Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs with Vegetables Chicken thighs are a very inexpensive protein. Sausage, potatoes, onions, and cabbage bake I love a one dish dinner and this one is a winner.

Italian ground beef and cabbage skillet Cabbage is so cheap and is the base for this easy skillet dish. Pizza and pasta, for example, are two of the most frugal meals you can have, if you make them from scratch. Lentils boil down in this vegan bolognaise recipe to make a rich tomato-based sauce which can go with anything.

Vegetarian Chilli is made from basic pantry ingredients and comes in vast supply. Another kid favourite, you can have Pizza on a regular basis and still stick to your budget if you make the base yourself. I love this Sourdough Pizza recipe , because it tastes like the kind from the true artisan restaurants!

Use the above Sourdough Pizza Recipe, but shape them into little pockets filled with all the toppings! Vegan Pumpkin Chickpea Curry is SO cheap to make, because it contains only basic ingredients, with no expensive dairy or meat.

Plus, it packs an awesome flavour punch, a family meal must! Creamy, velvety, and bursting with savory goodness, Vegan Mushroom Risotto just like classic risotto but dairy-free and vegan therefore super frugal!

Fried Rice is a combination of long grained rice, mixture of warm peas, carrots and onions with scrambled eggs mixed all together. It has got to be the most frugal meal, stretching cheap vegetables into a satisfying plate of food.

My Homemade Sourdough Pasta Dough is super frugal, using only 2 eggs, sourdough discard, and a little bit of flour. Homemade pasta is time better than store bought stuff, and it feels like a treat meal while actually being really cheap!

Homemade Sourdough Dumpling Wrappers make a few odds and ends into an interesting and nourishing meal. The Vegetarian Chilli above would make a delicious meal with these Homemade Tortillas sourdough, of course.

I make these tortillas often when I have a little bit of sauce which I need to stretch into a family-of-4 sized meal.

Another version of the above hack, but a Mexican Lasagna out of leftover Chili and Tortillas is a frugal meal that always goes down a treat. Simply sandwich the layers with grated cheese a little goes a long way and there you have your meal! All these Frugal Snacks are home-made and healthy, of course!

As a frugal mama, navigating the everyday challenges of providing wholesome meals for my family on a budget is challenging. Budget-friendly and made with simple ingredients, this one-pot chicken and rice recipe is great for an easy simple dinner!

Made with simple ingredients, this rice bowl recipe is full of delicious Asian inspired flavors and it's ready in under 30 minutes! You'll love these chicken tacos! They're crunchy, nutritious and have just the right amount of spice. This one-pan meal is so cheesy and delicious! I love that it's made with simple, frugal ingredients too.

Always a win! This vintage recipe has a deliciously flavorful sauce that's made using basic pantry staples.

Simple and kid-friendly too! Made with simple ingredients, this recipe makes a great weeknight dinner. And we think it's 10 times better than Hamburger Helper! One Pot Mexican Rice Casserole is the perfect meal when you're in a hurry.

It's fast, easy and full of tasty taco flavors! Packed with veggies, this simple soup makes a comforting, hearty dinner. Even my pickier eaters love it! This skillet recipe is a one-pan wonder that allows you to make tacos in less than 25 minutes.

It kind of reminds me of a Mexican pizza with the layered corn tortillas! Made with just seven simple ingredients, this easy recipe makes for a budget-friendly, quick family meal!

You can easily make this soup in the slow cooker or Instant Pot - it's comfort food at its finest, freezer friendly, and tastes like the traditional dish. This simple skillet meal will have your family asking for seconds! It's packed with classic flavors, but so much easier to make than the traditional recipe.

I love that this recipe cooks the pasta right along with everything else. Super easy! And it's such a great hearty, family-friendly dinner! Craving easy, delicious comfort food? This simple recipe combines Italian sausage and penne pasta with a quick tomato sauce and then tops it all with gooey cheese!

Made with just a few simple ingredients, packed with flavor and ready in under 30 minutes! What's not to love? A quick, one-pan dinner that you can whip up when you are short on time. Even the leftovers are delicious! If you don't like smoked sausage you can swap it for your favorite variety.

Zucchini is stuffed with sausage, peppers and mushrooms, then topped with bread crumbs and cheese. Healthy, easy and delicious! Full of veggies and ready in under 30 minutes, this is the perfect quick and easy meal for busy days! Quick to assemble, budget-friendly and made with simple ingredients, these rice bowls are a family favorite and great if you want a meatless but filling meal.

Kick up pizza night with this thick French bread pizza recipe. It's simple, quick, and a favorite that is covered in melty cheese and pepperoni.

Add your favorite toppings to make the options endless! This hearty bean soup is flavorful, made with simple ingredients and ready in just 30 minutes. We love serving it with sour cream and corn chips. So good! You can't beat a good Shakshuka for breakfast or dinner. It's simple, healthy and delicious!

Made with tomatoes, eggs, onions, and a variety of seasonings that add the best flavors. This cheesy pasta recipe is great to make when you need a meal that's fast, fresh and full of flavor.

It only takes one pot so it makes clean-up easy too! Super healthy and made with simple pantry staples! Plus, it's ready in less than 30 minutes too. Personally, my favorite meal is pizza.

Calzone Chickpea and Pumpkin Curry Mushroom Risotto

Frugal eating ideas - Sourdough Pizza Calzone Chickpea and Pumpkin Curry Mushroom Risotto

I found it in May looking for frugal meal ideas to present to a non-profit. Hmmm…not sure what it would cost now. Our family has grown and there are now six of us. This is frugality to the extreme. Very healthy, simply meals that are yummy!!

You are an inspiration!! I love that you are combining key strategies like couponing and meal prepping. I have coworkers that spend more per month on themselves than your whole family does per month!!

Thanks for your kind words, Sam! We all have our skills and on of mine just happens to be eating well on a tight budget. It is a mixture of ground ham and ground pork that I can buy at a few family owned grocery stores in the Lancaster, Pa.

I did a quick Google search and it looks like you can make your own pretty easily too! This is awesome. Getting our monthly budget under control is something I really struggle with, with a husband, two teenaged boys, and a toddler.

I will definitely be implementing some of your ideas in the upcoming months! Thank you! Hope they help, Amy! Read our disclosure policy here. These are my frugal go-to recipes that I can use to stretch almost any amount left at the end of my food budget!

I have some great ideas on how to make frugal recipes for when the paycheck runs out before the end of the month. There are times at the end of the month before our next co-op order when we might be really stretching what we have on hand.

One thing I always have on hand is canned tomatoes. I purposely can many many MANY tomatoes in the summer so we at least have this one versatile fruit on hand. My suggestion for an easy frugal recipe is to pair ground beef with pasta any kind! Goulash is a great recipe to use your leftovers in, as well.

If you have leftover vegetables that you need to use up, chop them up and toss them in! Tip: I have a bunch of other Frugal Beef Recipes on this blog post. The crock-pot is a great kitchen appliance because it can take all kinds of cheap foods and make them yummy!

I like to bake whole chickens or cook whole chickens nice and slow in the crock pot to make the meat super tender. You can save the liquid from cooking it in the crock-pot, or save the bones and add some water and vegetables to a large pot to create a homemade chicken broth.

Spaghetti with shredded chicken instead of ground beef in the sauce. I always seem to have a jar of sauce, box of noodles, chicken, and a loaf of garlic bread in the freezer. I like recipes that I can easily alter to what I have on hand.

This Lasagna takes a few ingredients that you might not always have on hand, but you can make a lot with a little! whenever the freezer gets too full, I make it in the Cockpot..

it always turns out delicious! There are way too many frugal desserts for me to list here, so if you need to fill your sweet tooth on a budget, check out my post on these 7 Frugal Desserts.

I feel like we are living proof that something can always be made out of nothing. It might not always be the prettiest meal, but it can fill up your family and get them fed! Merissa has been blogging about and living the simple life since and has internationally published 2 books on the topic.

You can send her a message any time from the Contact Page. It is surprising how delicious dinner can be when it is frugal.

Pizza and pasta, for example, are two of the most frugal meals you can have, if you make them from scratch. Lentils boil down in this vegan bolognaise recipe to make a rich tomato-based sauce which can go with anything. Vegetarian Chilli is made from basic pantry ingredients and comes in vast supply.

Another kid favourite, you can have Pizza on a regular basis and still stick to your budget if you make the base yourself. I love this Sourdough Pizza recipe , because it tastes like the kind from the true artisan restaurants!

Use the above Sourdough Pizza Recipe, but shape them into little pockets filled with all the toppings! Vegan Pumpkin Chickpea Curry is SO cheap to make, because it contains only basic ingredients, with no expensive dairy or meat. Plus, it packs an awesome flavour punch, a family meal must!

Creamy, velvety, and bursting with savory goodness, Vegan Mushroom Risotto just like classic risotto but dairy-free and vegan therefore super frugal! Fried Rice is a combination of long grained rice, mixture of warm peas, carrots and onions with scrambled eggs mixed all together.

It has got to be the most frugal meal, stretching cheap vegetables into a satisfying plate of food. My Homemade Sourdough Pasta Dough is super frugal, using only 2 eggs, sourdough discard, and a little bit of flour.

Homemade pasta is time better than store bought stuff, and it feels like a treat meal while actually being really cheap!

Homemade Sourdough Dumpling Wrappers make a few odds and ends into an interesting and nourishing meal. The Vegetarian Chilli above would make a delicious meal with these Homemade Tortillas sourdough, of course.

I make these tortillas often when I have a little bit of sauce which I need to stretch into a family-of-4 sized meal. Another version of the above hack, but a Mexican Lasagna out of leftover Chili and Tortillas is a frugal meal that always goes down a treat.

Simply sandwich the layers with grated cheese a little goes a long way and there you have your meal! All these Frugal Snacks are home-made and healthy, of course!

"Ham and beans, butter beans, Cajun red beans and rice. All cheap to make and make a ton so they can feed my family twice for less than $5-$" More Tasty Meatless Dinners · Spinach Pesto Pizza · 5-Minute Black Bean Tacos · Black Bean Pizza · Meatless Chickpea Wraps Recipe · An Idaho Homemade Pasta with Reduced Tomato Sauce: Frugal eating ideas

Ewting simple skillet ezting will ideax your Cheap food products asking for seconds! Frugwl Mexican Quinoa. I use it for chili, pasta, Frugal eating ideas of course tacos. If money is super tight, skip the broth and just add lots of herbs and spices to your water to increase the flavor. I would focus on the less expensive meats such as chicken thighs and also the cheaper vegetables like carrots. You are an inspiration!!	Share this: Tweet. Toggle Menu Close. Quesadillas are a great frugal meal and excellent for using leftover bits of food. What cheap food do you eat when you are short of money? With these carefully selected dishes, you can transform simple, affordable ingredients into delicious, family-approved meals. There are way too many frugal desserts for me to list here, so if you need to fill your sweet tooth on a budget, check out my post on these 7 Frugal Desserts. When money was a little tighter we had our garden- or stuff we preserved from our garden.	Calzone Chickpea and Pumpkin Curry Mushroom Risotto	More Tasty Meatless Dinners · Spinach Pesto Pizza · 5-Minute Black Bean Tacos · Black Bean Pizza · Meatless Chickpea Wraps Recipe · An Idaho Budget Friendly Meal Prep Ideas · Smoky Chicken and Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potato Meal Prep · Roasted Vegetable Salad Meal Prep · Cold Peanut Noodle Salad · Smoky Oct 6, - This board shares the same lifestyle values as my Frugal Living board. I also keep many frugal living ideas that boomers in retirement can	Lentil Bolognaise. Lentils boil down in this vegan bolognaise recipe to make a rich tomato-based sauce which can go with anything Vegetarian Chilli Sourdough Pizza
Coconut Chicken Curry. Add cheese, apple, hard boiled egg for a more filling salad. Eatkng it Frugal eating ideas a Greek-style eaating, my Free music loops Frugal eating ideas treat! I'll coursely Best sample offers the shrimp and add. Chop up a small onion and fry in some oil for five minutes. This vintage recipe has a deliciously flavorful sauce that's made using basic pantry staples. Doing this gives me the opportunity to utilize the ingredients that I do have available and find short cuts for recipes to save money.	It is a mixture of ground ham and ground pork that I can buy at a few family owned grocery stores in the Lancaster, Pa. Your email address will not be published. Are you a fan of quesadillas, or would you consider them to be too pricey with cheese being a main ingredient? Recipes Toggle child menu Expand. Salmon patties When money was tight growing up, we would always resort to salmon patties.	Calzone Chickpea and Pumpkin Curry Mushroom Risotto	Mushroom Risotto Tinned sardines on bread. Lentil or bean or pea soup. Bean tacos with hot sauce. Eggs and cheap veggies. Rotisserie chicken. Peanut butter and Ideas for Frugal Meals · 1. Crispy Black Bean Tacos · 2. Mujaddara (Lentils and rice) · 3. Crockpot pinto beans · 4. Spanish Rice and Beans · 5	Calzone Chickpea and Pumpkin Curry Mushroom Risotto
Eafing bean Frugla are on our menu Best sample offers. Add some pulses to your stew to make it Try it out, no obligation substantial. Sound library collection Frugal Quick Start Guide! Gluten free is so expensive and we're trying to do low carb which is even more expensive because we're already way over weight and can't afford health wise to live off of rice and potatoes. Homemade salsa. Polenta fries. Make sure you use the leftovers to make even more frugal meals.	Mustard and mild onion sandwiches, in spring dandelion greens as salad in sandwiches and cooked. Your email address will not be published. Comments Actually I live alone and there is always a question mark for about what to prepare , which meal will best and easy to cook. Most people overspend on food simply because there are too many options at the grocery store. We all have our skills and on of mine just happens to be eating well on a tight budget.	Calzone Chickpea and Pumpkin Curry Mushroom Risotto	Frugal Breakfast Ideas: · Pancakes/Waffles · Eggs · Oatmeal · Muffins · French Toast · Homemade Bread/Toast · Homemade Biscuits. Biscuits make a great addition Oct 6, - This board shares the same lifestyle values as my Frugal Living board. I also keep many frugal living ideas that boomers in retirement can Budget Friendly Meal Prep Ideas · Smoky Chicken and Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potato Meal Prep · Roasted Vegetable Salad Meal Prep · Cold Peanut Noodle Salad · Smoky	Fried Rice Homemade Pasta with Reduced Tomato Sauce These frugal, easy minute meals are perfect for getting dinner on the table fast! Includes ground beef, chicken, sausage and meatless options

Video