What is/was your budget meals?

[QuarterMillionMan]

-tomato & mayo sandwich (need deli meat now a days)
-Spam & spuds (potatoes) & onions
-canned corned beef sauteed w/onions & cabbage on rice
-Van Camps pork & beans sauteed w/onions, bell peppers & hot dogs

To this day I'll still eat all the above but the first on has to have deli meats now (I cannot eat just tomato & mayo now.

[kork13]

Cooking at home from scratch is almost always healthier, cheaper, and more fun than anything you'll get frozen or from a can, and even more so than a restaurant. So I cook whenever I can, keeping our food costs down at the same time.

- First and foremost .... Whatever I've got for leftovers -- I almost ALWAYS make at least 2-4 extra servings of any meal I cook. Quick, cheap, easy meals for the next day or three.
- Pasta with homemade tomato sauce (I make a huge batch of sauce & freeze it into ice cubes, store it in a zip bag ... 4-5 cubes per serving of pasta)
- Sourdough pancakes ... mostly just the reserved discard (flour & water) from my sourdough starter, plus an egg, seasoning/flavoring, and cook. Top with yogurt or applesauce... Done, cheap & easy.
- Some form of soup... Whatever I've got in the pantry, and I can make something work (rice, beans/lentils, veggies, canned chicken, etc.)
- When I'm lazy ... I'll piece together small things (snacks basically) into something filling -- PBJ, oatmeal, fruit, yogurt, nuts, popcorn (I prefer air-pop), pretzels+hummus, or any combination of other stuff.
- Rummage the fridge/freezer/pantry, find what needs to be used (or has been unused for a while), and get creative. Always an adventure, and there's nothing more budget-friendly than using foods that would otherwise have been forgotten, gone bad, or rotted if not used.

[bjl584]

Back when I was just starting out in life and living the bachelor lifestyle, I'd buy a couple pack of hotdogs and buns and have lunch and dinner for days.
I could eat for a week for $4.

Pretty gross and unhealthy looking back on it, but I did what I had to do I guess.

[Fishindude77]

Potatoes are cheap and lots of ways to use them.
Anything from the garden
Backyard venison
Fish we catch
Morels we find

Surprised Ramen Noodles weren't mentioned yet

[QuarterMillionMan]

My dad used to cook liver and onions, let's just say I went to bed hungry those nights, lol.

[Fishindude77]

My dad used to cook liver and onions, let's just say I went to bed hungry those nights, lol.

Yummy !

[crazyliblady]

I have several frugal meals that are go-tos! They are even better if I harvest the veggies from my garden. I like to occasionally eat vegetarian, but I am an omnivore.

My Go To Suppers and Lunches:
1) Tuna or salmon, egg, avocado, and tomato salad - side of carrots or celery - it is a variation of http://inspiredeats.net/bacon-egg-avocado-tomato-salad/
2) Salad with chicken, beef, tuna and add cucumber, tomato, and onion with homemade dressing
3) Cream of chicken soup - it's practically free if you have a chicken carcass to take meat off of and make broth - https://everyoneeatsright.com/2014/0...n-soup-recipe/
4) Kale and white bean power bowls - https://www.budgetbytes.com/kale-and...n-power-bowls/
5) Rosemary Garlic White Bean Soup https://www.budgetbytes.com/easy-ros...ite-bean-soup/
6) Burgers and roasted sweet potatoes
7) Ground Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry - add garlic, onion, and ginger
8) Roasted chicken legs and roast brussel sprouts

To Make Broth:
1) Keep a veggie scrap bucket and chicken bones in the freezer

To Cook Dry Beans Ahead of Time for Recipes and Freeze:
https://extension.umaine.edu/food-he...20before%20use.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

loco moco - or even just eggs and rice, gravy and hamburger is an upgrade. me and kids eat this a lot for dinner
pancakes - making your own from scratch not box
sugar shoyu tuna with rice
corned beef hash from a can
homemade dumplings
pasta, tomato sauce, 1 package frozen veggies and sausage or ground beef
vienna sausage and rice
spam and rice or spam musubi (there appeears to be a theme for me)
fish - cheap if you catch it, even cheaper when it's by net or spear fishing and you don't need a boat, or a neighbor
whole chicken baked and then broken down into other dishes, costco rotisserie chicken is good for at least 3 meals including jook (rice boiled with chicken bones and shredded chicken), garlic and ginger and green onions
chicken hekka
pork and bean (i hate this for some reason it's too sweet)
making your own bread
ramen

many, many more. Eating healthy is more expensive eating veggies that arent canned or frozen

[kork13]

Eating healthy is more expensive eating veggies that arent canned or frozen

Actually, frozen vegetables have generally (though not in all cases) been found to retain most all of the nutrients that you have in fresh veggies, and most of the time they don't get treated with salt or other preservatives. Texture & quality can be degraded by freezing/thawing ... but I've generally been a fan of using frozen veggies when it's practical to do so -- it's significantly cheaper than fresh, that's for sure. However, veggies with high water content definitely don't freeze as well ... bell peppers, squash, and similar become a soggy mess when you thaw them, let alone try to cook with it. So I avoid those ones & stick with fresh for that stuff.

[ua_guy]

I think back to my days in school and when I was first starting out on my own, and I get a little sick to my stomach. In the early days, it was things like chicken/hamburger Helper, stove top stuffing, canned green beans. Meat was a baked chicken breast (lemon pepper seasoning) or a pan-fried hamburger. Those aren't bad things, and it could have been worse. But I don't eat lemon-pepper baked chicken breast to this day. Why? Because having it 3 nights per week when buying pack of chicken was more than plenty.

My cheap "out" meal was a $10 large pizza from Papa Murphys. That could feed me for at least 3 meals. Was a good way to get some variety and extra veggies.

I don't really do budget meals anymore. i eat what I need or want. Try to cook at home, and i do use fresh ingredients, vegetables. We do use frozen veggies (corn, green beans, in the freezer bags that go in the microwave--they turn out decent when a fast vegetable is needed!) Nothing crazy, though, I'm not making my own curries or cooking expensive steaks every night.. That is one area of privilege and luxury for which I am extremely grateful, not having to budget or pinch at the grocery store beyond a reasonable diet.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Oh I agree we had a steak this weekend and it was a nice change. Also nice change to buy artichokes and we steamed and ate that last night and asparagus with the steaks.

[riverwed070707]

Surprised Ramen Noodles weren't mentioned yet

I have a go to ramen noodle stir fry dish that is both cheap, a comfort food (my mom made it a lot when I was a kid), and great for using up whatever veggies and meats are in the fridge. Can be made with leftover porkchops or chicken.

I also love making fried rice to use up veggies in the fridge.

Both meals easily less than $1/serving and come together in less than 30 min.

[scfr]

I'm not much of a cook, but I think I shine at frugal & healthy breakfasts. My 2 go-to's are:

Steel cut oats. I cook up an 8 serving recipe, then freeze in 12 muffin cups. In the morning I just have to microwave one "puck" of frozen oatmeal, then top with any combination of nuts, fruit (fresh or frozen), fruit spread, or maple syrup that I have on hand. I keep a jar of chopped walnuts in the fridge and frozen wild blueberries (big bag of Walmart store brand) in the freezer just for this.

Yogurt parfaits. I make homemade granola, then layer in a cup with plain greek yogurt and fresh fruit (favorites are kiwi, pear, or persimmon)

For other meals, DH does much of the cooking but when I'm on my own my go-to's are sandwiches, salads, or soup. From time to time I make a big pot of soup (always cost-effective) and freeze individual portions.