Cut out the meat and it will be very cheap. But hen you need proteins from elsewhere. Combinations of beans and legumes should do the trick. But the easies and cheapest are simply Eggs ! Though you should buy good free range eggs, not the caged ones, as these contains a lot of bad fats
Cheap Meals
- Thread starter Frozennova
- Start date
Curries can be made relatively cheaply as said above, if you have some of the spices already. If you don't, keep an eye out for deals on the pre-made sauces and stock up. Make large portions using chicken, onions, garlic, and a few other cheap vegetables and eat the leftovers for a few days.
Vegetarian meals are also great options, so long as you include plenty of beans/lentils/barley to fill you up. Bean casseroles, bean soup, or three-bean chili are great ways to make large portions without spending large amounts.
Pasta with pesto is cheap, however the parmesan can set you back. Be sure to find a large block and grate your own. I find that adding in your own ingredients helps vary the flavour - garlic, sundried tomatoes, capers, fresh tomatoes, chilli peppers, etc. Not all at once, but one or two just to mix things up.
If the weather's cold (as it seems to be consistently up here), I would opt for classic winter meals - leek, potato and bacon soup, home-made chili, vegetable stew, etc. There are always sales on meat pies at various grocers, which when accompanied by some frozen veg (large bags area cheap) and some potatoes (mashed with garlic, butter, and horseradish) can fill you up for 2-3 meals.
Other than that, just look at what you eat and identify the most expensive item on the menu. Cut that out, and repeat exercise until you're at the bare minimum.
The trick isn't really planning all of this, it's following through. Always tempting to buy beer, wine or a treat when you've been under self-imposed austerity for weeks!
Vegetarian meals are also great options, so long as you include plenty of beans/lentils/barley to fill you up. Bean casseroles, bean soup, or three-bean chili are great ways to make large portions without spending large amounts.
Pasta with pesto is cheap, however the parmesan can set you back. Be sure to find a large block and grate your own. I find that adding in your own ingredients helps vary the flavour - garlic, sundried tomatoes, capers, fresh tomatoes, chilli peppers, etc. Not all at once, but one or two just to mix things up.
If the weather's cold (as it seems to be consistently up here), I would opt for classic winter meals - leek, potato and bacon soup, home-made chili, vegetable stew, etc. There are always sales on meat pies at various grocers, which when accompanied by some frozen veg (large bags area cheap) and some potatoes (mashed with garlic, butter, and horseradish) can fill you up for 2-3 meals.
Other than that, just look at what you eat and identify the most expensive item on the menu. Cut that out, and repeat exercise until you're at the bare minimum.
The trick isn't really planning all of this, it's following through. Always tempting to buy beer, wine or a treat when you've been under self-imposed austerity for weeks!
- Joined
- 13 Apr 2010
- Posts
- 18,455
- Location
- Sunny Sussex
Rabbits / pigeons free range organic and free, go fishing Mackerel are in now you can fill a freezer with one set of feathers and a 6oz weight.
From October find a few pheasants
From October find a few pheasants
I'd rather go the beans/veggies\tomatoes route than fill up on pasta and rice.
With a few veggies and dried beans you can cook up a lot of chilli/pasta sauces/curry.
Add a little bit of pasta or rice by all means but it doesn't need to be the bulk of the meal.
With a few veggies and dried beans you can cook up a lot of chilli/pasta sauces/curry.
Add a little bit of pasta or rice by all means but it doesn't need to be the bulk of the meal.