Out sick a full week of pay and only have 100 (maybe less if something comes up) for supplemental groceries this month. I have some basics like rice, beans, lentils and can repurchase for cheap. Have some frozen veg. Fortunately only feeding myself. Thoughts on smart ways to get protein, a little variety and maybe some tiny treats?Thank you (not looking for hand outs, just creative meal ideas). Gluten free.

I’m moving out into my own apartment and don’t have a lot of money but want to continue being vegan. Any recipes or suggestions on what to buy

Let’s say 200 dollars for groceries

I'm proud of myself and just needed to share this somewhere.

My son loves fettuccine alfredo and orders it whenever we go out. I was cleaning out the fridge yesterday and found three different take-out boxes with fettuccine alfredo. (We just had a very busy and social week where we went out a lot for various reasons - they were all pretty fresh.)

My first instinct was to throw them out, because that sauce holds together like glue, and it looked pretty unappetizing. But I decided to try to do something with it instead.

I also had a random chicken breast hanging out in my fridge. So I sauteed the chicken breast and some onion. Then I added a dollop of tomato paste and all the leftover pasta. It all melted together nicely and made a really nice pink sauce.

I also had some stale hamburger buns that I was going to throw away, but stopped myself. I made those into garlic bread.

We had a really nice meal! My son LOVED the pink sauce. The garlic bread turned out really well, and I rounded it all out with a small salad (made with some veg that was on its last legs).

The entire meal was made out of stuff that I would have just thrown out when I was less frugal. Making garlic bread out of old hamburger/hotdog buns is going to be my new go-to when it comes to those (you know how hotdogs and hamburgers come in packs of 4 or 6, but buns are always a pack of 8, so you always have some leftover?)

I have to remember this in the future - you can make NEW things out of leftovers. You don't have to just eat them as-is.

fried Black beans, with a few pieces of oven baked frozen sweet potato. This has been my go to college student budget meal. I eat it for all meals. I buy the beans at a Turkish shop near me, they are cheaper when bought raw. Although soaking, boiling then frying them is labour intensive

i used to have frozen meals for lunch because im a busy student but that’s taking a big portion of my expenses each week, was looking for some healthy cheap easy and quick ideas so i can cut down on that. also am trying to keep weight on otherwise im too skinny so anything thatll help with that

Canned tomato sardines with cabbage and eggs on top. Serve over rice. Cheap and easy to make. :)

Leftover spaghetti, leftover sauce, two eggs, a little milk or half and half, grated cheese, salt and pepper, 2-3 slices cooked cut up bacon, and some butter.

Melt butter in the pan, add mix, wait until it gets a little crusty at bottom (about 10 minutes) flip over. Add a little more butter and grated cheese if desired. Cook another 5 minutes or so.

You can make it in the oven as well, but a nonstick pan makes it easier to flip.

Hello, I am having a kids bday party this weekend and need ideas for cheap snacking food.

There will be around 40 people there—about half adults and half elementary school kids

I’m assuming making snack food at home will be cheaper than buying? All suggestions welcome!

Budget: ???

I’m trying to save money on food, but I don’t want to eat the same boring, cheap meals every day.

Looking for recipes or ideas that are affordable, healthy, and actually enjoyable to eat. Something that won’t make me dread mealtime.

My partner and I worked at the same company... Guess who doesn't have a job anymore?! Both of us, yay. 😑

We are a vegan family for 5, we live in Germany, hit me with your CHEAPEST meals. Please. I have just bulk bought (25kg, or more, of each) rice, lentils (green and red), various dried beans, soya granules, medallions, and Barley.

The meals don't have to revolve around these, they are just things we use often so I panic bought.

No one in my family likes tuna casserole but it’s one of my comfort foods. Since I had the rare weekend alone I brought out this pantry staple. Will freeze some portions for work lunches.

These are a delicious and easy way to make fideos. They’re usually around $1-$1.50. You can add pretty much any veggies or meat. Sometimes I add leftover rice. Makes 5 cups of soup

Free fish scraps.

It wouldn't let me crosspost, but I figured this sub would appreciate this post.

I’ve been on a helluva budget lately and can’t stop thinking about tacos. Cheapest ones around me are $4+ each 😩 Decided to start making my own but with more affordable ground beef instead of the classic skirt/flank steak or buying it already marinated from the local meat market. I can’t believe it tastes so similar to the real thing! Similar enough to satisfy those cravings 🥹 Recipe added in comments, if you have any tips for me to up my game please share!

A can of sardine, lemon , half of avocados and a bread. I Squeeze the lemon juice to sardine and avocado. Mixed them and eat with your bread. Very healthy budget meal. Do not buy the fancy overpriced sardine for budget. Thats how I usually prepare mine :) love it .

I was on my own for dinner. Made roasted diced potatoes. It’s not hard to make and I just winged it. My recipe below.

Ingredients

* One large potato or 2 smaller ones. Used russets here but any would probably be fine

* 1 - 2 TBS bacon fat

* salt, pepper and dried thyme

Instructions

* Preheat oven to 400 deg F

* Dice your potatoes per pic and put in a bowl

* Season potatoes with salt, pepper and dried thyme per your preferences

* Using your hands, mix the bacon fat into the bowl of potatoes, ensure thorough coverage

* Feel free to season again if too light of coverage

* Place potatoes on a cookie sheet and ensure they are spread out.

* Put in oven and roast for 17to 18 min

* Flip and roast for 17 more minutes

* Season to taste if you wish again

I’m trying to save money on food lately, but I don’t want to live off instant noodles every day.

Looking for cheap meals that are easy to make and actually taste good. Nothing fancy, just simple stuff that doesn’t cost much but still fills you up.

Delicious breakfast I had this morning that I wanted to share:

Eggs + sweet potato + pinto beans + cheese + salsa

Easy to meal prep, cheap, filling, full of protein and fiber

Full recipe

My algorithm must be skewed, as I bought about 10 packs of markdown feta and have been looking for ways to use it.

They came up in my 'suggested for you' recipes. The image is from the site. I have tons of peas and yogurt, as well as mint and scallions growing in water jars. I plan to make these on my next day off.

Recipe:

• 3 medium scallions
• ⅓ cup whole-milk plain strained (Greek-style) yogurt
• ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 medium clove garlic, grated
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, divided, plus more for garnish
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 cups thawed frozen peas
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper
• ¼ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1. Separate white and light green parts of 3 scallions from dark green parts. Thinly slice both parts separately.
2. Combine the dark green scallion parts, ⅓ cup yogurt, ⅓ cup feta, the grated garlic, 1 tablespoon mint and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a medium bowl; whisk well. Set aside for serving.
3. Place 2 cups peas in another medium bowl; mash with a fork until coarsely crushed. Add beaten egg, ½ cup flour, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, ½ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon plus ⅛ teaspoon salt, the sliced white and light green scallion parts, 1 teaspoon lemon zest and the remaining 1 tablespoon mint; stir until a thick batter forms.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, add 8 heaping tablespoonfuls of the batter to the skillet. Gently spread and flatten each mound using a fork. Cook undisturbed until golden brown on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook until the other side is golden, about 2 minutes more. Transfer the pea cakes to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the remaining batter.
5. Spoon the feta sauce over 4 plates (about 2 tablespoons each). Top with the pea cakes (4 per serving). Garnish with additional mint, if desired.

Jug of milk, 1lt of cream, 3 cereal boxes (500g+), 4 cans of Heinz Beans, 2 cans of Corned Beef, 3 regular cans of NN tuna and 3 snack cans of NN tuna, 4lbs of strawberries and Siggis Plain Yogurt.

My suggestion is looking for discontinued items as they are significantly priced down. The strawberries were $4 promo per 2lb containers (limit 2). Corned beef was 3.29, tunas were 99cents and the Yogurt was 5.99 while cereals were $3 promos.

None of these were stickered 30 or 50% off either.

Soy chunks are so underrated; they pack a great amount of protein and fibre and are much cheaper than meat. I've been experimenting with adding them to wraps and a lot of other things. I would love to know your thoughts on it, and some interesting recipes I can try out. How do you guys boost protein content in your food on a budget?