Comments on: What to Eat on a Beans and Rice Budget (Besides Beans and Rice)

By: jjb

jjb — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:53:42 +0000

I don’t envy you!!! I’m a single guy, so I definitely have no idea how you do it. If I were you I would just lie! haha. Make them try it before they say they don’t like it
(although I’m sure it’s harder than it sounds)

By: Janet

Janet — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 22:33:57 +0000

I love the community you have built here. The way everyone interacts with each other. Would love it if you could include me.
I am serving a family of 9 and trying to keep our budget at $120 per week. So far this year so good we will see. I have been cutting cost every year since 2006 I started spending about $700 per week. We have no less mouths to feed. We are still eating quite well. As I said so far so good.

By: Mandy

Mandy — Mon, 09 May 2011 03:34:49 +0000

I have started to coupon!! I am able to get my groceries from $85 down to $23 (or less). That has helped me a LOT! There are tons of free websites that teach you tips and techniques. My best secret to save is going to the grocery store on “Double Coupon Days” I’m loving the new lifestyle because my money is not disappearing out of my bank account!!

By: Angela

Angela — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 02:59:19 +0000

I always keep flour, and yeast . I sometimes even have a sour dough starter. I need to start one of them again. I can make dinner from flour and items gathered for a month. I never choose to only because I love to cook big meals with different courses. When we had money issue years ago I went more than a month not going to the store for anything other than Milk. (I am not a fan of powder milk)
Angela´s last post ..Gadgets and Toys Of a Cooking Mom

By: Shell

Shell — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 07:38:47 +0000

We have a small gardern, so when I want to cook something that costs practically nothing. I chop up peppers , onions and tomatoes,(all from the garden) . I sometimes add,mushrooms (bought on sale) and a can of tomato paste and make a really fresh, great tasting sauce to go over whole wheat pasta. A little sprinkle of Parmesan and we’re good to go.
Stir fry over rice is also economical. You can use some of the same veggies out of the garden and add five spice powder, if you don’t have fresh herbs.

By: Dominique

Dominique — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 21:51:09 +0000

I have to say, I love pasta & noodle dishes. But my husband has GERD/acid reflex, and so acidic tomato-based sauces are out.
One of my favourite cheap meals is my version of Pasta Carbonara.

Here’s my recipe:
4-5 slices bacon, diced
1/4c onion, diced
1 large egg, beaten
pasta (we use spaghetti, but any long noodle would work)
freshly grated parmesan

>Fry the bacon until almost crisp, drain off all but about a tbsp of fat, add the onion. Fry until the onions are just starting to become golden. Meanwhile, cook your pasta until it’s done the way you like it – we’re an al dente household. Drain the pasta & keep it warm. Take the hot bacon & onion & pour it over the pasta – add the beaten egg and stir everything together well. The heat from the noodles, bacon & onion will cook the egg, so it’s safe for young children & pregnant ladies, too.
Serve it with a grating of fresh parmesan over top, and a side salad.

- the fresh parmesan may sound expensive, but if you buy a piece when it’s on sale, it’s not too bad – the 5-oz piece in our cheese drawer was $4, or $.80/oz, and it’s so much more flavourful than the grated shaker jars, you’ll use less anyhow.
- We buy bacon (and stock up!) when it’s on sale (less than $1.50 a package); when I get home, I split up the packages into 4-5 slice portions and pop them into the freezer. I can usually get about 4 portions of bacon from a package, so we average about $.37 for the meat.
My cost estimate (I’m in Glendale, AZ):
Bacon: $.37
Onion: $.10
Egg: $.09
1/2lb pasta: $.44
fresh parmesan (maybe 2 tsp grated?): $.26
salad fixings (lettuce, shredded carrot, cucumber): .$50
TOTAL ESTIMATED COST: $1.76 – or about $.88 for dear husband & I.

By: francesca

francesca — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:55:57 +0000

2 thumbs up for the salad idea Maureen, i might do that soon
.-= francesca´s last blog post ..Flat Irons – beginners guide =-.

By: francesca

francesca — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:54:36 +0000

i'm very interested in your month meal planning. i want to try to do something similar, too, both to save a little money and try to plan nutritious (vegetarian) meals. .-= francesca´s last blog post ..Flat Irons – beginners guide =-.

By: melanie

melanie — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 03:31:57 +0000

We moved in July and had a great time only eating out of the pantry so we wouldn’t have to pack and move it.
We make our own pizzas instead of ordering out…sometimes the kids want different toppings so we’ll do it small. If I don’t have the ingredients on hand for dough..we have a local pizza shop that sells their uncooked dough for $1.50 – totally worth it. It’s also a great way to clean out the veggies in the frig.
Also soups and breakfast for dinner are on the cheap eats menu around here. I’m determined to start making my own bread regularly.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 22:38:39 +0000

An answer to prayer today!! I’m sitting here, trying to plan out breakfast, lunch, supper and a snack each day for the week for my husband and the 7-9 kiddos (3years and under) that we care for in my child care program and I was at a complete loss! I felt like I was in such a rut!! Chicken or beef, chicken or beef and everything was mexican or casseroles! We do meats pretty cheaply because we stock up our freezer and cook up batches of ground beef and shredded chicken, then I portion them up 2 cups at a time for our freezer but…UGH! So over it! I needed inspiration, thank you!!