An inexpensive meal is one made from budget-friendly staples like pasta, rice, beans, eggs, or lentils, often prepared at home for less than eating out, featuring dishes like spaghetti bolognese, soups (lentil, minestrone), wraps (quesadillas, hummus & pita), or simple stir-fries, focusing on pantry staples and versatile ingredients for a hearty, filling, and affordable result.
Chicken lettuce cups, shrimp and grits, and all manner of schnitzel make a regular appearance at our dinner table—as do rice bowls and sheet-pan dishes. And of course, there will always be pasta: Amatriciana, puttanesca, and Marcela Hazan's celebrated four-ingredient tomato sauce all cost less than $20 to make.
15 of the Cheapest Foods You Should Eat
Feeding a family for $50 a week requires strict planning, focusing on staples like rice, pasta, beans, and eggs, buying in bulk (chicken thighs, ground beef), utilizing budget stores (like Aldi), and minimizing food waste by stretching proteins into multiple meals, incorporating meatless days, and using leftovers for lunches or future dinners. Key strategies include: bulk buying staples, planning meatless meals, using versatile ingredients, and shopping sales at discount grocers.
The Lazy Dinners Our Editors Turn to When Recipes Feel Like Too Much Work
Seven-cent meals were iconic, ultra-frugal Depression-era dishes, famously promoted by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt for White House lunches, featuring simple, nutritious items like deviled eggs, mashed potatoes, whole wheat bread, and coffee, sometimes with prune pudding for dessert, all costing just pennies per serving to set an example for struggling Americans.
Cowboy dinner is a hearty casserole of flavorful beef, corn and beans topped with soft, fluffy cornbread and a layer of cheese. So delicious! This easy, comfort food casserole has been a family favorite for over 20 years! After that long, you know the recipe has to be a keeper!
Each week, you'll buy five different vegetables, five fruits, four grains, three proteins, two dairy items, two spreads or condiments, and one fun treat.
The 2-2-2 food rule is a simple guideline for leftover safety: get cooked food into the fridge within 2 hours, eat it within 2 days, or freeze it for up to 2 months to prevent bacteria growth, keeping it out of the temperature "danger zone" (40-140°F or 5-60°C).
The Bottom Line: Cooking Wins
Studies consistently show that cooking at home is dramatically cheaper than eating out. On average, a home-cooked meal costs around $4-$6 per person, while a restaurant meal can set you back $15-$20 or more.
Cheap Survival Food - The 3-Month List
The "3-3-3 Rule for groceries" is a simple meal planning strategy focusing on balance: choose 3 protein sources, 3 carbohydrate sources, and 3 fat sources for your week, allowing for diverse, healthy meals without overcomplication. It's often paired with the idea of choosing three vegetables, three fruits, and three grains to ensure a well-rounded diet, with spices and cooking methods adding variety. This method helps create foundational grocery lists, preventing food waste and simplifying shopping.
A peanut butter and jelly sandwich (PB&J) adds about 33 minutes to your healthy lifespan per serving, according to a University of Michigan study that measured life expectancy impacts of over 5,850 foods using the Health Nutritional Index (HNI). This sandwich tops the list for adding time, with nuts and seeds also being highly beneficial (around 25 mins) and processed items like hot dogs subtracting time.
8 Tips for Cooking on a Budget
Budget meals for one
Throw away all perishable foods that have been left in room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if the temperature is over 90° F, such as at an outdoor picnic during summer). Cold perishable food, such as chicken salad or a platter of deli meats, should be kept at 40° F or below.
Eating two meals a day has some health and time-saving benefits. It may lead to a calorie deficit and contribute to weight loss. Eating heart-healthy, nutritious foods may also lower the risk of certain health conditions, such as high blood pressure and heart disease.
The USDA estimates $299–569 for a monthly food budget for one person, $617–981 for a couple, and $1,002–1,631 for a family of four. To figure out how much to spend on groceries each month, see what you already spend, budget for the rest of your expenses, adjust as needed, and consider your financial goals.
80% healthy, whole foods, and 20% for fun, less-nutritious treats. The key is consistency over time, not perfection at every meal. So, if one day you have a pizza, no big deal—just aim to get back on track with your next meal.
How to Eat 5 Small Meals a Day
Beef Wellington is a baked dish made out of beef tenderloin and duxelles wrapped in shortcrust pastry. Some recipes include wrapping the contents in prosciutto, or dry-cured ham, which helps retain moisture while preventing the pastry from becoming soggy; use of puff pastry; or coating the beef in mustard.
I also assume you have a few staple ingredients, like olive oil, salt, and spices, on hand already.
The Farmers Dinner is an event that promotes community and togetherness. Once you arrive, You will meet our local guest chef as he or she prepares dinner. You'll also meet our fellow guests, the farmers, and food artisans who have contributed to your meal.