Eating on the CHEAP

[Tink]

Since I eat most of my meals alone now, I've had to totally rethink my cooking and menu choices. I try to avoid processed foods for the most part, but cooking single servings often seems a real waste of effort and dirty dishes too. lol My latest "thing" is that I go to town a bit after 1pm when the grocery store deli has just cleaned up and shut down and buy their "left overs" at half price.

Some days I'll get a stuffed green pepper, or homemade soup and a sandwich, others I'll get some form of pasta hotdish or even meat and potatoes. Usually for about $2 I get more than enough food for a meal and don't have to spend time preparing a lot of things that mess up my kitchen. If they happen to have a really good deal on things I like, I buy extra, leave in the plastic deli container which I then stick inside a plastic ziplock bag, and just freeze the extras for another day.

I also go to Dollar General and pick up certain foods that are simple to fix, inexpensive to make and can be frozen in single serving size containers for later use. Right now I have several containers of spaghetti with meat sauce; and chili frozen. I make a big family sized meal, then just divide and freeze for myself.

I'd love some new ideas on money-saving, simple meals for one. What do you do?

[katcarasella]

Visit my friends at dinnertime!!! Your house is next!!!

Sorry Tink, I couldn't resist.

[AngieDoogles]

Beans and rice freeze really well. Bren and I make a whole bag of rice and a whole bag of black beans and then mix them and separate enough for single meals in plastic ziplock bags. Then when you're ready to eat, just add a few tablespoons of water and reheat on the stove or microwave. You can add different things to spice it up and make it different each night. I use chicken, cheese, tomatoes, onions, salsa, spices (cumin and cilantro are great for this)...or even put it in a tortilla to make a burrito. Try different combinations of those things. There are a million and one ways to eat beans and rice. It's cheap and even healthy too!

[Janet]

That sounds like a great idea Tink. Wish I lived close to a store, I'd do that too. I do eat a lot of Lean Cuisine meals and they are not very expensive at all. I like quite a few of them and the WW meals.

I have a great recipe for meatballs. It makes 70 of them (!) but I freeze them in several freezer bags, and then just pop them in the oven any time I don't feel like cooking. All I have to do is whip up the barbeque sauce.

I also make big pots of chili now and then. Whatever is left over, I freeze in single servings. This is great for lunches to take to work.

I LOVE to cook, but find I don't often have time. But my poor husband is a guinea pig-I'm always trying out new recipes on him! He's a pretty good sport about it. He only accused me of trying to kill him one time, when I put WAY too much cayenne, cumin and hot pepper sauce in my chili!

[Nina]

Where I live, we only really have one major grocery chain....Giant Eagle. Their prices have gotten ridiculous, so I try to save by going to a store called Marcs where things are much cheaper, even for name brands. I also shop at the Dollar Store for some things. I can get my cleaning supplies and paper products much cheaper there.

Since it's just my husband and I at home now, we save alot just by using leftovers. He takes leftovers to work for lunch, and I eat them for lunch at home.

I have also done what you do, Tink. Go to the stores later and get their leftovers. This is great for the times I don't feel like cooking. They really have some good deals!