eating cheap

[The Notorious LOL]

Any suggestions that dont suck? I decided I need to be a frugal bastard, which is ironic seeing as I make more money now when I was wasteful with money.


And dont say fuckin "ramen noodles"...I mean eating decent food for cheap.

[Waus]

You like hot dogs?

[ericlee]

i think you're talking about home cooking right?

Chicken thighs are cheap as well as gizzards and hearts but not many people like them.

[BangkokB]

Me and Grocery stores haven't really hung out much. I can tell you about cereal
Boo Berry is the Top Drawer material but as hard to find as a hobo with $

[afronaut]

It's pretty easy to make a gourmet grilled cheese sammich. Which happens to be the sammich of the gods.

[Yetra Flam]

eat other people's left over food

[ericlee]

It's pretty easy to make a gourmet grilled cheese sammich. Which happens to be the sammich of the gods.

and right below that falls grilled pb&j.

[na§tee]

oooh. i am good at this. if you want any specific recipes say so, but i'll just go with general ideas for now.

the easiest, cheapiest, most economical meal to make is chili. brown some mince, tinned tomatoes, vegetables, kidney beans, spices, etc etc.. perfect meal. and a meal which actually improves in taste the longer you leave it. it's better the day after. you can have it with rice and sour cream/jalapenos/cheese/pitta bread or you can make some enchiladas. wrap the mixture in a tortilla, put in a casserole dish and cover with passata.

in a similar mince-y vein, spaghetti bolognese is a winner. you can make it a 'proper' meal with some salad and cheapo garlic bread.. and red wine, if you're like me and get it for under £3 a pop.

casseroles if you have the patience are excellent. coq au vin/beef bourguignon - all these 'posh' dishes you can make cheaply if you really want to.

pasta, of course, but pasta gets so fucking boring after a while. mix it up with different vegetables and sauces and varieties of pasta but that's always an option. stir fries, too.

making your own pizzas is easy and uses up store cupboard ingredients.

mushroom (or beef) stroganoff.

do you like pesto? it's really easy to make a sauce for chicken with pesto and creme fraiche.

[BangkokB]

yes, yes,
Keep speaking your words of ingredients

More,
Please tell more.

Let's talk about Mexican food...And if we're really on a roll lets go for French

[ScarySquirrel]

Chicken breasts. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Super cheap and super easy to cook up.

Plus it's high protein so you'll eat 'em and stay full for a while... which means you eat less... which means you save more money. Double win.

[checkyourprez]

tuna is really good for you, and cheap. most people use mayo, i find mayo gross. its just like eating fat. why not just mix it with lard.

i like using italian dressing. most people look at me wierd when i say that. but give it a shot.

[skinnybutphat]

Rice (don't use minute rice) & imitation crab meat with some salt & pepper.

[Echewta]

Farmers markets can be cheap!

[The Notorious LOL]

Im a big fan of canned tuna fish, so thats a given.

Chicken breasts Ive never been a fan of. I dont know what it is...I think its the consistency. Thighs/wings though, I enjoy.

The rice and crab meat thing sounds interesting. Im thinking shit like that, just bodega ass random bullshit meals you sort of made up that are delicious.

§, please post some recipes. :D

[The Notorious LOL]

Farmers markets can be cheap!

The city Farmers Market is literally down the block from us, so I will probably frequent that in the summer. Since its an open air market, its closed from mid-November to April.

[beastieangel01]

tuna is really good for you, and cheap. most people use mayo, i find mayo gross. its just like eating fat. why not just mix it with lard.

i like using italian dressing. most people look at me wierd when i say that. but give it a shot.

I am the same exact way :)

some vinaigrettes work really well, too. Yum.

[mikizee]

oooh. i am good at this. if you want any specific recipes say so, but i'll just go with general ideas for now.

the easiest, cheapiest, most economical meal to make is chili. brown some mince, tinned tomatoes, vegetables, kidney beans, spices, etc etc.. perfect meal. and a meal which actually improves in taste the longer you leave it. it's better the day after. you can have it with rice and sour cream/jalapenos/cheese/pitta bread or you can make some enchiladas. wrap the mixture in a tortilla, put in a casserole dish and cover with passata.

in a similar mince-y vein, spaghetti bolognese is a winner. you can make it a 'proper' meal with some salad and cheapo garlic bread.. and red wine, if you're like me and get it for under £3 a pop.

casseroles if you have the patience are excellent. coq au vin/beef bourguignon - all these 'posh' dishes you can make cheaply if you really want to.

pasta, of course, but pasta gets so fucking boring after a while. mix it up with different vegetables and sauces and varieties of pasta but that's always an option. stir fries, too.

making your own pizzas is easy and uses up store cupboard ingredients.

mushroom (or beef) stroganoff.

do you like pesto? it's really easy to make a sauce for chicken with pesto and creme fraiche.

will you marry me

[ms.peachy]

There are some pretty good ideas in here. (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/dining/26ninety.html?em&ex=1206676800&en=e7dd563708abffd8&ei=5087%0A)

[hitmonlee]

nastee already covered lots of it but i have a few:

curry. buy a cheap cut of beef/lamb and cook it for ages or use chicken thighs (need less cooking). buy the meat in bulk as its usually cheaper and make a huge pot of curry. rice goes with curry and rice is cheap. take enough out for a few meals, and whatever you think you won't eat straightaway, freeze in separate takeaway containers.

you can do the same with stir fries and bolognaise.

a cheap pasta i like is cooked sprial pasta, remove and drain, put in the pan some garlic, tin of diced tomatoes (cheap!) a couple of tins of tuna and whatever vegies you have around (good for using up old veg, i like to use grated zucchini, tomatoes and spinach). mix it all up until its hot and then add the pasta again. i like to add cream to this as well, but don't always want to spend that extra $1.

toasted sandwiches. various combinations from various cheap ingredients such as cheese, tomato, avocado, bbq chicken, ham, etc.

freeze any bread that you won't eat straightaway. frozen bread is great for toasting and this way you dont get any stale bread that you chuck out.

bbq chickens. dunno if you can get them there, but over here you go to a supermarket, they discount the chickens before closing time (even then they are pretty cheap). anyway get one of those and you can make 4 meals from it easy.

eg: meal 1: one portion of chicken in sandwiches with salad.
meal 2: dice up some of the chicken and add it to salsa and put on corn chips and make nachos.
meal 3: pasta, stir through sauce and bbq chicken.
meal 4: eat the legs and wings with a salad.

you can even go further...

meal 5: boil the chicken carcass in a pot of water and you get chicken soup or chicken stock


potatoes:

potatoes are cheap. boil a whole bunch of them. cut the tops off them and put fillings on top. eg. chicken (see bbq chicken) and cheese. leftover chili and cheese. sour cream and spring onion.
mashed potatoes. this can be a meal for me.

eh hope some of that helped...

other things i suggest, really try to avoid buying soft drink. if you really need to drink sugary water - cordial is much cheaper. juice is expensive and not nutritious - cut it out. cereal=expensive. try and buy oats or something instead. don't buy cakes - make your own. flour/sugar is cheap!

[hitmonlee]

oh yeah - frozen vegetables. they may be a little more costly than regular vegetables - but they are kept in the freezer so you never throw any mouldy vegies out.

pay attention to what you chuck - and see if you can either freeze it or buy it frozen/tinned.

go to the supermarket with a list of what you want.

try and stick to the outside of the supermarket - the fridge - fresh fruit/veg, meat. the processed aisles are bad for you and expensive.

[Gareth]

two aussie womens write an entire cookbook about making meals which comprise only 3 ingredients or less
it's a bestseller
i saw some pics of the food
looked crap

[Kid Presentable]

two aussie womens write an entire cookbook about making meals which comprise only 3 ingredients or less
it's a bestseller
i saw some pics of the food
looked crap
There's a potato salad which is horrible.

[hitmonlee]

potato salad needs at least 4. whats in their salad?

[Kid Presentable]

Fuck all.

LOL, is your girl cooking for you?

[abcdefz]

Chicken breasts. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Super cheap and super easy to cook up.



(y)

[ms.peachy]

Chicken breasts. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Super cheap and super easy to cook up.

Plus it's high protein so you'll eat 'em and stay full for a while... which means you eat less... which means you save more money. Double win.

I don't know that I can agree with this. If they are super cheap, that means they are battery farmed and pumped full of hormones and water. Surely it is far healthier and more economical to buy a whole free-range bird and learn how to use ALL of it. For mr.p and I, we can get two full meals plus extra for soup/stew/risotto out of a single bird. Which means that one person should be able to get roughly six meals out of one bird.

[mickill]

Yeah, I don't think boneless, skinless chicken is supposed to be "super cheap". Bone in, skin still on chicken is usually half the price. Not saying I don't prefer buying boneless/skinless, but that's just because I like knowing I've shaved five or ten minutes off of the elapsed cooking time by doing so. And cos I hate handling chicken meat.

[mickill]

I like having solid white tuna with jerk sauce, by the way.

Omelets, stir-fries, pasta salads and indoor grilled meals are all relatively cost effective and quick, as well.

[skinnybutphat]

Im a big fan of canned tuna fish, so thats a given.

Chicken breasts Ive never been a fan of. I dont know what it is...I think its the consistency. Thighs/wings though, I enjoy.

The rice and crab meat thing sounds interesting. Im thinking shit like that, just bodega ass random bullshit meals you sort of made up that are delicious.

§, please post some recipes. :D

I get the rice from Trader Joes, it's some kind of Balsamati Indian Rice - $3.
Kamini is the best imitation crab, $3 - I usually just get what ever is on sale.

Cook 2 cups of the rice, make sure you wash it good, cut the crab in small pieces and mix it up with the rice.
Salt & pepper, good for 3 or 4 servings.

Mrs. Skinny recommends chicken breasts pan cooked with canned pineapple slices & barbecue sauce.

[HEIRESS]

I find turkey breasts are often cheaper than boneless/skinless chicken at times

stop buying salad dressing
get bulk vinegar (regular and apple cidar), olive oil and a big ass thing of dijon mustard
just by adding honey, salt, pepper, other acids (grapefruit, lemon, orange) juice and any other spices you want you can make your own salad dressing for waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay less.

this way you can stock up on veggies for salads in the summer from the farmers market and its el cheapo city.

to tuna I like adding oil, lemon juice, and dill plus salt and pepper. its the best way to have it

find a good pizza dough recipe and start making your own pizzas instead of going out.
or just become a fan of pizza bread (use either a french loaf or pita bread)

[abcdefz]

Focaccia is easy to make, too.

[NoFenders]

Tacos, any kind.

Chicken breast pan fried with salt/pepper/Lawry's and homemade mashed taters w/gravy

You have an Aldi near ya??? If so, they have a big bag of Italian Salad for dirt cheap, and it's real good. They also have good Ranch dressing, and great frozen veggies to steam. Aldi is really the place to shop if you're trying to save money.

:cool:

[The Notorious LOL]

Aldi rules. Im actually surprised they havent become more popular instead of being located in the poor neighborhoods.

[Bob]

hard boiled eggs are easy to make. a carton of 12 costs like 3 bucks and if you eat 2 a day for breakfast you have breakfast for like a million days

they kind of stink up the fridge, though

[abcdefz]

I buy the five-dozen packs so they're really inexpensive.

When I'm lifting, I'll eat about eight whites a day, so I go through them fast.

[NoFenders]

I just made 24 deviled eggs with left over easter eggs. They're almost gone. Those things are soooo good.

:cool:

[ET]

All good ideas. Maybe this isn't exactly helpful but once you get into a routine of buying simple ingredients you'll be able to mix and match things you may eat on their own. There are tons of different ways to prepare eggs, noodles, rice, beans, cheese, potatoes, chicken, etc. in tandem with each other either fresh or using leftovers.

Like chicken in spaghetti or fried rice (using plain rice from the night before) with eggs and onions. It's an excuse to experiment and you may surprise yourself.

[NoFenders]

Like chicken in spaghetti

Add a slice of Mozz or Provalone to the chicken and you're all set for Chicken Parm!!

:cool:

[venusvenus123]

baked beans rule... in case no one else has mentioned them. cheap, nutritious etc. i love them with sweet potatoes (which are supposed to be hundred times healthier than white, starchy ones) and a salad (not so cheap!).

i go with the buy a whole chicken theory. also, chicken breast is great for stir fry. i don't know what kind of ingredients you can get there, so i won't go into recipes. i don't really think decent food is something you should be stingy with tho.... cigarettes should go first :p

[The Notorious LOL]

I have a hand injector and buy pouches of tobacco...so the cost per pack works out to about 80 cents compared to $5 buying them at the store.

[BangkokB]

Order your cigs from an Indian reservation. If you really like to roll the dice. Drive to convience stores that are in the less than respectable parts of your city and they'll buy them: You won't make enough $ that you can quit your day job but it can support the habit to where you smokes are free.
Think of it like this: Buy an 8Ball for 150 and then sell grams for $75. You have a gram and a half for free.

[Bob]

I buy the five-dozen packs so they're really inexpensive.

When I'm lifting, I'll eat about eight whites a day, so I go through them fast.

how much do you have to worry about cholesterol when you eat eggs? i went to www.fitday.com (which i'm assured is a good resource for keeping track of what you eat) and apparently three large eggs (scrambled, hard boiled, whatever) gives you 212% of your daily recommended amount of cholesterol, but three eggs doesn't really seem like that much to eat in a day. i'm liking the whole egg thing, but i don't want to drop dead by the end of the week

[HEIRESS]

I buy the egg whites that come in milk cartons.
its a luxury though because they arent that cheap, but atleast they dont carry all the calorise.
i eat regular eggs too but if im just making up a shitmix of veggies, back bacon, cheese, and scrambled eggs then the whites are perfect.

[Kid Presentable]

I don't know how anybody can get 4 meals out of one chicken.

[mikizee]

I don't know how anybody can get 4 meals out of one chicken.

4x 1/4 chicken and chips/fries.

Bang

[Kid Presentable]

Thats not a meal.

[mikizee]

Soup is not a meal.

1/4 chicken and chips is a meal.

[Kid Presentable]

It's a shit meal.

[mikizee]

I never said it was a good meal, or a bad meal. Fact is that its a meal.

Eff you and your mealist attitude :D

[Kid Presentable]

It's too small to be a meal.

[mikizee]

Thats what she said

[ms.peachy]

I don't know how anybody can get 4 meals out of one chicken.

meal 1: chicken breast, rice and veg (x2)

meal 2: leg, thigh & wing, potato and veg (x2)

meal 3: remaining bits of meat & carcass boiled down for stock to make a nice soup with celery, potato, carrots, onion etc, green salad, big slab of nice hearty bread (x2)
(alternately, stock and chicken can by used to make a lovely risotto)

That's six full meals, and not in any small portions, I can assure you. If there is one thing we know how to do in my house, it's eat.

[Kid Presentable]

Not convinced. We get a chicken, and we get maybe a round and a half of chicken sammiches.

[na§tee]

maybe you have really skinny, lethargic australian chickens ; )

i'll post some recipes tomorrow yeeeup.

[kll]

mexican casserole

2 cans Hormel tamales
1 can white corn kernels
2 cups rice (spanish or mexican Rice a Roni is fine)
2 cups Cheddar cheese

preheat oven to 350
in a casserole dish, layer the rice, tamales, corn and cheese
repeat for one more layer with the cheese melting on top
pour the remaining tamale sauce from the can on top

you can add all kinds of other stuff including ground beef, other veggies, etc.

bake in oven for 45 min.

makes 4-6 servings


for a cheap salad, you can do iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, pasta noodles (cooked, but cold), imitation crab, green onions, avocados, and sesame seeds.

for the dressing, one tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 3 -5 tablespoons rice vinegar (to taste), a tsp (or more) Salad Supreme seasoning. if you add the lettuce and tomatoes at each serving, you can have it last up to 3 days with the other ingredients.

[venusvenus123]

Not convinced. We get a chicken, and we get maybe a round and a half of chicken sammiches.

perhaps you're just greedy ^o)

[Kid Presentable]

I do love a munch.

I'm probably one of the more cash-strapped boardmembers, and we live a very frugal existence. But the fact that we manage to save a little here and there isn't from eating one bird 6 times.

[venusvenus123]

true. i don't really see how you can get six meals out of a chicken....other than having meals where chicken meat is only the support act and the vegetables are doing all the singing and dancing.

i just re-read peachy's post tho and i think she's counting a meal as a person. in that case, i guess it's easy. that means i get 6 meals out of 2 chicken breasts :s (the third mouth belongs to a fussy 7 year old tho!).

we definitely get 2 good meals for 2 adults from 2 chicken breasts tho--we're big on leftovers in this house. (y)

[venusvenus123]

I have a hand injector and buy pouches of tobacco...so the cost per pack works out to about 80 cents compared to $5 buying them at the store.

you know i was only teasing you... but what's a hand injector? sounds like a quick hit system for getting your nicotine fix.

[ms.peachy]

i just re-read peachy's post tho and i think she's counting a meal as a person.

To clarify: I am saying you can get six individual plates of food, or three meals for two people, if that helps. Miss M is still small enough that she just eats small amounts form ours.

For, say, a family of four I would still argue though that you can get 8 servings (or two full family meals) from one bird. First meal would be the larger pieces - breasts, legs, wings, thighs - with sides; second meal would be the remaining bits of meat pulled off, and stock made with the carcass, then used to make a good risotto. I really think if you can't make a bird go at least that far, you are either using very small birds, or just not trying.

[Kid Presentable]

I think they might be small birds, but in any case, we can't be fucked trying.

[mikizee]

fuckin hell im starving now and want chicken

[The Notorious LOL]

you know i was only teasing you... but what's a hand injector? sounds like a quick hit system for getting your nicotine fix.

Its a little hand held machine where there is a small reservoir in it that you load in tobacco and on the end of the machine you place an empty cigarette tube. The tobacco is stuffed in place, and you slide the chamber and it stuffs said tobacco into the tube.

Same concept as hand rolling, but it has a filter so it doesnt taste so assy.

[hitmonlee]

Not convinced. We get a chicken, and we get maybe a round and a half of chicken sammiches.

freaks, how thick are you cutting the chicken?

i can get 2-3 sandwiches out of one breast.

true. i don't really see how you can get six meals out of a chicken....other than having meals where chicken meat is only the support act and the vegetables are doing all the singing and dancing.

erm did you read MY post, on the first page? i was the one to bring up several meals from the one bird.

[venusvenus123]

erm did you read MY post, on the first page? i was the one to bring up several meals from the one bird.
as it happens i didn't. i just had a look thru tho. i think you're counting a meal as being just for one person. it's just some mental block i have and it probably comes from living with my husband for 18 years: i think of a "meal" as serving at least 2 people, which is why i couldn't imagine getting 6 meals from a chicken.

if we cook a chicken we get 2 and a half meals for 3 people (me, husband, son), so i guess it comes to about the same.

i have to confess, i'd rather poke my eyes out with a stick than boil up a chicken carcass... or just starve :eek:

ps. i seem to remember you saying that you only eat the breast off a bird and chuck the rest away! i can't believe anything you say on here. :P

[Kid Presentable]

*Pours milk into bin*

[camo]

• Have cereal one evening for your main meal
• Scrambled eggs on toast, eggs in general are cheap
• homemade casseroles/lasagne etc that can be eaten over two nights
• Supplement meals with frozen veg that can be steamed, both cheap and good for you

[ms.peachy]

i have to confess, i'd rather poke my eyes out with a stick than boil up a chicken carcass... or just starve :eek:



Blimey, I wasn't aware it was so traumatic to chuck some bones into a pot with some water and boil it!

[venusvenus123]

Blimey, I wasn't aware it was so traumatic to chuck some bones into a pot with some water and boil it!

it's the smell!

[na§tee]

Aldi rules.
shit yeah.

i went for the first time ever today and am currently 3/4 of my way through the most delicious brioche with custard swirrllss mmmm nom.

on thursday i am eating aldi burgers with jalapenos. nom. i am very impressed.

woops. still haven't posted my recipes. will do, will do. after this bite /munches.

[ms.peachy]

it's the smell!

:confused: It smells like chicken soup to me; I don't really associate with that being a bad smell. In fact I really like it, it's a very 'homey' smell to me. But when I make the stock I usually will chop up some onions, celery, carrot etc and throw in some bay leaf and such so make it really flavourful, so maybe that's why it smells quite nice IMO.

Listen hey, you know, if it's not something you want to do I'm certainly not going to come over to your house and make you. For me my personal philosophy regarding using animals for food comes down to the idea that if I'm going to eat meat, I have a moral obligation to support humane conditions and to use all that is usable, so I can't in good conscience just throw away the carcass.

[camo]

Boiled chicken bones have a faint whiff of piss (n)

[ms.peachy]

Boiled chicken bones have a faint whiff of piss (n)

LOL well I have a child in diapers in my home so, you know, I don't even notice THAT smell anymore

[na§tee]

i love love love home-made stock. you can't beat it. unfortunately, being one person, i don't often roast whole chickens, ha. as much as i would love to have banquetting feasts every day. soup and gravy. all good stuff. ooh, that reminds me, i do this great chowder that is essentially vegetable (or chicken) stock, potatoes, sweetcorn and cheese. actually, it's pretty much cheese soup. er.. mmmm?

[camo]

LOL well I have a child in diapers in my home so, you know, I don't even notice THAT smell anymore

ha ha touche
(y)

[NoFenders]

mexican casserole

2 cans Hormel tamales
1 can white corn kernels
2 cups rice (spanish or mexican Rice a Roni is fine)
2 cups Cheddar cheese

preheat oven to 350
in a casserole dish, layer the rice, tamales, corn and cheese
repeat for one more layer with the cheese melting on top
pour the remaining tamale sauce from the can on top

you can add all kinds of other stuff including ground beef, other veggies, etc.

bake in oven for 45 min.

makes 4-6 servings


for a cheap salad, you can do iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, pasta noodles (cooked, but cold), imitation crab, green onions, avocados, and sesame seeds.

for the dressing, one tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 3 -5 tablespoons rice vinegar (to taste), a tsp (or more) Salad Supreme seasoning. if you add the lettuce and tomatoes at each serving, you can have it last up to 3 days with the other ingredients.

That sounds pretty good!! I just may hook that up later this week. (y)

:cool:

[na§tee]

c. 500g minced beef
2 onions
fresh chili (if possible)
2 cans chopped tomatoes
1-2 cans kidney beans
teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder (or to your taste)
lotsa garlic
brucey bonus: replace beef with vegetables of your choice for veggie chili. add some veg to normal chili to stop it being freakin boring. favourites are peppers (CAPSICUMS yo), sweetcorn and courgette. add chopped bacon too if you fancy more MEAT.

chop up onions and garlic and fry in olive oil gently. add the mince to the pan and brown. now add any vegetables you want to include. add the chopped tomatoes and a cup of water, bring to the boil. add all the spices - cumin and chili powder are key, but if you have it, try a bit of paprika/cinnamon too. cover, lower the heat and simmer for an hour. add the kidney beans and simmer for 15 more minutes.

if you really want to show off or lol just wants a lol add a tiny chunk of dark chocolate. i promise it's pretty tasty.

serve with rice and sour cream/cheese/jalapenos and toasted pita bread if you fancy it. or with baked potatoes/nachos/in a wrap. to make an enchilada wrap the chili in flour tortillas and place in a casserole dish. cover with passata ("add shit" to this if you want - when i say ADD SHIT i invariably mean garlic, spices, herbs and onions) or enchilada sauce and cheese, stick in oven, bayum.

[NoFenders]

Ok, I'm starving now!!


:cool:

[hitmonlee]

ps. i seem to remember you saying that you only eat the breast off a bird and chuck the rest away! i can't believe anything you say on here. :P

i was giving ideas on how people can make food cheaply, not how i make food cheaply :p
i give the legs/wings/thighs to my housemates now. nothing goes to waste.

[na§tee]

it looks gross but it smells amazing (http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c361/nastee/carcassed.jpg)..
/cue 'ewwww, bones and skin!' comments. that's gonna come out, you knows.