What is a cheap meal to you?

**Dancing Lotus** · 09-22-2008, 06:37 PM

We all have different ideas on what a cheap meal or frugal meal is. To me I would say around 5 dollars. I noticed that if you google cheap meals most of what you get says 10 dollars. That sounds like a lot to me. If I spent 10 dollars just on dinner that would be 70 a week and we wouldn't have anything else to eat.

I like to keep it at 5 or under and 5 or less ingredients. I feel like the more ingredients I put in it the more it costs and the less likely my kids will eat it.

We have a few staples the help us make frugal yet flavorful meals.
My must haves on hand are Soy Sauce, Vinegar, powdered ranch dressing, apricot jam, dijon mustard. IF I have these on hand I can whip up something tasty with little effort and cost.

I am thinking about doing a dollar store challenge next week. My idea is to see if I can feed my family a variety of healthy meals using the dollars store only. Would anyone be interested in this?

**itsahumanzoo** · 09-22-2008, 06:42 PM

I would consider $5 or less a cheap meal. I see $10 meals in magazines a lot, and I agree that's a bit spendy for one meal. Although sometimes, I think those same ingredients might cost a little less for some of us thanks to sales and coupons and smart shopping.

I am trying to use more fresh ingredients in my meals, which can cost a little more sometimes. But I found a great market where I get dirt cheap produce, and that helps a lot. Some dollar stores have produce too, so that could be a big help for you!

**Dancing Lotus** · 09-22-2008, 06:46 PM

My dollar store does not have fresh produce but they do have frozen veggies , i personally believe the frozen to be just as healthy so fresh fruit would be the only problem

**spyzvixxen** · 09-22-2008, 07:06 PM

I consider cheap to be less $ than takeout which often means it needs to be something that can be whipped up in a jiffy.

**cab54** · 09-22-2008, 07:08 PM

Well, when my BIG football playin' boys were still at home (and you never knew how many of their friends would be around at dinner--no parents, I guess), I would think $10 was good. Or maybe about $7.

Now with dh and me only-----I can squeeze 2 meals out of $5. Something like a meatless meal, or chicken on sale......

When my DS#2 was a teen, he had a friend who was over almost every night. He had a bad homelife and his dad was dying also. He wanted to 'hide out' at our house, although he didn't say that. It was OK with me, but he was a BIG boy, bigger than my kids, tall and 340#. I would peel a whole 10# bag of taters and mash 'em when that kid was there. For one dinner. He would take about 3 big mounds of them.

But, he would go out and buy soda pop for himself and snacks.

So I think it depends on the number of people you feed, and how big their appetites are.

**Missy** · 09-22-2008, 07:20 PM

for my family of five a buck a person is about right. but I only spend about 200 a month on groceries which breaks down to...200 divided by 5 people divided by 4 weeks in a month...10 dollars a week per person...so my meals average a buck a person for dinners. we don't often eat breakfast. but the kids and i eat cheap for lunches...ramen or mac and chz...left overs for lunch.

**Dancing Lotus** · 09-22-2008, 08:49 PM

If I could get dh to eat like me and the girls we could cut our budget in half.

Breakfast, kids are happy with a pancake. We make a big batch on Sundays and freeze them for the week.

Lunch, what ever is left over or ramen noodles. Drinks for me include coffee or water. The girls drink water or koolaid. SEE US CHICKS ARE THE CHEAP ONES.

I have decide to stop buying dh's beer. IF he wants it he can buy it with his extra money. Instead I will buy him the apples he wants but I never get because I hate the price of them. The apples will cost half what the beer does and be better for him.

so that will save me a couple of bucks a week.

**joyofsix** · 09-22-2008, 08:56 PM

If possible I try to feed us all for $5 at dinner. Breakfast and lunch are a little cheaper. That means casseroles, soups, or something that I can stretch a looooong way. It also means filling things out with homemade biscuits, bread, noodles. I would say soups are our favorite. Add some more water a couple more potatoes when company comes and no one's the wiser. It also helps to just plain tell the 14yo ds NO MORE!

**Michelle** · 09-22-2008, 09:04 PM

Originally Posted by cab54

So I think it depends on the number of people you feed, and how big their appetites are.

:yes: a more accurate way of comparing would be to say how much per person you think constitutes a cheap meal.

I'd say no more than $2/person (so $8/meal) here.

**zakity** · 09-22-2008, 09:47 PM

I aim for $5 to $10 a meal. If it is a $10 meal, then it is a "Monday" meal and the leftovers are "free meals" for a night or two during the week (or a future date). I might cook a bag of chicken breasts, boiled potatoes, and a veggie. We might have soup or a casserole with the chicken and the potatoes. When I figure the price for the leftover meals, I don't count the meat or the potatoes because they were "paid for" on Monday night's dinner.

**forHISglory** · 09-22-2008, 11:05 PM

A dollar apiece works for us.

I can make soup with Ramen and a chicken breast and left over veggies (or can of veggies). Serve with sliced apples or fruit in season, and that's all we need. Of course, we aren't growing kids...

**Emjo** · 09-22-2008, 11:27 PM

Five dollars or less sounds about right...we eat very few dinners that cost more than that. We eat super cheap meals like spaghetti or veggie soup a couple of times a week, which really helps keep costs down.

**macemesmum** · 09-23-2008, 02:21 AM

I love the idea of this thread! I recently made 2 crocpots full of spaghetti sauce and meatballs, it worked out to be around 2.50 a dinner for the 4 of us. That is really cheap here, any meal under say $8 a meal is cheap as for takeaway it would cost us approx $30 for mcdonalds or hungry jacks (your burger king) takeaway is really expensive here and bad for you!!! Split pea and ham soup comes in at about $2 a dinner which is great. Homemade pizza comes in at around $7 for all of us for dinner (makes a lot of pizza).

**Luv2BeFrugal** · 09-23-2008, 02:56 AM

A homemade soup/stew in the crockpot (beans, rice or potatoes, frozen veggies) comes out less than $1/meal for us...and we have a slice of bread w/butter or crackers with that. Also, lentil-rice casserolle is a cheap supper. I guess I'd say anything in the $3 or less for a meal is "cheap" (it's just Dh and me).

No dollar stores here, so can't get in on that fun... Would enjoy hearing how it went if someone tries it!!

**Lindsey** · 09-23-2008, 04:22 AM

Under $5. for the 4 of us including having leftovers for next days lunch for DH. Without DH, much much cheaper. My food bill cuts in half when he is gone. When we would go to Taco Bell or something and he would eat TWO combos and give the extra drink to the girls. He is not over weight either, 6'1 and 180/183 pounds.

Our fav. frugel dinner for this house is chicken and yellow rice and fresh broccoli and on sale (over here where everything is more expensive) it costs about $4.