[Melissa]

I need to figure out a way to eat inexpensively for just me. I have pasta and spaghetti sauce so I can eat that.

I have a can of chicken and some tuna but what should I buy?

What are some inexpensive meal and snack ideas?

Looking for budget-friendly meal and snack ideas! I’m a single person looking for inexpensive meal and snack options that are easy to make at home.

I’d love to hear your favorite go-to recipes, meal prep tips, or creative snack ideas that are affordable and don’t require too many ingredients. Bonus points for recipes that use pantry staples or simple fresh ingredients.

Do you have any tips for stretching a grocery budget or finding affordable ingredients?

How do you make your meals satisfying and nutritious on a tight budget?

I’d also appreciate ideas for snacks that are both filling and healthy, especially ones that don’t take much time to prepare.

Would love to hear any suggestions for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks that work for one person without breaking the bank.

Thanks in advance for sharing your ideas!

[Cindy]

Bag of apples and popcorn for snacks.

[Delisa]

Frozen veggies and rice, canned soups and dried beans and peas.

[Val]

Egg salad sandwich on wheat bread and some carrots.

[Donna]

Baked potato with your fav hearty chunky soup on top. Creamed chip beef or creamed Spam over instant potatoes.

[Wendy]

I just saw a recipe the other day that looked good. All you need is a can of chicken a la king and a package of knorrs chicken flavored rice.

Cook the rice and add in the chicken a la king. Easy and cheap.

[Melissa]

Make a pot of soup and freeze single servings. When you buy meat portion and freeze in single servings.

A friend buys tangerine type oranges, peels and separates sections and freezes each orange as a single serving.

She does this with grapes and berries, too. When I open a jar of sauce.

I use what I need then freeze the rest in small batches.

I use it for pasta dishes, pizza, mixed in rice, soups, meatball sandwich

[Jani]

Costco has whole chicken for $5!! Fresh veggies from the farmers market are a great way to save $ and get good quality veggies and fruit!

[Amy]

Bean soup and cornbread. Make w 1/2 lb of dried. You can freeze soup portions for later.

Omelets and breakfast foods like pancakes or French toast.

tomato sandwiches, grilled cheese. Carrots, sticks for snacking or oven roast them with chunks of onion and potato.

Spam pan fried on stove w your veggies or w eggs or in a grilled cheese.

Store brand frozen veggies so you close them up after taking out your portion and they won’t go bad. Rice with veggies and a little meat or eggs.

The public library or the internet are good sources of free recipes to try.

It is apple and squash /kale season now, so those produce items may be cheaply available at farm stands in the fall.

[Amy]

I’m a homemade soup girl! A big pot gets me 10+ servings. I tend to freeze it as after 3 days I want a switch..so I go to the freezer!

Chili, potato, chicken enchilada, and beef veg are my favorites.

[Cameron]

Beans and rice are a complete amino acid chain 1 pound of turkey or eggs to complete your protien chain make a big batch if chilli
Wont break the bank I invested heavily because it pays off huge in the long run beans are very high in magnesium kidney and black and I love the time saving it gives including leftover rice becomes 40% less glycemic

[Leslie]

Fried rice…. rice, diced onion, scrambled egg, soy sauce, garlic, veggies

[Dennise]

We eat so many eggs, scrambled, omelet, quiche, egg sandwiches with different meats, fried, poached, french toast, egg burritos, deviled eggs, fried rice… so many ways to eat them and way cheaper than meat.

I also add more beans and less meat in things like chili and burritos.

Soup stretches things out, add more of whatever you do have and less of what you don’t.

I often use just a little chicken in my noodle soup and add white beans

[Sheila]

I boil 5-pounds of potatoes & keep them in the fridge … sometimes peel & grate for hash browns; sometimes slice & fry (in saved bacon grease);

sometimes put in the microwave to reheat with toppings like a baked potato; dice & add to soup; so many ways to use them!

[Betty]

Buy a rotisserie chicken. You can eat or use it in several meals. If you have too much, portion it out and freeze. Don’t throw out the bones.

Put them in a crock pot with veggie scraps, a couple bay leaves and peppercorns and whole allspice.

Cut up an onion, carrot and celery stalks.

Cook on low for at least 24 hours. Strain out solis and discard. Use broth for any recipe that calls for chicken broth.

Freeze extra in pint sized canning jars.

[Larry]

Cheerios, rasins,& miniature marshmallows mixed in a bowl make a good snack

[Maria]

Make overnight oats for breakfast, keeps you full throughout the morning so you don’t need extra snacks

[David]

frozen chicken pot pie over a few baked tater tots , more filling an more volume .

[Kathy]

Soups
Grilled cheese
Frozen veggies
Look up meatless meals

[Alana]

Large tub generic Greek yogurt. Very good for you and reasonably priced.

[Michele]

Watch the sales, clearance and shop at discount stores. Cereal, toasted sandwiches like grill cheese with pepperoni or other meat you have, even chicken breast is reasonable if separated into portions, but on sale.

Cook 2 one for dinner today and add to salad tomorrow. Dried or canned Beans, bag of carrots, onions last and can be added to anything.

Pancakes, fried egg, Roman noodles with frozen veggies, rice is cheap and hours a long way. Bananas, apples seconds from the orchard got a huge bag for $6.

Made apple sauce and apple crisp with bruised ones. Have enough for my work lunch for months. Drink crystals, my guys live ice tea, coffee?

Tea make a pick tire from one t bag. Coleslaw is a great side or as a meal with chicken or tuna and apple Raisins and afew walnut pieces.

Almond are good protein, buy at bulk with coupon or as a healthy snack

[Ruthie]

Get invited to dinner
My daughter doesn’t eat leftovers
She stores in freezer

And gives them to me at end of week
Cereal

Breakfast for dinner
Hamberger helper

[Jennifer]

Costco rotisserie chicken, review weekly ads for specials, baked chicken thighs, chicken supreme (cut up chicken breast,1 can cream of mushroom soup, 8 Oz sour cream.

mixture cooked on 350 for 30 minutes…serve over rice).

This economy makes it tough.

[Linda]

Get recipes for those things with lots of food value/vitamins in them:
Cabbage

Beans
Potatoes
Apples
Eggs

[Laura]

Chicken thighs and legs are usually inexpensive, baked in oven with either bottled Italian dressing or dry.

Enjoy with rice and some canned or frozen veggies.

Have in season or canned fruit as a snack.

[Author]

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