Dirt Cheap Meals for a Month with Printable
Hi friend! I have a Big List of Dirt Cheap Meals for a Month with Printable you can print and use! With food prices as high as ever, I reeeally want to help you not to panic regarding food, groceries, and Budget-Friendly Meals you can make.
Making meals with simple ingredients on the cheap is really my specialty! I guess that’s what happens… When you need to budget meals for a month, you learn to meal plan!
Dirt Cheap Meals for a Month with Printable
Sometimes all we need is a list in front of our eyes to remind us “Yes! I DO have food to eat”
Remember that my list will vary slightly from yours as your family may like different foods than ours. You’ll still get some great ideas and if you need help…please ask in the comments! I’m here to help!
My hope is that you will find some cheap meal ideas by giving you lots of choices and showing you how to mix and match them, you’ll end up with a month of meals!
This list is meant to give you ideas for Dirt Cheap Meals! It is not comprehensive but a springboard so that you can feel confident that you DO have something you can eat.
What should you eat when you are broke?
As you look at the list below, remember…most people eat the same things over and over. We are creatures of habit and after studying my family and asking many other Moms over the years…it turns out most people DO eat their favorite foods over and over.
Cheap Breakfast Recipes:
Remember these foods aren’t served every single day. By storing a large variety of different foods, you won’t get bored. If you buy foods in bulk, I suggest you store them in airtight containers so that the food stays fresher for longer.
- Cereal ~ some cereals can be served hot AND cold. Buy generic brands, most are good!
- Yogurt
- Eggs ~ they are cheap and full of protein ~ stock up!
- Oatmeal ~ is super cheap in bulk ~ you can also use it for granola and homemade muffins
- Pancakes ~ I’ve got some yummy creative pancake recipes that are cheap too!!
- Hash browns ~ Potatoes are so cheap! I have 21 Budget Potato Recipes!
- Grits ~ cheap in bulk also
- Toast, Homemade Muffins, Bagels (you can make your own for cheap), English Muffin ~
- Fruit ~ gotta have fruit
- French Toast ~ IT’S EASY and you can freeze for later too!
- Waffles ~ I like to make French Toast Waffles or traditional…both delish, cheap, and easy
- Easy Breakfast Casseroles ~ don’t overcomplicate with expensive ingredients. I’ve got some great ones on my site.
- Breakfast Burrito ~ Doesn’t need to be fancy!
- Breakfast Quesadilla ~ eggs and cheese
- Meats…such as bacon, ham, sausage (however this can become costly EXCEPT sometimes I just use ham lunch meat in my meals)
Cheap Lunch Recipes:
Mix and match as many ways as you would like! Use some of these for dinner if you don’t want to use them for lunch!
- Egg Salad Sandwich
- Chicken Salad Sandwich ~ use canned chicken or cooked chicken breast
- Tuna Sandwich ~ so cheap!
- Grilled Cheese Sandwich w/ Homemade Vegetable or Tomato Soup
- Soup ~ Homemade or Canned
- PBJ
- Deli Sandwiches ~ although deli meat can get a little expensive
- Salads ~ taco (using leftover taco meat from a dinner), serve Tuna, chicken or egg salad on a bed of greens ~ your choice
- Quesadilla ~ Cheese or Chicken and Cheese
- Nachos ~
- Leftover dinner
- Burritos ~ Beans, rice and cheese OR add taco meat from a night before dinner
Cheap Dinner Recipe Ideas:
Well, this list of Cheap Meals for Dinner could go on and on forever, so I’m going to just give you a good amount to start because I don’t want you to get overwhelmed. The thing is, that once you start making some of these, you’ll start getting your own ideas for dinners!
That’s what makes this List of Meals for a Month so great! It’s simply a template and a jumping-off point for you to become your own creative cook for once-a-month meals on a budget.
- Meatball Sub Sandwiches ~ either make your own meatballs or buy from the store. Then simply cook in the oven, while they cook warm up some spaghetti sauce and your hoagie rolls. Top with cheese! You can also make Homemade Kaiser rolls…YUM!
- BBQ Pork Sandwiches or Chicken
- Breakfast for Dinner
- Homemade Macaroni and Cheese ~ So easy! Freeze any leftovers for another dinner or serve for lunch the next day
- Layered Beef Bake
- Chicken Broccoli or Taco Baked Potato Bar
- Creamy Baked Million Dollar Chicken Spaghetti
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Cheesy Chicken and Rice Taco Meal
- Cheesy Broccoli Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Stir Fry
- Tacos
- Spaghetti
- Frozen Hamburger Recipes ~ super easy
- Homemade Hot Pockets ~ Garlic Chicken, Pepperoni, Cheeseburger or any filling you like!
- Homemade Bagel Bites
One of the cheapest ways that I know to save money on meals is to learn how to make bread dough! Do this allows you to make ALL KINDS of delicious foods for pennies!
Once you learn to make a basic bread dough you can make Homemade Pizzas and so much more!!
Cheap Ground Beef Recipes
