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Cheap dinner ideas


amdirel

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I'm hideously broke and have 10 days until payday!! :o

I am usually fairly broke in the 2nd week of my pay cycle, not the first! So this is a whole new level of broke-ness.


I'm sick of googling for "cheap" ideas to come up with things involving chicken tenderloins, lamb chops, and 1kg beef for a casserole. I guess life experiences probably change people's perceptions on what "cheap" is, but it's certainly not $20+ per meal!


So has anyone got any very very cheap dinner suggestions for my family of 4?


Thanks.

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  • Silverstreak

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  • LemonMyrtle

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Probably the cheapest I can think of is grab a roast chook and stretch it over a couple of meals, chicken & whatever veg you might have, chicken rolls/ sandwiches, then use the bones for stock, any sad veg and any leftover chicken for soup. Cheapness depends a bit on what veg you've got lying around, especially atm

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1 chicken breast, rice, capsicum and carrot with a sauce packet can be a cheapish meal too, 2 breasts and you get a leftover meal.

I'll do tuna instead of chicken for the kids sometimes, which is probably cheaper, I just don't like tuna so it's not a family meal here

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Eggs on toast, tuna pasta, pasta with frozen or canned veggies (I like broccoli or tomatoes with chili, garlic and olive oil), cheesy pasta, two minute noodles with eggs or tuna or cheese as the protein, minestrone with just a little bit of bacon rather than expensive meat.

What's in your fridge and freezer? Whatever's already there, it'll be delish with some pasta and cheese, some rice and cheese, in a sandwich (with cheese) or under a couple of fried eggs.

Daal is also really cheap, if your kids will eat it, but open the windows afterwards.


TL; DR: minimal meat, maximum carbs, everything is edible with cheese.

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Silverstreak

If you have a slow cooker, a cheap cut of stewing beef will stretch a lot, add carrots,, capsicum,, some stock, a tin of tomatoes, onion, garlic and cook on high for at least four hours or low for eight. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

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Anything with pasta or rice. Stir fry and pasta bake are both good and can easily be scaled for left overs/lunches. You can use in-season vegetables or frozen to help fill them out.

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Meat and vegetables are always good. Chicken drumsticks are often fairly cheap and are yummy crumbed. If you don’t want to buy the crumb mix, just blitz up conflakes and add some spices and or grated cheese. We have a meat place near us that has discounted meat every day and often there is an assortment of marinated or crumbed meat to choose from.


Minced porcupines are cheap and tasty. Roast (whatever is in special) can do a few meals. Tacos, when those Mexican kits are on special. Spaghetti. Baked potatoes with bacon, cheese, sour cream or whatever on top. And even for a treat, some sort of meat and oven chips is nice, or buy the $3 frozen pizzas and add your own extra cheese. Not sure if you have kids, but the footy frank’s are always poplar here.

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IamtheMumma

Raid your pantry. Look at your canned goods, get creative with meals. If you have the ingredients to make a lasagne but not the sheets, just use it unassembled. Chickpea curry is delicious if you have chickpeas already.


Pancakes can be an anytime meal.

Rice pudding for dinner

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LemonMyrtle

DH and I grew up in modest (sometimes poor) homes, so we still have some tricks up our sleeves.


This recipe tastes nicer than it looks, trust me, and makes a pack of sausages go a very long way. Kid friendly.

https://childhood101.com/easy-dinner-recipe-sausage-rice-bake/


tuna mornay, with home brand tuna and tinned corn


Spag Bol with a tin of lentils in it to bulk it up, 500grams of mince and a tin of lentils makes enough sauce for at least 2 nights of dinners.


Risotto, vegetarian or with some diced chorizo. Obviously stock made from cheap stock cubes make this a cheap meal.


Cheapest fish you can buy (like ling) or chicken breasts, make a curry, make a big pot of lentils, and some rice, and that’s enough food for 2-3 dinners.


Or just skip the meat and have lentils and rice (DH’s family’s broke-meal)


Lots of bread, sandwiches, beans on toast, jaffles etc.


Make your own pizzas. Get some bases on social (or make your own) or use pita bread. Add some

Toppings, a little can go a long way when it comes to pizza toppings.


Soup - whatever vegetables in a veg soup, bulk it up with some pasta in it and some bread on the side.


Zucchini slice

Eggs on toast

Savoury mince with veg or on toast

Mac and cheese

Roast chicken and salad rolls, then use left over chicken in a pasta or something. 2 meals from 1 chook.


I’m sure I have more ideas.

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TheMagician

The easiest way for us to help you with ideas is for you to let us know what you have onhand already without spending anything.


Go right through your cupboards, freezer and fridge.

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Simplest fried rice- cooked & cooled rice, a few handfuls of mixed chopped frozen veg (the pea/carrot/corn mix works well), some chopped up ham, some soy sauce for a bit of salt.

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Jacket potatoes

Macaroni and cheese

Spaghetti bolognese (will do several nights)

Eggs on toast

Beans on toast

Fried rice

Porridge

Veggie chilli

Veggie pasta

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This is our favourite dinner and it costs less than $5. You can add diced bacon if you want but not necessary.


-can of cannellini beans

-can of crushed tomatoes

- onion

- garlic

- cayenne pepper (1/4tsp or leave it out) and paprika (1tsp)

- herbs (fresh basil and parsley are best)

- pepper

- Cheese (we use cheddar and Danish feta) you can use whatever you have.


All made in a fry pan (we eat from the pan too cos we are pigs)

Fry onion, nice and slow, add Cannelini beans (drained and rinsed). Add tomatoes, garlic, cayenne pepper and paprika. Cook till the tomatoes aren't so juicy, you don't want it super soupy. Takes about 10 minutes.


Cover with grated cheese and chunks of Danish feta, chopped herbs.


Pop it under the grill for about 5 mins until the cheese is nice and melty, starts to brown.


Serve with crusty bread (do a quick no knead bread, super cheap).


This is so good and I think everyone should eat it. We have it at least once a week, if not more.

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Used to be teens

Mince 3 ways. Start with the cheap 1kg pack of mince. Brown and add chopped onion, dried herbs if you have them, chopped/grated veggies (capsicum, carrot, zucchini whatever is on sale and your kids will eat). Add 1 jar home brand passata and cook through. Split into 3 equalish portions. 1 night add cooked pasta for spaghetti bol. 1 night to the mince add 1/2 can beans, diced, cooked potato and frozen peas/corn and have savoury mince. 1 night add the other half can of beans and some frozen peas/corn. Serve on a split baked potato and then top with cheese.

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Silverstreak

Forgot to add, I made no knead bread the other day, with flour, pinch of salt, small amount of yeast and water. You just need a round casserole dish with a lid (or a round casserole dish with alfoil on the top.) This made a dense, tasty bread that's very cheap and filling and apparently it can be used as pizza dough as well.

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Lots of Indian or Thai curry sauces you can make vegetarian without missing the meat. You can just add a mix of potato's / pumpkin and even use frozen beans straight from the freezer then serve over rice. Carbs on carbs so very filling!


Another veggie dish is spinach and ricotta lasagne where you can use frozen spinach.


Chilli con carne over rice using the cheaper mince and tinned kidney beans is another cheap and filling option. You can buy spice mixes for $2? If you don't own all the spices to diy.


All meals that I can do for 4 people for <$10

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Pasta pesto. Packet of pasta (I use bowties) and a jar of pesto and Hey Presto! an easy and cheap dinner. You can add frozen veggies or broccoli if you want to bulk it up or improve nutrition, but this is honestly a meal you can do for $3. Seriously just checked Coles homebred prices - packet of pasta $1 and pesto $2.

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Lots of rice/pasta. Frozen veg. Cheap block of cheese for grating & mix with oil or butter. Add a tun of tuna for protein every second night. It's not real pleasant but it will hold you over nutritionally for a while

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Dried beans, lentils or chickpeas are the most economical way to get some protein. Soak them for a day (or more) before cooking and add lots of herbs / spices.

My favourites are - beans (use any combination of kidney, black, black eyed, borlotti) cooked with smoked paprika (it gives the same sort of savoury hit as many meat dishes) with onion, capsicum and served on rice or corn chips.

And chickpea falafels if you have a food processor - soak the chickpeas for 24 hours plus - then blitz them (uncooked!) - add in some salt, cumin and whatever herbs you have to hand (fresh, frozen, wilted and scraped off the bottom of the fridge or dried), form into balls and fry.

Pasta primavera el cheapo - pasta with frozen veg, garlic, butter, chilli and some cheese.

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LemonMyrtle

Here is my super quick lentil recipe, good as a side, or with rice and bread as a main. It’s cheap if you have left over curry paste, any Indian paste will work. Or just throw in some Indian spices.


1 tin lentils (no salt added)

1 tin diced tomatoes

1 big teaspoon of korma paste

1 big teaspoon vege stock paste (or a stock cube)

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LemonMyrtle

Speaking of Indian, a cheap take away option (maybe for after you get paid again OP) is lunch time Indian.

Some have lunch meal deals. Our local does 2 small curries, rice, naan, and 2 gulab jamun for $18.50. It feeds 2 people easily. Others have $10 lunch deals too with 1 curry. Order at lunch time and eat it for dinner to save money. Sure, it’s not as cheap as fish and chips for a family, but it’s much cheaper than our usual Indian dinner order when we order off the menu.

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Raid your pantry. Look at your canned goods, get creative with meals. If you have the ingredients to make a lasagne but not the sheets, just use it unassembled. Chickpea curry is delicious if you have chickpeas already.


Pancakes can be an anytime meal.

Rice pudding for dinner

 

Looking at what you actually have is the best way forward.

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