Groceries can be one of the biggest monthly expenses for families. To help with those expenses, I have put together a list of 10 cheap meals on a budget. Give these a try and let me know what you think.
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Save Money By Batching Your Meals
Coming up with clever ways to save money at the grocery store and lower your monthly grocery expenses, can make a big difference in your overall monthly budget.
Aside from the 10 cheap meals listed below, one of my favorite ways to save money on meals, is with meal planning. Starting with inexpensive recipes that share some staple ingredients is a great place to start.
I remember when you used to be able to buy ground beef really cheap and almost everything I made had ground beef in it. Now it is way cheaper to get chicken and a lot of times pork. Lately I have been buying chicken breast for $1.28/lb – $1.48/lb.
I buy a package of 6 – 7 chicken breasts (halves) for around $9. and cook it in my Instapot for shredded chicken! If you don’t have an Instapot it is absolutely worth the one-time investment. It will save you tons of time and money in the long run.
It is seriously one of the best kitchen related investments I have ever made. You can even throw your frozen chicken breasts in the Instapot for 55 minutes and have perfect shredded chicken.
If you do not have an Instapot, you can throw your thawed chicken breasts in your crockpot on low with a little chicken broth with some salt & pepper (or any seasonings you prefer) in the morning and it will be ready to shred in 6-8 hours.
The shredded chicken I get out of the one package of chicken breasts typically makes around 3 meals for my family of 6. Some of our favorite cheap and easy dinners we make with shredded chicken include:
- Chicken Quesadillas
- Chicken Nachos
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken Tacos
- Chicken Pot Pies
- Chicken Sliders
- Homemade Chicken Pizzas
Get creative, even include your kids. You would be surprised what they can come up with.
The first five cheap meal recipes below all use shredded chicken.
Must Try Recipes - 10 Cheap Meals On A Budget
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Pull Apart Rolls by Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen (note: The recipe calls for thinly sliced deli chicken. These are delicious with the deli chicken as the recipe calls for; however, I have made these several times using the shredded chicken I make in batches and I find this even better and more cost effective.)
- Chicken Pot Pie Casserole by Cincy Shopper (again I use the shredded chicken I batch ahead of time to save money.)
- Easy Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole by Mom on Time Out
- BBQ Chicken Tostadas by Cupcakes and Kale Chips
- Easy Baked Chicken Taquitos by Home Made Interest
- Crockpot Red Beans and Rice by Bubbling Brook Budgets
- Cheeseburger Pasta Skillet by House Of Nash Eats
- Best One Pot Beef Stroganoff Ever by Hip Foodie Mom
- Broccoli Fettuccini Alfredo by Budget Bytes
- Pepperoni Pizza Casserole by The Diary of a Real Housewife
If you have some favorite budget friendly recipes, I would love to try them! Feel free to share them in the comments section below.
