PIC Current

Living on less? There are many ways to prepare healthy, delicious and and quick meals without breaking the bank
By Mike Lazear, PIC Current Assistant Producer

As we promised in our post on Friday, we’re back with ideas to help you stretch your food budget and cook tasty and healthy meals on the cheap.

We’re all feeling the financial crunch these days.  Even our food options are becoming more limited.  It seems like a simple “sandwich to go” is over $6. Over the course of a month that adds up fast.

We all know eating out is expensive and that cooking at home is more affordable, but who can find the time? What inexpensive options are there at the grocery store that actually taste like food and don’t take 3 hours to prepare?

Here are some tips that can help save you plenty at the market:

• Go heavy on the fruits and veggies. Not only do these items score points for being natural and healthy, but they are also inexpensive. You can often buy a large quantity of greens for under $5.
• Buy in bulk. Items that last a long time, like pastas, rices, grains, cereals and dried veggies can last years, and are less expensive per pound the more you purchase.
• Avoid packaged items whenever possible. They are less healthy and more expensive. 
• Focus your purchases on items that can be combined. Think about what can go into a soup or salad. It isn’t very difficult to prepare a great salad, and a good salad and soup can function as a tasty, full meal.

Smart shopping will not only save you money, but also be nutritious and filling. If you are truly trying to save money on your food choices, you will need to get at least a bit comfortable with preparing your own food. There are many simple recipes you can make with the following inexpensive food items:

For example, you can put together a really great spaghetti by cooking some noodles and making a topping of tomatoes and onions. This should not take more than a good 20-30 minutes to prepare, it’s healthy, and it is very inexpensive.

Also, try a combination of plain yogurt with granola for breakfast. This is a cheap and filling way to start the day, and it tastes great too. That is, if you like yogurt!

For some great recipes for less check out the following sites:

Frugal Recipes – Many useful tips on cooking for less

Simple Daily Recipes – These recipes have an emphasis on ease of preparation

Recipe Finder – An actual search engine (by food item) with many great recipes

Inexpensive Recipes – This site is full of cheap recipes that are all user-submitted

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