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"It Costs About $8 And It Feeds Four": People Are Sharing The Inexpensive (Yet Delicious) Meals They Make For Their Families

"It feeds four adults for roughly $5 and takes about five minutes to make."

Claudia Santos
by Claudia Santos

BuzzFeed Staff

At this point, we all know that groceries have gotten wildly expensive over the years. And, I don't know about you, but it's been really tough for me to stick to my food budget. So, recently, I decided to ask the BuzzFeed community to share the inexpensive meals they've been making that their families love. Here are some of the budget-friendly dishes they shared:

1. Vegetarian Stew

a bowl of sweet potato vegetarian stew
u/[deleted] / Via reddit.com

"I make a great vegetarian stew with dried beans and canned goods. Just soak some blackeyed peas overnight and then cook with canned ingredients to your liking: tomatoes, bouillon of your choosing, and V8 are the only non-negotiables. 

I also like to add fresh potatoes but, again, they’re not really necessary. Once you’re ready to serve it, stir in a couple of spoonfuls of Trappey’s Bull Hot Sauce. This is the only meatless meal that fills me up for a full day."

—catladyjo82

2. One Chicken, Four Meals

"When the kids were little and I was on a minuscule budget, I would buy whole roasting chickens on super sale, a bag of pinto beans, some burrito wrappers, and whatever veggies were fresh and marked down. 

Day one: roasted chicken and veggies. Then, make stock. 

Day two: leftover meat, the pinto beans cooked in the stock, some veggies, and seasonings for burritos. 

Day three (and sometimes four): dump everything leftover into soup! I could get four dinners for four people for about $12. Just change around the seasonings so it's not too repetitive."

—moonbeam171

3. Ham and Bean Soup

a bowl of ham and bean soup with a toasted slice of bread
u/kingOcastle93 / Via reddit.com

"Ham and bean soup while the weather is cold! I get a smoked ham hock and put it in the Crock-Pot on low all day with about one cup of water. Shred it and remove the bones, put the liquid and all the meat in a pot, and add a large can of drained northern beans. 

Add onion powder (this is odd, I know), some ketchup, a tablespoon of mustard, brown sugar, and some garlic. I usually add rivels too, which is kind of like a Pennsylvania Dutch dumpling. It's quick, easy, pretty cheap, and filling. We can usually get two meals from it. It's one of our comfort meals."

—nclark86

4. "Fancy" Grilled Cheese

"Fancy grilled cheese. Typical sandwich, but with tomato sauce and pickles slathered on the bread. Yes, I know it sounds gross, but the flavors will marry in your mouth, and it’s become a staple in my house — even my very picky five-year-old daughter loves it!"

—Megan, Utah

5. Beef Stroganoff

a plate of beef stroganoff topped with sour cream
u/hermans_house / Via reddit.com

"'Poor man's beef stroganoff. Brown hamburger meat and onions and, once it's done, add a brown gravy mix per package instructions — no need to make the gravy separately. Bring to temp until it thickens a bit but not too much. Add to cooked pasta of your preference, although I prefer linguini or egg noodles — something thick and wide. 

Voila! The total cost is about $8 ($5 for one pound of hamburger, $2 for pasta, and $1 for gravy mix) and it feeds four. Delicious and completely tailorable. Add mushrooms or whatever tickles your fancy."

—Kevin, 61, Florida

6. "Close Enough" Fried Rice

"I like to call it 'close enough fried rice': brown rice cooked with a bouillon cube in the water, a can of mixed vegetables, and water chestnuts that have been drained, rinsed, and air fried to add some crispiness. 

When the rice is done, add the veggies, soy sauce, hot sauce, and everything bagel seasoning. Lasts all week and freezes for leftovers. If I’m feeling healthy, I substitute half the rice for cauliflower that I buy frozen."

—karaw98

7. Lemony Spaghetti

a plate of lemon spaghetti topped with shredded parmesan cheese and basil
u/Pure-Scarcity3873 / Via reddit.com

"Lemony spaghetti is so easy and cheap to throw together. The whole meal costs less than $5 (when meat is on sale) for four people. All you need is a lemon, garlic, some sort of protein (my go-to is chicken or pork), a vegetable (carrots, peas, zucchini — whatever you want), spaghetti, chicken stock concentrate, butter, sour cream, and some Italian seasoning. 

I use one dish to make it. Start by cooking the noodles, before draining save one cup of the pasta water. Drain the noodles and, in the same pot, cook the vegetables and then set them aside with the noodles. 

Use the same pot to cook the meat, then set it aside. Without cleaning the pot, cook the sauce: add a splash of oil, three cloves of garlic, and the zest from the lemon. Cook for 30 seconds. Then add in your pasta water, chicken stock concentrate, and juice from the lemon. Cook until its reduced (about 3 minutes). Mix in the butter and sour cream. Add in spaghetti, protein, and veggies and serve."

—Anonymous

8. Tomato Alphabet Soup

"One can of the cheapest whole tomatoes put in the robot mixer to make it liquidy, then put it in a pan, bring it to boil, add a bouillon cube and spices, a bit of water, and alphabet pasta. Cook until the pasta is done and add more water or milk to make it into your desired soup consistency. Makes enough soup for two to three small kids for dinner and takes less than 10 minutes."

—rohonhonhon

9. Chicken Thighs and Ramen

a bowl of ramen with shredded chicken, a soft-boiled egg, and scallions
u/Reddog1990m / Via reddit.com

"I buy a case of chicken thighs from my local butcher for $47 — gets me 30 pounds of chicken thighs. I cook them at the same time using foil trays and some creative Tetris-ing. Once cooked, I debone it, shred it, pack it in quart Ziplocks, and freeze it. I then use it for quick and easy recipes. 

Here's one household favorite: four packs of ramen, one bag of frozen mixed veggies, and one bag of chicken. Boil the ramen with the veggies, drain completely, and add chicken and butter/olive oil. Then stir in ramen seasoning. It feeds four adults for roughly $5 and takes about five minutes to make."

—trishmcdermott

10. Breakfast for Dinner

"Lately, I've been doing breakfast for dinner. Thankfully the price of eggs is at a decent price. The bulk of my spending is on the sides such as potatoes, bacon, and/or sausage. My favorite is a breakfast casserole with sausage: very filling and can always make two meals from it. Oh, and it reheats nicely in the microwave."

—dmurphyrr

11. Pasta with Peas

pasta with tuna and lemons
u/MarissasRecipes / Via reddit.com

"Ideally use shells, but bowties, cavatappi, or any short noodle works. Add frozen peas, parmesan, butter, a splash of pasta water, and the cheap canned crab from the tuna aisle. That comes out to around $7 (using one tablespoon of butter, half a package of pasta, 1/4 cup of peas, one tablespoon of parmesan, and $3 canned crab) for a hefty dinner for two."

—Molly, 39, Georgia

12. "Totchos"

"Totchos are a favorite cheap, quick meal for our family. Fry some tots and make some taco meat (seasoning packet and ground beef). Put the tots on a pan, put the meat over the top, sprinkle with cheese, and stick it in the oven until the cheese melts. Feeds us for probably less than $10 once all is said and done."

—robert_dunder

13. Rice and Beans

a bowl of red beans, sauce, and white rice
u/sarahhopefully / Via reddit.com

"A simple, inexpensive, and great-tasting meal. You can use black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, white beans, black-eyed peas, etc. along with your favorite type of rice. I just heat a can of beans in the microwave or over the stove and then serve overcooked rice. 

You can make the meal in less than 30 minutes and it's super cheap. A can of beans is usually less than $1 and you can buy a five-pound bag of rice for $4–5. It's easy and versatile, plus it's a great source of protein and fiber. If you want to mix things up, you can add in sautéed onions and peppers, bacon, ham, or whatever you want."

—Anonymous

14. Cabbage and Noodles

"Cabbage and noodles: it's easy, fast, and cheap. We eat it about once a month year-round, but it is particularly nice as a lazy TV and blankets comfort food in the winter."

—Anonymous

15. Goulash

a plate of goulash with veggies and ground beef
u/jamesissofast / Via reddit.com

"Goulash is the cheapest and biggest crowd-pleaser in my house. There are about a million variations, but I use ground beef, elbow noodles, canned green beans, canned tomatoes, V8, and cheese. Mind you, I always have cheese handy and I buy the mini cans of V8 every couple of months, so those are handy too. The other stuff is about $12."

—thegreatcatsby33

16. Scrappy Cooking

"I buy whatever meat is on sale and have learned to make 'unpopular' veggie side dishes because they are cheaper, such as beets, collard greens, and squash. We also eat a lot of rice and I learned to bake bread because buying good quality bread in stores is just too much. 

Another win is the dollar rack at the grocery store: fruits and veggies on the cusp of going bad sell for $1 or $1.50. I buy those and either use them that night, or I cook them on low in the oven to dehydrate them and then my kids have dried fruits or veggies to take to school as snacks."

—Anonymous, 34, Maryland

17. Eggs and Feta Cheese

a breakfast pastry with a fried and feta
u/hi_iam_nude / Via reddit.com

"Egg cooked in the rapid steamer (usually omelet style) with feta cheese. If we have bread, then I'll add an untoasted slice of bread with Kerrygold butter. The Kerrygold butter is ONLY for bread — for cooking we use store-brand butter. We get the loaves that are on sale and freeze them. A nice snack lunch that’s quick and so yummy."

—karaw98

18. Multi-use Rotisserie Chicken

"Rotisserie chickens are so cost efficient! I can sometimes get three meals out of a chicken. I shred the whole chicken. Some is used to top off two days' worth of salads for lunches, another part makes enchiladas for dinner, and then I cook the carcass for broth and make a quick soup!"

—Sandy, Pennsylvania

19. Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

a buffalo chicken sandwich with a large lettuce leaf, pickles, and blue cheese dressing
u/Darkling414 / Via reddit.com

"I get whatever chicken is cheapest (breast, tenders, thighs, etc.) and poach them, shred them, and toss them with a knob of butter and Frank's RedHot. I mix store-bought ranch with blue cheese crumbles to make a dressing and put it all on the store bakery brioche ($3 for four buns) for Buffalo chicken sandwiches. The blue cheese, ranch, and Frank's all stay for a while so I'd estimate two sandwiches at around $8."

—Molly, 39, Georgia

20. Hamburger Casserole

"Hamburger casserole is probably a total of $20 if that! All you need is one pound of ground beef, one bag of frozen tater tots, one can of cream of chicken, 3/4 cup of milk, one can of canned peas, one cup of shredded cheddar cheese, and 1/4 cup of fried onion. 

Place pack of frozen tater tots in baking dish. Cook the ground beef and fried onion together and season as you like (I personally use salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika). Pour the cooked ground beef on top of the tater tots. Pour the milk and can of cream of chicken on top, then spread evenly over the meat and tater tots. 

Sprinkle the cheese and peas on top and continue to layer everything. Bake it at 350ºF for an hour, covered. Lastly, sprinkle the final layer of cheese on top, uncover, and broil for five minutes. It's SO good and leftovers are even better! My kids and boyfriend LOVE this meal!"

—Emma, 30, Michigan

If there are any inexpensive meals you love making for your family, let us know in the comments or fill out this anonymous form!