Due to having 340 usd in extra expenses due to having to replace my car that was paid off, I need to do some cutting back.

I was thinking of what type of dishes I can make and pre-make for the week that would cost less than $7 usd a meal.

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On 21 Mar 2026, MATT MUNSON said the following...

I was thinking of what type of dishes I can make and pre-make for the
week that would cost less than $7 usd a meal.

Can't get much cheaper than a bag of dried pinto beans and a bag of dried rice. Throw in some chopped veggies (onion & bell
pepper) and/or meat if you have some to get some extra flavor and nutrition.

Spice it up with whatever you have. I tend to go with bouillon, cumin, chili powder, garlic & onion powder, whatever you have on hand that sounds good. Salt & Pepper to taste.

Good luck!

-GRiM

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I was thinking of what type of dishes I can make and pre-make for the
week that would cost less than $7 usd a meal.

Stews, Chili, Pasta dishes. They can all be faily inexpensive to make, and they all reheat very well and the flavors actually improve the more times they are reheated.

-FltCapt Dallas Vinson, SFI

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MATT MUNSON wrote to All <=-

Due to having 340 usd in extra expenses due to having to replace my car that was paid off, I need to do some cutting back.

I was thinking of what type of dishes I can make and pre-make for the
week that would cost less than $7 usd a meal.

There's countless videos on youtube about cooking on a budget. Rice,
potatoes, beans, chicken thighs, eggs, greens, fresh vegetables and
apples seem to be everywhere.



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Re: Not Eating Out
By: MATT MUNSON to All on Sat Mar 21 2026 07:02 pm

Due to having 340 usd in extra expenses due to having to replace my car that was paid off, I need to do some cutting back.

I was thinking of what type of dishes I can make and pre-make for the week that would cost less than $7 usd a meal.

One thing that comes to mind is meatloaf - Even considering the price of meat, making meatloaf from one pound of ground meat could provide several meals. And while I'd traditionally use ground beef, other meats such as ground turkey or ground chicken would probably be less expensive and still work fairly well.

I think sandwiches are a fairly simple option that doesn't cost that much but can still be fairly satisfying. Also, I suppose homemade hamburgers could fit into this category. And is a hot dog a sandwich? ;)

Also, if you aren't opposed to frozen meals and canned versions of things (such as chili, soups, etc.), those can be an inexpensive option.

Nightfox
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On 21 Mar 2026, MATT MUNSON said the following...

Due to having 340 usd in extra expenses due to having to replace my car that was paid off, I need to do some cutting back.

I was thinking of what type of dishes I can make and pre-make for the
week that would cost less than $7 usd a meal.

taco burritos .. just make a bunch of taco meat and let it cool in the fridge. mix meat and refried beans to your preferred ratio, then in a tortilla do: meatbean mix, spanish or mexican rice, cheese. some other things probably freeze well like corn or pre-fried onion strips. freeze the whole stack. ground pork or ground beef/pork mix is usually $2 cheaper here. give that a
shot?

have rice with everything. eat a bowl of it first. if it's boring put a tiny bit of butter in there or get some 'furikake' from an asian grocery store. stick the rice in everything. if you have a can of soup eat it two days and cram rice in there. if you eat ramen and are left with soup at the end, put rice in there. make the spanish rice up above and just eat that.

keep little curry bricks or bouillon and use it to quickly make stew-like food. or maybe make some gravy. you can freeze that too if you want but it's not hard to boil some veggies and then dissolve something in there. buy a chunk of summer sausage maybe and cut to small pieces and use a few of them
to disguise the fact you're eating mostly potato and carrot. again throw it on top of rice.

look at everything that is sold by weight.. back in the day i'd ask the butcher for $1 worth of ground chorizo and they were happy to do it. grapes are usually sold by weight and i've pinched 75 cents worth of those before too. break up monotony by eating cheap small things last.

hope the limited budget spell doesn't last too long :) but who knows usually you end up finding things you like all the time

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And is a hot dog a sandwich? ;)

By definition; YES!

From dictionary.com:

sandwich

American [sand-wich, san-] noun

1 two or more slices of bread with a layer of meat, fish, cheese, etc., between them.
ex: a tuna sandwich.

2 a partially slit bread roll, pita, etc., with a filling.
ex: a falafel sandwich.

-FltCapt Dallas Vinson, SFI

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Re: Not Eating Out
By: Nightfox to MATT MUNSON on Sun Mar 22 2026 02:23 pm

And is a hot dog a sandwich? ;)

Yeah... not everyone agrees, but, yes, it is.

I was convinced when I considered the Italian sausage sandwiches that are often sold at fairs and events. If those are sandwiches by their very name, then a hot dog, which is not dissimilar from a sausage sandwich, must also be a sandwich.

We talk about serious things here on fsxNet.

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Re: Not Eating Out
By: MATT MUNSON to All on Sat Mar 21 2026 19:02:33

I was thinking of what type of dishes I can make and pre-make for the week that would cost less than $7 usd a meal.

Stews, gulashes, etc. are great for multi-day meals. Here's a simple one my Ma used to make:

In a large pot, drop in four cans of green beans, three cans of whole,
white potatos and a package or two of your favorite sausage or kielbasa
(cut in sections).

Fill the pot with hot water until the water just covees the contents.

Cover the pot and cook on high until it comes to a boil. Turn the heat
down to about 25% and let simmer for a couple hours.

Remove from stove, uncover and let cool. When its cool enough, cover the
Pot and put it in the fridge over night. This'll give the flavor from the
meat time to saturate the beans and potatos.

The next day, or whenever, just reheat portions you're gonna eat amd
enjoy. You can eat it right after it's cooked, but it'll taste a lot
better if it sits over night.

Buon appetito!
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Re: Re: Not Eating Out
By: poindexter FORTRAN to MATT MUNSON on Sun Mar 22 2026 09:31:47

There's countless videos on youtube about cooking on a budget.

There are also a number of cookbooks that specialize in this area, too.
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Re: Not Eating Out
By: Nightfox to MATT MUNSON on Sun Mar 22 2026 14:23:13

And is a hot dog a sandwich? ;)

It can be. I'll take three dogs, sliced down the middle and fry them up so they're a little burnt on each side. then I'll get four slices of bread, put a slice of cheese two of them, then put three dog halves on top of each slice. Cover with the remaining slices and BAM! you get a couple tasty sandwiches.
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Re: Not Eating Out
By: Mortar M. to Nightfox on Thu Mar 26 2026 02:44 pm

It can be. I'll take three dogs, sliced down the middle and fry them up so they're a little burnt on each side. then I'll get four slices of bread, put a slice of cheese two of them, then put three dog halves on top of each slice. Cover with the remaining slices and BAM! you get a couple tasty sandwiches.

That soudns like it could be good.

Before I got my first job (at a fast food place) when I was 16, I'd never seen a hot dog that was sliced down the middle & fried before.. My first job was at a Dairy Queen, and they had hot dogs (at least at the time), and we were trained to cook them by slicing them down the middle and frying them - I thought that was odd when I being trained to cook them that way.. Before that, I had only ever seen hot dogs cooked via boiling in water or on a grill/barbecue.

Nightfox
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cook them that way.. Before that, I had only ever seen hot dogs cooked via boiling in water or on a grill/barbecue.

If it's an all beef dog then Steaming it is the best option.

-FltCapt Dallas Vinson, SFI

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On 23 Mar 2026 at 05:09p, Codefenix pondered and said...

We talk about serious things here on fsxNet.

I'm a fan of Vegemite and cheese sandwiches :)

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