looking for ideas on good food, but cheap at the same time

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I

inhotep

Senior member
Oct 14, 2004
557
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hi,
I'm looking for some good eating food at a low price.
at times i find myself spending lots of cash on takeouts or pre-made foods.
SO yeah if you have ideas or know ways of making good tasting, fast cooking, less preparing meals that would be great. I'm sick of pizzas,corndogs and romen noodles.

 
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ITPaladin

Golden Member
Dec 16, 2003
1,603
0
0
Rice and tuna is what was passed down to me from my single working mother.
Add some margarine, seasons, or vegetables. You could do chicken, but it tends to cost more in a can.

 
M

mikeford

Diamond Member
Jan 27, 2001
5,671
160
106
Friskies, if its good for the cat, its good for you. Canned costs more and doesn't keep you teeth clean.

Rice, beans, pasta. I also considered just going to a all you can eat buffet every other day.

Only fast food thats decent is Wendy's 99 cent menu, I get a deluxe double stack, caesar salad, and cup of chili.
 
Z

Zim

Golden Member
Dec 25, 2003
1,043
4
81
When I was at college we ate a lot of Spaghetti with meat sauce. Cheap and quick to make (~30 minutes), and you can made as much of it as you like. The basic ingredients for the sauce are:

Ground Beef (or turkey) - 1lb
Onions - 2 large, chopped
Cooking oil - 1/2 cup
Canned diced/crushed tomatoes - 2 large cans (28oz x 2)
Tomato paste - 1 large can (12oz)
Garlic - a few cloves finely chopped
Oregano and Basil - about a palm of each.
Salt - to taste.

Method: fry up beef and onions for a few minutes in the cooking oil. Add rest of ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Feeds about 6. Estimated cost: $8

The good thing is that you can replace the oregano and basil with chilli powder and add kidney beans to get chilli. Serve this with rice instead.
 
N

nuonce

Senior member
Apr 11, 2002
374
0
0
RAMEN NOODLES, but get the small bags=cheaper (~19cents) and you can make more.
 
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imported_dani

Senior member
Nov 4, 2004
762
0
0
Originally posted by: Zim
When I was at college we ate a lot of Spaghetti with meat sauce. Cheap and quick to make (~30 minutes), and you can made as much of it as you like. The basic ingredients for the sauce are:

Ground Beef (or turkey) - 1lb
Onions - 2 large, chopped
Cooking oil - 1/2 cup
Canned diced/crushed tomatoes - 2 large cans (28oz x 2)
Tomato paste - 1 large can (12oz)
Garlic - a few cloves finely chopped
Oregano and Basil - about a palm of each.
Salt - to taste.

Method: fry up beef and onions for a few minutes in the cooking oil. Add rest of ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Feeds about 6. Estimated cost: $8

The good thing is that you can replace the oregano and basil with chilli powder and add kidney beans to get chilli. Serve this with rice instead.
Click to expand...

Half cup of oil!!! holy crap that's greasy.....

 
G

Gast

Senior member
Jan 29, 2003
317
0
0
If you want to save money you should seriously consider just getting the college meal plan. The food isn't always the greatest, but you can get unlimited food for 5-700 a semester. That's pretty cheap compaired to takeout. It takes alot to say your going to cook instead of eat out. It doesn't take much to say your going to eat free food as opposed to eating out.

You will probally end up eating better too. Meal plans kick ass.

The big thing to remember here is how likely you are to actually cook as opposed to getting lazy and eating out.
 
M

mikeford

Diamond Member
Jan 27, 2001
5,671
160
106
Beer is actually a complete food.

For tuna go to Smart and Final and get the medium priced can of Polar brand tuna, split it into parts and freeze what you don't use cause the cans are HUGE. All the tuna sold in normal grocery stores is the bottom grade sold to restaurants, and you won't want it anymore once you try the good grades. The top grade stuff was just too good for tuna sandwiches imho, and twice as much as the stuff that was just fine to my taste.

The 99 cent store is your friend, just don't wait to eat anything you buy the expiration is in hours not months.
 
Capt Caveman

Capt Caveman

Lifer
Jan 30, 2005
34,543
651
126
Originally posted by: Moffat Cafe
Look through trash bins for food. You might also find some brains which would help you with--what seems to be a very difficult job for you--understand the forum rules.
Click to expand...

Leave the kid alone. He requested to move the thread before you even posted.
 
A

astrocase

Golden Member
Mar 7, 2005
1,377
0
0
Really cheap: Cup of Noodles, Pasta (don't do the whole mac n' cheese thing, just buy some pasta and make some sauce with ketchup and seasoning), rice, sandwiches, tuna, etc

Cheap: Mexican food. Check out Trader Joes if you have it. That's not the cheapest but it's good and a bit better for you.

Yummy: Steak, Corn on the Cob, Baked Potato, and a beer. Definitely the way to go.
 
A

astrocase

Golden Member
Mar 7, 2005
1,377
0
0
Another very good suggestion and the way I made it through college is to do your shopping in places where white people don't go. I used to shop in an Arabic store and besides the cheap prices they had an awesome variety with lots of veggies and fruits that you won't see in a regular supermarket. Go find yourself some Asian or Middleeastern place and enjoy. I could easily get a lot of veggies and fruit for two people for $12-$20 (indluded some canned goods and pasta most of the time too). I can't remember how long that would last but I think it was close to 2 weeks. Maybe a bit more. I remember getting something like 7 bags of groceries for $12 and this was only 3-4 years ago.

Buy bread and meat at a wholesale place like Costco and just freeze what you aren't eating right away.
 
WhipperSnapper

WhipperSnapper

Lifer
Oct 30, 2004
11,442
32
91

See if you have an Aldi near you, but remember to bring a quarter (for a deposit on a shopping cart) and bring your own plastic grocery bags. http://www.aldi.com I like their condensed vegetable soup; I take them to work for simple lunches.
 
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