Meal plans

Meal  plans with some really really cost effective meals,

1. Tuna casserole , peas and carrots - 3.00
2. Taco salad, not fried-refried beans, rice   Refried beans cost . 33. rice (2 cups .27) rice and beans .60 
3. Homemade pizza - scratch crust, pepperoni (.50- pkg w coupon at dollar store- Hormel) cheese ,( 2.00 lb at Costco) and pizza sauce ( 100 at dollar store)  total 1.35. Add lettuce salad 2.35 
4. Breakfast for dinner -blueberry  pancakes,turkey bacon, eggs.  (bacon at dollar store, eggs at .1.00 dozen, pancakes .50   3.00
5. Sweet and sour meatballs, rice  3.87 
6. Sausage with potato, radishes, carrots oven roasted 4.23

Meals don't have to be expensive to be good.   Shopping wisely is the key,    

Groceries on the cheap is looking at the "put the meal on the table train" from  a different perspective. 

The emphasis is on purchasing good shelf stable or frozen food  for a RBP in quantity - enough to last you until ot goes on sale again or to keep a controlled non-perishable stock of the things you  use  on a weekly basis. 

This means that instead of shopping daily or weekly for just the things you need to cook your meals for the week. You go to two stores and buy :
1) a protein that is a RBP - enough to make that meal for x number of days. (I.e.: if you eat it once a week, buy enough for 4 meals.)
2) produce and dairy you will need to fill in the meals for the week. 
3) a stock item, if you need to and it is on a RBP - enough to fill in to your self imposed stock level. 

You often are paying 1/2 price for your food.   This allows you to put well-balanced meals on the table consistently on a four dollar a day per person budget.   You spend more time on the locomotive ( planning and shopping ) end of the train, and less time in the caboose ( kitchen j) by cooking more efficiently. 

 Four dollars a day is the target amount for people on snap.   My premise is that of you can do it on 4 dollars a day, spending more is not difficult and you still get more nutrition for your buck.