Pronto pasta

The only doctors appointment available is for 7:15 check in-- our normal dinner timeand we have been going to the dentist and running errands all day.    The meal plan for today isn't working.  

Enter pronto pasta .   I have be getting it for as low as a quarter.    In order to suit our tastes--

In a 12 inch frypan, dump a box of elbows.    Add 3 cups water.   Cook in high for 10 minutes, stirring .

When  there is about 1 MINITE left, add 2 T olive oil, salt and pepper.  
Pull the pan off the hot burner and add blue and parm cheese.    Garnish with chopped tomato and basil.

About a 12 minute dinner.    I already have leftover fruit salad.

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 laying 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 ( cooking) 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.