If you are trying to stick to a tight budget, the idea of still being able to serve up delicious home made meals might seem challenging. But you can still eat well on very little money as long as you think about what you already have in the cupboards, you plan ahead for your weeks meals and you write a shopping list exclusively containing the ingredients you need and stick to it. Here are four tasty cheap meal ideas.
• Toad in the hole - A satisfying meal comprised of mostly cheap ingredients. Milk, egg and plain flour are all that is needed to make a batter and do not cost much. Chopped cherry tomatoes are delicious when thrown into the batter, if you have some you need to use up.
• Sausage and mash - A lovely comforting meal for winter and one which you can guarantee most kids will enjoy. To include more of your 5 a day, add a side portion of frozen vegetables such as peas and sweetcorn or add grated carrot, swede or parsnip into the mash.
• Spaghetti bolognese - Easy to make and great for the budget. A basic or value pack of spaghetti can be bought for under 20p. Mince doesn't cost much, but for an even cheaper and healthier alternative use a meat substitute like Quorn. Eating vegetarian meals two or three times a week will greatly reduce your outgoings for your grocery shopping.
• Stir frys - this is wonderful way of using up leftover vegetables and meat. Toss some noodles, a few vegetables and some soya sauce in a wok and you have a tasty meal that barely cost you anything.
Eating on a budget while still cooking everything from scratch is easy. The most essential part of cutting down on your grocery bills is planning ahead. For instance, you can create an inexpensive meal by cooking some spicy chickpeas and eating them in a fajita, and then use up left over tortillas a couple of days later by making chicken enchiladas.
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