12 Meals for Under a $1

It seems like money's always tight. Whether you're a student, saving for a big-ticket item, or trying to get out from under your debt, making room in the budget isn't easy. Food makes up a significant portion of most people's monthly budget, with the average person spending between fifty and a hundred dollars per week on food - more if they eat out. Here are some ideas that can help you to get by - and be well-fed - on less than a dollar per meal, twenty-one dollars per week. Hey, it's not glamorous, but it's possible, and living for a month or two on the cheap may be just what you need to get ahead.

Prepare Yourself - The single most important commitment that you need to make, in order to be successful, is to stop going out. Don't buy a single meal away from home, pack your lunch every day, and stop making impulse purchases. With the budget that we're working with, a cup of coffee costs about as much as you should be spending on your entire meal, so expenditures add up fast. These items, eaten alone or together, should allow you to eat for a buck or less at each meal. You'll need to keep your eyes open for deals, and shop carefully, but it can be done without too much suffering.

Rice and Beans - As long as people have looked for cheap eats, there's been beans and rice. The variety available in both of these items means you won't need to get bored. The old classic of red beans and rice is always nice, and you can't go wrong with black beans. I strongly recommend using brown rice, though, as it's nutritionally much superior and the complexity of the mean brown rice will keep you full longer.

Sandwiches - Sandwiches on the cheap got most of us through school. Peanut butter and jelly, tuna, canned chicken or turkey, and sale lunch-meats are all options that can be had for under a buck. Again, you'll feel full longer if you can get whole-grain bread, though the variety of bread available in our price range may be limited.

Day-Olds - Head on over to the local bakery and ask about day-old sales. Our local bagel place will sell me a huge bag of day-old bagels for a couple bucks. One bag gets my wife and I though a week of quick and satisfying breakfasts. This is a critical point in making this budget work. Because of the cheap bagels (which, when frozen, will virtually never go bad), we're able to eat breakfast for about twenty-five cents each, leaving an additional seventy-five cents of budgeted cash to spread out among lunch and dinner. This is the difference between a can of condensed soup for dinner and BBQ chicken on the grill!

Freebies - No, I'm not suggesting that you start visiting the local soup kitchen in order to save a little cash. Freebies abound, and are all around you. The office where I work provides free bagels twice a week (yes, more bagels) and hosts an occasional luncheon for our customers. By digging into these freebies at the end of the day, after everyone has had their fill, I can often scrounge up the makings of a kick-ass sandwich or two. They keep pretty well in the fridge at work, so I can often get through a two or three days of lunches on these free finds.

Ramen Noodles - No list on cheap food would be complete without this old college standby. If you buy in bulk, ramen noodles can be had for less than 10 cents per package, and are easy to stretch out by adding meat or a handful or frozen veggies. This is worth doing for the nostalgia value alone.

Burgers - This American classic is actually quite affordable. Whether you make the burgers yourself, or buy them pre-made and frozen, hamburgers and buns can easily be had for less than a buck. If you shop carefully, you can pick up some potatoes, too. Would you like fries with that?

Soup/Chili - It's no exciting, but folks of limited means have been living on soup for an awfully long time. They're easy to stretch, versatile, and affordable. But it in cans for convenience, or make it yourself, either way, it's easy to get in under budget on soup. If you have a slow-cooker, you can make delectable soups for pennies, with very little effort.

Lentil Stew - This is an old favorite of mine from growing up. Prepare the lentils as instructed on the package. I like to add a splash of red wine, if I have some - quality really doesn't matter. Chop up a potato or two, some carrots, a bit of garlic, and an onion - all cheap items, and simmer for a hour or two - the longer, the better. Eat with bread, or break up some crackers over the top to add some crunch. Some grated chees is also a nice option, if you have it. It's really good lightly salted with a little splash of vinegar, just as you sit down to eat.

Baked Potatoes - Bulk and value - potatoes just can't be topped in these categories. Bake up a few potatoes, top with some butter, sour cream, grates cheese, or whatever you have handy. I've happily eaten them topped with salsa, spaghetti sauce, or even leftover tomato soup. Spuds are filling, tasty, and cheap.

Eggs - One word: versatile. Eggs can be prepared in about a million ways, and are about as cheap as you'll get when it comes to good quality protein. Scrambled, fried, in a quiche, in a sandwich, or hard-boiled to go. Nearly everyone likes eggs, and adding their protein to a starchy meal can help you to get through the day with some energy stores. The rumors are true - eggs really are incredible.

Pasta - Like the humble potato we looked at above, pasta adds bulk at little cost. Eat traditionally, with a store-brand sauce, make your own delicious sauce on the cheap with canned tomatoes, use the pasta as a soup-stretcher, toss a handful of cooked pasta into your chilis, or prepare a cold pasta salad for lunch. The generic pasta is every bit as good as the brand-name stuff, and can be had for well under fifty cents a pound. Check the dollar stores.

Frozen Veggie - Alright, it's not a meal, per se, but veggies are healthy, and living on a budget doesn't have to mean missing out on healthy options. Throw a handful of frozen veggies into nearly any rice or pasta dish for some variety, or serve with salt and butter as a simple side. Mom's right, folks - you need to eat your veggies.
If you're willing to shop around and be creative, it's not that hard to get by on a buck or less per meal, without even clipping coupons. Buy the store brand when you can, watch the fliers at your local store, and be persistent. The meals listed above have gotten me through some lean times in style, and they'll serve you well, too.