A Few Quick and Healthy Meal Ideas to Save You Money on a Limited Budget

With the cost of living continually on the rise, people often look for ways to save money. As a college student on a small budget, I know I have looked for many ways to help keep costs down. One of the easiest places I have found to cut money from is the food budget. Many single people I know spend two or three hundred dollars on food each and every month. Most of this amount comes from fast food and eating out, but it also comes from the expensive foods they buy in the store. Personally, I live on about fifty dollars per month in food. You may wonder how I save so much money, and I actually could live on less if I brought the quality down. I don't just live on ramen noodles like you may expect from such a small budget. The key to saving money while retaining a high quality of food consumption is to get in the kitchen and start cooking. Cooking takes a little work, but the benefits far outweigh the time it takes you in my opinion. I have come across a few cheap meals that can be healthy and also cheap to prepare.

1. Potato soup can be an excellent choice for an inexpensive meal. Not only is it healthy, it is also cheap and easy to prepare. You will get some of the needed vegetables in your diet. Also, you get protein from the meat if you choose to use any. It is simple to prepare and can easily be done in half an hour.

2. Tacos are a cheap meal that nearly everybody likes. You can use turkey or sausage for the meat to save money if you want. I personally use sausage most of the time, but I occasionally use turkey and beef. Soft tortillas are generally cheaper than the hard shells, but both are pretty cheap. You can add toppings as desired, and you will find that you can have a good meal for a cheap price.

3. Sausage and bean soup is another favorite of mine that I make often. I use pinto beans or butter beans and either ground or smoked sausage. If you use the beans out of a can like I do, you can have the meal ready in around fifteen minutes, and it is very cheap and filling.

Those are three of my favorite choices for cheap, healthy meals. Instead of living on hot dogs, ramen noodles, and fast food, try cooking up some quick meals. You will find that they taste better than frozen dinners and are a lot cheaper and healthier. So next time you think about cutting the budget, just remember that a lot of cheap meals can save you money and taste great too.