Pinto beans are cheap and a good meal extender. Just add beans to anything you would put ground beef in (pretty much...there are some exceptions!!)

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Formerly Mommy2Ryan

Great ideas - I know I can hardly wait for the garden to come in

As many others have said, pasta can really help out when the budget is tight. I just made some homemade marinara sauce yesterday and froze half of it to use for another dish. You can make lasagna, ziti, stuffed shells, pasta primavera, spaghetti, soup, etc. Double the dishes and freeze one for another time.

Also, get a whole roasting chicken. Besides eating it roasted, you can make sandwiches, stir fry, soup, or a casserolle with the leftovers.

Beans and rice are also a good way to stretch your meals.

Almost every casserole we make with meat in it I half the meat and add a cup or two of cooked beans (usually white with chicken and black with beef or pork). My dh doesn't mind anymore and I'm sure it's healthier for the family anyway.

Use coupons! Just today I got Dole salads for $.75 after in-store sales and a coupon. I can usually find coupons for frozen veggies too. Aldi has great prices on canned veggies which we use in soups, stews, and casseroles.

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When I make say baked chicken I do one extra chicken breast that can then be chopped up with rice or past for a whole other meal. Sometimes just adding a little more meat to what you are cooking makes a big difference. I made a pot roast yesterday and made extra mashed potatoes with it. Tomorrow I will chop up the leftover meat and make a shepard's pie out of it. I have found out that even though my family isn't much on leftovers if I can make a new dish out of it, it makes a huge difference. Plus it's a quicker meal to fix.

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One other idea is to try canning and freezing your own fruits and veggies. We went this weekend and picked blueberries at $2 a pound and I froze a bunch so that we will have fresh berries year round. I do this with corn, peas, strawberries, and green beans. We also buy tomatoes for $5 for a 5 gallon bucket full and jar them ourselves to use in spagetti sauce and anything else that you would have to buy canned tomatoes for. Your local farmers market is a good place to stretch a dollar for fresh fruits and veggies. Tip - If you are looking for fruit or veggies to can and you know you can do them the day you buy them or the very next day, go to the farmer's market at the end of the day and ask around to see if anyone has any overripe produce that they would sell cheap. This is the best type to use for canning. I picked up $20 cases of tomatoes for as little as $5 because the person knew they wouldn't be able to sell them the next day.

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