What meals do you make when money is short and you either have to cook from the pantry or on a limited weekly budget?

frijoles y arroz.

I can get away with making cheaper meals about three nights per week because dh is gone. So I can make more simple and cheaper meals on those nights. Less food goes a lot further when he is gone. Ds1 & ds2 eat breakfast and lunch at school, that helps a ton. When dh is home, he very rarely eats breakfast or lunch. He is always busy working at home (making business calls or on the computer) that he just doesnt eat. (weird, I know) If I am home, I will eat one small meal and it is usually lo's. So the main meal that I cook is dinner.

Breakfast-always cheap and very filling; waffles, pancakes, scrambled eggs
Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Sandwiches and soup (canned or ramen noodles)
Boxed mac and cheese with hot dogs
Fish sticks and mac and cheese

Not the healthiest of meals, but I always make sure our sides are healthy. The kids eat salad probably five days a week, veggie for a side and fruit either before dinner or after.

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grill cheese tomatoe soup or spaghetti

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WIFE TO MIKE
MOM TO HUNTER 4YRS OLD
HEATH 1YRS OLD

pb & j sandwiches

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When life hands you lemons, ask for tequila and salt and call me over!
Any time God closes one door, She always opens another, even though sometimes it's Hell in the hallway.
Handle every stressful situation like a dog. If you can't eat it or play with it, pee on it and walk away.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, prepare to die. (Klingon proverb)
Don't point. You'll poke holes in the air and all the faeries will escape.

Scrambled eggs and a side of fruit

Pancakes or waffles

Burritos (tortillas with refried beans and cheese rolled up in them, lightly browned in a pan)

Tomato soup and grilled cheese

Grilled cheeses
Soup
Pancakes
Goulash
Oatmeal
B&Gravy from scratch
Chicken and noodles
Soup beans w/ cornbread


I usually have these on hand for the "just in case" times.

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~~Sharon...wife to Bill for 17 yrs and mom to Kevin,16; Stephanie,14 and Tyler,8~~

Whatever we happen to have on hand, which most of the time includes:

Brats
Summer Sausage, Cheese, Crackers
Chef Salads
Chili
Eggs, Bacon, Toast
Homemade Pizza
Quesadillas

grilled cheese
chicken noodle soup or cereal from my pantry
spaghetti and sauce
eggs
hamburger helper from the pantry
toast

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spaghetti, grilled cheese and soup, chicken noodle casserole (2 cans chicken noodle soup, 2 cans cream of chicken, 2 chicken breasts cut up and a box of stuffing), beans and weenies (on real desperate almost nothing left in the house!).