Ramen noodles and fast food dollar menus aren’t the only way to slash your food budget. Although recent months have seen food prices continue to rise despite falling gas prices, a variety of meals can still be prepared at home for $1.25 per serving or less. This great list from the eBay Deals Blog team should provide significant savings if followed. Be sure to check them out for other ways to save every day.

Cooking on a tight budget starts with an understanding of which ingredients are most economical as well as how to get the most savings on higher-priced items. Check out these quick tips for significant grocery savings:

• Prepare meals around which items are on sale that week at your grocery store. Stock up on meat when prices are low and freeze it for later.
• Buy seasonal produce. Summer vegetables can cost you several times more in the winter, and they don’t taste nearly as good.
• Don’t let anything go to waste. Soups are both economical and a smart way to use up leftover vegetables and meat scraps.
• Avoid items marked up for convenience, like pre-cut vegetables, individually packaged meats, and bottled salad dressings.
• Shop in the bulk bins. You’re not paying for packaging, and dried beans cost significantly less than canned.

Here are enough meals to feed you breakfast, lunch and dinner for a month, all at around $1.00 per serving or less.

Breakfast

1      Toad in a Hole $0.86/serving

2      Eggs in Purgatory $0.49/serving

3      Spinach, Onion and Potato Frittata $1.00/serving

4      Pancakes from Scratch $0.30/serving

5      Homemade Waffles  $0.40/serving

6      Biscuits $0.41/serving

7      Crockpot Oatmeal $0.33/serving

8      10-Minute Banana Bread $0.20/serving

9      Southern Cheese Grits $0.22/serving

10   Pumpkin Molasses Bread  $0.35/serving

11   Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal $0.60/serving

12   Granola Bars $0.30/serving

13   Migas $0.86/serving

14   Baked Eggs with Spinach, Garlic and Tomatoes $0.81/serving

15   Ham and Cheddar Waffles $0.92/serving

16   Egg and Cheese Bake $0.96/serving

17   Banana Bread Oatmeal $0.46/serving

18   Pepper Jack Cornbread Muffins $0.34/serving

19   Huevos Rancheros $0.60/serving

20   Black Bean and Egg Burrito $0.99/serving

21   Chocolate Chip Pancakes $0.78/serving

22      Blueberry Crumb Cake $0.41/serving

23      Homemade Bagels $0.07/serving

24      Ultimate Cheap Breakfast Sandwich $0.69/serving

25      Eggs with Mushrooms and Spinach  $1.12/serving

26      Homemade Yogurt $0.52/serving

27      English Muffins from Scratch  $0.14/serving

28      Scrambled Egg Mufffins $0.57/serving

29      German Pancakes $0.43/serving

30      Apple Cinnamon Muffins $0.22/serving

 

Lunch

1      Caramelized Onion Grilled Cheese $0.78/serving

2      Kale and White Bean Pasta Fagiole $1.00/serving

3      Sloppy Joes $0.78/serving

4      Spinach and Egg Quiche $0.93/serving

5      French Bread Pizza $0.88/serving

6      Orzo with Spinach and Peppers $0.56/serving

7      Pesto Chickpea Salad $1.00/serving

8      Potato Latkes  $0.54/serving

9      Garden Tomato Soup $0.74/serving

10   Open Faced Italian Egg Sandwich $1.17/serving

11   Veggie Burrito $0.75/serving

12   Tuna and White Bean Salad $1.18/serving

13   Mini Pizza Bagels $0.75/serving

14   Chili Verde  $0.74/serving

15   Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich $0.89/serving

16   Macaroni and Cheese  $0.84/serving

17   Corn Chowder $0.99/serving

18   Tortilla Soup $0.66/serving

19   Split Pea Soup $0.23/serving

20   Egg Salad $0.53/serving

21   Mashed Potato Soup $0.92/serving

22   Falafel $0.30/serving

23   Bean and Butternut Squash Chili $0.77/serving

24   Egg and Canadian Bacon Pita Pocket $0.95/serving

25   Lentil Tacos $0.68/serving

26   Mexicali Meatless Tostadas $1.00/serving

27   Tuna Pasta Salad $0.64/serving

28   Macaroni Salad $0.50/serving

29   Quinoa Tabbouleh $1.01/serving

30   Broccoli Cheddar Baked Potatoes $0.95/serving

 

Dinner

1      Arroz Con Pollo $0.96/serving

2      Lemon Rosemary Chicken Thighs $0.73/serving

3      Black Bean Burgers $0.67 serving

4      Risotto Cakes $1/serving

5      Winter Squash Souffle $0.73/serving

6      Chicken Enchilada Pasta $0.91/serving

7      Chicken and Onion Kebabs $0.66/serving

8      Pasta Puttanesca $0.84/serving

9      Twice Baked Potatoes $0.29/serving

10   Black Beans and Rice with Roasted Sweet Potato and Lime $0.49/serving

11   Mujaddara $0.65/serving

12   Gnocchi $0.45/serving

13   Southern Fried Chicken Livers $0.70/serving

14   Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas $0.90/serving

15   Chicken and Dumplings $1.01/serving

16   Healthy Chicken Parmesan $0.80/serving

17   Spaghetti Pie $0.50/serving

18   Tuna Noodle Casserole $1.00/serving

19   Beef Burrito $1.14/serving

20   Carnitas $0.83/serving

21   Pasta Carbonara $1.04/serving

22   Black Bean Tacos $0.92/serving

23  Tortellini with Ham and Peas $1.05/serving

24   Chicken and Broccoli Curry $0.97/serving

25   Broiled Drumsticks $0.86/serving

26   Linguine with Garlic and Breadcrumbs $0.67/serving

27   Roast chicken $0.75/serving

28   Vegetable Fried Rice $0.43/serving

29   Pierogies $0.31/serving

30   Broccoli Rice Casserole $0.80/serving

 

With this list we pay homage to many frugal and/or food blogs that help ascertain which meals are both inexpensive and delicious, without being too complicated.  Those blogs are:

MyRecipes.com
BudgetBytes.blogspot.com
5DollarDinners.com
35aWeek.com
TasteofHome.com
BudgetGourmetMom.com
AllRecipes.com
TheNourishingGourmet.com
TastyKitchen.com
MarthaStewart.com
GoodCheapEats.com
CheapRecipeBlog.com
Yummly.com
TraceysCulinaryAdventures.blogspot.com
Tofu-n-Sproutz.blogspot.com
TheHappyHousewife.com
TheFreshLoaf.com
TheBillFold.com
TheArtofCookingRealFood.blogspot.com
SimplyRecipes.com
SimplyFrugalLiving.com
SimpleBites.net
PerrysPlate.com
MyRetroKitchen.com
MyKitchenSnippets.com
My.HeartHealthyOnline.com
MomsPlans.com
MileHiMama.com
meatvacation.com
Macheesmo.com
KitchenMage.com/Blog
KateFromScratch.com
IowaGirlEats.com
Howto-Simplify.com
HomeCookingAdventure.com
HappyMoneySaver.com
HalleetheHomemaker.com
Food52.com
EzraPoundCake.com
EatingWell.com
ComfyintheKitchen.com
Christonium.com
Chow.com
Budget101.com
Blog.LandofNod.com
Behindtheskillet.blogspot.com

Have you ever made any of these dishes for your family?  What types of meals do you make on a budget regularly?  We would love to hear new and exciting ways you save money in the kitchen as well, or if you know of other great money saving food blogs you can post them here in the comments!

Notes about prices:

Costs per serving are based on the recipe source (these are the highlighted recipes), or calculated using the costs breakdowns on Budget Bytes. Oil, salt and pepper are not included in costs; the amounts used in these recipes is minimal and it’s assumed these are items already on hand and not specifically bought for one recipe.