7 Cheap Dinner Ideas That Help Stretch Your Food Budget 

You have to budget sometimes. And when you do, buying food is one of the best spots to recover this additional expenditure.

You may be facing price shock at the store for groceries or saving up for an expensive home renovation, but either way, it's helpful to have a few family-friendly, low-cost dishes that are delicious and light on the pocketbook for your weekly meal plan. 

We've put up a lengthy list of over 80 of our best inexpensive and simple meal ideas to help. They will enable you to stretch your budget while fulfilling appetites and pleasing tongues. 

How to save money on food:

 Consider buying at a value-focused grocery store like Aldi or even the Dollar Store in place of your neighborhood supermarket. If you stick to buying their house goods only, you'll save a ton of money. House brands are available in your neighborhood grocery store as well, but be cautious! With name-brand items, there are occasionally slightly greater discounts.

Find some coupons! Nowadays, you can locate (and claim) the weekly promotions and offers on a lot of shops' applications. Obtaining that frequent customer cards also fails to hurt.

Observe the laws of your state! For example, a "buy one, get one" (BOGO) offer in several jurisdictions necessitates that you truly get two goods. You may acquire one item at half the price in different states.

Make a lot of vegetables! In addition to being 

Sausage, Potato, and Cabbage Soup 

This dish is an excellent illustration of the tasty and economical benefits of soup, which has long been loved by many. With just a few carrots, onions, potatoes, and sausage, you can easily prepare a dinner for six people. It all comes together around three hours as well. 

Mushroom Pot Pie 

Mushrooms are not that much more pricey than flour! Making drop biscuits is quick and simple because they don't need to be rolled. It tastes like a million dollars altogether. What more would you ask for? 

Chicken Kiev 

Chicken is an excellent choice if you need a high in protein supper but don't want to break the bank.

In addition to being far more straightforward and a bit less dirty than your typical dredge-and-fry method, we took a tried-and-true recipe and added a few clever tips. 

Baked Cabbage and Potato Buns 

A little effort goes quite a ways toward boosting the flavor of simple items. This is an Eastern European dish that's a brilliant way for using up some leftover mashed potatoes, extra flour, and a little bit of cabbage.

Pour heaps of sour cream on top! 

Gundi with Brown Butter Sauce 

Can a low-cost supper be elegant? it's more likely than not possible! It actually just takes two types of cheese, a few yolks, butter, and a sprinkling of semolina crumbs to make a filling, flavorful, elegantly romantic supper.

The pine nuts can be pricey, so feel allowed to omit them or replace them with diced almonds. 

Pasta Carbonara 

This historical low-cost, high-flavor dish has the name "coal miner's spaghetti" due to the way it fed Italian coal mine workers, or carbonados. 

Risotto with Mushrooms and Parmesan 

If you decide to use button mushroom powder instead of the recommended truffle salt, you are able to create a mouthwatering meal of rice, cheese, and mushrooms that will wow guest without breaking the wallet.