When it comes to cooking on the cheap, I'm not so good at it.

home made soup is my contribution. i found a great recipe for home made beef and barley soup on the net and we make at least once a month during the winter! Throw in some home made bread (we have a breadmaker that was free and given to us by friends) so that makes a great and cheap meal.

well like most people are saying casseroles and stews are easy and cheap. You can buy veggies that may not look so appealing, but still can be used for such dishes. And usually they are marked down. My grandmother made the best beef stew with these kind of marked down items and you would never have known. I love to overcook, because then I can put them into containers and either freeze them or put them into the fridge for lunch the next day. This helps my mother out as well because of her health she has a hard time cooking, so all she has to do is micro the food the next day. Oh and a lot of times I take leftovers and combine them into another meal...like leftover veggies I will toss in a one skillet meal. I use a lot of the recipes on the containers I buy...like the block cheeses. Look for recipes like these and also look for ones at the check out counter...they have a lot of quick and easy meals. One dish recipes are really nice. You just have to make a veggie and add a salad and you have a great meal. Also, I have made a lot of the recipes healthier by switching the butter to unsalted butter and cooking with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Also I am a coupon person....online printable and paper ones. It gets to be fun once you look at it as a challenge.

What we are doing is to have fish fried and then the rest will be cooked to vinegar and ginger. It will last for a number of days and so economical.

Chili and stews are great for making multiple meals out of. Really, any kind of soup too- a batch of french onion or chicken noodle soup can last for days! Veggie stir fries are also good, and you can save the base and reheat and serve over rice or noodles. Also, pasta salads are easy to make in bulk and have last a few days.