Guest The Pom Queen Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 After viewing a recent thread I thought it may be a good idea to start a thread with meals you can make under $20. Who wants to go first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 beans on toast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 tinned spaghetti on toast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 scrambled egg on toast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinsmom65 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Chili con carne. Just need some mince, baked beans, tin of mushrooms, tin of tomatoes, some chili powder and kidney beans, oh and a loaf of bread to make toast with. Do it in the slow cooker and you can feed a family of six for under $20. Cheers Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 chilli con carne on toast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluto Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Toad in the hole Sausages Yorkshire puddings Mash Veg gravy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 last night we had bangers (from Aldi, Cumberland) and mash (bit of dijon moutarde in the mash) with peas and browned onion gravy (a la Nigel Slater). Total cost for 2 adults and 2 kids $2.56 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest16631 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 .......I think the expense initially comes from havving nothing in the pantry... .......so shepherds /cottage pie.............gravy/granules/powder ........and flour start of pantry stock............. ........next day stuffed spuds.................bacon grated cheese............will do more than one meal......julienne some vegetables to go with it...............buy olive oil..........white wine..... .............mushroom omelettes............buy cream and lemonade .......make scones.........some fresh fruit .............could freeze some scones........good filler for hungry kids..... ..............bacon from previous shop.........eggs and beans..........mushrooms .................if you try and buy at least one pantry item each shop...............it helps with cost............and follow meals on............it's what I do anyway............one wage and 3 boys ...........always ate healthy...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irishgirl1 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Tonight we are having Corned Silverside,cabbage cooked in the meat water,carrots,peas and corn and mashed potatoes, all up I would say it will cost me about $13 for the whole dinner and then I have a Nannas Apple crumble for afters which was $2.82 on special at coles with some ice cream from the freezer I would say not bad for dinner and desset at around $18. Just to add I am not a good cook I stick with the boring stuff lol. I am hungry now just typing this Laney xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockDr Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 lasagna that did us 3 meals for two adults, so 6 adult portions: 500g mince - $4 pack of wholemeal lasagna - $3 onion/garlic - less than $1 50g butter, 50g flour, 300ml milk - less than $1 large can tomatoes - $3 handful of grated cheese - $1 That's $12. Call it $15 by the time you've added on a side salad of lettuce and tomatoes, and a few cents for herbs. Less when you take into account that many of those ingredients can be stockpiled when there's a sale on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JK2510 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Spaghetti bolognese....minced beef,2 cloves garlic,1 carrot,1 brown onion,pancetta,olive oil,1 tin chopped toms,salt and pepper,oregano,spaghetti,parsley,parmasan if desired. Oops forgot red wine...went into bottle shop and asked for cheapest red wine..$4....he probably thought I was a drunk! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicF Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 lasagna that did us 3 meals for two adults, so 6 adult portions:500g mince - $4 pack of wholemeal lasagna - $3 onion/garlic - less than $1 50g butter, 50g flour, 300ml milk - less than $1 large can tomatoes - $3 handful of grated cheese - $1 That's $12. Call it $15 by the time you've added on a side salad of lettuce and tomatoes, and a few cents for herbs. Less when you take into account that many of those ingredients can be stockpiled when there's a sale on. How large is your can of tomatoes? I've been buying 400g tins of chopped tomatoes from Coles for 80cents. Although my 500g pack of mince cost me $6 so I guess it evens out. I made a spagetti bolognase sauce using 500g mince, two carrots, three large sticks of celery, an onion, a teaspoon of ready chopped garlic, two tins of (cheap) tomatoes, a stock cube, a teaspoon of dried oregano and a dash of red wine (optional). It made enough for six adult portions and probably cost less than $10 if you ony take in to account the proportional cost of the ingrediants (and left out the wine). Omelettes made with onion, mushrooms and a small sprinkling of grated cheese on top served with a side salad is cheap. Also, chicken casserole made with chicken thighs (one each), carrots, onions and any other seasonal/cheap veg, served with mash potato. Most meals can be made cheaper if you increase the content of cheap veg and reduce the content of meat and expensive veg. For an easy meal you could buy a large jar of curry sauce (less than $5 in Coles near here), whatever meat is cheapest that day (enough chicken breast to feed 4 cost me just over $6 the other day), add an onion and some rice and you have another meal for less than $20. You could make it even cheaper by using less chicken and putting in some more veggies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockDr Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 How large is your can of tomatoes? I've been buying 400g tins of chopped tomatoes from Coles for 80cents. Although my 500g pack of mince cost me $6 so I guess it evens out. I use the 800g tins with 500g of mince (I get the mince from the butchers, it's better quality and cheaper at the same time). And yes, could be done cheaper with the cheaper tins, I tend to buy not homebrand as there's one type that comes with extra tomato paste in so don't need to thicken the sauce and I spatter myself with tomato far less often this way... I also made a risotto this weekend, 500g diced lamb, 500g fresh tomatoes, a butternut squash, one onion, one stock cube, dash of wine, sprinkiling of rosemary, 400g rice and boiling water (no parmesan as one of the guests was dairy free). It fed 6, with another 4 portions leftover. Again, probably in the $10-12 mark depending on veggie prices. Honestly when I saw the thread I thought "$20??? that's almost double what I spend..." Obviously I'm not feeding hungry teenagers though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frostie Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Last night we had a ready cooked chicken from woolworths ...$8, bag mixed salad $2 jacket potatoes $2 for pudding we had a $3 cheesecake with some fresh strawberries $3 total $18 fed a family of 5 and was a quick easy option with the ready cooked chicken... Tonight steak on the BBQ ( from Costco at $10 kilo) we will cook half, roasted veg cost approx $5 max and some pasta no more than $3 ...total $13 plus some homemade cookies total approx $15 Tommorow we will have a prawn stir fry with pre packed and cooked noodles....will again cost no more than $15 in total..... I am a rubbish cook do cheat and buy done ready stuff as you can tell.... The kids love chicken breast in a BBQ marinade when it's cooked on the BBQ and the butchers were doing their fresh chicken breast for $7 a kilo so stocked up and froze it..... Very rarely will we go over $15 for a meal.... And my sons favourite is beans on toast lol.....Coles were doing Heinz for $1 can do I bought loads!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 last night we had bangers (from Aldi, Cumberland) and mash (bit of dijon moutarde in the mash) with peas and browned onion gravy (a la Nigel Slater). Total cost for 2 adults and 2 kids $2.56 How did you manage it that cheap? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harpodom Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 How did you manage it that cheap? Oh sorry, that was just for the onions. I'm trumping like nobodies business today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Thanks so far everyone, it just shows it can be done, so for a full dinner every day the max we should be spending is $140 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love Shoes Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Thanks so far everyone, it just shows it can be done it is all the rubbish they cleverly put in our way that makes our shopping bills increase, like chocolates, biscuits, magazines, to name but a few. Home made Pizza can be done really cheaply too, if anyone wants the recipe just shout and I will add it later ..... it is basically pizza dough, mozzarella cheese ... tomatoes (recommend tinned at the moment much cheaper) and pepperoni, mushrooms and any other toppings .... delicious, I make a Puttanesca sauce for my tomato base, but anchovies are not cheap here, do without for cheaper option Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Hungry Jacks - I could do with one of them right now. The filth I have to eat in Russia is unbelievable, all these complaints about Oz are nothing believe me and the service is laughable. Try waiting an hour then getting the wrong thing completely and having to pay a lot more than in the UK or Oz put together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 I buy chicken cutlets very cheap. Put in a pan with a little oil, garlic, ginger, curry powder and soy sauce, water to make a sauce and leave to cook. With rice its quick and they all like it. Sometimes I put some tomato sauce in as well gives a bit of sweetness. Very very easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest GoldCoastMag Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 We buy dried beans from the local bulk food store, it makes all the dishes cheaper than buying cans plus we know exactly what is in them. It started because I missed the black beans and rice meals I got used to in southern USA and found them called turtle beans in this great shop in James st in Burleigh. For people working it may not work out but a slow cooker makes a great bean side dish, or beans to add to chili etc. More 20 dollar meals are shepherds pie, tuna casserole, soup from leftover chicken with veges, chicken wings, tacos or faajitas, sweet and sour pork or chicken or sate chicken, stir fry with fresh veg in season.... most can be more filling if served with rice or pasta, and you get to flavour them to your taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbsy Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Planning your meals and using the leftovers can really cut the costs. We had a roast chicken last Sunday and I deliberately bought one bigger than we need for the family. On Sunday, it was roast chicken, roast potatoes, pan gravy, veg, etc. On Tuesday the biggest chunks of chicken became a curry with added onion, some capsicum, green pepper, a tin of tomatoes and some coconut milk (and curry spice obviously. On Thursday, the bones and the scrappy bits of meat became home made chicken noodle soup. Strip the bones as much as possible and simmer them for a few hours to make stock--depending on the bones, you may decide to add some stock powder as well. Strain the stock with a collander and throw away the bones. Soften a finely chopped onion and a stick of celery in some oil, then add the stock. Break about 150-200g spaghetti into short pieces (under an inch) and add to the stock along with the small pieces of chicken simmer for about 40 minutes and add a handful of chopped parsley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Burchos Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 What a great thread - thank you. We are not in Australia yet and I must admit I was a little shocked at some of the threads stating the high food prices. Keep the meal ideas coming, they are great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FatCats Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Roast chicken Hundreds of pasta recipes, just chuck what veggies you have in the fridge in a frying pan and you are sorted for sauce Pumpkin and sweet potato soup Stew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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