Dear Home Ec 101:

We’re in a dinner menu rut, but don’t typically have the money to spend a
lot on groceries. What cheap and easy recipes do you recommend? Are there
any good websites for easily finding low-cost meal ideas?

~Cheap and Easy

Heather says:

Well, not to brag, but you have come to the right place.  Some of these places have silly names and some need to be taken with a grain of salt.  However, they are all sites I peruse on occasion when I’m looking to expand our menu without draining the checking account.

•  Hillbilly Housewife
• Steph’s Country Kitchen Goodness
• Eating Well While Spending Less Menus - Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4
• The Homemaking Cottage
• Crockpot Cooking
• Old Fashioned Kitchen

These will get you started.  If you’re truly in a budget crunch, Hillbilly Housewife has a menu that can feed a family of four for $45 a week, recent inflation may have changed the total.  It’s very thorough although at times labor intensive.

By popular request, I’ll begin featuring at least one frugal recipe per week.

Good luck!