Chicken chicken chicken. Whole chicken, chicken thighs, chicken wings. All cheap AF and delicious. Watch out for cheap chicken breast, they're really not very tasty, but for more $, but still less than steak, you can get high quality chicken breast from whole foods or a butcher.

One of my favorite weeknight dishes is 4 bone-in skin on thighs (~$0.89/lb) in a cast iron pan, skin side down. Flip when crispy, then into a 400F oven until internal temp of 165. Remove from oven and set thighs aside. Pan on med heat and add chopped shallots and some minced garlic. Deglaze with white wine and a bit of chicken stock and whisk to mix in all the fond. Cook off most liquid then hit with a few Tbs of butter and some lemon juice. Pour the sauce over the chicken and FEAST. So good and cheap AF.

I'd also suggest getting a cast iron pan because they are cheap, last forever, and very effective if you take care of it.

Shop at the local Asian grocery. Deals are everywhere, but often out of sight. Ask you favorite cafes what they sell to customers in bulk. You might be surprised.

If you are in the US, chicken thighs and pork are cheaper alternatives, so converting recipes to use these ingredients is smart.

If you want flavor you need just a couple of things: heat to get the Maillard reaction going, salt to enhance flavor, fat to convey the flavor and acid for the little kick. If you feel fancy you can add a dash of umami (think soy sauce, fish sauce or some stock). For recipes and ingredients have a look at /r/eatcheapandhealthy

Jack Monroe's site:

https://cookingonabootstrap.com/

> Monroe came to prominence in the media through writing the blog A Girl Called Jack, sharing cheap recipes created as a single parent with a young child, and aiming to provide family meals for less than £10 per week. In December 2015, the blog was renamed as Cooking on a Bootstrap.

From her Wikipedia entry

The recipe site I use the most is easily AllRecipes. They have categorized recipes for just about anything there is. Here is a direct link to their Budget Cooking Category.

Good and Cheap. The author wrote this book (free) especially for people on SNAP/food stamp benefits. Her website is here.

BudgetBytes is far and away my favorite, been using it for years. She breaks down what it cost her to make it and the recipes range from super simple/beginner to fancier meals. She also gives advice on what freezes well, how to keep a staples pantry, etc.

Nope, sorry. I've only used the site for recipe ideas. I just mentioned all the other stuff b/c I figured that might be useful to people.

More important than that, the blog has actual useful information! It's not just bullshit about her family; it talks about substitutions and optional additions, ideas for serving, and how to store leftovers. People talk about how the blog is for the algorithm but there's way more to it than that and she is the queen of food blog SEO.

Oh, I'm so glad. I think the author wrote it for her master's thesis. The food's pretty inventive and interesting, i thought.

Don't Waste The Crumbs is a nice site with plenty of budget recipes. It's has comprehensive grocery budgeting guides and tips as well as some example weekly meal plans.

Gotta make sure Fraser Park Restaurant is on this list. Dirt cheap for huge portion sizes of breakfast food

They have a $11-12 lunch special Cheeseburger with Cesar salad and a drink Or 3 chicken strips with Cesar salad and a drink Or another one I can’t recall Well worth it !

Amazing! Thanks for doing this for us 👌🏼 much appreciated 👏🏼 If anyone is a lover of shawarma/donair and plates The Donair Sub House on 6th is decent value for the money, in terms of quality & quantity. Maybe a thought to add yo the list.

X-Site's value for money is actually off the charts

yea they do. just went there recently! pretty nice

I dunno how realistic, but being able to see where.abouts it's located on a map in relation to other places and set.by day of deal.

So I could say I'll be in new west on Wednesday and show me items that meet that criteria

I think Google Maps has some sort of API which makes this easier for web developers. Alternatively, Open Street Maps does the same but likely has more of a learning curve, while Google Maps would probably make you pay, eventually.

This!! A slice of whole wheat bread, half a smashed avocado, with a nice fried egg on top?? chef’s kiss

$0.10 for a slice of bread, $0.25 for the avocado, and $0.10 for the egg is a pretty solid meal for $0.45. Double if if you’re really hungry and you’re still under a dollar.

My friends think it's weird that my go to cheap meal is rice, beans, and whatever hot sauce I have in the fridge. But I'm glad I've found my people here.

Elevated:

• Buy your beans dry and save around 50% per weight, cooked

• Get a green pepper and white onion and sautee them in spices for flavor and added nutrients

• Fold frozen corn into your cooked beans to add a lighter flavor to the fold

I've done all of this and my total cost per (hearty) serving is approximately $0.65

Ah shit, my area of expertise, here we go.

My go to dinner is arepas (they're essentially Hispanic fried sandwiches, but you can oven bake them too for a healthier option), you can get a bag of the mix for like a few bucks, a bag of the mix makes about 20+ arepas. Add some butter then other kind of sandwich meat you like to it and it averages to be less than a dollar per meal. Always my go to cheap dinner and EXTREMELY tasty to boot. Two arepas is a pretty full meal. If you ever decide to try it, try it with some pastrami...of all things...tried it this week and it is out of this world delicious.

My go to lunch I cook a turkey vegetable egg noodle soup, but I despise the texture of vegetables so I use a blender to blend the vegetables into the soup (it's insanely delicious). Cost around $20.00 to make a gloriously massive pot, it creates ~25 bowls of soup. I put most in the freezer, bring 5 bowls to work a week. $20.00 for an entire month of lunch meals covered at work, saves me a LOT of money.

Also I was given an air fryer for Christmas recently, I'm getting a good amount of value just throwing cheap frozen foods in like chicken wings, fish, cheesesticks in there and getting meals for the cheap. One bag of frozen wings last me like...3-4 meals, easy to cook, cheap, healthier. Win win win.

I don't particularly have a go to cheap breakfast idea yet, mostly because I don't really like American breakfast food, but I'm still seeking ideas. Accepting suggestions :D!

Peanutbutter and scambled egg sandwhich is the bees knees

We add cheese to the scrambled eggs, but also a bit of butter, stop cooking so they are just ever so slightly runny (or, more like a "moist" appearance).

Good with a glass of milk.

Yep! Add creole and blackening seasoning, and you have a tasty dinner.

I meal-prep tons of soups, stews, curries, casseroles, etc. They all work out very cheaply.

Check out Budget Bytes for some good recipes.

such a staple at my home...love to add some sauteed onions and peppers to the eggs and cumin spice

Or lime juice! They always added chicken and lime juice and it was delicious

El pope, pupuseria el salvadorian. Pupusas are like 2.50-3$ and filling.

joes inn

I've plugged the app before and I'll do it again here- download Too Good To Go. You can find some heavily discounted food from local places on that.

community fridges have free food! They have gotten me through some tough times

Costco food court, the menu is reasonably priced and the food is consistently decent and filling.

Fish Counter on Main St

Have two bowls of BC bouillabaisse and split a Crab/Shrimp sandwich.

You're Welcome.

• Vietsub downtown. Great meal deals, can easily eat for under $10
• Amay's house is incredible Burmese. Fermented tea leaf salad is one of my favourite dishes ever.
• Indian Roti Kitchen on Cambie. Really big portions, I love the hard working lady that runs it.
• Dosa Factory. Better than nearby House of Dosas, you can feast for under $15.
• International Village Food Court in Chinatown. Bali Thai and Canra Sri Lankan are both excellent and very friendly.
• Al Basha on Broadway. Late night shawarma and falafel done right (and fresh).
• Marulilu Cafe on Broadway. Hole in the wall Japanese cafe with tasty homestyle dishes.
• Romano's Pizza. Fresh toppings, doesn't make you feel like shit.
• La Belle Patate. Good poutine, good price.
• Sweet Greek on Commercial. Everything is good, spanakopita is insanely good.
• Hawker's Delight on Main. OG cheap eats.
• Jamaican Pizza Jerk on Commercial. Chef Bounty is great, food is homey and high quality.

Duffins donuts on Knight and 41st has the best fried chicken, pretty tortas, and the best peanut cake donuts.

El Caracol on Victoria Dr and 36th, great Mexican place with amazing pupusas. A block down is a great Burmese place called Amays House. Western Lake on Vic and 34th has the best dim sum, and they're massive portions. All have great pricing.

Duffin Donuts? Open 24/7 also

Hooked is very good food for reasonable prices.

Papa rich, massive portions and super cheap for the quality

You are a decent human being. That age would love the burger or pizza places. Botown is a favourite here.

Wooza is an affordable pizza place with really large portions. Definitely prefer it to Dough bros

High cafe down towards quay street is reasonable and sit down meal as opposed to fast food

Chili’s 3 for me. It’s $11 for an appetizer, drink, and entree.

Alexis Greek cafe. $10 for gyro, fries and drink during lunch

I like to look at total price + amount of food. Because if it’s $16 but they give a huge portion that will last me two meals, then I consider it and $8 meal.

I like Mystic Grill on Balboa for this. It’s a Mediterranean place. Their kabob or shawarma plates are $14 but are huge and last me 2 meals. Or you can get a 14 inch pizza on their fresh dough for $9. Or a meat pie for $3.50 (a couple of these would definitely be a full meal for less than $10).

Hamburger, fries, AND a beer…. $10! Chicago Fire Grill. Nice salads too for $12.

On 5th Avenue between University and Robinson (closer to the University end). When I worked in the neighborhood, the grilled cheese was super cheap and came with fries. A regular stop for many of the shop workers.

Who is eating in for lunch?

In N out

Search mo nalang. Tanveer halal kitchenette Appa's (korean food) Kanto freestyle Chef Arnold's pizza Chekwa (idk kung ok padin sya ngayon) Charlie wanton special Laixel tapsilogan sa m cruz(calbayog extension) Tapsibugan

Master Buffalo along Barangka if galing ka sa side ng Mcdo / Goldilocks / Kfc, nasa kabilang side then bandang right. Sulit

If you miss home cooked food, sa hapon meron pong nag bebenta ng food sa tapat ng Kai Garden. Kusina ni ariel and name. May tent yun dun. Everyday, nag iiba iba ang luto niya. Naka container lahat ng food so safe and clean pwede imicrowave pag umuwi. Malaki rin ang serving. P100-P120 lang dun. And the grilled stuffed bangus sobrang fave ko yun dunnn. Tsambahan lang if may relyenong bangus from La Union. Sayang lang wala na yung parang flavored bangus. Dati kasi meron honey garlic bangus hahahahahaha pero pwede rin request un ahead of time.

If mahilig ka mag walking, gumawi ka na don hahahahah

Try nyo po Betcho’s eatery sa Halcon. Good naman ang mga ulam at meryenda.

Sinugba