Cheap Meals on a Budget: 5 Food Blogs That Will Help You Spend Less on Groceries
If you’re reading this in 2022, you’re probably in a state of shock over the rising cost of your groceries. (If you’re reading this in the future, I sincerely hope that you have no idea what I’m talking about because food prices have stabilized.) Every trip to the store brings us a little closer to a state of panic as you wonder how on earth you’ll continue to pay for the food you need. In fact, you may have found this article because you were searching for cheap meals on a budget.
In the interest of helping you save money on groceries, I thought it would be a good idea to give you some recipe sites with ideas on how to make cheap meals on a budget. Some of these I’ve used myself and some I found on a Facebook group discussion.
Do you have a favorite budget food blog or resource? I’d love to hear about it—tell me in the comments!
Food Blogs that Will Help You Spend Less on Groceries
1. Budget Bytes
Beth started Budget Bytes when she needed to cut spending and didn’t want to eat just beans and ramen. What began as a way to document her journey to tracking expenses and making good food on a budget has turned into one of the best recipe sites for those seeking to spend less on groceries.
Not only are her recipes delicious, but they come with the average cost per recipe and per serving. You can also find tips on meal prep, meal plans, and recipes that fill a variety of needs/interests, such as vegan meals, quick meals, or meals that cost under $10 total.
2. Don’t Waste the Crumbs
Don’t Waste the Crumbs is a website dedicated to grocery shopping and meal planning on a budget. It all started when Tiffany found her family in debt and relying on boxed foods to feed her family. She writes about her journey to make more “real” foods on a budget so she and her family could pay off debt and live their best lives.
Those interested in making homemade versions of store items will appreciate her recipes for things like homemade Cheez-Its or granola bars.
3. SuperCook
SuperCook refers to itself as a “zero waste recipe generator.” Using either the app or the desktop version, you can select ingredients that you have on hand and it gives you a list of recipes you can make with those ingredients.
While the website itself isn’t the most impressive (and I haven’t personally tried the app), it is a useful tool for when you’re staring in your fridge wondering what on earth you’ll make for dinner. Before you order some delivery or head out to a restaurant, give this recipe finder tool a try.
4. $5Dinners
Erin Chase prides herself on making meals that cost less than $5 (though I suspect that’s becoming harder with rising food costs). Making affordable meals is no small feat for this mom of four boys.
Her website is filled with recipes, tools, and classes to help you spend less on groceries and make peace with having to cook dinner every single night.
5. Frugal Nutrition
Caitlyn is a practicing, licensed nutritionist who started Frugal Nutrition as a way to teach people how to eat healthy food on a budget. In reviewing her recipes, it seems that you’ll find many more meals with lots of vegetables than some of the other sites have.
One of the great things about her website is that it has recipes broken down according to specific diets: low-FODMAP, vegetarian/vegan, Whole30, gluten-free, dairy-free, etc. This makes her a great resource for anyone with specific preferences or food sensitivities who also wants to be mindful of their grocery spending.
In addition, Trader Joe’s lovers will love her section devoted specifically to Trader Joe’s meals.
More Ideas
These food blogs are just a few of many resources you can use to spend less on groceries. If you want more ideas, check out my Pinterest board with lots of cheap meals on a budget and expand your search from there.
You can also check out these tips for helping you save money on groceries:
Happy Meal Planning!
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