Cheap dinners that don’t feel like you’re struggling are not only important when the budget is stretched, but also important to keep your family’s spirits up during stressful hard times.
Since higher grocery prices and food inflation are changing the way a lot of us eat right now (whether we want to admit it or not), I thought I would put together a list of low-cost meals to help.
But, feeding your family on a tight budget does not have to mean depressing “struggle meals” at your dinner table.
With a little planning and some smart food prep, you can stretch ingredients and leftovers, spend less, and still put comforting, filling meals on the table that actually feel like a regular meal instead of poverty foods.
Here’s the meal prep I came up with…
Real Ideas for Cheap Dinners To Help Stretch The Grocery Budget
There is a shift happening in households all across America right now that most of us are feeling: we’re realizing we can’t keep eating, shopping, and spending the way they did just a few years ago (heck, even just a few months ago).
Grocery prices remain unpredictable, meat costs continue climbing, and many of us parents are feeling the pressure every single time we walk into the grocery store.
Add in economic uncertainty, layoffs, rising utility bills, and the growing fear that things may get harder before they get better, and food suddenly becomes more stressful (as if figuring out dinner all the time wasn’t stressful enough already).
Why you need to plan for cheap dinners right now
Taking time to prep for emergencies now is a way you can make sure your family has emergency foods that feel like real meals during unexpected emergencies, shortages, or financial difficulties.
Planning cheap meals helps:
- Stretch ingredients when money is tight
- Reduce grocery stress when prices go up
- Use flexible pantry staples that you can buy in bulk and keep on hand
- Adapt easily during food shortages or inflation spikes without deeply affecting your family finances
- Feed multiple people affordably
- Give family comfort food that still feel like real meals during hard times
The real strategy for cheap meals when proteins are expensive:
You do not need a lot of meat for struggle meals, you need flavor. This can be easily accomplished with (probably) spices and seasonings you already have in your pantry.
That mindset shift alone can cut grocery costs and also make you aware of great ways to use meat leftovers.
There’s also another important thing that almost nobody talks about when planning hard-times food:
Cheap food sometimes feels depressing.
A lot of budget meals online feels either like something your family wouldn’t eat or it seems like the same five ingredients.
I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want prepping advice about eating rice and beans every night (even though I like both of those things).
If I’m emergency prepping, I want meals that still feel comforting, filling, and normal, especially during stressful economic times when when comfort foods are important.
When money is tight, it’s hard enough to keep your spirits up, so I think every little bit counts (including comfort recipes).
That’s why I decided to put together a list of helpful cheap dinner ideas that you can actually use during hard times.
Hard Times Cheap Meal Ideas That Your Family Will Actually Want To Eat
Baked Potato Bars
Why this works:
Potatoes remain one of the cheapest, most filling foods available even during inflation spikes.
They store well, feed a crowd, and can stretch tiny amounts of expensive toppings.
Plus, when they’re on sale, you can buy them and store them in cool dry places.
And, bonus? Anytime you can do a “build your own” bar, kids love it.
What to do:
Bake a tray of potatoes and turn dinner into a build your own meal bar.
Low-cost toppings:
- shredded cheese
- sour cream
- canned chili
- leftover meat like taco meat, grilled chicken, etc. (or canned meats like canned chicken)
- black beans
- canned cheese and broccoli soup
- fresh or frozen broccoli
- green onions
- salsa
- butter
- seasonings from your cupboard (salt, pepper, onion powder, parmesan cheese, etc.)
Why it’s good for hard times:
Meals that feel customizable reduce emotional burnout around budget eating.
Plus, kids feel like they have fun choices and won’t even notice when money is tight!
How to prep for this cheap dinner idea:
Start keeping a 10-pound bag of potatoes as part of your emergency pantry supplies (stored in a cool, dry area).
Potatoes are one of the highest-value inflation foods available and are super filling.
You can also store sweet potatoes to change it up!
How to use leftover potatoes:
If you have baked potato leftovers, stretch the meal into the next night by cutting up the potatoes and adding them to canned green beans.
We serve this with a side of cornbread for a full meal (and it’s super filling!).
GET THE GREEN BEANS AND POTATOES RECIPE HERE
Hearty Crockpot Stews & Soups
This is one of my go-to cheap meals secrets to stretch the groceries budget!
I keep pantry staples to make dump soup recipes like canned chicken white bean chili or southwest sweet potato stew (you can use dehydrated potatoes or fresh potatoes).
Not only are these recipes filling, but soups and stews are comforting for stressful times.
Soup is great for prepping pantry foods because it’s comforting and also it stretches:
- meat
- vegetables
- leftovers
- pantry staples
Cheap soup base ideas for pantry:
- potatoes
- lentils
- split peas
- beans
- rice
- canned tomatoes
- bouillon (vegetable, chicken, and beef)
How to prep for this cheap dinner idea:
Keep these soup emergency ingredients stocked in your pantry:
- broth / bouillon
- canned tomatoes
- beans
- pasta (small shapes)
- rice
- dried onions
- dried garlic
Once you have these base soup and stew ingredients, you can add many other items to make it more filling.
Also stock crackers or croutons for soup sides.
Next:
Come up with five crockpot soup or stew recipes your family enjoys.
Buy the pantry ingredients for those recipes and store them together in large bags like this. Then, you can just grab the bags out of the pantry with the main ingredients.
This is especially helpful if you’re cooking during a power outage (like on your grill or camp stove).
Homemade Fried Rice
OK, so all the prepper influencers told you to bulk store rice. Now what?
Using rice is a great way to stretch a meal cheaply, but plain white rice gets boring pretty fast.
One of the ways to combat rice fatigue is to use it in fried rice recipes, which takes it from a bland side dish into a filling meal on its own.
It also helps use up leftovers you have in the refrigerator for an easy way to stretch the groceries budget.
Why this works during hard times:
Fried rice is one of the best pantry ingredients that you can buy relatively cheap and can store for years, especially if you use a food storage vacuum sealer like this and also these.
TIP: If you can swing it in your budget, a vacuum sealer like this is important in helping prep and store pantry foods for hard times and will save you a ton of money in the long run by being able to buy in bulk and store foods for later.
What to use:
- leftover rice or cook rice and then add it to a pan with oil to fry it
Then add in other recipe ingredients like:
- frozen vegetables
- eggs
- soy sauce
- small amounts of chicken, pork, or beef (optional, but especially if you have leftovers you need to use)
- green onions
- cabbage
- carrots
- or anything else you have leftover
This can also be made into a DIY bar where everyone selects their own ingredients and you fry them up individually. (Again, anything that seems fun will make the kids more excited to eat it.)
Loaded Oatmeal as Breakfast for Dinner Ideas
This may seem strange to add to a cheap meal ideas, but loaded oatmeal is actually very filling and it’s super cheap!
You can also make oatmeal more savory or as a traditional sweet oatmeal, which makes it a great for changing things up.
Plus, kids love doing “breakfast dinner” because it seems silly to them.
Why this is good for hard times meals:
Oats remain one of the cheapest nutrient-dense foods families can buy, especially if you buy in bulk and store them in vacuum sealed bags or vacuum jars to extend the life of the food.
How to make this cheap dinner idea:
Cook a large batch of oats (even in the crockpot!) and then let everyone add in some fun toppings.
DIY add-ins:
- bananas
- peanut butter
- frozen berries
- cinnamon
- chopped apples
- raisins
- chopped nuts
- Greek yogurt
- protein powder
- chia seeds
Savory oatmeal add-ins:
- eggs
- bacon
- butter
- leftover meat
- vegetables
- shredded cheese
- parmesan cheese
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- black pepper
- sun dried tomatoes
- black olives
- cream cheese
- everything bagel seasoning
How to prep for this cheap dinner idea:
Buy large containers of oats now while prices remain relatively stable and vacuum seal them into family-sized portions.
More Breakfast-for-Dinner
This grocery saving hack works for two reasons:
- Breakfast foods are often significantly cheaper than traditional dinner proteins
- Kids usually love it doing fun breakfast recipes for dinner, so it eases stress.
Budget-friendly breakfast ideas:
- pancakes with a toppings bar (canned or fresh fruit, whipped cream, chocolate chips, syrups, etc.)
- eggs (don’t sleep on boiled eggs for kids or dried egg powder for scrambled eggs)
- oatmeal with toppings (like we discussed earlier)
- french toast with a toppings bar
- top your own fried potato cakes like these – GREAT TO USE UP MASHED POTATO LEFTOVERS
- DIY yogurt parfaits bar
- breakfast burritos with leftover meats from dinner the night before
SMART GROCERY SAVINGS TIP TO DO ASAP: Create one or two planned low-cost dinner nights each week before financial stress forces emergency cuts.
Sheet Pan Meals
Sheet pan meals are another way to make hearty meals out of the things you have in your pantry or in the refrigerator.
To make easy one-pan meals, you just need to follow a basic formula:
- a cheap protein
- choose potatoes or rice
- add in seasonal vegetables
- oil + seasoning
Toss and roast in the oven.
TRY MY FAVORITE CARROTS & POTATOES MEAL
Affordable protein ideas:
- chicken thighs
- sausage
- canned chickpeas
- tofu
- drumsticks
Best vegetables for stretching meals:
- carrots
- cabbage
- onions
- potatoes
- broccoli
- sweet potatoes
Pasta Bakes & Noodles
Pasta is another very cheap ingredient that you can stock in the pantry and store for long periods of time.
Plus, pasta and noodles are hearty enough to make everyone full and comforting enough for hard times.
(Don’t discount that emotional feelings matter when people are financially stressed! Comfort foods can help with that!)
Cheap pasta additions to make a hearty pasta meal:
- cottage cheese
- cream cheese
- spinach
- canned tomatoes
- canned tomato sauce
- mushroom soup
- lentils
- white beans
- frozen vegetables
- mozzarella
- parmesan
- leftover meat from dinner the night before
You can add any of these to any pasta sizes and types or stir them in with cheese to make a creamy pasta bake in the oven.
Experiment with fresh vegetables you need to get rid like cut up tomatoes, shredded carrots, bell peppers, onions, etc.
Do This Now: Double recipes intentionally and freeze the second one. Building meal reserves can help you mentally handle financial and emotional stress better during hard times.
Rising food costs, supply chain instability, energy prices, and economic uncertainty are likely to continue creating pressure over the next several years.
If your family can adapt now for these changes you will have far less panic if a financial stress hits your family.
WANT TO CONTINUE EMERGENCY PREPPING FOR YOUR FAMILY? CHECK OUT THE EMERGENCY AND DISASTER PREP GUIDES HERE
I hope these ideas for cheap dinners help your family!
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