Budget Cooking: Eating Well for Less

The idea that eating well requires a generous grocery budget is one of the biggest myths in food culture. Some of the world's most nourishing, satisfying cuisines were born from necessity — from peasant kitchens, from making everything stretch. With the right knowledge, $50 a week can feed one person beautifully.

The Highest-Value Foods

These foods offer maximum nutrition and flavor per dollar:

• Dried beans and lentils: Cheap, protein-rich, incredibly versatile. A pound of dried beans costs $1-2 and makes 6+ servings.
• Eggs: One of the most nutritionally dense foods available at roughly $0.25-0.40 each
• Whole grains (rice, oats, barley): Cheap, filling, and nutritious base for dozens of meals
• Cabbage: One of the cheapest vegetables by weight — high in fiber, vitamin C, and versatile
• Canned tomatoes: More flavorful than off-season fresh, cheap, and shelf-stable
• Frozen vegetables: Often more nutritious than fresh (frozen at peak ripeness), and cheaper year-round
• Chicken thighs (bone-in): Far cheaper than breasts, more flavorful, harder to overcook
• Whole chicken: Roast it one night, use leftovers for two more meals, make stock from the carcass — three meals from one purchase

The Biggest Budget Mistakes

• Pre-cut, pre-marinated, pre-seasoned foods: You're paying for labor. A whole chicken is dramatically cheaper than chicken breasts. Whole carrots vs. baby carrots. Block cheese vs. shredded.
• Buying name-brand when store-brand is identical: Canned tomatoes, frozen vegetables, rice, pasta — the store brand is usually made in the same factory
• Shopping without a plan: Impulse buys and unused ingredients drive up waste costs enormously
• Buying excess fresh produce without a plan: It rots. Buy less, use it all, shop more frequently or buy frozen
• Protein-first shopping: In most cuisines, meat is a flavoring, not the main event. Build meals around grains and legumes, accent with small amounts of meat or fish.

The "Stretch It" Strategy

Cook once, eat three times:

• A pot of beans: Eat as side dish night 1; make into tacos night 2; blend into soup night 3
• Roast chicken: Dinner night 1; chicken salad or sandwiches night 2; chicken soup from carcass night 3
• Cooked rice: Side dish night 1; fried rice with leftover veggies night 2; rice porridge with egg night 3

Cheap, Nourishing Meals for Under $2 Per Serving

• Lentil soup with crusty bread
• Rice and beans (black, pinto, or kidney) seasoned with cumin and garlic
• Egg fried rice with frozen mixed vegetables
• Pasta e fagioli (pasta with white beans in tomato broth)
• Potato soup with caramelized onions
• Stir-fried cabbage with garlic and soy sauce over rice
• Shakshuka (eggs poached in spiced tomato sauce)
• Oatmeal with frozen berries and honey

The Pantry Investment Strategy

Build a pantry of cheap, shelf-stable essentials over a few months. Once you have them, individual meals become very cheap:

• Olive oil, vegetable oil
• Rice, pasta, oats
• Various dried beans and lentils
• Canned tomatoes, tomato paste
• Soy sauce, fish sauce (lasts forever)
• Dried spices: cumin, cayenne, coriander, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning
• Garlic and onions (bulk)