12 Cheap Meals: $2 Meal Ideas

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Do you want to save money by eating cheap meals at home? In this post, I’m sharing my favorite $2 meal ideas!

Eating at home can help you save a lot of money, but sometimes it’s hard to think of frugal meals to feed yourself or your family.

I gathered up my favorite cheap meal ideas for you in this post. So keep reading for 12 meal ideas that cost about $2 or less per serving!

Need more help deciding what to make for dinner?

Planning meals and eating at home can help you save so much money, but it’s not always easy to figure out what to cook!

If you need some dinner ideas that are simple, quick, and budget-friendly, you’ll love the FREE 21 Frugal Dinner Ideas List – the handy resource you’ll love to use for quick, easy, and budget-friendly meal ideas to make meal planning simple and effortless!

Grab the FREE Frugal Dinner Ideas List right here!

Looking for ways to save money on home cooked meals, but want to make sure you’re still feeding your family high quality, hearty meals?

I love making yummy meals as frugal as I can. These 12 meal ideas all cost less than $2 per person!

Most all of these have meat as a main ingredient (have to be husband approved!), take less than 30 minutes to prepare, have few ingredients, and are mostly made from scratch! Can’t beat that!

We eat most of these meals on a regular basis and enjoy them every time!

Add of few of these to your weekly menu planner and see how much you can save!

12 $2 Per Person Meal Ideas

These prices are mostly from shopping at Aldi and finding sales on meat and other items. 

If you don’t have an Aldi, look for a discount grocery store near you, markdowns on meat and produce, and for great sales to stock up on deals. 

Related Post: My Favorite Things to Buy at Aldi

$2 Meal Ideas:

So, what is the cheapest meal you can make, while also eating a well balanced meal?

All these meals are under $2 a serving, and several under $1 per serving! And they will get your family fed and satisfied. These meals have just a few ingredients so you can get dinner made quickly and affordably.

Quick Note: Make sure to use these free cash back apps to save even more money!

Make sure to sign up with Ibotta, a free cash back app, to get cash back when you go grocery shopping! Sign up here and get $5 when you upload your first receipt!

I also love to use the Fetch Rewards app to get cash back on groceries! Sign up here and use my referral code: 33UY1 to get 2000 bonus points (worth $2).

1. Spaghetti

Make homemade spaghetti sauce using this recipe from my beef freezer cooking plan and grab some noodles from Aldi.

Spaghetti sauce: 2 large cans tomato sauce $1 each, 1 can diced tomatoes $1, 1 lb. beef $2.69, assorted spices $.25. = $.74 per serving

Noodles: $1.49

Makes 8 servings

$.92 per serving

2. Grilled Chicken, Corn, Roll

Grilled Chicken: $1.69 lb – Cut into bite sized pieces and sprinkle with seasoning.

Can of whole kernel corn: $.49

Roll: $.25 each x 2

2 servings

$1.34 per serving

3. Italian Chicken, Roasted Potatoes, Green Beans

Chicken: $1.69/lb – Cut into small tenders, marinate in Zesty Italian dressing, and grill in a skillet.

Roasted Potatoes: $.25 each x 2 – Cut into bite sized pieces, and roast in skillet with olive oil and seasoning.

Can of Green Beans: $.49

2 servings

$1.39 per serving

Easy alternatives: Change up your marinade for different meals. You could try BBQ sauce, Honey Mustard dressing, or a teriyaki sauce for different flavors.

Related Post: The $30 Weekly Meal Plan + Free Aldi Shopping List & Menu

4. Beef Tacos

Ground Beef: $2.69/lb – Brown beef and add taco seasoning packet ($.50) or homemade taco seasoning.

Shredded Cheese: $.25 per serving

Tortillas: $.15 each

2 servings

$1.89 per serving (2 tacos per serving)

5. Burger

Ground Beef: $2.69/lb – Make 1/3 lb burgers and season with Lawry’s seasoning salt. = $.89 each

Hamburger Buns $1.50/8 = $.18 each

$1.07 per burger

Related Post: $40 Weekly Meal Plan for 2

6. Homemade Chicken Nuggets, Green Beans

Chicken: $1.69/lb – cut into bite sized pieces, dip in whisked egg, coat with breadcrumbs, and cook in skillet with vegetable oil. (Can bake in oven on cookie sheet also.)

Can of Green Beans: $.49

2 servings

$1.34 serving

7. Salad with Grilled Chicken

Salad mix: $.99

Grilled Chicken: $1.69/lb – cut into bite sized pieces and grill in skillet with seasoning salt.

Add whatever toppings you have on hand – shredded cheese, diced tomato, hard boiled egg, carrots, dressing, croutons.

2 servings

$1.50 per serving

Related Post: The Complete Guide to Meal Planning

8. Cubed Steak with Mashed Potatoes

Ground Beef: $2.69/lb – Start with making a 1/3 lb burger patty, flour a cutting board, dip a meat tenderizer in flour, and smack until you have a thin steak. Coat both sides generously with flour, salt, and pepper. Cook in a heated cast iron skillet with a small amount of oil.

Mashed potatoes: $.25 each – Cut potatoes and boil under softened, mash with milk and butter until preferred consistency.

$1.60 per serving

9. Breakfast for Dinner

Can of biscuits: $.49 for 10

Eggs: $.49 a dozen

Bacon – $4 per pack or Sausage – $3

Make gravy from bacon/sausage grease, flour, and milk.

Makes about 4 servings

$1.24 per serving

10. Rice, Steamed Veggies, Grilled Chicken

Rice: $1

Steamed Veggies: $1

Grilled Chicken: $1.69/lb – cut into bite sized pieces and grill in skillet.

Mix together with soy or teriyaki sauce.

Makes 3 servings

$1.23 per serving

Related Post: How to Stick to Your Grocery Budget + Free Grocery Budget Tracker

11. Mac and Cheese

Noodles: $1 box – Need about 1/4 box

Milk: 1 cup – $.50

Velvetta cheese: 1 cup – $1

Makes 2 servings

$.87 per serving

12. Grilled Cheese & Soup

Bread: $.10

Cheese Slice: $.10

Can of Soup: $1

$1.20 per serving

Related Post: 31 Ways to Get Your Grocery Budget Under Control

I’m kind of a dork and brag to my husband about how little our meal costs… But, hey, he thinks it’s great and he always enjoys our frugal, simple meals!

Try some of these simple and cheap meal ideas this week to save some money!

Here are some more cheap meal ideas to help you make your own frugal weekly meal plan:

20 Things to Eat on a Tight Budget

12 Cheap Meals: $2 Meal Ideas

Cheap Dinner Ideas for 2

Easy Two Week Rotating Meal Plan on a Budget

15 Ideas of 10 Minute Meals

10 Pantry Meals: When the Menu Plan Doesn’t Happen

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