I also find that we save a LOT of money by making our own bread and baked goods. No-Knead bread is super easy to make and SO cheap!

I also just put a recipe we use quite often on my blog last week – it is a sandwich filler with boiled eggs and just a little meat (ham or turkey) and cheese. We eat this a lot (on homemade rolls of course).

Another favorite around here is tuna sandwiches. I spice it up by using re-hydrated diced onion, curry powder, and soy sauce. A can of tuna, if on sale, can be less than 40 cents.

To mix it up, we do sandwich roll-ups–like the kind you get at Costco for parties. Just put all your sandwich ingredients on a tortilla, roll it up, slice, voila!

If you like meatballs, get your ground beef on sale (I got it for $1.19/lb. last week!), add several handfuls of oatmeal or use bread crumbs made out of the heels on a loaf of bread nobody eats, a few eggs, a little bit of milk, and whatever seasonings you like. Bake a whole lot at once (foil makes for easier cleanup) and freeze some for later. We’ve already had 5 meatball meals, and have enough for 3 or 4 more with about $3 of ground beef.

Also, I love googling whatever ingredients I have on hand, or using allrecipes.com ingredient search, to find new things for no extra money.

As for baked potatoes–if you drink milk with it and eat the skin you have most of the nutrients the human body needs.

Pot pie: Another leftover veggie/meat dish. Toss it all in a pan with some gravy, and top with pie crust or even biscuit dough.

Soup: Oldie but goodie! Can be made cheap and easy with can of beans, can of diced tomatoes and a bag of frozen soup veggies. Or use leftovers (again)!

Sandwiches: I read an article that said sandwiches are the new “dinner” meal. Quick and easy. Make ‘em submarine style for a heartier meal.

Stuffed baked potatoes: Another great use for leftover veggies. Just top baked potatoes with things like broccoli, chicken chunks and maybe a slice of cheese.

Crockpot: It can be your best friend! Cheaper cuts of meat end up tender and juicy in a crockpot. Just toss in some veggies (whatever’s on sale), plus some chunks of potato for an easy meal!

Meatloaf: Although not traditionally inexpensive, you can stretch the meat with the addition of “fillers” like TVP, oatmeal or even black beans.

Salmon cakes: Again, another main dish that can be stretched with some interesting fillers. Try oatmeal, white beans or mashed sweet potato. 1 can of salmon ($2 on sale) can easily feed 4 people if stretched.

Noodle casserole: My take on the tuna casserole… basically noodles tossed with a white sauce and whatever veggies/meat you want. Great for using up sale meats no one really wants to eat, hiding almost-too-old broccoli, etc.