Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with food and cheap

Where's the cheap food and drinks in Denver?

kookywon — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:08:23 -0800

What are your favorite cheap eats and drinks in Denver? I'm looking to create a list of cheap places to eat in the Denver area. For example, places with $1 taco night or $2 you-call-its like the Park Tavern on Tuesdays. This has to be near downtown, but I'll anywhere within the area from Evans and Colorado across to the Highlands.

I'd like to get a list of places for every night of the week, if possible.

Or if there's already a website that has this information, I would be interested in that as well.

Affordable Spain!

lattiboy — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:46:38 -0800

What are some of the best things to do in Spain in October? Going on an 11 day trip of Spain:

We will be spending the 1st, 2nd, 3rd days in Madrid, hopping the bullet train and then spending the 4th, 5th, and possibly 6th day in Barcelona. After that we're going to play it by ear, but we're thinking of going to Valencia and different spots in Catalonia (I lined up a rental car) and driving back to Madrid (it's my scheduled drop off point for the car).

Looking for awesome stuff to check out. We'll have a car from the 6th to 11th day of the trip. It would be great if things could trend toward the affordable as I'd like to have some of our savings when we get home.

Also, is there a "city pass" type thing for Madrid and/or Barcelona? We saved a bundle on our last trip to San Francisco by getting one of those. It included metro and museum entry for a flat fee.

Small wedding in Yosemite: know of an amazing photographer with a package under $3K? Caterers too?

scazza — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:12:22 -0800

Small wedding in Yosemite: know of an amazing photographer with a package under $3K? Caterers too? I saw these photographers in CO who provide 2 shooters and let you keep the files for $2600. Anything like this in the San Francisco area or drivable distance from Yosemite?

Also, I would love to have Caridwyn & Sons cater a small lunch/picnic after the ceremony but I haven't heard back from them. I need some alternatives. Recommendations? Local, slow food, seasonal, reasonably priced, willing to help with decor, and do a small wedding? (Wedding cake not necessary.)

Thanks everyone.

Cheap + Healthy + Quick = Impossible?

sciencemandan — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 10:30:26 -0800

I'm starting grad school and will be living in a residence hall with shared kitchen facilities. I need your ideas for quick, cheap, and healthy meals. I am going to be living alone, but I won't have my own kitchen. There is, however, a shared kitchen for the entire floor to use, so I have access to a stove/oven, but I won't be using it all the time.

I would really like to eat healthy, and I will have a refrigerator/freezer, a microwave, and a toaster oven in my room. I also picked up a hot water kettle, and I'm thinking of buying a food steamer as well.

I need food ideas that are cheap, healthy, and quick to prepare. I'm definitely okay with ideas that involve making a large batch of [fill in the blank] and freezing individual portions. Any creative tips on how best to do that would also be appreciated. I'm not vegetarian/vegan, but I'm not altogether opposed to the idea of going that route if it would be cheaper, so get creative with your ideas. Ideally, I'd like to have a list of staple foods that I can run to the grocery store and pick up.

City of Light on a light wallet

bricoleur — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:14:02 -0800

Care to share your tips and tricks for spending a week in Paris on the cheap? Accomodations: Clean and quiet. Open to anything from couchsurfing.org to short-term apartment rental.
Food: Cheap ethnic preferred, but I'm not picky.

Bonus points for stuff in the 13th and 14th (hoping to attend DrupalCon at Cité Internationale Universitaire).

How to master ________ cooking on a tight budget?

Picklegnome — Thu, 21 May 2009 03:52:52 -0800

I need to eat cheaply. Can I do so while extending my cooking ability in a specific direction? What cuisines, categories, or focuses can my home cooking pinpoint while living on a budget? Just in case this isn't clear: are there types of foods, foods from specific regions, etc., that are generally low-cost while having a fair amount of breadth? Or is this a dumb question - do all cuisines have consistent scales that more or less overlap of low to high cost food?

A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and Lyon singing in the wilderness.

mdonley — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:21:07 -0800

I'm going to Lyon this weekend and will be free from late Saturday evening to about noon on Sunday. I'm into food and photography but am on a super-tight budget, so I'm looking for both some cheap, tasty delights and some particularly pretty little corners of the city. I'm staying in Vieux Lyon, going to a concert in Villeurbanne, and can speak French.

Help me to not overthink a plate of beans (and rice)

availablelight — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:44:11 -0800

Rice and beans for the inexperienced and time-pressed cook? I have a 5 pound bag of (non-instant) rice. I have an assortment of bags of dried beans (a pound of kidney beans, a pound of black beans, a pound of navy beans, etc.). Am I imagining this, or is there a way to prepare a one-shot, one-pot/dish batch of rice and beans in the oven? (I do know that the beans will have to be pre-soaked, but that's about all I know-- my experience with dried beans is limited to including them in a long-simmering soup or stew--I've had bad experiences with bags o'beans in other situations)

I have other potential add-ins like spices, tomato sauce, veggies, etc.

Super cheap meal planning for a single cook

craichead — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 13:28:12 -0800

Are there any emergency cheap meal plans for single people? I'm in a temporary financial tight spot, and I need to eat super inexpensively for the next three weeks. I should be able to pull this off: I know how to cook, I've got access to cheap produce, a decent grocery store, and an Aldi, and I've got a reasonably well-stocked kitchen. I'm looking for some guidance, though. There are a lot of websites with cheap weekly meal plans, but they tend to be for families. Does anyone know of any websites with something like the Hillbilly Housewife's emergency $45-dollar-a-week meal plan, but for people who are cooking for one? Extra bonus points if the recipes are not terribly unhealthy.

Looking for bog standard pub grub in London

Helga-woo — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:09:02 -0800

I'm looking for somewhere, easily accessible from central London, that does a bog standard 3-course roast dinner (or similar standard pub fayre) at about £15 a head for about 20 people in January. I was told, and I quote, "none of that fancy, foreign food"*

The plan was to go to a Harvester. The nearest Harvester to us is apparently an hour's drive up the A40. I vetoed this on the basis that I, and several others, already have to travel an hour to get into central London, and we would not travel to Victoria to then have to sit on a minibus on the A40. I also pointed out that we were all based in and around central London, surely there must be somewhere nearer that could cater for us.

I should learn not to speak up at times like these.

So, I'm looking for something like a Harvester, accessible from central London, zone 1 or 2, and more West-ish than East-ish.

The venue can offer fancy, foreign food, but there should be a meat and two-veg option.

Bonus points if:

- It's within the borough of the City of Westminster, as that's where we are based

- It isn't actually a pub (there's a small Muslim contingent, who don't turn usually turn up to the social events, I think you can figure out why. I would like to think we at least made an effort to find somewhere slightly more accommodating to everyone.) Baby steps, people, baby steps. I rock the boat enough by being 20 years younger than everyone else, and actually doing things. As much as I would love to capsize the whole vessel and start again, the annual social event is neither the time nor the place.

*Yes, I believe this definition of fancy, foreign food includes pasta and pizza.

What's your secret tip for saving money at the grocery store?

nitsuj — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:22:21 -0800

What's your secret tip for saving money at the grocery store? Even when we plan out meals for the week, the girlfriend and I always end up spending a lot more money than we'd like. We eat moderately healthy, love cooking, and pick easy to medium (in skill level required to make) dishes to prepare.

What's your trick for staying cheap and healthy at the grocery store? Looking for ideas beyond coupon clipping.

(Kind of like this question, only for food only (and not just websites!)

Inexpensive awesome in Copenhagen?

jrb223 — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:29:29 -0800

Inexpensive awesome in Copenhagen? I'm headed to Copenhagen for two weeks, and I have heard that the city can be quite expensive. To that end I was looking for recommendations of things to do, see, eat and drink that won't break the bank. Any recommendations of can't-miss spots that are easy on the pocketbook and might not be in the guidebooks?

Teach me how to bean it up

timetoevolve — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 09:26:09 -0800

Please teach a displaced, late-to-this-whole-cooking-thing Southerner how to make pinto beans and cornbread. One of my southern mama's highly excellent scraping-by-'til-payday meals was a big pot of pinto beans and a skillet of cornbread. For my part, I resisted learning anything about cooking until age 21 or so, and my mother passed away having never taught me her cheapo dinner skills.

Considerations:

-I do not have a slow cooker or crockpot, but I do have a massive Dutch oven, patience, and a decent amount of free time.
-Any recipes are only for me (my husband detests beans); I have no food allergies and am an adventurous eater.
-My mama's beans had some delicious bean "gravy" (I suppose), which was thick and excellent for sopping up with cornbread. My beans just come out watery, so apparently I'm missing something.
-I am aware that there are any number of recipes for this exact meal, but I'm interested to know what variations/secret tricks exist.

Any help is greatly appreciated, and my beans will thank you.

Cooking on the cheap

odi.et.amo — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 07:21:42 -0800

Cheap home-made food for a group of people? What sorts of inexpensive meals could my friends and I make that are also reasonably healthy? This would be for 5-8 people. We've already done a big batch of scrambled eggs and toast one day, spaghetti and home-made meat sauce another.

I'm considering a stirfry and rice next time. What other cheap meals can we make that can either be prepared in advance or won't take a lot of time to make that night?

Difficulty: It should also be filling (no ramen...). We do have access to Costco and Super H Mart as well as Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and normal grocery stores.

Where to find cheap nuts/fruits in Sacramento, CA

Sultan of Succulence — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 19:58:04 -0800

Where is the best place in the Sacramento, CA area to buy quality nuts and dried fruits on the cheap? They just seem too expensive and/or "fingered" at the grocery stores.

Lists of super easy meals?

jesirose — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:24:02 -0800

Any lists of super simple meals? I suddenly find myself with no money and rising food prices. I am not a chef, and I either eat out or eat frozen meals. I know, I know. Anyway I am looking for lists of dinners / entrees with 2-4 ingredients so I can save money. Bonus points if they can use store-brand items.

Example:
Fettuccine Alfredo (the grownup Mac & Cheese!) (Got 4 meals out of $3, whereas the frozen one I used to buy cost $6 for one meal)
Peanut Butter & Jelly, obvious staple for lunch
Taco - Tortillas, ground beef, cheese.

I found a lot of websites with "simple" recipes which have more than 6 items and lots of steps to do with them. I made cookies the other day and it cost $15 and took 2 hours. I need to save money and time and eat on the mediocre side for a while.

Thanks for any suggestions or lists! I never did the poor college student thing so I have no idea what to buy. So I am hoping somewhere out there is a list of cheap & easy meals that really are cheap and easy, and not $20 worth of ingredients and 1 hour to make.

Cheap eats in Vegas?

blueshammer — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 04:26:27 -0800

Cheap, quality eats on the Vegas strip? I don't know if that's an oxymoron, but I'm making my first trip to Vegas this week for a conference and I'm hoping not to spend a fortune on food. I realize that Vegas has some great linen-napkin experiences, and I'll regret missing those, but I'd regret more paying twice as much for an Applebee's-and-a-half meal dressed up as haute cuisine. Really I'd like to find out about the declasse grub that's not to be missed and within a short walk of Bally's. A real greasy spoon, or great ethnic joint, or whatever -- hit me!

Cheap eats in Beantown?

mollweide — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:50:44 -0800

Cheap eats and good beer in Boston. I'm in Boston for a conference in mid-April, and I'm looking for cheap dinner options. I'll be downtown but I'm more than willing to travel the T for good, cheap food. Any recommendations for good beer are also welcome.

To Live and Dine in L.A.

sourwookie — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 07:45:06 -0800

I'll be spending the next week in L.A. I'm from the Midwest, unremarkable smallish town with zero culinary culture. Help me find places to to eat during the trip, but they have to be quick/take-out places. It's a business trip, my partner and I will be very busy, so we're not interested in sit-down, gourmet dining. This will have to be done quickly and on-the-run.

We will mostly be in Anaheim with a couple of jaunts to Hollywood/Beverly Hills.

Any regional chains, ethnic hole-in-the-walls, tamale carts or the like you could recommend?

once a month freezer cooking carnivore diet on the go for cheap

Furious Fitness — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 18:27:54 -0800

I want to great a food plan/way of eating with the following requirements: Paleo/carnivore (animals--esp. cow and pig, high fat in animal fat, fish, leafy greens) Once a month cooking (or twice) Cheap in NYC apartment (i.e. no deep freezer to buy whole animals) On the go (on average, four days out of week I only eat breakfast at home) For cheapness, thankfully the fatty cuts of meat are often cheapest, so going with less than $2/lb cuts. Other ideas, for instance, are meat markets cheaper? Cheap way to get butter and leafy veggies and fish other than random sales?
For once a month freezer cooking--can make big bone broth, a few different chilis, what else makes big patches?
Then key sticking point for me is having the food with me--thermos to keep meat in? (This also relates to how to best store frozen food in serving sizes.)
Fatty meats that don't need to be cold other than pemmican [cheap source of pemmican?] and canned fish?

Fill me up for a fiver, please.

bjork24 — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 10:58:45 -0800

My wife (a spectacular cook) is out of town, I have $5.00 for lunch, and I'm not in the mood to make something for myself. Since this will probably be my only meal of the day, what's the most filling food I can buy for ~$5.00? I'm open to fast food, slow food, food from the gas station; just as long as I don't have to cook or prepare it myself.

NON-gourmet Mexican cuisine in Maryland/DC?

sarahsynonymous — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 14:50:12 -0800

Please help me find some crappy, cheap Mexican food in the Maryland/DC area. Throughout my whole life, I have been a lover of Mexican food, but only a very specific kind of Mexican food. After speaking to people and learning more about cuisine, I have learned that to most, the style of Mexican I like is horribly inauthentic and altogether awful. Despite all this, it's what I like, so I want to keep eating it. Unfortunately, I just relocated from Richmond, VA (where I could find crappy Mexican everywhere) to Germantown, MD, and I am having a hell of a time finding suitable restaurants.

I guess the best way to narrow down what I'm looking for is to list some standard characteristics. The tacos usually use ground beef, rather than shredded or cubed. The pinto beans are basically pulverized. The queso dipping sauce is pretty watery, and the salsa used is red and seems tomato-based. The enchilada sauce generally seems to have a hint of cinnamon in it. The menu is usually quite extensive, with at least 20 combos for both lunch and dinner. AND, the kicker: The majority of the time, the first combo available on the lunch menu is called a "Speedy Gonzalez."

After a lot of internet searching, I thought I had hit the jackpot with Torino's in Bethesda, but upon my arrival I saw that it is now an Asian bistro. Oops.

Could someone please help me in my quest? I just want my Mexican comfort food, it doesn't need to be fancy (in fact, I'm pretty much expecting a dive). I'm willing to drive up to 30 minutes, maybe a little further if necessary. Thanks so much!

poor student wants to eat

reklaw — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 06:08:46 -0800

Cheap student food. So I've got myself a bit stuck with this whole student-summer (no loan in the summer, at least here in the UK) thing for the next few weeks, and I've basically got about a pound (about $1.80) a day to feed myself. What should I eat?

Yeah, I know, noodles, but there must be something else. My problem is basically that I've got big bags of the staples -- rice, pasta, bread -- but don't really know what there is that I can do with them cheaply. I mean, spaghetti with butter on is alright, but kinda sucks. What should I be buying to have with this stuff? Is there something I've missed?

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner in Downtown Ft. Worth

JakeLL — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 08:47:53 -0800

What are some good/cheap places to eat in walking distance of Downtown Ft. Worth? Okay so I will be in Downtown Ft. Worth for a week. Unfortunately, I won't have a car and I’m looking for places to eat in walking distance of the Ft. Worth Hilton (815 Main St, Fort Worth, TX 76102) for Breakfast and Dinner, and Texas Wesleyan Law School for lunch. I want to focus on finding cheap places, especially for breakfast since the only option I know of right now is at the hotel.

If you happen to know some place with particularly good food please mention them also, just let me know if it’s not necessarily cheap.

Also anything to do at night in the area that I should consider? If not, any bars with good specials during the week, or relaxed atmospheres in general?

(Now that I think about it, is it even safe to consider walking around downtown at night?)

Thanks for ANY info you can get me about this.

College Dining

charmston — Wed, 31 May 2006 19:52:22 -0800

What's your favorite healthy food that can be bought on a college student budget? I've decided that I'm really going to crack down on my poor eating habits. As a college student, I've always bought the food that was the most affordable. Unfortunately, this is usually generic-brand pizza, toaster streudels, and whichever soda is on sale. In order to combat this, I'm looking for suggestions for healthy, easy-to-prepare foods that won't break the bank.