Single Mom Life

Cheap Dinners Should
Actually Be Cheap.

October 2026

No offense to other bloggers, but some of your “cheap dinners” are far from cheap.

A meal is not truly low-cost when it calls for expensive meat, fancy ingredients, seven spices you do not already own, and a sauce you will use one time before it lives in the back of your refrigerator forever.

Low-income and middle-class budgets are not the same. When many of us say we need cheap meals, we mean: How far can I stretch this meal? What can I make without expensive meat? What can I use that I already have? How do I feed my family without breaking the bank?

We are not trying to make a magazine-worthy dinner. We are trying to make sure everybody eats.

Online shopping can help you stay on budget

I like ordering groceries online because health conditions can make walking through a store difficult. Online shopping also helps me stay on budget. I can see the total as I shop, check my kitchen before adding something to the cart, and make sure I am not ordering another bottle of something I already have five of.

No one needs too many of that one ingredient sitting in the cabinet because we forgot we already bought it.

Online ordering is especially helpful when you are tired, overwhelmed, short on time, or trying to avoid bringing home random things that were never on the list.

But going into the store has benefits too

Shopping in person can help you find deals you may miss online. Stores often mark down food that is close to its sell-by date, bakery items that were made in excess, and meat that needs to be sold soon.

Those deals can be a blessing when you are willing to cook it right away or freeze it for later.

The one thing to watch out for is impulse buying. We are all guilty of it. You walk in for milk and somehow leave with candles, chips, a cute shirt, and things you did not know existed five minutes ago.

Make a list, check it twice, and try not to wander away from it.

Make store brands your new friend

Please stop paying for a name or a picture on the box when you can get almost the same thing for less.

Who are we trying to impress with the name on our food?

Store brands and off-brands can save real money over time. Many of them taste just as good, and your family will probably not even notice the difference. Make off-brands your new friend.

Buy what works for your family

Buying in bulk can be helpful when you have kids. I like buying individual snacks because if I buy one big bag of chips, those chips somehow move into my kids’ rooms and I never see them again.

Individual snacks may cost a little more at first, but they can last longer because they are easier to portion out. Sometimes spending money wisely is not only about the lowest price—it is also about what will actually last in your home.

I also shop at different stores because one store may have a better price on something than another. Walmart does not always have the lowest price, especially on meat. Look around. Check sales. Amazon can also have good deals on pantry items, snacks, and store-brand products.

If you find meat at an unbelievable price, buy those suckers up and freeze them.

Yes, it takes time. But that deal you find today may be a blessing in disguise during a month when money is really tight.

Plan before you shop

One of the best ways to save money is to plan meals for a week or even two weeks at a time.

Find meals that truly work for your family and your budget. Make your menu before you make your list. That way, you know what you actually need, and you are less likely to come home with a cart full of groceries but nothing you can make into a real meal.

You know what I mean: you get home with bags and bags of groceries, but you still stand in the kitchen wondering, “What in the world am I going to cook?”

Planning helps prevent buyer’s remorse and helps your groceries work together.

The key points

• Make a menu for one or two weeks.
• Take a list and stick to it.
• Use store brands when you can.
• Compare prices at different stores.
• Take advantage of online ordering when it helps you stay on budget.
• Look for marked-down meat, bakery items, and sales.
• Buy and freeze good deals when possible.
• Focus on meals that stretch and feed your family.

Cheap dinners do not have to mean sad dinners. They just need to make sense for your budget, your family, and real life.