20 MEALS FOR $20/EXTREME BUDGET MEALS /What’s For Dinner/ Easy Affordable Recipes

[@sw3et24x7]

When you added the pasta water to the jar, I screamed. Thank you! I thought I was the only one that does that.

[@allthingsmandy]

LOL Got to get every tiny bit of flavor, right?!

[@reginastephens935]

That was a very tough challenge. Even two family meals for $20 would be difficult these days.

[@shelbylynnwilliams8520]

This video was helpful. We are seniors living on SS & for the first time in many decades we are having to eat budget meals. My MIL lives with us also & she has a hearty appetite so her portions are much larger.

[@allthingsmandy]

Thank you so much! This is why I am sharing my videos; to help and inspire others!! Keep watching! There's lots more to come!

[@donnamcclenton7340]

I’m on SS too and I’m spending $50-65 a week for one but there are some weeks I don’t buy anything and I keep a good stockpile…

[@PinkTigger33]

These were some great meal ideas! I am going to try that broccoli mac and cheese casserole and it would have been a great side for that ham. Andouille sausage is best for any cajun dishes. Smoked or polish sausage don't have the right flavor profile in my opinion. The smoked sausage should pair well with the broccoli mac and cheese dish. I used to love little smokies and mac and cheese when I was growing up. One dish I loved growing up was fried cabbage with kielbasa. One pasta sauce that I've found is very flavorful for the price is Hunt's in the can. It's thin, but you can thicken it with the pasta water. But it's only .99! Or was the last time I looked. One of our favorite budget busters is chicken and rice, you stew a whole chicken for several hours and then take all the meat off the bones, then add rice to the pot and cook until the rice is tender. That will last a small family for several meals and it is very filling. The same thing works with noodles or drop dumplings too. Beanie weenies also go a long way to feed a family. Those are a kid favorite or used to be when I was growing up. Your meals all looked delicious, even the one you rated the lowest. Definitely giving some of these a try. Thanks!

[@geraldinelucas3143]

You did a great job considering the prices of groceries these days. I do pantry pick-ups for seniors in my mobile home park put what I get in the laundry room and they can help themselves. I really don't get a lot considering how many live here but every little bit helps and they are thankful.

[@allthingsmandy]

Thank you for what you are doing to help others!

[@RevBTB]

great ideas, and maybe I would have subbed out the sweet taters AND the rice for a larger bag of russetts and split it between the sausage meal and the ham meal - making mashers for the ham and sheet panning the sausage and buyin a sack of baby carrots for the sheet pan - still all amazing ways to budget feed the fam!

[@allthingsmandy]

Great idea! I definitely think russets would have been a better choice!

[@barbarasutherland8000]

Those would feed me and my son nice ideas.💯👍💯☘️💯😍💯🌟💯😋💯✌️💯👏💯💃💯🙏💯🧀🍝🍅🥒🧄🥑🥗🥦🍛🫑🍚💯🌍

[@allthingsmandy]

🤗 Thank you so much for watching!

[@lizziemiss945]

Pumpkin soup is also good, cheap and filling

[@ReiverGrad14]

I love this. It's enough for two plus leftovers.

[@allthingsmandy]

Definitely!

[@Layla-ir3sl]

I’d say you almost had it. Someone else suggested soup, but maybe you could have subbed a breakfast for dinner for that last meal. Then instead of getting the prepackaged biscuits, you could have gotten flour to make biscuits or flat bread to give you a little more volume to work with for some of the other meals. Plus, you could use the flour to make your own mac and cheese with a roux and some of the cheese and maybe a little butter. Milk would be nice but I’m not sure you could swing that in a $20 challenge. Either way, loved the creativity within the confines of Aldi!

[@allthingsmandy]

Great suggestions! Thank you!!

[@jerrieanderson2245]

This was a good challenge. Love that you used a hame steak, great to see different proteins being used. My grand kids would eat that right up and your broccoli cheddar Mac n cheese. For five of us I usually add about 1/4-1/2 package of extra macaroni. Rice, rotel and Smoked sausage makes a quick cheap meal.

[@allthingsmandy]

Awesome idea! Thank you!

[@racheladams5299]

Loved the variety of meals. With the left over pasta bake I would have turned the left over pasta in to soup using maybe a quarter cup of finely diced sausage to the soup to give it a different flavor. Thus getting an additional meal for your family.

[@allthingsmandy]

Great idea!!

[@nancyculp6968]

Have you ever tried making a sweet potato casserole out of the baked sweet potatoes? Would stretch them more. You probably would have had enough sweet potato mash to make a sweet potato pie, or make sweet potato biscuits or waffles.

[@jonettaotis3828]

Very frugal. Thanks for sharing

[@allthingsmandy]

Thanks for watching!

[@nancyculp6968]

Next time try making red beans and rice with your smoked sausage and add some cornbread to round out your meal... definitely will be enough to fill up teens and adults. You could get away with only using half of the package of sausage this way. Could have made broccoli, chicken and rice casserole with your cheese sauce packets in Mack and cheese kit. Rice is cheaper than most things. Then you could have used any leftover sweet potato mash from casserole and cooked some plain rice and made a rice pudding out of them. Next could make chicken instead of ham...ham is sooo expensive right now and you can stretch chicken further than ham. If purchased a whole rotisserie chicken, could have still had your sweet potato casserole and green beans to go with it. Deboned the bird and placed carcass in crockpot with water( if budget allows add seasonings). After it has cooked and cooled, separate bones from broth. Pick through to retrieve any meat. Now you can use broth to make a chicken and rice casserole, a chicken and sausage gumbo served with rice. Gumbo : make a roux ( equal parts oil and flour), stir until color of old penny over low heat. Do not leave or it will burn. Next add in to roux, chopped onion, 2 cloves of minced garlic, half of bell pepper chopped in small pieces, chopped celery (diced same size as bell pepper)and your sliced up smoked sausage( other half of not used in red beans). Now add broth and stir in enough to make a soup like consistency. Add salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning if you have any( you can make some from spices you might have on hand...look up Emeril’ s ). Let cook in crock pot or on stove top until sausage is done and seasoning has had a chance to marry with rest of ingredients. This makes a pot full! Even better after sitting over night in frig. We always have with a salad or potato salad and garlic bread. If you check the bread out in Walmart at bakery, I found some for 27 cents. I think I come out better by buying products that do multiple duties for different dishes. If you only have a tiny bit of chicken left use in pot pie, chicken noodle soup( using rest of pasta), chicken salad or pot stickers! Just thought you might enjoy some different ideas. You had some great ideas, but those little boxes mainly only serve one to two people.

[@allthingsmandy]

I LOVE these ideas!! Thanks so much!!

[@sw3et24x7]

Are you from Louisiana? Cuz Gumbo and red beans and rice are my go to for filling meals on a budget. 👍

[@nancyculp6968]

My mother was from Louisiana and all of her side of her family, except my grandmother was from MS. I was born there, but raised in AR

[@debimorsette1685]

Easter is almost upon us so that means hams are on sale. This week at Kroger I bought a 10 lb ham for $10. I had the butcher slice it for me. I got 7 large ham steaks, each steak will feed the three of us at my house. I also had the butcher cut the bone in half so I can get two large pots of ham and beans for many meals for the three of us. Debi in Vicksburg, MS. 🥰🥰

[@Magdalena287]

I really wish i still lived near an aldis! I have a family of 7 weve pretty much done away with cheese its just not worth it anymore for the price

[@allthingsmandy]

I know! This week, 8 oz block of cheese was $2... !!

[@helenshack2838]

In Toronto Canada where I live you would never get all those items for 20$. Never. I think that the same grocery haul here would be closer to 40$. A 5 pound bag of sweet potatoes alone would be 6$. You are very fortunate to be able to buy all that food for such a low amount of 20$. Btw. , I think a bowl of tomato soup and some rolls would have made your Mac n cheese casserole meal a bit more filling for your family. Cheers.

[@allthingsmandy]

Thanks for watching! Are you having food shortages as well in Canada?

[@helenshack2838]

@@allthingsmandy We seem to have no food shortages Mandy. And only the last couple of days our gasoline prices are dropping thankfully.

[@melissafrommichigan]

Great ideas! I love to watch budget meal cooking.

[@KirstiPickens]

Great ideas!! Thanks for sharing!

[@allthingsmandy]

You are so welcome!

[@christeenprice5637]

Well done, thanks for sharing ❤️😀❤️👍❤️

[@allthingsmandy]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@karensandstrom444]

thought you were very creative with the budget. l Don't think current times will allow us the same food savings.

[@HoffmansHouse]

I did a price comparison a few times with Aldi and while sometimes yes you can save money I’ve noticed the prices aren’t always that much cheaper than store brands

[@allthingsmandy]

I agree! It's hit or miss!

[@dennisfrench8225]

You did well all in all

[@gloriapeel6887]

Great job! You had great ideas !

[@allthingsmandy]

Thank you! 😊

[@jillistair9118]

Everything looks so yummy! I love your ring! Is that tanzenite?

[@allthingsmandy]

Yes it is! My husband designed my ring with his and my birthstones!

[@jillistair9118]

@@allthingsmandy love it so much!

[@amyclark9581]

I used to go to aldi only but recently Walmart has had cheaper deals. Aldi has got fancy lately. This is how my family actually has to eat with this inflation , most comes from the food bank.

[@sherierodriguez7708]

great job!! I know this was 3 months ago. today with the prices the ham slice alone is amost 8.00. (California) yes sir--eee!!!

[@allthingsmandy]

Oh wow! These prices are getting crazy!

[@nicolebullock8704]

Great job

[@allthingsmandy]

Thanks so much!

[@kathyscrazylife]

These are great ideas! 🐷🧀🧅🍳

[@allthingsmandy]

Thanks so much! 😊

[@darksunshine5002]

Yeah, girl, I'm with you my teenagers would have eaten all that by themselves and probably still wanted more. 3 teenage boys here. But good job you tried and I'm gonna give the broccoli mac & cheese a go.

[@allthingsmandy]

Thanks for watching!

[@NanaPapa123]

Well done!

[@lizvillarreal4077]

New subscriber. Very good meals.

[@allthingsmandy]

Thank you! 🤗

[@AndiMaddux]

I've noticed at Walmart the produce is now in bulk and not individual, aggravating.

[@allthingsmandy]

agree!!

[@PrincestonTheFrenchBulldog]

Next time maybe mix it up with dollar tree too.

[@tangoandali6112]

I know I add butter to pasta

[@carolwasson1570]

New subscriber here. Awesome video!!

[@allthingsmandy]

Thanks for subbing! I'm glad you liked it!

[@kaykrausman8012]

Dirty rice usually has ground meat or chicken livers in it. The sausage would have been better with a jambalaya mix rather than the dirty rice mix. Great video!

[@allthingsmandy]

I agree totally! Thanks for the tip!