Easy Inexpensive Meals

Knowing how to prepare easy inexpensive meals makes it possible to entertain guests on a tight budget.

Feed a crowd without going broke.

From planning a casual party for 10 of your close friends to organizing a family reunion for 75 relatives, the basic principles of feeding a group on a budget remain the same.

Start your party off on the right foot by serving inexpensive appetizers before the meal. If people aren't famished when they sit down to eat, you'll go through much less food. Crackers, cheese, and vegetable trays are affordable and easy to prepare. Chips and dip are acceptable as well, although you do need to take the time to at least put these items into appropriate serving containers!

You need to serve some sort of beverage with your meal, but this shouldn't be a large part of your party budget. Help keep costs down by limiting drinks to two or three choices. Coffee and lemonade are generally the cheapest beverages to serve to a group, although milk is a popular choice for family-style meals as well. Soda can be a reasonable option if you are able to find sales or coupons at your local grocery store. Avoid serving alcohol if at all possible, since this can be very expensive and it's hard to predict how much you'll need for an event.

Avoid convenience foods whenever possible. Items such as canned broth, packaged stuffing, and pre-made pie crust all add to the cost of your meal. Cook and bake from scratch as much as you can. Remember, many easy inexpensive meals can be prepared in advance and frozen until they are needed.

If you must use convenience foods, investigate store brands. In most cases, the quality is just as good for a fraction of the price of name brand items. Worried about your guests thinking you're a cheapskate? Just remember to take out the trash before they arrive!

One way to help keep the cost of your meals to a minimum is to substitute less expensive ingredients whenever possible. Many recipes have simple substitutions that you can use to shave $1 or more off the cost of each serving. When you're feeding a large group, this adds up quick! AllRecipes.com has a list of common ingredient substitutions to help you get started.

While potlucks aren't the right choice for every occasion, they can be a great way to enjoy spending time with family and friends without worrying about the cost of preparing a large meal. To make it easier to organize your potluck into a balanced meal, send out suggestions for what people can bring or ask them to drop you a note telling you what they'd like to contribute. Plan on providing the main dish yourself, however.

Obviously, deciding what to serve for easy inexpensive meals depends a lot on the occasion. If you're hosting Thanksgiving dinner, for example, tacos probably aren't a good choice no matter what they cost per person! However, if you have some flexibility in your meal planning, here are some frugal options to consider:

• Tacos
• Homemade pizza
• Spaghetti
• Vegetarian lasagna
• Sloppy joes
• Chili
• Stew and homemade rolls

Need a good recipe? LoveToKnow Recipes has a large collection of recipes that are easy enough for even the most inexperienced of cooks.

When looking for plates and silverware to serve a meal to a large crowd, check out your local dollar store. Places such as Dollar General and Dollar Tree often have a large selection of paper plates, paper cups, napkins, forks, spoons, and knives for all occasions. Whether you're planning a birthday party, a graduation celebration, or a casual backyard BBQ, you can get everything you need to serve your guests for a fraction of what you'd expect to pay elsewhere.

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