by Barb Hopkins

Created on: January 09, 2009

When difficult financial times hit, the ability to cook for a week on a budget is one way to help your paycheck to stretch further.

To cook for a week on a budget successfully, you need to know the answers to three questions.

1. How much money can I budget for food and groceries without having to live on peanut butter and macaroni?

2. How many meals need to be cooked during the week and for how many people?

3. What can I cook with the time that I have?

Try the following tips and tricks to stretch your weekly food budget.

LEFTOVERS ARE YOUR FRIENDS. When planning your weekly menus, look for meals that will leave you with leftovers to eat for lunch or to use in the next night's recipe. For example, a 1.5 pound rump roast may cost you between $6 and $7. Slow cook it in the crock pot on Monday with russet potatoes. Shred the roast and serve with barbeque sauce on buns with the taters and a side of veggies. On Tuesday, combine the leftover shredded meat with a box of Hamburger Helper (there are no rules stating you HAVE to use hamburger) and serve with veggies or canned fruit. For around $10 to $12, you can have two complete weeknight meals that are not only tasty, but also frugal and quick to fix.

CASSEROLES SERVE MANY. When feeding a larger group, try simple pasta casseroles. Generally, a pound box of store brand penne pasta costs about $1. With a jar of spaghetti sauce, a small can of mushrooms, a diced onion, and a cup of shredded cheese, you can quickly and cheaply make a casserole to serve four to five people. To make it heartier, stir in a pound of ground beef or turkey, browned and crumbled. If $4 for a pound of lean ground beef is too expensive, opt for a pound of lean ground turkey in a tube. The turkey will cost half of what the ground beef will at a major grocery store. Serve your casserole with a side salad or canned green beans.

SOUPS SATISFY. A large pot of homemade soup is cheaper and feeds more people than a meal of pricey pork chops, potatoes, and fresh greens. The great thing about soups is that there are a million different recipes out there. Soups are great to create because if you keep your pantry stocked with canned veggies and spices, you will always be able to throw together a soup using ingredients on hand. A two-quart container of chicken or beef stock costs around $3 but you can always cut costs further and purchase bouillon cubes to make your own stock.

WASTE NOT. Don't ditch the leftovers; remember we said they are your friends. Leftover vegetables,

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