Recipes
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili for About $9
September 22, 2026Creamy, mild enough for a four-year-old, and it feeds five of us twice. Our fall slow cooker chili with the real receipt math.
Freezer Breakfast Burritos: A Month of Mornings in One Afternoon
August 29, 2026Thirty burritos, one Saturday, about 92 cents each. How I make, wrap and reheat them so school mornings stop being a scramble.
One-Pan Sausage and Potatoes: Our Tuesday Night Standby
July 1, 2026Smoked sausage, potatoes, whatever vegetables are hanging around, and one pan to wash. Feeds five for about $9.
Stretching One Rotisserie Chicken Into Three Dinners
May 5, 2026One $4.99 chicken, three different dinners for a family of five, and a pot of broth from the bones. Exactly how I split it up.
Homemade Sandwich Bread Without a Mixer
February 24, 2026Two soft sandwich loaves for under $2, made with a wooden spoon and your hands. The recipe plus the mistakes that made my first loaf a brick.
Budget Beef Stew That Tastes Like Sunday Dinner
December 20, 2025A pot of slow-simmered beef stew that feeds eight for about $17. The cozy dinner we make every December, with a few cheap tricks.
Baked Oatmeal for a Crowd
November 28, 2025Eleven people slept at our house for Thanksgiving. One 9x13 pan of baked oatmeal fed them breakfast for about $6. The recipe and make-ahead tips.
Instant Pot Black Beans From Dry: Cheaper and Better
September 11, 2025One pound of dry beans makes about four cans' worth for roughly half the price, and they taste better. My no-soak pressure cooker method.
Cheap Weeknight Pasta Dishes the Kids Actually Eat
June 19, 2025Four pasta dinners that survive our pickiest eater, most under $1.50 a serving, plus the one I gave up on after two tries.