Cheap Eats for a Big Family

Has anyone else been trying to figure out how to make cheaper meals, lately?

I recently read an article where a mom of two little kids was bemoaning the fact that she had a food budget of $125 a week and wasn't sure how she was gonna make it work.  Are you stinkin' kidding me?  I feed my family of NINE on less than that!  And FOUR of them are teenagers!  Yep, it's true.  Maybe that's why they're all so skinny...nah, I do actually feed them.  : )

So, what do we all eat, you ask?  Well, I'll tell ya this much... it ain't deer.

I bake a lot of bread.  And bread related foods.  Lots and lots of bread.  Once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy.

So, what goes with the bread?  (besides butter, real butter, of course.)  Yeah, you can't just serve bread for supper and expect a happy family.  That's where soup comes in. 
Soup is my artistic outlet.  It is how I make one pound of meat feed nine people, and not get a single complaint.   It is how I get vegetables into a carnivore's diet.  Soup is super!  dur.        (A big, huge pot costs about 5 bucks and feeds us for 2 days!)

Here's a few of our regularly reoccurring soups, in case you were wondering, with a few modifications based on mood and available ingredients:

Potato Soup, or Potato Cheese Soup, or Loaded Baked Potato Soup, etc, usually served with homemade Red Lobster style biscuits.  We have this about once a week.  Butter is the secret, here.

Chicken Noodle Soup, or Chicken and Dumplings, or noodles and dumplings when we can't agree. That's what is pictured above.  This past fall we butchered 25 chickens that we raised ourselves and now they are all in my freezer awaiting my creative cooking.  Although I hated butchering, it sure is nice having those chickens.

Minestrone,  which is any combination of vegees that you have on hand, a little ground meat or meatballs, lots of Italian seasoning and some pasta or beans or both.  Gotta have fresh bread!

Vegetable Soup, which is basically minestrone without the meat or beans.  I love it.  I used to be a vegetarian before I met my husband.  He is a meatetarian.  We compromise with most meals now.

White Chili,  which includes one of my favorite foods, fire-roasted green chiles.  This has chicken, white beans and lots of onions and spice.  We eat it with tortilla chips when they're on sale.

Black Bean Soup, this takes some planning ahead to keep it cheap because I have to remember to soak the beans instead of using canned, but it is my favorite use for beans, of which I am not a fan.  It goes with cornbread or chips.

Chicken Tortilla Soup, which is awesome by the way.  It's a copy of a recipe from Max and Erma's.  This one's a real winner.  Yes, I like spicy!  We all do, except Noah.  Who's kid is he anyways?

Lola's Lentils, that's the name on the bag.  I usually throw in some ham or smoked sausage.  It's quicker than bean soup, so I make it more often.  If you've never tried lentils, buy some.


Chicken Corn Chowder, this is a good way to use all that corn we froze last summer.  It's mild and sweet.  It sometimes has meat.  Goes great with homemade wheat. bread.  Sounds like a song...

Broccoli Cheese Soup, need I say more?  I love this stuff.  I will eat it for days.  My husband could live without it.  But he humors me and eats it occasionally.  Gotta have croutons for the top!

Old Fashioned Beef Stew,  super easy but takes a couple hours.  If I ever get used to eating deer, we'll have this a lot more often.  I guess then it won't be called beef stew, though.  Right now it's a little expensive. 

and of course...


My Secret Recipe Chili, which my husband is convinced that I could sell, because it's so good.  It's also kindof expensive, more like $10, but great for company or a crowd, which is what we already have.  I make extra and freeze it for other meals like chili mac or chili cheese burritos which makes it more economical.  Sometimes you just have to make chili!

The Mystery Soup, this is one that started out as one thing and then became something else.  That's what I love about soup, you can improvise.  After all, Necessity is the mother of invention.  : )

So, there ya have it.  What to feed a big family on the cheap.  That's around $40 for the week, bread and lunches included.  The secret is to make things homemade.  Steer clear of recipes that call for canned cream soups, canned beans or fancy ingredients.  Substitute bouillon for canned chicken broth or make your own.  Also, you can get used to eating a lot less meat than the recipe calls for.  Just throw in some extra rice or pasta.  Choose recipes based on what you have on hand, what's on sale, or a combination of both.  You've just got to experiment to find out what your family likes best.  Be sure to write your own recipe down if it's a keeper.  Also, maybe start with homemade biscuits or cornbread, instead of yeast bread.  The outcome is more predictable. Then you can get all fancy and try homemade bread bowls or something like that.  You're the artist, go ahead and be creative.  It's nice knowing that you're saving your family money in the process.

And just in case you were getting worried....yes, we eat more than just soup.

I'll share some more cheap recipe ideas later.

But back to soup... I'd like to hear from you.  What are some of your favorite cheap soup recipes?  I could use some inspiration.  : )

Have a souper day, 
jen