Jason Fitzpatrick
Food is a necessary expense, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a huge one. Budget Bytes offers a collection of recipes and meal plans that are easy on your wallet.
Whether you’re working with a shoestring budget, or just trying to spend less on groceries, low-cost recipes are a great place to start. Even better, most budget-friendly recipes skip the expensive, more obscure ingredients, so it’s easier to stock and use what you buy.
This is what makes Budget Bytes a fantastic resource for those cooking on a budget. The cost of using these resources ranges from free to minimal for premium features (more on that later). If you’re just browsing for one-off recipes, the site’s archive is free.
Each recipe includes photos, straightforward instructions with relevant notes, and, most importantly, a cost breakdown for the total recipe. This includes serving sizes based on average ingredient prices. You can even sign up for a free account to save your favorite recipes and create shopping lists.
The site would be worth a visit just for its free recipes, but there’s also a huge amount of extras packed into it. Many people, including college students or those on food assistance, might be new to cooking, meal planning, or working with an extremely tight budget.
That’s why the site includes a helpful how-to section that covers a ton of basics. However, there’s also a SNAP-challenge page that focuses on meeting nutritional goals with items that can be purchased on food assistance.
If you want to upgrade your shopping experience and make meal planning and grocery shopping a lot easier, for $12 each, you can purchase different meal plans, like the Omnivore Vol. 1.
Each plan includes printable recipes, meal and weekly grocery lists, and even a freezer guide on how best to store and build up a stash of meals.
If you’re unsure what to cook and don’t want to waste money on recipes that are too fancy or fussy for your budget, Budget Bytes is a great place to start a home-kitchen rehab.
