Most people are pinching pennies these days and doing everything they possible can to save a little extra money. My husband and I are no exception. We are making sacrifices and doing the best we can to save every extra cent we can.


With that in mind, I plan on posting many cheap family meals. For example, tonight we are having beef stroganoff. Simple and cheap, but very delicious. I managed to buy everything we need for less than $15; and I still opted for the fresh produce instead of the cheaper canned options, but canned mushrooms will also work.


Beef Stroganoff

• 2 lbs ground beef (You can use any cut of beef you like as long as you cut it into little cubes, or buy already cut "stew" beef, or the even cheaper option is ground beef which is what we are using tonight.)
• 1 medium onion, diced (I prefer vidalia sweets for the flavor, but since they are seasonal yellow or white is just fine.)
• 1 lb mushrooms, whole or sliced depending on the size (If you can, avoid buying prepackaged! The great thing about bulk mushrooms is that you can pick similar sizes, and avoid the ones that are bad; with the prepackaged mushrooms you get what they give you. also, bulk mushrooms can be cheaper since you aren't paying for the package. Farmer's markets or produce stands are great places to pick these up, because it helps support the local economy. I know that almost all Walmarts sell bulk mushrooms if you don't have anywhere else.)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped (You can use the refrigerated jar garlic if you want, it still works...but fresh garlic is pretty cheap so I usually don't mind springing for a few cloves of it. Grocery stores don't tell you this, but most of them don't care if you break apart the bulb of garlic and just take what you need.)
• 1 bag wide egg noodles, cooked (The noodles can be whatever you prefer really: egg noodles, pasta, rice, or even mashed potatoes which is very good by the way! If you are using any kind of pasta, make sure to add salt to the water when you boil...this is your only chance to add flavor to the pasta.)
• 2 small cans (10-11oz) cream of mushroom soup (Brand doesn't matter, and if you can find a large can for cheaper then definitely go with the cheaper option.)
• 4 oz cream cheese, cut into cubes (I've found that the square block is usually a little bit cheaper, but doesn't last as long and the tub can be reused as a storage container for leftovers.)
• 6 oz sour cream
• 2-3 tablespoon butter or olive oil (I usually prefer butter in this case, but if you would rather use olive oil you can.)
• Salt, to taste
• Pepper, to taste
• Milk (This isn't really a neccessary ingredient, I usually just use a little bit to thin it out so it all depends on your desired consistency. Also, you can use cream or half-and-half if you want that extra flavor.)