Gourmet foods can be a real treat for everyone; a nice juicy steak is something you might look forward to all week or all month, or whatever your favorite dish is.

But while we all look forward to gourmet items here and there, using cheap foods throughout the week and month wherever possible is going to go a long way toward cutting that dreaded grocery bill.

This doesn’t mean that you always need to buy low quality cuts of meat or brands and varieties that you don’t like, but just making some substitutes of cheap foods rather than the most expensive in a few dishes here and there can help tremendously.

As an example, chicken is usually much less expensive than beef. Do you have beef dishes where chicken can work instead? Using cheap foods in pot pies, soups, stews, and even chili can shave several dollars off your grocery bill every week, so when you make these items consider using chicken or even pork rather than beef. You can also cut down on the number of times you serve any type of beef dish throughout the week and serve a chicken dish instead – use a rotisserie, or put a chicken in the slow cooker with some vegetables, and so on. By using cheap foods like chicken or pork instead of beef you can save several dollars per week. Explore the seasoning mixes and spice blends available at the supermarket that can really make a chicken very tasty, and of course there are many types of chicken casseroles that you can make as well.

Vegetables can also be considered cheap foods and can be used in several dishes either as a substitute for meat or to bulk up dishes so that you can use less meat. When you make chili, cut the amount of beef you use in half and add more onions, beans, and tomatoes. These are cheap foods that still fill you up so you won’t miss the meat so much. Making a hearty vegetable stew is a good idea and makes a good lunch throughout the week, especially if you accompany it with some cornbread or biscuits. Vegetable stews, soups, and vegetarian casseroles are very cheap foods that can even be made with leftovers or frozen vegetables that can be purchased very cheaply. Usually just a few added ingredients are all that’s necessary to turn leftovers into tasty second dishes!

Using these types of cheap foods as much as possible can save you a tremendous amount of money in the long run. There are many seasoning mixes and blends you can get from the store so you don’t need to guess how to make these dishes tasty. Kitchen appliances can also help, such as a rotisserie, slow cooker, tabletop grill, and so on. You might need to put forth some extra effort when incorporating cheap foods into your weekly routine but the savings you’ll get will make it worthwhile.