Let’s Save Some Money – Frugal Food Stretching Tips from Readers

I got a lot of comments on my post about stretching your boxed macaroni and cheese with a cup of extra noodles.  Here are some reader submitted ideas:

Mary says: I do this with the Birds eye Viola! I add extra pasta and it stretches it much further.

Debra says: I do this kind of thing when I make Stove Top stuffing, I add about 5 slices of bread to the mix. Sometimes I add rye, wheat, or French bread cubes to give it variety.

Ashley says: I add extra noodles to hamburger helper, too. It prevents it from becoming ‘meat soup’.

Tami says: I usually fix 2 family size boxes at a time. I have 3 teenagers and a three year old and it seems the teenagers always have friends over at dinnertime. I like to add some thawed frozen veggies and a couple of cans of tuna. Makes a tasty little one dish meal and I feel better about not cooking from scratch!! :)

Shellie says: I also love to add pureed veggies (sweet potato or carrot) to boxed mac & cheese.

Jen says: I buy the Annie’s brand mac & cheese. I make it 4 boxes at a time(we have 6 boys) & only use 3 of the cheese packets or if I make 3 boxes I use 2 packets. I usually mix veggies & or meat in with it so having less cheese does not take away from the flavor. When I make a pound of plain pasta I use the cheese packet from the Annie’s. Just another way to stretch it :)

Thanks for the wonderful tips ladies!  I love hearing from the readers on how YOU stretch a dollar!

Be sure to catch up on all the previous Let’s Save Some Money posts.