Best Budget Food Blogs (2024)

One of the silver linings of being in a recession is the nation's renewed interest in how to save money. With food being one of the major expenses in our monthly budget, there's no more effective place to start than learning how to make a little food go a long way. Here are some of the most useful, entertaining and helpful budget food blogs to help bring out the frugal foodie in you.

The Skint Foodie Blog

Combining good food and frugal ways, the Skint Foodie is proof that you can eat well on a budget. The hugely popular blog, which chronicles how Tony (who went from being an affluent and avid restaurant-goer to finding himself homeless) balances his love of good food with living on benefits, is a must-read for those looking to eat well for less.

From the classic takeaway favourites (think pizza, fish and chips, and an Indian curries) to quick mid-week meals and how to use up those ingredients left hanging around from last week’s shop, the combination of achievable recipes, tips on how to save money on your weekly shop, and witty writing makes this blog a must-read.

A Girl Called Jack

The pen name of single mother Jack Monroe, the recipes on A Girl Called Jack are so delicious, nutritious, and thrifty, that they are the ultimate lesson in how to create tasty dinners on next to nothing.

With a budget of just £10 a week to feed herself and young son Johnny, Jack shows how to whip up apple-sultana pancakes, spiced chicken tagines, creamy salmon pasta dishes, and lemon curd sponge puddings. This is the ultimate guide in combining good food with frugal ways.

Penny’s Recipes Blog

Penny has certainly loved up the challenge of feeding a family of teenagers (especially when one becomes a vegetarian, as does her husband, while the other remains a committed carnivore).

She’s also hot on nutrition, with an eye on E numbers, salt and sugar content and while she is not ‘a trained chef or cordon bleu cook’ she has some lovely recipes and helpful tips.

Her ethos is about cooking with basic ingredients, steering clear of processed food and also not being chained to the kitchen.

She also encourages her readers to use her recipes as ‘an outline idea, and to make changes where you don’t have all the ingredients – or just think the recipe would be better, slightly changed.’

There’s also a pop-up free meal planner for seven meals for £30.

The Stone Soup

Clear, concise and practical, this blog focuses on simple meals that can be whipped up in minutes using just five ingredients per dish – ideal for those with limited time and budget (that’ll be most of us, then.) Sign up for email updates and you’ll receive recipes complete with how-to videos in your inbox each week. You can also pay for lessons at the Stone Soup Virtual Cookery School, which teaches basic techniques for anyone wishing to brush up on their skills.

Budget Gourmet Mum Blog

This time a US blog from Krista who lives in Utah with her husband and four kids, all boys, who she says are ‘already eating us out of house and home and they aren’t even teenagers yet. Send reinforcements. I’m scared.’

She’s big on coupons (a great way to save, get your scissors out) and spends quite a bit of her time cooking, with living on a budget being a major consideration.

With a great selection of recipes, the witty child-rearing ideas are sure to strike a nerve with any mum too.

Brokeass gourmet

Another US blogger, the Brokeass Gourmet, has been such a hit she has now published a book. All her recipes are always under $20 (and would translate to a similar cost in pounds) and she includes great advice on inexpensive but delicious beers, wines, and co*cktails. With beautiful photography and timings for both preparation and cooking, we’ll be tucking into the smoked tuna salad and spicy wonton soup this week.

Cheap Healthy Good Blog

And following the last two, another US blog with the focus on, yup, cheap, health and good food. Three to four bloggers at a time are ‘dedicated to the advancement of frugal, nutritious, ethically-minded food in everyday life.’

The recipes cover a wide range of cuisines and preparation methods, but are mostly simple, delicious dishes made of whole foods. They tend to make sure their recipes are lower in calories and fat, and they love their fruit and veg; most cost between $1 and $8.

Utterly Scrummy Blog

Expat New Zealander Michelle Rice, is a married Mum of three daughters living in Cambridgeshire and her blog has a huge variety of meal plans on a budget.

From frugal birthday party ideas to homemade cleaning solutions, she also gives advice on how to reduce your food bills; the five dinners to feed five people for £18 is a winner.

She also compares the costs of her bills from supermarket to supermarket, with Asda often coming out on top.

Try our quick vegetarian recipes and healthy ideas, and get more ideas with our pick of the best food blogs...