Delicious: Real-live home economists know from cooking on a budget

You know who probably has some inkling of how to really watch your grocery dollars, some good advice regarding shopping smart and cooking well and healthily with a budget in mind? My guess would be a good, old-fashioned home economist. The Times Online is running a series in which two food experts examine a household's food and cooking habits, budget and spending patterns, and then entirely revamp and renew their menus, nutritional profiles and cash layout. And in the end, they're left happier, healthier, richer, and with way more leftovers for lunch and a whole whack of money in the bank to spend on shoes! Or possibly save.

Eating on a budget is easy with a little help. Check out these 10 delicious meals for 10 bucks each.

The experts and their kitchen makeover participants are all British, but the advice still stands across the board. There are tips for planning meals in order to stretch them through several permutations of recipes and leftovers and shopping carefully, and the menu makeover, which takes us through a week of the crew's previous efforts and the home economist's substitutions, are inspiring. Be sure to check out the recipe suggestions at the end of the article, and stay tuned for further makeovers in the series.

Related: Budgeting for Absolute Beginners: How to create a money plan you can live with--and even love!

photo by ralphbijker

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