We always eat thriftily.
Spinach, potato and chick pea curry (always have a bag of frozen leaf spinach, not the chopped sort)
Roast cauliflower and potato curry www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/roasted-aloo-gobi with rice and dahl on the side. I make big pots of dahl and freeze in portions, to have with lots of things.
Paella - Jamie's recipe with some chorizo (I buy one from Tesco when they are on offer) and a couple of chicken thighs.
Kedgeree - using fish from a pie mix, or I buy the Tesco or Lidl bags of frozen fillets or steaks of smoked haddock. Bulk out fish by using hard boiled eggs, make good and spicy.
Dishes using bone-in skin-on chicken thighs which always seem very good value, and anyway, thigh meat is the best part of a chicken. roasted with root veg, coated in a bit of yogurt and spices, tray baked with lemon and potato etc.
Pasta dishes - we like this www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/sicilian-spaghetti-alla-norma/ when aubergines are 49p in Aldi etc. I always have things like jars of capers in, anyway, they are not expensive in Aldi, and a jar lasts a while.
A tasty sausage dish (you don't need posh sausages, just use a good lot of lemon and fennel seeds) www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/fennelsausagesbraise_86774
I make salads from cheap ingredients such as shredded white cabbage, rather than lamb's lettuce etc . Finely shredded red cabbage, finely shredded carrots, add a dressing of lime juice, oil, ginger, eat in big quantities. Home made coleslaw with dressing made from half yogurt half mayo, a grating of nutmeg, black pepper, parsley.
I use any hard cheaper cheese when parmesan is needed. Sainsbury's do a 'basics' parmesan-like 'hard cheese' or grand padano or whatever.
Lunches:
Make ordinary ingredients tasty: red Leicester cheese with a bit of lime pickle is great!