Shopping Healthy on a very low budget

Tourn85

hi to start im not giving advice im asking it.
ok i am looking for ideas and ways to come up with a monthly grocery list and recipe list
When only able to go to the grocery store one time a month on a um id say 250.00 budget to feed 3 people.

KerrieCC

hi i have a similar food budget also for 3 people. its not always easy to make good meals especially if you also dont have a lot of time. some things i do are cheap cuts of meat in the slowcooker, chunky vege soup, i make heaps of it and freeze it in containers so its a quick meal if i dont have lots of time. i always have frozen veges in my freezer. stirfrys bulked out with lots of veges and some rice. it does take a bit of planning but it is possible

jess_blonde

Pinterest is fantastic for finding recipes! You can also peruse the food & recipes board here and do a google search for healthy meals on a budget.

As for shopping on a budget, shop around to find the best prices (try an app like Flipp) and try to stick to buying what's in season for fresh produce. Frozen veggies (straight up veggies, not the stuff with sauce or whatever) can be super cheap and are still super nutritious. Buying in bulk can also save you money on non-perishables, but do the math to find the unit price to make sure you're actually saving. A lot of discount grocery stores will sell dented cans or prodcts like cereal sealed in bags Keith damaged boxes at a discount. No need to be afraid of dented cans as long as the ends aren't bulging! If you can find bulk fresh produce at a discount, make up some freezable meals with them to get the most out of them (eg I bought a 10lb bag of carrots and the same size of onions for $2 each so I made a huge batch of carrot soup and some beef stew, then I diced and froze the rest of the onions and chopped up the carrots to snack on).

libbydoodle11

Do a search on youtube for Debt is dum (No "b" at the end of dumb), How Jen does it. Both of these channels and others are always trying to cut costs and they show a lot of their grocery hauls and meals. Each has a family of four to feed.

I shop the bulk section of my grocery store to save. I can get grains, legumes, pasta, cookies, cereal, flour and salt, etc. for much cheaper.

RodaRose

If you are o.k. with eating meat less frequently, focus on recipes for lentils, chick peas, black eyed peas, pinto beans, and so on. Canned and frozen fruits and veggies are o.k. except that the texture is different from fresh.

Liftng4Lis

Buy meats in bulk and break them down into smaller packages. Lots of frozen veggies and fruit. Try to get keep your eye on sales and stock up.

SLLRunner

Tourn85 wrote: »

hi to start im not giving advice im asking it.
ok i am looking for ideas and ways to come up with a monthly grocery list and recipe list
When only able to go to the grocery store one time a month on a um id say 250.00 budget to feed 3 people.

A great place to buy food that you like is Grocery Outlet, or some type of a grocery outlet market. They have everything a grocery store has, except it's way cheaper and often, in my opinion, has better fresh foods (if that's what you prefer).

Also, look for some independent farm markets that sell fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs, etc. Not the seasonal kind but those that are established and open every day, grow most of their produce, etc. and sell it in their store. The one where I live also sells other foods as well but at a lower price.

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PokeyBug

Something that might be helpful to you is an app I use called Paprika. You can program your recipes in it and use it to make your grocery list. Then, I go through my fridge, freezer, and cabinets to see if I need everything on my list. It saves me some time and also eliminates a lot of wasteful spending on my part.

If you have access to a warehouse club, like Sam's or BJ's, you can buy larger packages of meat there and split it up into smaller packages. As far as saving money on canned or frozen goods, if there's an Aldi in the area where you shop, check it out. They don't sell brand named stuff (like Heinz or Del Monte or whatever), but they also don't have the name brand prices.

Kalikel

Three people on $8 a day? I don't know that I could do it.

Can you get food stamps?

Tourn85

that is foodstamps and we only can go to harps or sometimes town & country and that one is in the next town over the only grosry store we have in town is harps

Cortneyrenee04

Lots of beans, lots of souls... Whole chickens are usually less expensive and you can make stock with the bones for soups (much less expensive than store bought stocks/broths). I cook a lot from scratch to save money- bread, tortillas, cookies, pizzas. Way better for you and cheaper

Tourn85

im also a very picky eater but i have been making breads but i ran out of yeest i think ill find me a tortilla recipe

badabanna

I've been in the same boat as you before - roughly $300 in food stamps as our only money to feed 3. Tiny town, had to drive 30 miles to grocery shop at a proper store. Have you searched around to see if there are any dented box/can sort of stores in your area that take EBT? They rarely have any fresh veggies, but you can buy lots of staples like brown rice, yeast, broth, tortillas, shortening, etc. on the cheap.

Hunting is big where we live, there were places where hunters could make donations of fresh deer meat during hunting season to those that needed it. Make sure to check in to that.

Many churches have things where you don't have to be a member, but if you get EBT you can pay $16 or so from EBT for a big box of mixed goods each month. Dry healthy cereals, cans of veggies, dry noodles. I believe it was called the Angel Food program where we lived.

Plant veggies if you can! It takes a while to see results, but even if you live in an apartment you can plant in tubs and five gallon buckets. Seeds are cheap, and there are some things you can make more and more starts off of after they start growing. You can plant herbs for seasonings, too!

Don't be afraid to make use of other services to free up more money for food. If you have a small child WIC will cover things like milk, eggs, and cheese. Apply for energy assistance - if you you can get help heating/cooling your home, it would free up more money for food. Never be ashamed to use food pantries either. If you qualify for EBT I guarantee you qualify for food pantries.

Hold you head up high, don't let anyone make you feel bad. It's hard, but you'll make it, and you'll learn to be inventive along the way. Being down for money was how I learned to sew, work on cars, cook from scatch, and use rice as a filler in EVERYTHING!

Kristinemomof3

There are other threads that have a lot of advice, if you can do a search. Dried beans, oatmeal, frozen veggies, in season fruits, potatoes, eggs, a whole chicken, those are all things that give you the most bang for your buck. Watch also for turkeys & hams this time of year to be on sale. Shop sales. If you can contact azurestandard.com & see if there is a drop in your area, you can get beans, oats & spiced in bulk for pretty cheap/lb. also cooking from scratch if you have time. Homemade muffins, cookies etc. & homemade yogurt is really easy. If you need any recipes, just let me know.

fluffyasacat

People keep mentioning frozen veggies... where I live these are never cheaper than fresh vegetables. Are they cheaper in the US?

ETA peas are the exception - fresh peas in the pod cost a fortune.

katieobrienps300

I stock up on fresh fruits and veggies at a local farmers market. There food is usually 1/2 the price compared to a grocery store. It may not look as pretty, but it is delicious! I usually roast big batches if root veggies, or make a soup fir the week. Pinterest is also a fantastic resource for budget recipes.

Xiomara0703

Kalikel wrote: »

Three people on $8 a day? I don't know that I could do it.

Can you get food stamps?

Yes, you can!!! You can make a pot of chilli for $13 and eat off of it for 3 days!!! Making things that will last...and try to serve in medium portions..(not large). Potatoes are cheap....buy a bag and mash them..that can be a side dish for a few days. Beans and peas are always cheap.

dieter1200

Wal-Mart is usually cheaper than the grocery store around here. use your local food shelf. My shelf puts on their website a flyer that shows a local church's food giveaway day every month.

Tourn85

well im not big on meat at all but i can cook alot from scrach but it takes alot of flour n stuff and its full of starches n stuff

Tourn85

we dont have one of those here

merisaOct3

I would suggest looking for produce on clearance/manager's special (essentially, it's going out of date). Then get it home, blanch it or parboil it and freeze it.
I also echo the suggestions about lentil/bean dishes. Dried lentils and beans are cheaper than canned, they just take more time to rehydrate.
Best wishes, that is a tight budget. No shame, do what you have to.

bapcarrier

Do you have anyone close to you that you would feel comfortable doing this with...When I was in the same boat, my friend had food stamps and I was very limited on funds but just above the cut off for help. We would shop together once a month. That way we could buy in bulk or bigger packages. We would drive further to a better priced store because we were only going once. I would buy all the non-covered items i.e. laundry detergent, toilet paper, shampoo, etc. for both our families (6 people total) and she would buy the food. We made up our meals in advance, figured out exactly how much we needed all together and shopped from the list. Then we took turns preparing a weeks worth of meals in advance, enough for 6 people. We then split each meal, so both our families had good food. We left one night a week open for each family to make whatever they wanted. This left both families with more $ to use however needed. Also, if the non-food items didn't total the amount of food stamps then the difference went to extras that weren't covered or just to add extra food. By not having to buy things like toilet paper, etc. That money can be added to the grocery money if need be. Hope this makes sense, it really worked for us for a number of years.

Tourn85

thanx well as far as the budget anyone know a way to make a grocery list with your recipes?

Mr_Knight

Tourn85 wrote: »

hi to start im not giving advice im asking it.
ok i am looking for ideas and ways to come up with a monthly grocery list and recipe list
When only able to go to the grocery store one time a month on a um id say 250.00 budget to feed 3 people.

Rice, lentils, and whatever veggies are in season.

kristimason3

I've become pretty good at this over the past 15 years of having kids and always being broke..sighs. Coupon with your food stamps. First get your local store flyers to find what will be on sale the week you are shopping. Then see if you can find coupons that match what is already on sale. Couponmom.com is an awesome sight to make it really simple. There are tons of free printable coupons on there and you put in your zip code and boom it tells you what the best deals are at your local stores and where to find the coupons you need. Then set a meal plan for each week of the month based off of what is on sale that you also have a coupon for. This will save you a ton and stretch those funds. For instance, last week ground turkey, canned beans, canned corn, diced tomatoes and taco kits were on sale and I had a coupon. One pkg of ground turkey 3.25 - 1.00 coupon makes 2.25. The taco kits were buy 1 get 2 free and I had 1.00 off when you buy 3. Taco kit normally 2.50, now 1.50 and the other 2 boxes free.Canned goods all under 1.00 and I have coupons. So maybe I spent 3.50 for 3 cans of beans, 2 cans of diced tomatoes and 2 cans of corn. I have a small garden as well that helps with fresh veggies. Monday- turkey chilli made with 1 package ground turkey, 1 can pinto beans, 2 cans red kidney beans, a can of corn, a can of diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, chilli powder, garlic powder and diced pepper and onion. Makes a ton of chilli. Tuesday I take the leftover turkey chilli, add taco seasoning from one of the taco kits and some shredded cheese (low moisture part skim mozzarella) spoon it in soft and hard shells pair with fat free canned refried beans its taco Tuesday. Wednesday I still have more chilli (family of four here) so its "taco soup" reheated, add a bit of water pair with a package of jiffy corn muffins (50 cents). So now I've fed 4 people 3 dinners for around 8 dollars. And its basically ground turkey, veggies and beans so its low cal but filling. Chicken (buy a big whole one on sale) first night roast the chicken serve it with potatoes and frozen mixed veggies, next night use the left overs for chicken pot pie by adding flour and egg for the shell and some chicken stock, then chicken soup the third night with the rest. Large crock pot meals work best for stretching. Male the first meal basic so the second and third you are adding things to make it more exciting. It is mentally difficult at first but once you get used to it it just becomes habbit and sometimes its fun to see what you can come up with. It sounds like alot of the same but if you play with what you've already got you'd be surprised what you can come up with. Meats are hard to find coupons for so I go to the ghetto grocery stores for that that have the "pick 5 for $20" deals. I rarely shop at Walmart for groceries because there is no rewards card. Using your rewards card can get you extra coupons, cheap gas, sometimes 10 bucks off your next order etc. If you have a smart phone there are apps where you can register your rewards cards for extra perks like free amazon gift cards, mail in cash rebates etc. No brainer because you are just swiping your card like you always do. I am not a crazy couponer. I only spend about an hour to 2 every 2 weeks on the whole thing.

joyfulteach

Tourn85 wrote: »

thanx well as far as the budget anyone know a way to make a grocery list with your recipes?

Ziplist

giggitygoo

One thing that works for me is planning all of my meals around one main ingredient.

I live in Los Angeles, where food is very expensive comparatively. We still can find whole chickens on sale for 79 cents a pound. I stock up and freeze them.

Here would be my week with a whole chicken for example:

Day 1: whole roasted chicken, grain (usually rice), and veggies. I make gravy out of the chicken drippings.
Day 2: Brown rice "pasta" salad. It has chopped leftover chicken, and whatever veggies I have around. Usually some hard boiled eggs to bulk it up.
Day 3: Shredded chicken tacos. Pull all the meat you can off the bones and warm up with some black beans and taco seasoning mixed in.
Day 4: Chicken soup Put chicken bones in a large pot of water with herbs, carrots etc and boil for a few hours. Strain and reserve. Should make about 4 quarts of stock. Make soup with one portion, freeze the rest
Day 5: Beans and rice. Dried beans, spices, and chicken stock go into crock pot until tender. Serve over brown rice with a little cheese and hot sauce.