Realistic food budget for 1 person

kitten992107

Thanks for the advice.

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kitten992107 wrote: »

A I will be moving out on my own soon and I always buy too much food and I always feel like healthy food is really expensive to get, does anyone have any advice or recipes they an share?,I will be cooking on Sunday'so for the month so I can have everything portioned and ready to go, thank you in advance for your time.

I'd say $30 to $50 a week for food.
I would plan meals in advance. My method is to write out 28 dinners for the month, divide it into groups of 7 and cross things off as I have them. I have the same things for breakfast and lunches or eat leftovers.
Don't get hung up on labeling foods as strictly healthy or unhealthy that you make things too complicated. A sandwich is not unhealthy. If you are busy a pre-made pizza is fine if it fits in your calories limit.
Use what you buy. Use the most perishable items first. Buy things with a longer shelf life.
Soup is a good dollar stretcher and freezes and reheats well. My family likes minestrone, tomato, fassolatha, and lentil soup.
Buy things whole and cut them up/peel them yourself.
Dry beans, lentils, oatmeal are cheap and filling.
Frozen vegetables can reduce waste as you can just use the amount you need. You can also buy vegetables and fruits when they are cheaper and freeze them.
Buy store brands or generic. Most of the time there isn't much difference except price.
Cut up meat and put it in a stir fry, casserole, soup or stew to make it stretch farther.
If you are freezing meals be sure to label and date them. I forget to do that sometimes and that is why my tomato soup last night turned out to be spaghetti sauce and meatballs.
Invite a friend to cook with you and split the cost and food sometimes if you have other friends who are on their own.

Budgetbytes.com has recipes that my family has enjoyed. [/quote]