Eating on a budget! (Needing YOUR foods!)

Acacia_Evers

I think we've all been there. Eating on a budget. What kind of foods do you like to eat that are relatively on the cheaper sides? I prefer American markets since I don't have a lot of access to thinks over seas.

successgal1

The best thing is to cook your own food.

healthy_hermione

I'm a college student so I have maybe $50-$100 max to spend on groceries per month.

Spaghetti using whole wheat spaghetti noodles (Great Value kind, $1.22 at walmart for a box) and a good pasta sauce (I like Eating Right tomato basil sauce)
Quesadillas (whole wheat tortilla with a tiny bit of cheddar cheese that I measure)
Sandwiches like pb&j (whole wheat bread, all-natural peanut butter, and organic jam)
Low sodium soups (Amy's Kitchen and Healthy Choice)
Baked potatoes with mixed vegetables on the side (I buy Great Value frozen mixed vegetables)
For breakfast I almost always have Cheerios w/ blueberries that I throw in.
Whole wheat pancake mixes
Buy a bag of frozen boneless and skinless chicken breasts. I got a bag of about 10 for $5 at Grocery Outlet and they'll last me for awhile.
Carton of eggs
Canned tuna (make sure it's packed in water. I like Starkist) that I turn into a sandwich using whole wheat bread and one tablespoon of mayo

Snacks: unsweetened applesauce, skinnypop popcorn, wheat thins, string cheese, baby carrots, any fruit, greek yogurt, etc

Check out https://www.reddit.com/r/EatCheapAndHealthy/ as well. They have a lot of great tips.

Acacia_Evers

That was a fantastic list! Thank you so much.

Acacia_Evers

successgal1 wrote: »

The best thing is to cook your own food.

I'm not asking you guys to fly to my house to prepare my meals. ^ ^;

Wynterbourne

103 different budget meals gathered by Cooking Light magazine:

cookinglight.com/food/everyday-menus/healthy-budget-recipes/view-all

MelaniaTrump

American markets? Do you mean fast food by this? Ordering food on the internet? American grocery stores in your country?
Just curious what american markets mean.

JoRocka

Acacia_Evers wrote: »

successgal1 wrote: »

The best thing is to cook your own food.

I'm not asking you guys to fly to my house to prepare my meals. ^ ^;

I don't think that was the intent of that comment.

I think the intent of the comment was if you make your own food/meals at home- you'll save money- vs buying prepackaged- or eating food out all the time.

My go to "poor people" food is canned tuna, eggs, and black beans and rice. (not all together- just singlely)
I can usually get pretty good distance out of a chicken stir fry too because I can only go "non meat" for so long.

Chili's are really easy on the budget- 1 package of meat- and a few cans of beans and tomato gets me food for a week. win win.

Beploveshomer

Beans, beans, and more beans. A big pot of chili can seriously cost $3 and last for days

CassidyScaglione

I hit up bulkbarn since I can buy in exactly the volume I need. Dried beans and lentils, barley, some rice, etc. These make nice cheap side dishes. Frozen vegetables ( peas, beans) are also good, lots cheaper than the same thing from produce. For fresh veggies, shop things that are local and in season rather than things from Ecuador or wherever with lots of shipping costs attached. Finally, figure out how your local market deals with close dated stock... Mine puts these items in the cooler at the rear of the store with in store special signs. I have three whole chickens in my freezer right now that I got for about 60% off regular price.

lkizzat

The struggle is real! Following haha

Rachel0778

Do you have an Aldi grocery store near you? They have by far the cheapest fresh produce in my area so it's really easy to stock up on a bag of apples for $3 or fresh greens for less than $2.

Batch cooking will definitely lighten your grocery bill. I didn't learn how to cook until grad school when I all of a sudden had an extremely strict budget.

My go to's were Hunter Style Chicken Thighs (cheaper than chicken breast and you can find them frozen). You just throw them in the slow cooker with canned tomatoes and mushrooms and bake.

I also did a lot of inexpensive vegetarian Mexican dishes because beans, salsa, and tortillas are all cheap.

Baked potatoes and sweet potatoes are great bases for food. Baked potatoes with frozen broccoli and cheese was my dinner a lot.

Other staples in my house were: oatmeal, eggs, whole wheat pancake mix, baby carrots, and peanut butter.

chulipa

Go to a food pantry you might get things you can use

eldamiano

Burger and chips

Queenmunchy

Best website ever for this!

www.budgetbytes.com

Acacia_Evers

Thanks to everyone for the great answers! Healthy22 has me making wheat chicken quesadillas today for lunch.

beamie2687

First, if you have an Aldi, definitely check them out. I've consistently gotten about 2 weeks of groceries, including produce and meat, for about 50$.

Second, I make my own pasta sauces. Turns out, most of them are super easy to make and really cheap (plus, you control the salt and sugar that you add... most jars are full of stuff!). My favorite is to take some canned crushed tomatoes (I usually buy them in bulk, anywhere from .50 to $1 per can) and put them in my food processor until they're as smooth as I like them to be. You can also do this with plain tomato sauce. Then add whatever spices you like. I always have dried basil, garlic and onion powders, and dried oregano in mine.

Third, look for sales. (Yes, I realize you asked for recipes - I'll get there!). I get my pasta when it's 5 for $5. I get my produce based on what's on sale (I try to go seasonally, but avocados are on sale all the time - thanks, Mexico!). I get bags of frozen veggies when they're 10 for $10. Depending on the store, you don't even need to buy all 10 to get the deal.

Fourth, decide what's worth it to spend money on. I buy Irish butter. Thankfully, it's been cheaper than regular butter the past few times I've gone to the store. But I spend a little more on it because I don't need as much to get the richness I need for sauces and toast and stuff. Pick those things that you need and work those into your budget.

Fifth, don't be afraid of the deli! It's overwhelming because it looks so expensive. But, especially if you're cooking and eating for just you, you don't need an entire pound of turkey for a week of lunch sandwiches. Same with the meat and fish counter. I don't need an entire pound of ground beef for my chili because it's just me and my tiny slow-cooker. So I get a half pound for $3 and I still eat for a week on it!

Okay recipes:

Baked potatoes. I buy a 5lb bag (usually around $3) and cook a few at a time. One for dinner (with frozen broccoli and some low fat cheese and Irish butter - yum) and one or two I put in tupperware for lunches later in the week. Or sometimes I'll chop up the left over baked potato and toss it in some olive oil with salt and pepper for breakfast potatoes.

Soups and Stews. Get some stock (you can find it in cans for less than a dollar or go up to a carton for a little more or make your own with leftover chicken bones and veggies and water). Like my pasta sauce, just a tiny bit more effort can go a long way. I made broccoli cheese soup the other night from scratch. It was super easy and I got to control the amount of cheese and cream (light and none!) that went into it. Also chili is a nice way to get veggies and protein and it's easy to make yourself.

Rice dishes. Buy the big bag of rice. The 5lb-er. The slow-cooking kind. It's so cheap, stores forever, and doesn't take much more effort to make than the instant kind that costs 3x as much. Eat it with everything. I love fried eggs over rice for breakfast. Rice and beans is delicious and super cheap. The best thing about rice is that it's easy to throw some extra veggies in whenever you want!

Start baking. I swear that flour is the most important thing I have in my kitchen. Pie crust, rouxes for sauces, sauteeing meat - get a bag of flour. Sometimes, on the weekends, I'll make two loaves of bread. It was really intimidating at first (and I really butchered some at first) but there are even no-knead bread recipes that are super easy and delicious. Baking your own bread saves you major $$. I try not to eat too much straight bread, so I figured if I'm gonna eat it, I might as well eat some really good, from-scratch bread. Plus - it makes your kitchen smell AMAZING. Pie crusts are great for things like quiche (seriously, make quiche. It's cheap and will be your breakfast or lunch for a week! and you can add whatever you want. I like broccoli, bacon, and parmesan).

These are just a few of my tips. I moved halfway across the country on my own and don't have a very large budget (especially this year), so I started cooking more often. Now I rarely go out for dinner and I am comfortable enough to get creative with the staples I have in my kitchen.

PM me if you have any questions!

Acacia_Evers

I don't have an Aldi near me and now it's making me sad with how awesome you guys make it sound! However I love rice and do each about a cup full with everything as extra filler. Great post, thank you so much Beamie. Now I wanna make my own sauces.

ForeverSunshine09

I am lucky in that I have 5 grocery stores within 3 miles of my house. I get pasta when it is 5 for 5 or 10 for 10. Dry beans are 1.50 -2.50, rice is the same. Canned soup. Watch sales to see what is on sale when for produce and meat. We get a lot of meat at once because we have a good meat market which saves us a lot of time and money.

DaisyHamilton

We're just getting an Aldi and I'm so stoked. But back to you, OP. What about Food 4 Less or Smart & Final?

Zmac34

Acacia_Evers wrote: »

I think we've all been there. Eating on a budget. What kind of foods do you like to eat that are relatively on the cheaper sides? I prefer American markets since I don't have a lot of access to thinks over seas.

I take advantage of terra organics an online food delivery website and others before this one where I would bulk order things like organic bananas, sweet potatoes, white rice, and lentils. These were high calories and nutrient dense at the same time and for bulk orders they were next to nothing. 32 0z of rice on avg was $4, Sweet Potatoes avg out to .85 cents per lb and about 20 cents per banana.

ElizabethOakes2

Black Bean Soup:
2 cans black beans
2 cups frozen corn
1 medium onion
1/2 tsp minced garlic
(If you have fresh spinach, arugula or kale, you can chop that up and toss it in, too!)
Simmer it for about an hour so all the flavors blend and the kale disappears. Or you can make it in the crockpot while you're at work.
season to taste with chili powder, black pepper, oregano, a little red pepper, whatever takes your fancy, really.

Makes plenty of leftovers that can be eaten off for lunches all week long. I like to eat it topped with a little nonfat yogurt to give it some creamy flavor. You can also top it with a little grated cheese or hot sauce.

kes840

I like this cookbook, available free online, called "Good and Cheap."

mkakids

my favorite meals for cheap.....

broccoli and polish sausage. cut up 1 polish sausage per person into coins. Fry i a pan with a bit of water until, heated through. dump in a bag or two of frozen broccoli. Top with a handful of shredded cheese.

Dinner for two....$2.12
Polish Sausage come in a pack of 12 for $3.99 at aldi - $0.33 each....$0.66
frozen broccoli - $1 a bag
Shredded cheese - $1.99 a bag (8oz, use 2 oz)...$0.50

Spaghetti primavera
Chop fresh veggies and saute until al dente (or use frozen)....peppers, onion, mushroom, zuchinni...whatever.
.5lb spaghetti
.5 jar marinara

Dinner for 2......$2 (can be cheaper if you shop sales)
16oz spaghetti...$1...$0.50
1 jar sauce....$1...$0.50
1 bag frozen veggies...$1

Ramen with eggs and veggies
1 package of ramen, 2 eggs, 1 cup chopped veggies

Dinner for 1....$1
package of ramen....$0.25
2 eggs....$0.25ttl
1 cup chopped veggies....$0.50



Save all your scraps of veggies and all bones to use in making stock and soup. Just toss the scraps in a bag in the freezer and when its full dump it in a pot and cover with water. Simmer for an hour or 2 and strain.


Try to use everything and not let it go bad (obvious, i know...but easier said than done).


Try to cut back in other areas that may come out of your grocery budget, so yu have more money for food. My fav tip for this is to use half. It can be applied to just about every aspect of your life.

If your used to using a full cap of laundry detergent...try using half. If you clothes come out as clean as before then try using 1/4 cap. If they don't come out as clean, try using 3/4 cap.

If your used to using a big glob of shampoo, try using a quarter or dime sized glob depending on how long your hair is.

Dilute hand soap and use it in a foaming dispenser to use less hand soap. You can do that with dish soap too!

Try cleaning with vinegar and water only. No need to buy expensive cleaners (or if you have to have a cleaner...try switching to a cheaper brand).

Do you usually just pull a long strip of tp out when in the bathroom? Betcha don't need as much as you unroll.

Don't buy paper plates, cups or cutlery. Just wash what you have at home.

Don't buy paper towels or napkins. Use rags. You can cut up old cotton clothes or buy a 12 pack of cheap washcloths at walmart for $4.

Don't wash your clothes if they aren't dirty. If you only wore it for an hour...do you really need to wash it? Just hang it back up and put it away. Same with cleaning rags....if you just wiped down a relatively clean counter, do you need to wash it? Or can you hang it on the sink to use again later?

Andrewcpimpin

A lot of venison. Bullets are cheap

mkakids

Oh...and buy in bulk and freeze if you see a good deal! Meats, bread, milk, cheese,and lots more all freeze very well!

ericGold15

I'll give you a target you can reach for, and certainly come close with planning, doing your own cooking, and some effort:

Figure you eat 1600 kCal a day
Basic grains, beans, and lentils cost about $1 and supply about 1600 kCal a pound.

So there you are: $1 a day
Add another $1 a day for seasonal fruit and vegetables, spices and whatever occasionally takes your fancy.

Notice: no cans, nothing boxed, nothing processed or pre-cooked.

ericGold15

Andrewcpimpin wrote: »

A lot of venison. Bullets are cheap

Until the *other* moron shoots you.

Acacia_Evers

Everyone has all these cheap stores around them. Sausages here are like 7-10 a pack, beans are nearly 1.75 a can, fruit is...out of the roof expensive here. I'm jealous of the people who can eat healthy for cheap. Not everyone gets those luxuries.

ericGold15

Walmart ?
Or just buy bulk foods over the internet. You do have postal delivery, right ?

pamelamrowe91

This post is great!
But what about meals for a family on a budget?

And, to make things more difficult... .. I have a super picky husband. I mean, barely any onions, no peppers, little tomatoes, no mushrooms.. hates broccoli, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes... Mexican foods can sometimes hurt his stomach and same thing with beans (we've learned to only eat these on the weekend so it doesn't affect his work days/nights).. and soups don't fill him up enough. He does love green beans, corn, mashed potatoes, chicken, fish, and beef.... But I get so bored and feel so limited on what I can make.... Any suggestions??
And we really don't have the budget (nor do I have the time) for me to always cook my own meals.