Eating on a budget! (Needing YOUR foods!)

Queenmunchy

Acacia_Evers wrote: »

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.

That's rough! Are things like cabbage and ground meat very expensive? We pretty much mix up our own sausage patties and flash freeze because they're usually a little healthier and easy to do. Homemade broth, dried beans, rice, potatoes are super cheap here as are tuna, canned sardines, and even eggs.

Adah_m

Seriously, shop at aldi! Super cheap awesome produce, cheap meats and seafood too. I also like the sales at sprouts. I also hit up publix and combine their bogos with coupons and mix sales, store coupons, and manufacturer coupons. This week I got almost $150 worth of stuff and spent $40. Granted, you don't see coupons for produce but I cut my cost for laundry detergent, bath soap, shampoo, and other household and hygiene products extremely low and it opens up more of the budget to food. We also love soups and stew, and we buy dry bulk goods like rice, lentils, beans, etc. Lentil soup is a good healthy meal that costs about $2 to make a huge pot.

MKEgal

Here's a cookbook put together to help SNAP (food stamp) recipients make the most
of the small amount they're given. Yummy healthy recipes, great photography, a nice
departure from the usual bland government output.
(ETA: it's 89 pages, so give it some time to open.)

https://8e81c55f4ebf03323905b57bf395473796067508.googledrive.com/host/0B2A2SnkA9YgxaHdzbEhGSmJOZDg/good-and-cheap.pdf

MKEgal

Generally, eating lower on the food chain is less expensive,
and eating less processed food is less expensive.
Bonus, they're also both healthier.

mkakids

Acacia_Evers wrote: »

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.

Prices might be different....but usually (not always) when the cost of living is higher...the income is higher and roughly the same percentage of income is spent on food.

You just need to wander the store, try new stores....make a list of the cheapest foods you like and plan meals around that.

mkakids

pamelamrowe91 wrote: »

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.

My husband eats beef, broccoli, canned green beans, potatoes, plain pasta and bread. No other meats (except chicken but no more than once a month). No other veggies. No butter. No cheese. No beans. Only banannas for fruit....but i think he had one 4-5 months ago? Thats it.

I cook for me and the kids. He often has cereal for dinner. Or a pb sandwich.

Queenmunchy

Aldi IS awesome but have you looked at any international or foreign markets (that sounds so weird) around you? I get the best duck and produce at an Asian grocery. One of other grocers sells the best beans and spices.

MKEgal

pamelamrowe wrote:

But what about meals for a family on a budget?
And we really don't have the budget (nor do I have the time) for me to always cook my own meals.

It's inexpensive to cook for yourself, especially compared to ordering pizza, or eating out, or buying packaged.
Spend a couple hours on prep, meal planning, etc. and you'll be set for a week.

The slow cooker is one of the best cooking tools ever! Use less-expensive cuts of meat, and they'll end up
falling-apart tender, plus dinner will be waiting for you when you get home from work. For quick cleanup,
discover the magic of roaster bags. Line the crock, throw the mess away.

For some good, simple, tested recipes (of all kinds) that are always good, try Taste of Home.
http://www.tasteofhome.com/
Hover over 'recipes' in the top menu bar. You can look at healthy, or slow cooker, or by ingredient.
Using their advanced search, go down to 'additional recipe preferences', then 'publication', then
"Simple and Delicious".

MKEgal

Andrewcpimpin wrote:

A lot of venison. Bullets are cheap

You haven't shopped for ammo recently, have you?
But yeah, the ammo is relatively cheap compared to the gun, hunting permit,
and if you want clothing reserved for hunting (maybe stored outdoors so it
doesn't smell of human), or any special tools.
Then there's having it processed, wrapped, and having a freezer to store it.
Amortize the initial investments over their lifetime and the cost is reasonable,
but there is a sizable up-front cost for someone new to hunting.

ericGold15

MKEgal wrote: »

The slow cooker is one of the best cooking tools ever!

Unfortunately, the slow cooking destroys a lot of nutritional value along the way, in particular the vitamins. Pressure cookers are a *much* better tool.

My family eats a lot of lentils, beans and dry peas. The pressure cooker is wonderful, and doubly so because we live at 6300 feet.

pamelamrowe91

mkakids wrote: »

pamelamrowe91 wrote: »

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.

My husband eats beef, broccoli, canned green beans, potatoes, plain pasta and bread. No other meats (except chicken but no more than once a month). No other veggies. No butter. No cheese. No beans. Only banannas for fruit....but i think he had one 4-5 months ago? Thats it.

I cook for me and the kids. He often has cereal for dinner. Or a pb sandwich.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one! lol

upoffthemat

ericGold15 wrote: »

MKEgal wrote: »

The slow cooker is one of the best cooking tools ever!

Unfortunately, the slow cooking destroys a lot of nutritional value along the way, in particular the vitamins. Pressure cookers are a *much* better tool.

My family eats a lot of lentils, beans and dry peas. The pressure cooker is wonderful, and doubly so because we live at 6300 feet.

Where do you get this information? I really can't find anything to verify it.

Arianera

Not updated as often as it used to be, but Poor Girl Eats Well http://poorgirleatswell.blogspot.com/ has some good ideas.

MommyL2015

Chicken noodle soup is cheap and easy to make, and makes a big pot with about 4 leg quarters. Easy on the calories too!