If you only had 100$ a month to spend on food...

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  • staplebug
    staplebug Posts: 189
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    protein drinks, eggs, yogurt, frozen chicken, frozen veggies, big bag of apples. I think I could get all of that at Costco for $100
  • PepperWorm
    PepperWorm Posts: 1,206
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    http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com/

    Found her awhile ago. GOOD TIPS in her blog. :)

    For example, I do the popcorn. Buying bulk popcorn and paper bags to pop in your microwave...it's awesome.
  • sarahsedai
    sarahsedai Posts: 273 Member
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    that's about what i spend on food a month anyway - i feed just myself though. i'm a vegetarian.

    i go to the farmer's market every weekend and load up on fresh fruits and veggies and eggs.
    at the grocery store...

    oats
    dried beans
    some frozen veggies
    peanut butter
    hummus (that's my biggest splurge item)
    cheese
    etc

    i take the time to hunt for deals at a few different places, like publix buy one get ones.
  • entropy83
    entropy83 Posts: 172 Member
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    sardines in water, rice, frozen veggies, beans, tea, honey
  • tekwriter
    tekwriter Posts: 923 Member
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    The siuggestions are phenomenal. I got some great ideas, hope you did too. I am planning to make some items that I find pricey such as popsicles and fudgesicles. I think they will be better and certainly cheaper. Recipes are on the web. I buy only whole hot cereals for breakfast, and I am thinking of going to egg salad, tuna salad, or peanut butter and jelly for lunch. when there is a need to take out. I am not keen on ramen which is insanely cheap, but if you can find the unfried type and bulk it up with veggies it might help.
  • tawanda25
    tawanda25 Posts: 35 Member
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    Plenty of eggs, frozen ckn breasts, onions, ingredients for hot sauce, milk
  • VeinsAndBones
    VeinsAndBones Posts: 550 Member
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    100 cups of fage total 2% plain greek yogurt!
  • sunshine421969
    sunshine421969 Posts: 273 Member
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    Lots of eggs and frozen vegetables and any meat on sale.

    No drinks, just water.






    This :)
  • SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants
    SisterhoodoftheShrinkingPants Posts: 474 Member
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    3-18 pack of eggs, 15 frozen veggies (on sale $1 a bag), $10 worth of bananas in bulk then cut up and frozen, 10-canned albacore (I can always find them on sale for $1) Rye bread or WW Pita, Milk, Protein powder, Ground chicken (portioned and frozen) potatoes, as many fresh fruits and veggies as I could...geeze thats basically my diet right there LOL
  • Andrea8985
    Andrea8985 Posts: 107
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    Honestly, I live in a northern remote location and don't think I could spend that little on food. We spend about $100-150 a week, and that's buying pretty cheaply. The only thing we splurge on is produce. Even then, the selection is pretty limited here so it's like...spinach, tomatoes, bananas, stuff like that. Frozen veggies are cheapest. We don't buy meat fresh, ever. We ALWAYS buy frozen. You don't even have to thaw it out. Just cook it a bit longer. We will sometimes buy ready-made and cooked whole chickens and cut them up. It's about $7 for one of those here. You can't even buy a whole frozen chicken for that.

    Stock up on dried goods. Beans, lentils, rice, pasta. Peanut butter. Crackers. Baking supplies. It's expensive to buy baking supplies all at once, but I keep the pantry stocked and make everything. We never buy ready-made sweets or snacks. If you can fit it in, buy bulk nuts. They're not exactly cheap, but if you can squeeze it in every now and then, they're filling and good for you. Buy anything you can in bulk. It's always cheaper. Buy store brand. Buy eggs and store brand plain yogurt. Filling and healthy. You can sweeten the yogurt yourself (most people can't stand plain yogurt by itself). Everything else others have said are also great ideas. :)
  • sarahsedai
    sarahsedai Posts: 273 Member
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    oh, and also... when i first started really planning out my budget, i didn't believe that making so many things at home vs. prepackaged stuff would be so much cheaper... cause it seemed like i had to buy sooo many ingredients. but once you get stocked up on some of the basics, it really does pay off. learning to store, freeze, and utilize certain ingredients can really help your wallet.
  • Naveedess
    Naveedess Posts: 2
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    I already DO spend about $100/mo on food. I work at Target, so I do get a 10% discount on anything I buy there. I also fill my prescriptions there, and get another 5% off coupon after every 5 scripts. I also use a TON of coupons... (Target takes one Target Coupon + one Manufacturer coupon per item)... I only buy meat if there is a $3 off sticker on it (close to the expiration date) and throw it in the freezer to eat later. Lots of frozen veggies, nothing pre-made. My rule is, if I can make it myself at home for cheaper, I will (with only a few exceptions). I also make my own breakfast, lunch, and dinner as often as possible to reduce costs on my food budget. I only buy soda occasionally when its WAYY on sale. To make my juice last and cut down on calories, I make one half of a gallon of plain ice tea, and mix it with juice (cranberry pomegranite is awesome for this!). All of this kind of sucks at times, but I have bills to pay and I gotta survive somehow without spending a fortune on food.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    protein : eggs, chicken thighs, tuna
    fresh fruit and veggies from farmer's markets
    dried beans, brown rice, sweet potatoes,

    for drink you can make iced tea and iced coffee

    $100 a month is totally doable if you;re a single person, even in a big city. i did it for several months and mainly shopped at TJ, my local grocery store for sale stuff and markets in chinatown
  • PepperWorm
    PepperWorm Posts: 1,206
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    MOAR tips to save on money OTHER than through your grocery bill:

    Cut cable. No, seriously. We lived without cable until *just* recently...so we went 3 1/2 years with just the basic subscription to Netflix. Didn't even miss cable after awhile.

    Cut home telephone...unless you have no cell phone. But why?

    Cut internet to the minimum. Ask your internet provider about sweet deals. Threaten to leave and they'll do anything to keep you.

    Talk to your cellphone provider about cheaper plans.

    Invest in a window unit air conditioner/heat your home with space heaters.

    Save on water. Wash up in your sink on days where you're really not that dirty/your hair looks ok. Hard for me to do that with naturally greasy, flat hair...but y'know. You can go no 'poo. I personally haven't, but it saves water money and product money from what I've heard.

    Shop around for cheaper auto insurance. Try to find the niche ones that don't have fancy ads to pay for.

    Just some thoughts. :3

    ETA: Make homemade, natural cleaners. Pinterest has a WEALTH of these. Sounds gross, but I've been making my own laundry materials, dish cleaning materials, all purpose cleaner, floor cleaner and scouring materials for the last two years. Costs me PENNIES.
  • anemoneprose
    anemoneprose Posts: 1,805 Member
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    Will only add to keep things simple: rotate veg & fruit, vs having a large variety in a single day. A salad could have just 1-2 things in it. Between fresh stuff on sale and frozen, you can cover your 5 a day.

    The thing with eating on a budget is, it costs you time and convenience. You can for sure get full fat meats & make them leaner, it's just the prep etc's a bit longer or more involved; same with time spent looking out for deals or price shopping. So, plan a few extra hours a week for prep/shopping.
  • anemoneprose
    anemoneprose Posts: 1,805 Member
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    I only buy meat if there is a $3 off sticker on it (close to the expiration date) and throw it in the freezer to eat later.

    Ha, this is a great tip, actually. I still do that sometimes. You can get really nice cuts on occasion. But you have to know when they mark things down. Pensioners tend to be the quickest on that draw, and they will FIGHT for a piece of tenderloin.
  • PepperWorm
    PepperWorm Posts: 1,206
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    oh, and also... when i first started really planning out my budget, i didn't believe that making so many things at home vs. prepackaged stuff would be so much cheaper... cause it seemed like i had to buy sooo many ingredients. but once you get stocked up on some of the basics, it really does pay off. learning to store, freeze, and utilize certain ingredients can really help your wallet.

    YEP! Had the same experience.
  • whierd
    whierd Posts: 14,025 Member
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    oh, and also... when i first started really planning out my budget, i didn't believe that making so many things at home vs. prepackaged stuff would be so much cheaper... cause it seemed like i had to buy sooo many ingredients. but once you get stocked up on some of the basics, it really does pay off. learning to store, freeze, and utilize certain ingredients can really help your wallet.

    YEP! Had the same experience.

    Same. The cost to start is high because you have to buy containers of everything. But once you have everything, it literally costs pennies for most ingredients in a dish.
  • PhoenixEve
    PhoenixEve Posts: 131 Member
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    Also growing your own veggies saves money. Seeds are pretty cheap... and FREE if you know how to harvest some from your crops to use again for next season. I <3 gardening... fresh organic food right in my back yard. Berries and fruit trees are super easy. Asparagus keeps on producing for many years. Lettuce, spinach, italian dandelion, mizuna, quinoa, kale, broccoli, radishes, beets, carrots, and beans are easy to grow. Potatoes too. I live in BC Canada, and i had several cherry tomato plants self-seed from tomatoes that fell off and rotted in the ground last year... amazing. :)
  • TheStephil
    TheStephil Posts: 858 Member
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    My boyfriend and i usually spend $70-100 a week on groceries.

    I'd buy rice, bulk pasta, dried beans, frozen veggies, bulk of peanuts/nuts, chicken breast (only chicken I can stand, would wait for a good price), ground turkey/beef. Maybe get some cup of noodles or ramen but I'd hate it.

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