Food Budget

daniellerusbult1

I'm a single gal. I would like to eat healthy consistently. I'm currently making a budget for myself to save up some money, but I'm wondering where to even start with the healthy food. When I go, I tend to go all out and get a bunch of stuff... then it goes bad cuz I can't eat it all.

Can any of you give me a hint as to what I should be spending each week/month on food? Do you have any tips?

Thanks

servalan

How much to budget depends quite a bit on your food preferences. Do you eat meat? Limiting the amount of meat you eat can really save money. The most inexpensive healthy meat in my area is chicken and frozen fish (about $4 per pound on sale for tilapia, and cod and pollack are even cheaper). This can last for 4 meals as fillets, or you can cut it up and put it on salads or cook in soup, etc.

Depending on your tastes, investing in healthy pantry and freezer food is probably a good call. You can eat from the pantry/freezer when money gets tight, or just to add to or supplement meals. Dried beans are great, they keep forever in the pantry, and they are inexpensive. Brown rice is another good choice to stock up on, if you're not going low carb. Canned tomatoes and beans are good for putting together a quick meal.

Generally speaking, root vegetables keep for a long time in the fridge (a month or more). Leafy greens, tomatoes, etc. I usually don't buy unless I know I'm going to eat them soon (cooked and eaten within the week).

I let what's on sale and in season decide what veg, fruit, and meat I'll buy. Every time I go to the store, I check on the prices of pantry items and frozen veg every week and stock up if it's on sale and I have extra money.

If I were single, I'd probably buy salad and one vegetable for me to eat a week. Meat portions, etc. are up to personal choice, but I try not to have more than 4 oz of meat a day. That would mean 1/2 a chicken breast, for instance. Be guided by your own taste, but I would try not to overbuy food - it's wasteful and costs more. If I have to go back to the store for something, that's fine, or maybe I could live without it until the end of the week.

I hope this helps!

kat_lifts

I've kinda stopped investing $$ extra money that I'd spend on shoes, clothes etc and focused it onto quality foods (fresh foods etc) and since I put time Ian's money into these foods, I am NOT letting them go to waste. I say no to eating out more often now. So it's a win win for me

randomtai

If you have an Aldi's close by, it is a great option. I heart me some Aldi's

herblackwings39

Shop for produce and meat twice a week? If you only buy enough for 2-3 days it's less likely to go bad. Frozen veggies without sauce are also an option. You can keep them in the freezer for months.

I can't really give you an idea of what to budget though. That will depend on your income, location, and tastes.

animelose2012

dont forget the caned low sodium foods and many things freeze well like bread.

RubyRunner14

Cheap foods:
- Old fashioned rolled oats
- Wheat bread and pasta
- Peanut butter
- Carrots
- Eggs maybe?
- Bananas
- Applesauce (tub, not cups usually)
- Beans (canned and bagged), rice (bagged dried)
- Frozen or canned veggies
- Canned tuna (and chicken I guess?)

Always check sales, compare prices, and buy in bulk when you can. At Costco I got 4lb PB for about $7, 110+ servings of oats for $10.

daniellerusbult1

Those are all great ideas!! Thank you!

Here is what I do so far:

Frozen salmon filets
Frozen tilapia filets
Frozen shrimp (this is my splurge)
Whole chicken breasts (I guess I could check out the butterflies at Fareway... that may be cheaper)
Ground turkey breast
Sometimes ground chicken
Canned Tuna

Frozen corn
Frozen peas
Raw carrots
Raw cauliflower
Tomatoes

Grapes
Strawberries
Kiwi
Bananas

Whole grain pasta
Cottage cheese
Greek yogurt
Olive Oil


Am I missing some important things? I want to add variety, but also not sure of what to add and how much it will cost. I just spent $165 last week on groceries that I've lived off of for 2 weeks... not sure if that's doing well on a budget or not?

Francl27

I do groceries twice a week for this reason. I've never understood how people can do groceries for a week, let alone a month, without things going bad, unless they freeze everything I guess? Our freezer is not huge so I don't tend to buy a lot of frozen meats (plus it never tastes as good I've found, or we forget to thaw it etc).

We buy frozen veggies so we don't have to worry about that. Then 2-3 kinds of meats that we know we'll eat in the next 3-4 days (typically some fish, sausage, chicken, sometimes beef, ground meat etc), fruit, yogurts... very simple. We just buy grains, pasta etc when we run out.

helenrosemay

I'd go through the list now and try work out what meals you'd make up from it for the week (or how ever long you want it to last) for every meal and snacks. Then see if you need to add more.

AutumnisBSB

I try to eat a lot of protein. Here is what I eat a lot of and I am on a budget

Chicken breast-made many different ways
Greek yogurts
Unsalted almonds
Atkins protein shakes
Great Value Chewy Dark Chocolate protein bars-VERY YUMMY
Turkey Bacon
Watermelon
Eggs
Peanut Butter and CO White Chocolate Wonder, Dark Chocolate Dream
Almond butter

carolynrussell20

Do you have a Costco or Sam's? The only thing I really stock up on is meat. I buy whatever healthy meat is on sale that week and it really helps the budget. Then I go buy fresh veggies and fruit at the farmer's market or store a couple of days a week. I did exactly what you are doing at first and found I threw out lots of fresh produce that was going bad. I keep pantry items on hand like brown rice and dried or canned beans. Frozen veggies don't go bad but sometimes they don't taste as good either. Some folks can meal plan for a week and buy only what they need but I find I do better buying whatever healthy food is on sale/keeping the healthy meats stocked and planning my meals off what I have on hand. We are a family of 4 and I feed us for about $150 week.

harleygroomer

when I buy meats--I repack them with the ziplock single serve bags and then I put those in a regular ziplock--that way you only have a single serve WHEN you want it. As for salads--some times if I just want a small one to dress up--I go to McD's and get their 1.00 side salad take it home and dress it the way I want. Saves tossing a lot of salad. As for all of the other stuff you buy--there is a whole range of single serve items or ways to MAKE your items single serve. Be inventive and I never go to the store "blind"--I make my weekly menu out, plan my goods and only get those items in the store unless I come across a GREAT sale for something really yummy and for me--I keep my weekly budget 125.00 or below

HeyGoRun

If you have an Aldi's close by, it is a great option. I heart me some Aldi's

For produce and meat its awesome!! I love the fit and active brand they need to expand that line!

Totally get stuff you can freeze so it can last a while. Its all about checking sales around the stores you shop and finding the best deals.

doubglass

Get a quality rice cooker and buy lots of brown rice, lentils and steel cut oatmeal. All can be cooked in the rice cooker. The big expense is the rice cooker--you need one with a timer. Steel cut oatmeal cooks the same time as brown rice. You can cook the brown rice and lentils together.

angmarie28

well I feed 5 people, but what I do is give myself a budget for 2 weeks, normally 200-300$ then make a list of enough meals and snacks for those 2 weeks, then a shopping list of what all i need, it work really well for me

lynn1982

Do you plan your meals in advance? I log all my meals in advance (usually every Sunday), which gives me an idea of what I need for the week. I first start with what I have at home and go from there based on what I can afford. I also peruse the various flyers of groceries stores in my neighbourhood just to see what is on sale. I'm currently on a very limited budget of $30/week, which means my diet is also limited but I make do. Also, I only buy enough fruits and veggies to last me 3 or 4 days so they don't spoil (I live across the street from a 24 hour grocery store, so that part is easy).

For protein I buy a lot of canned tuna, frozen fish, lentils, eggs, etc. For veggies I usually buy fresh whatever is on sale or a good price. That's not too much of an issue over the summer, but I do buy frozen veggies in the winter time and I use them year round for making soups.

Another good option is to buy more (if you can) of things when they go on sale or in bulk and then freeze them. I do this with meat and fish (I usually freeze individual portions in ziploc baggies), but I also do it with bread and some fruit that I use in smoothies (such as berries and bananas).

eleanorpie

I just spent $165 last week on groceries that I've lived off of for 2 weeks... not sure if that's doing well on a budget or not?

You're spending about what the USDA calls a "liberal" amount of money for a single person: http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2013/CostofFoodJun2013.pdf

But if you don't eat out a lot and if you don't eat a bunch of processed crap, that sounds pretty reasonable to me.

KAS0917

I'm challenging myself to spend $200 on food this month. I pulled the $$ out in cash, and I'm going to try it! (I will be out of town for 5 days for work, so that helps). I have a lot of meat in the freezer and staples in the pantry. Want to make more space, so it's time to challenge myself! That should leave most of that $$ for fresh produce and eating out.