Only have $150 a month for food, help!

urloved33

37.50 weekly for one person. I do this and have for years. wal mart. shop smart. fruit. meat. potatoes vegies. oatmeal. bread, pasta. clam sauce.pasta sauce...and pb and j - my only indulgence is popsicles. 1.97

acorsaut89

Eggs . . .. eggs are definitely going to be the best bang for your buck. They are super healthy and pack a lot of protein plus there's so much you can do with them: scrambled, fried sandwiches, burritos with salsa, etc.

Beans - in the can are really cheap (black beans, chick peas, kidney beans, etc). Rice. Lentils. Canned and frozen veggies are just as nutritious as fresh and they are usually much cheaper.

This is one of my favourite recipes http://www.nutritionrx.ca/bean-rice-and-cheese-casserole/ and the recipe goes a long way. Plus you can use any veggies you want. Pair it with some frozen veggies, or salad and it's very filling. I add black beans to this recipe to make it go further and be even more filling.

I also make this one a lot https://skinnyms.com/no-bake-workout-bars-recipe/ for breakfast. It's very filling and you can put any fillings you want: raisins, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, nuts, etc. Really easy and the ingredients are all staples, nothing special (you can sub Natural PB for regular, and use almond milk).

I would also suggest looking for vegetarian meals . . . meat is very expensive and it consumes a lot of your grocery budget for little volume, especially high quality meats. I'd suggest using meat as a once in a while rather than with every meal. Or don't use it as a "main" and use it for a side, or mixing it in like casseroles.

Ground meat - beef, turkey, chicken - often goes pretty far too. Hopefully this help - I've been doing meal prep/planning for a very long time so I totally understand your frustrations.

tirowow12385

Get those cheap case of chicken leg quarters and a 50 lb. sack of white rice.

peaceout_aly

SaraLynnFiske wrote: »

I only get $150 per month for myself to eat with. I don't know how to live off of $5 a day. I have tried watching videos online, and reading articles, but I'm having a hard time grasping at this and understanding what I can do. Does anyone have any really cheap recipes or meal plans??

I live in Western Massachusetts, and the stores nearby are Wal-Mart, Big Y, Dollar Tree and Stop&Shop

COSTCO. Life saver. Ground turkey + steamed frozen veggies. Eggs. Meal prepping will help save a BUNCH. Definitely will still be difficult but you can manage it.

SaunaSuit

Costco is way too "RICH" for me or my family we can not afford those prices at any cost! We shop at Food for LESS that is all we can afford and "Sprouts" for Veggies and Fruits. When the Dollar Tree has cases of berries we buy quite a lot of them then freeze. Even walmart we never buy meat at walmart, I was a employee and I could not in good faith allow my adult kids knowing what I know.

DamienAngelica

I was a single mom with a limited food budget for a long time and some of my staples were eggs, pasta and sauce, ground beef and rice seasoned with Lipton Onion Soup mix, meatloaf seasoned the same way, macaroni and cheese, potatoes, and frozen or canned veggies.

melissa6771

I am in mass too, 30 min south of Boston. don't think market basket is out that far west. It's mostly north and south of Boston.

Stop and shop by me marks down their meats up to 70% the day before the sell by date. I keep an eye on the sell by date for the things I love, I stock up on the stuff I buy when they do this, chicken sausage, chicken thighs ground beef, and breasts. Last time I got a family pack of Perdue chicken thighs for 29¢/lb. 5 pounds of thighs (18) for $1.50. I bought a 5 pound bag of my favorite rice on sale for $5. They also have lots of free stuff in their app. Free day. I got a 32 oz cannon yogurt free, chobani yogurt, 48 oz organic almond milk, cottage cheese. Sign up for their emails.

Big y often does buy one get two free sales, pasta, some meats, thomasa English muffins, etc. they also have a dozen eggs for 19¢ right now if you load it to your card. They had 5 lb bag of red potatoes for 99¢ on this too. Keep an eye out for those.

Walmart is great for eggs. Canned goods are often cheaper there. Breads.

Ibotta gives you cash back on food purchases. I've earned over $20 in the last week since I've downloaded it. You can cash it in via venom or PayPal or get gift cards. I know Walmart is one of the cards you can get.

BJs has specials all the time for $25 for a year membership, might be worth it. Costco executive membership gives you 2% back, my membership always pays for itself with my cash back check.

Mass also has a law regarding price accuracy. If a grocery item rings up wrong, or different than ANY advertised price, it's free up to $10 or $10 off. Im very good at spotting these mistakes and end up gettting a lot of stuff, usually meat, free. Got a free Stubbs barbecue sauce yesterday, chicken breast the day before.

To be honest, I don't think I spend more than your allowance on my food for a month on myself. I meal prep about once a week. Roast potatoes, cook a bunch of rice and then 2-3 meats and mix and match them for meals.

Bailey00030

Make sure to check out coupon sites like coupons.com. You can really save a lot if you combine them with items already on sale. In Canada, we have an app called Checkout 51- not sure if you have it in the US but it can also save you some money. Use your store's loyalty card if they have one. A great, inexpensive-yet healthy dinner- is to cook chicken leg quarters in the oven and use the meat to make a chicken fajitas mixture- add in a can of black beans, onion/veg/seasonings. It can be served over rice or in tortillas (if you can grab them on sale). Another recipe is to buy pork chops on sale and cook up a large batch. Use the meat to make pork fried rice. Freezes well. I have some recipes I can share. Message me if you want me to forward them . Eggs are my go to. I also make a lot of lentil soup and oatmeal. Buy your spices in bulk. It can really add some flavor to your food and it often costs a lot less than the brand named spices. If you have a local discount/dollar store- they often have spices as well. Making your own bread/tortillas can be really inexpensive.

Villypierr

Try to cook Greek food. Healthier food of the planet. I am Greek and we are two ppl in the house, 200euro for two easily.

LiveInLeggings

Hit up Aldis girl!

taco_inspector

LiveInLeggings wrote: »

Hit up Aldis girl!

...well there's one Aldi west of I-91 (without getting into New York) in Pittsfield; could be a bit of a drive.

melissa6771

For free day this week Stop & Shop has a storebrand flip Greek yogurt and also a bag of Hersheys or Reese's candy crunch.

kshama2001

melissa6771 wrote: »

I am in mass too, 30 min south of Boston. don't think market basket is out that far west. It's mostly north and south of Boston.

Stop and shop by me marks down their meats up to 70% the day before the sell by date. I keep an eye on the sell by date for the things I love, I stock up on the stuff I buy when they do this, chicken sausage, chicken thighs ground beef, and breasts. Last time I got a family pack of Perdue chicken thighs for 29¢/lb. 5 pounds of thighs (18) for $1.50. I bought a 5 pound bag of my favorite rice on sale for $5. They also have lots of free stuff in their app. Free day. I got a 32 oz cannon yogurt free, chobani yogurt, 48 oz organic almond milk, cottage cheese. Sign up for their emails.

Big y often does buy one get two free sales, pasta, some meats, thomasa English muffins, etc. they also have a dozen eggs for 19¢ right now if you load it to your card. They had 5 lb bag of red potatoes for 99¢ on this too. Keep an eye out for those.

Walmart is great for eggs. Canned goods are often cheaper there. Breads.

Ibotta gives you cash back on food purchases. I've earned over $20 in the last week since I've downloaded it. You can cash it in via venom or PayPal or get gift cards. I know Walmart is one of the cards you can get.

BJs has specials all the time for $25 for a year membership, might be worth it. Costco executive membership gives you 2% back, my membership always pays for itself with my cash back check.

Mass also has a law regarding price accuracy. If a grocery item rings up wrong, or different than ANY advertised price, it's free up to $10 or $10 off. Im very good at spotting these mistakes and end up gettting a lot of stuff, usually meat, free. Got a free Stubbs barbecue sauce yesterday, chicken breast the day before.

To be honest, I don't think I spend more than your allowance on my food for a month on myself. I meal prep about once a week. Roast potatoes, cook a bunch of rice and then 2-3 meats and mix and match them for meals.

Ya, I keep an eye out for these price errors as well.

Stores are supposed to post this on the register, but some don't and plead ignorant to the law, so here it is: https://www.mass.gov/files/documents/2016/07/vr/price-accuracy-guarantee-form.pdf

I'm subscribed to Stop & Shop for Free Day and coupons as well. Free Day is a fun way to try new things, or get things I already buy free. I also like their digital coupons, which magically disappear when they expire!

kshama2001

SaraLynnFiske wrote: »

I only get $150 per month for myself to eat with. I don't know how to live off of $5 a day. I have tried watching videos online, and reading articles, but I'm having a hard time grasping at this and understanding what I can do. Does anyone have any really cheap recipes or meal plans??

I live in Western Massachusetts, and the stores nearby are Wal-Mart, Big Y, Dollar Tree and Stop&Shop

I'm from Wilbraham, living south of Boston now.

I'd probably get staples at Wal-Mart and check the Big Y and S&S flyers for sales. (I have a Market Basket so get staples there.)

Is there an Aldi's near you? Lots of posters here rave about it.

When my friend was on full SNAP benefits of $200/month in 2009 I did an experiment to see if I could feed myself on that and I can - and that included some organic produce, and meat and dairy that is all more humanely raised, so if you don't have those limitations $150 is doable for sure.

1. I didn't buy things like soda, boxed cereal, or alcohol.
2. I ate a lot of chicken thighs and very little red meat or fish.
3. I bought rice and beans in bulk.
4. I bought a lot of produce from farmer's markets
5. I cooked mostly from scratch - I would shop on Saturdays and spend a few hours on Sundays prepping lunches and dinners through Thursday.

So for example I would cook 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. 4 I'd make what I call Thai Tandoori, which is chicken marinated in @ a half cup of plain yogurt with a heaping teaspoon of Thai red curry paste, and then baked. At the same time I'd bake the other 4 chicken thighs dusted in Pepperidge Farms bread crumbs, and some baked potatoes. I'd cook a cup of rice. For lunches, I'd have the Thai chicken, rice, and green peas. For dinner I'd have the other chicken, potatoes, and make broccoli at that time cuz I don't like it microwaved.

I'd also make hard boiled eggs on the weekend and bring them to work for snacks. Plus I'd keep carrot sticks and cheese in the work frig, and almonds at my desk.

Oh, and I save chicken bones in the freezer and when I get a full quart ziplock bag I make stock for soups and stews in the crockpot.

The crockpot is great for cooking cheap cuts of meat, and dried beans. (Don't forget to either soak overnight or use the quick-soak method.)

Maybe get some Mark Bittman cookbooks from you library system? His recipes tend to be minimalistic and simple, so you don't have to spend a lot of money on odd ingredients.

kshama2001

Oh, to save money on spices, you can buy a few that will cover a range. For example:

1. I often use Italian seasoning for any recipe that calls for dried Oregano, Marjoram, Thyme, Rosemary, Basil, Sage.
2. I have used pumpkin pie spice for any recipe that calls for Cinnamon, Ginger, Cloves, Nutmeg.

Fresh herbs can get pricey at the store and it can be hard to use them all before they go bad. But this time of year everyone is selling them in containers. Just make sure you are watering appropriately, and give them enough sun, and a $3 or $4 pot of an herb should last you for months.