Clean on a tight budget?
Replies
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OP, I read your posts to my husband and asked his opinion. His response was really harsh so I'm just going to quote it.
"The problem here is that she's taken on the job of fitting everyone's dietary needs into the budget as if these were both her problems. Making food that fits everyone's needs is her problem, but the lack of money isn't her problem, it's his problem. Either he earns enough money to buy the things he prefers to eat or he gets to eat other things."8 -
rheddmobile wrote: »OP, I read your posts to my husband and asked his opinion. His response was really harsh so I'm just going to quote it.
"The problem here is that she's taken on the job of fitting everyone's dietary needs into the budget as if these were both her problems. Making food that fits everyone's needs is her problem, but the lack of money isn't her problem, it's his problem. Either he earns enough money to buy the things he prefers to eat or he gets to eat other things."
The bolded made me lol.
OP, I have no advice because it's only me I'm feeding and I eat whatever tastes good to me but I do agree that even tho it's his money buying the food, you're still presumably the one buying and cooking it for him. If he won't or can't eat what you seem to be at least trying to cater to his tastes, that's on him. (That might not have made sense.) He should learn to make the foods he WILL eat himself.
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I’m a pretty picky eater and right now my wife is 39 weeks pregnant (gonna pop any minute) but the plan is for her to stay home so well be on a single income. I don’t love veggies but I eat them. My wife compromises by being willing to have things like carrots and spinach in stock much more than cucumber and bell peppers (which o really don’t like), but she still get them for herself. She’ll make us salads for dinner or as a side and I’ll usually stick to carrots and spinach with a little bit of dressing and she might add some bell pepper or cucumber or both to hers. It works. She also reminds me that as our baby girl grows ill have to be eating more veggies at dinner to be a good example to our kids. I understand this.
I doubt you were looking for couples counseling advice but I agree with the sentiments other expressed... hubby could stand to go thru a little maturing on this front and you could probdbly put your foot down a little more or let him make his own food. I recently heard the value a stay at home mom adds is equivalent to a $140,000/year salary job - so don’t sell yourself short - you do a tonnnnn more work than most.9 -
I completely missed the fact you are a vegetarian. You probably realize there is no way to feed yourself and him the same food, right? One of you will be starving.
Thats why im compromising and eating processed junk-we cant afford such wildly different menus unless somebody eats ramen for every meal.
I never understand it when people say things like this. If you have a full kitchen (stove, oven, refrigerator, freezer), adequate storage space, and power stability (i.e., you're not likely to lose the food in your refrigerator/freezer because of grid issues or inability to pay the electric bill), it's almost always cheaper to cook food from scratch rather than pay for the convenience of packaged food.
And if you budget and plan, so that you either don't cook enough to have leftovers or you eat the leftovers at another meal, I truly don't see how different menus inherently cost more. You're not eating the pork chop or ground beef or chuck roast or whatever meat was cheapest this week, so you don't incur that expense for your meal. Your husband isn't eating any vegetables or beans, so you don't incur those expenses for him. For most people, it's the extra work that makes this such a pain in the neck, but you say you're tired of not cooking, so I wouldn't think it would be such a deal breaker for you.
Get enough meat to last your husband and toddler for the week -- whatever's cheapest. If they're eat the same thing throughout the week, turn it into a casserole of some kind, and when you reheat it, you can smother your husband's portion in a cheese-based sauce for added calories (buy store-brand block cheese and grate it yourself for economy). Alternatively, if you have freezer space, keep out a couple nights' worth of the casserole in the refrigerator and free the rest in hubby- and toddler-size portions. Or cook the meat of the week simply on the weekend, and dress it up in different ways throughout the week for different meals (one night with cheese sauce for hubby and whatever dipping sauce your toddler does; another night as a taco or burrito filling; another night over noodles with a spicy peanut sauce; etc.)
Cook a batch of beans (from dried, for economy) for yourself, and a little extra if the toddler will sample them, and again, dress it up different ways throughout the week (in a salad, a quick soup, a chili, as taco or burrito filling, over pasta with a tomato or pureed veggie sauce, etc.) or make a big batch of chili or a hearty soup from it if you're willing to eat it the same way throughout the week (or use the freeze-some strategy described above for the meat dish.2 -
You have an "and" problem. You cannot shop inexpensively "and" support your current eating habits. So what can you do? You have to make compromises somewhere. Your "and" must become an "or" and you have to make choices about how to best support your goals under the current circumstances. It sounds like you have lots of conflicting goals between the two of you. There are definitely ways to simplify your meal planning that don't require things from a bag or box, but it may require you to cook for yourself individually and create a simple menu with like ingredients. Lots of good advice on foods to purchase inexpensively and how to prep them in previous posts.
Now would be a good time to sit down with your spouse and discuss how you can make changes to your diets and meal plan. If he isn't supportive of making changes and assisting you in frugal and healthful home management as a team, that's an entirely different problem we can't assist you with, unfortunately.4 -
Edit. Hubs will not eat: yogurt sweet potato beans lentils nuts oatmeal bread tomato onion peppers hummus mayo avocado fish desserts milk alternative milk shellfish no veg except cuke, canned green beans, corn, and broccoli with ranch. Only apples grapes banana.
Your husband and toddler can eat meat/starch (potato, corn, pasta, rice, etc.), + veg (and if husband doesn't eat the veg, his choice, you should make sure it's out for the kids as kids need to try things multiple times to like it often and modeling eating patterns is important, and easy enough to include green beans, broccoli, and cucumber often). If you want vegetarian, you can make beans/lentils for a few days ahead and eat it with the veg or the veg + starch or have eggs or greek yogurt with the beans/starch, depending on protein and cal needs and breast feeding requirements (i.e., anything you should avoid).
The fruit your husband likes seems easy enough to work with and likely the cheaper options, buy apples, grapes, banana, and if you like other things like berries and clementines or oranges, buy them and eat them with your toddler.
If no one in your family eats fish, don't make fish.Clean means...like, im sick of not cooking and everything coming from a stupid box or freezer bag because we cant make any kind of cohesive plan. I miss fresh, home prepared, limited ingredient
So cook. What do you enjoy cooking?2 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »I completely missed the fact you are a vegetarian. You probably realize there is no way to feed yourself and him the same food, right? One of you will be starving.
Thats why im compromising and eating processed junk-we cant afford such wildly different menus unless somebody eats ramen for every meal.
I never understand it when people say things like this. If you have a full kitchen (stove, oven, refrigerator, freezer), adequate storage space, and power stability (i.e., you're not likely to lose the food in your refrigerator/freezer because of grid issues or inability to pay the electric bill), it's almost always cheaper to cook food from scratch rather than pay for the convenience of packaged food.
Yes, I agree.0 -
If your husband refuses to eat foods that have to be a staple of your diet as a vegetarian, maybe it's time to have him feed himself and you worry about yourself and your little one. Maybe someone else here will see something jump out at them, but you pretty much eliminated anything "unprocessed" I eat in your follow up post. Good luck!
Each family dynamic is going to be different though. I make different meals for my husband and kids than what I eat, and have done this for almost 7 years now (ever since I started my weight loss phase). Sometimes there's common ingredients (like when we do tacos, I sub out the meat for beans for me etc), but for the most part I have two separate menu plans. It hasn't been a big deal and it makes meal time go smoother around here.2 -
If your husband refuses to eat foods that have to be a staple of your diet as a vegetarian, maybe it's time to have him feed himself and you worry about yourself and your little one. Maybe someone else here will see something jump out at them, but you pretty much eliminated anything "unprocessed" I eat in your follow up post. Good luck!
Each family dynamic is going to be different though. I make different meals for my husband and kids than what I eat, and have done this for almost 7 years now (ever since I started my weight loss phase). Sometimes there's common ingredients (like when we do tacos, I sub out the meat for beans for me etc), but for the most part I have two separate menu plans. It hasn't been a big deal and it makes meal time go smoother around here.
Which would be reasonable if there didn't appear to be some resistance to that method because the husband brings in the paycheck and may be dictating purchases. OP will have to clarify that.1 -
If your husband refuses to eat foods that have to be a staple of your diet as a vegetarian, maybe it's time to have him feed himself and you worry about yourself and your little one. Maybe someone else here will see something jump out at them, but you pretty much eliminated anything "unprocessed" I eat in your follow up post. Good luck!
Each family dynamic is going to be different though. I make different meals for my husband and kids than what I eat, and have done this for almost 7 years now (ever since I started my weight loss phase). Sometimes there's common ingredients (like when we do tacos, I sub out the meat for beans for me etc), but for the most part I have two separate menu plans. It hasn't been a big deal and it makes meal time go smoother around here.
Sure. Which is why I said maybe.
Some people find its easier to make different foods for different people. I however know several people who don't have the time or inclination to add extra variables to meal planning and found happiness by letting everyone know that one meal would be prepared, and if they didn't want it, they could make their own.1 -
Edit. Hubs will not eat: yogurt sweet potato beans lentils nuts oatmeal bread tomato onion peppers hummus mayo avocado fish desserts milk alternative milk shellfish no veg except cuke, canned green beans, corn, and broccoli with ranch. Only apples grapes banana.
I dont eat cottage cheese, avocado, tomato, tofu, mayo, sour cream, or mushrooms.
Toddler is a garbage disposal.
Clean means...like, im sick of not cooking and everything coming from a stupid box or freezer bag because we cant make any kind of cohesive plan. I miss fresh, home prepared, limited ingredient
Hi @Troll
I love to cook as well! Think of what can you make instead of what limitations there are.
I’d definitely buy in bulk and what’s on sale.
These 2 recipe sites are cool since you can plug in ingredients you want (or don’t want) and it finds recipe to match! Maybe that might help.
Supercool.com
Allrecipes.com
What if you made a vegetarian dish that everyone will eat and the family had a side of roast chicken? Frittata with toppings you and he can eat. Eggs in bulk save money. Quiche in a pie dish.
I see broccoli up there.. turkey and broccoli for the fam - added edamame and cashew sauce for you for protein. The little one can explore vegetables and different items with you.
Quinoa and banana for breakfast?
Broccoli and cheese?
I think there are a ton of items to get. Maybe this is an opportunity to be creative. 😉
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all i know is, is that no matter what the budget, my husband eats what i cook, or he goes and fixes himself something to eat on his own.
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