I'm Running Out of Food

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  • golgoroo
    golgoroo Posts: 69 Member
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    If you're lucky enough to have an Asian or other ethnic market in town, veggies there are usually less expensive. And you can get some cool new veggies to try that you'll never see in the chain groceries. Some markets also have fish & various meats. And the spices...oh, the spices! So much fun! :-)
  • gatorginger
    gatorginger Posts: 947 Member
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    Like many of the others said buy whats on sale that week, if it is something you really enjoy stock up on that when it is on sale. Once an item goes on sale it usually isn't on sale again for 6 weeks so if it is something you can store stock up on it while it is on sale. If it's not on sale and you just got to have it cut back on something else.

    I coupon and I spend around $50 a week for a household of 2, I shop at Publix and Winn Dixie. They have digital coupons online for both stores. There are some great coupon blogs out there my favorite two are www.mycouponexpert.com and www.southernsavers.com check them out they tell what deals and coupons are out there
  • lynleeg88
    lynleeg88 Posts: 104 Member
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    Your spending $100 for the week for how many people?? Not just yourself????

    I spend about $15.00-25.00 on fruits and vegetables for the week from our farmers market and then spend $60.00 every 2 weeks for eggs and farm raised meats from a local meat market..........

    So my average grocery bill for 2 adults and 2 dogs ranges from $45.00 - 55.00 a week.

    :0

    Where do you live??

    Me and my husband, minus dog and cat supplies spent about $30 at the farmers market for two weeks, running out so didn't plan that well...not good.

    We spent about $150 on groceries if not more at the store. :frown:

    Mind you, we had nothing in the house before we went so, it was a stock up run too on toiletries and such too.
  • OneImaginaryGirl
    OneImaginaryGirl Posts: 25 Member
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    Don't feel bad. I spend about the same, or more. But I always go to Whole Foods. I try to buy their 365 brand, but that's not always easy. Is your store expensive?
  • sjp_511
    sjp_511 Posts: 476 Member
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    I spend around $150/week for my husband and I. I plan meals for the week then create a shopping list and stick to it. I waste very little food since I have a plan for how to use it. I am horrible at shopping the sales but I do stock up on meats when they are on sale and freeze.
  • elsyoommen
    elsyoommen Posts: 155 Member
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    If you're lucky enough to have an Asian or other ethnic market in town, veggies there are usually less expensive. And you can get some cool new veggies to try that you'll never see in the chain groceries. Some markets also have fish & various meats. And the spices...oh, the spices! So much fun! :-)

    Yes - go to ethnic stores for stuff. I agree that East Asian stores (Chinese Vietnamese etc) are great for fish meats and vegetables, and tofu. South Asian (Indian Pakistani etc) stores are great for getting your dried lentils, chickpeas etc. If you are gluten free it is a great place to find chickpea flour and other non-wheat based flours and of course spices, sauces, pickles. Middle-eastern places are great for this too, plus they have a great selection of nuts and dried fruits.

    If you live in one of the major Canadian cities you should check out T&T for this stuff. Great place.
  • mrsjones2point0
    mrsjones2point0 Posts: 332 Member
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    I spend about $150 a week for 5 people. I meal plan ahead of time.

    Definitely buy a crock pot, you can get them cheap and they are so worth it!

    And I haven't tried Asian markets, but our hispanic markets are the best for cheap meats and veggies, oh, and spices in the hispanic food sections of all grocery stores and about half the price of the actual spice section (seriously, check it out, before you go buy a $6 bottle of cumin, go to the hispanic section, it's half the price there).
  • wozkaa
    wozkaa Posts: 224 Member
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    2 adults, 2 toddlers, 1 dog here.
    We are on a pretty strict budget (both adults not working) so when the salad goodies run out it's frozen vege time. I always have a few bags in the freezer, and they can be great to add to bakes/soups/stews as well.
    I find the budget has to stretch as DH and I have skim milk, low fat cheese - and the toddlers have full fat milk, cheese & yoghurt. And butter. Thankfully I now make my own yoghurt so that helps.

    Lentils, chickpeas etc are great to either have a meat free day a week or add to bulk up protein when using meat sparingly.

    I have a slowcooker, and it's really good. I can put things in there when the babies are napping, then go about our business for the day & just prep some veges fresh for dinner. It's a big one, so I can cook a bulk batch of casseroles or just meat depending on what I can get cheapest.
  • Bellusion
    Bellusion Posts: 23
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    We spend $100/week for a family of 4 (one is a baby so doesn't eat, but the $100 does include her diapers).

    1.) Make a menu and a shopping list ahead of time. Base your menu on sales.
    2.) Stock up when things are on sale. I just bought 6 boxes of whole wheat pasta because it was on sale. There were no good meat sales this week so I didn't buy any, I had enough in my freezer from shopping the sales.
    3.) Do you have an Aldi's? I buy a lot there. It isn't all cheaper, but a lot of it is.
    4.) Frozen veggies, dried beans, canned salmon, eggs, brown rice are staples in our house. I eat fresh fruit and a big salad (whatever is on sale/in season) every day, but other than that.. we eat mostly frozen veggies.
    5.) If you have to pack lunches (I do for husband), use leftovers instead of buying special foods just for that. I'm a good cook so he doesn't mind at all. :)
    6.) We always buy offbrand unless the name brand is cheaper.
    7.) We make almost everything from scratch.
  • MagJam2004
    MagJam2004 Posts: 651 Member
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    One Imaginary Girl, Sailor Moon for the win...

    You guys have been awesome.

    Step one, get online and find some recipes.
    Step two, build a week long meal plan, and stick to it
    Step three, get my wife a crock pot
    Step four, get my wife some flowers and chocolate
    Step five, shop around

    I've never even considered frozen veggies, so that I will need to try.
  • MagJam2004
    MagJam2004 Posts: 651 Member
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    Sorry Bellusion, we were typing at the same time. Just for the record, I shop at HEB, Wal-Mart, and Super S.
  • amaysngrace
    amaysngrace Posts: 742 Member
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    I spend 235 a month for me and my 6-year-old. I buy most of my ingredients in bulks and buy my fruit in bulks sometime, if I eat it daily. I eat bananas and kiwi fruit everyday, putting them in salads, pancakes and my oatmeal. I buy a big box of slow cooked Quaker dry oats in bulk, a case of diced tomatoes, diced tomato sauce, tomato paste, a bag of cranberries, milk, a large tub of plain yogurt, butternut squash, granola, ground beef, eggs, chicken, fish, black and dark red kidney beans, quinoa, and pasta and cheese.

    I can make Mexican casserole, chili, butternut squash soup, grilled cheese, tomato soup, etc. I freeze my bananas after they become too ripe and can throw them in a smoothie later on. I keep my kiwi in the basement along with everything else and I have a deep freezer. I put my bag of fresh cranberries in the freezer to preserve them and use them to make cranberry pancakes or throw them in my oatmeal. I keep my cheese and bread in the freezer until I get ready to use them. I only go to the grocery store once a month. Do they have a wholesale club, where you live?
  • subsonicbassist
    subsonicbassist Posts: 117 Member
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    I quit being a food snob and shopping exclusively at Whole Foods (if I had the money, I still would for the amazing meat/beer selection and great customer service), and now I shop at Costco and Winco (basically WalMart with more groceries). Although the stores are always crowded and have some sketchy people, I manage to feed myself, my wife and 18-month old son for about $500 a month. I buy organic produce when I can and when it makes financial sense to, and aim for more natural foods for the majority of my diet. But, I buy some sort of ice cream every time, my wife and son love nuggets, and there is usually some 0-cal soda or soft drink in there. Don't be ashamed to shop in the "cheap" stores, they have good deals. Whenever I hear people talking about the amazing gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free wine cheese balls wrapped in organic virgin Brazilian walnuts, I just roll my eyes and dig in to my big bowl of sugary cereal!
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
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    Eggs are good.

    My wife and I are pricing out the lumber to build a couple box gardens in the backyard to keep up with my sudden spike in spinach consumption. That is one money pit right there, buying tubs of greens all the time.

    I'm not sure what you're using spinach for, but if you're adding it to a green smoothie, I highly suggest kale. It's way cheaper and just as nutritious.

    ETA: I spend about $1.25 on organic kale per week, which is just enough to make 5 of my breakfast smoothies.
  • amaysngrace
    amaysngrace Posts: 742 Member
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    One Imaginary Girl, Sailor Moon for the win...

    You guys have been awesome.

    Step one, get online and find some recipes.
    Step two, build a week long meal plan, and stick to it
    Step three, get my wife a crock pot
    Step four, get my wife some flowers and chocolate
    Step five, shop around

    I've never even considered frozen veggies, so that I will need to try.

    I have frozen veggies, fresh and I keep canned veggies as a backup.
  • lseed87
    lseed87 Posts: 1,110 Member
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    In the same boat. Basically nothing here but have to wait til tomorrow or sometime over the weekend to shop
  • sypop
    sypop Posts: 102 Member
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    I spend $200 a MONTH on food for my family of 4
    I coupon and I shop whats on sale :)
  • Charlinia
    Charlinia Posts: 5
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    This is a great list!
  • dicoveringwhoIam
    dicoveringwhoIam Posts: 480 Member
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    I spend $250 every 2wks for 2adults, 4kids (3 are teenage boys), 3dogs, and 4 cats... We run thin but not out of food. We plant a garden and can or freeze a lot of veggies and fruit, plus we make our own jam. We eat a lot of beans with meals, also alot of chicken, turkey, and fish. We also raise our own eggs. If you can go to a local farmers market and shop for veggies and fruit in season it tends to be cheaper. Plus beans are great :)
  • mortuseon
    mortuseon Posts: 579 Member
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    Cheap stuff to stock your cupboard (I live in the UK so it might be a bit different for me):

    Pasta, rice, oats...poss. flour

    Dried fruit

    Tins of chopped tomatoes or passata, for soup and sauce bases

    Tins of beans (even cheaper dry, but take longer to prepare)

    Tins of anchovies (make really good cheap pasta sauce like puttanesca) and tuna (cheapish protein source)

    Jarred stuff that will last you e.g. olives, capers, pesto

    Tomato purée, stock cubes, spices, dried herbs

    So I plan my meals every week and hence plan what I'll buy. Meals are based on what I've got in the cupboard, then I 'top up' with the fresh stuff - if I have to buy too much extra, I'll wait and make something else. Each week I'll go and buy eggs, milk, vegetables, Greek yoghurt and maybe meat/Quorn...but I always spend <£30 and sometimes <£20. Meals get made and portioned out as planned.
    You don't need to spend a fortune on fresh produce and special virginal bread; a little can go a long way when making use of the cheaper stuff to bulk out recipes and spices/seasoning to ensure it tastes good. Pre-logging can also really help.
    I've got lots of recipes if you'd like them! Some examples include paprikash, puttanesca, caponata, pizza, lentil soup...the list goes on :)

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