Groc shopping on cheap budget

AprilVal

Any suggestions of groc shopping for someone with small budget.. Right now were extremely low on money and I need to find some healthy food choices with the low food budget. Im a picky person so its hard.. Any suggestions.. Anyone have any good recipes that will help with my cheap budget.. HELP!

themetra

I'll be interested to see what others have to say. I buy chicken breast, boil it and throw it in the food processor for salads, or put chicken breast in the crockpot with cans of diced tomatoes, onions, peppers and olives with some seasonings, almost like a stew.

kymberlin

Hi, some of the time I shop on Sunday, even thou thats the day the new sale starts. I find lots of stuff with store coupons. Meat that needs to be cooked within two days or frozen and even salad bags. I just started eating more salads and bought some bags for .99 I eat a whole one for lunch. Simple and easy. Also I get meat this way and cook for a few meals. Hope this helped.

Sherry1979

I like "Taco Soup". . .it's easy to make and fairly cheap and goes a long ways. . .we can usually eat out of it for 2 or 3 days or longer depending on if we eat it only for dinner or for lunch and dinner both!

1 lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 packet taco seasoning
1 small onion
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dry dressing mix (although I never use this in mine)
1 can corn
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
2 cans chili-ready diced tomatoes

Cook your meat & onions together in a skillet until the meat is cooked thru. Add your taco seasoning & dressing mix (if using). Simmer together for another 2-3 minutes. In a large pot, mix together your meat mixture along with all the remaining ingredients & bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

(I like to eat mine with some Fritos & cheese in it, of course that adds a few extra calories but it's good on it's own). Also, I use lower sodium ingredients anywhere possible in this recipe. . .and since I don't like really spicy stuff I use only 1 can of the chili-ready tomatoes and use another can of just plain diced tomatoes.

carlajp18

ground turkey, whole wheat pasta, steamfresh bags of veggies, eggs, oatmeal, lowfat milk, and then whatever fresh produce is on sale. If you are used to cooking then it's easy to get groceries without breaking the bank. I think it's harder for people who are used to frozen meals and eating out b/c they don't have the basic ingredients in their pantry or fridge. good luck!

NikkiJ17

I like "Taco Soup". . .it's easy to make and fairly cheap and goes a long ways. . .we can usually eat out of it for 2 or 3 days or longer depending on if we eat it only for dinner or for lunch and dinner both!

1 lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 packet taco seasoning
1 small onion
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dry dressing mix (although I never use this in mine)
1 can corn
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
2 cans chili-ready diced tomatoes

Cook your meat & onions together in a skillet until the meat is cooked thru. Add your taco seasoning & dressing mix (if using). Simmer together for another 2-3 minutes. In a large pot, mix together your meat mixture along with all the remaining ingredients & bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

(I like to eat mine with some Fritos & cheese in it, of course that adds a few extra calories but it's good on it's own). Also, I use lower sodium ingredients anywhere possible in this recipe. . .and since I don't like really spicy stuff I use only 1 can of the chili-ready tomatoes and use another can of just plain diced tomatoes.

MMMM, I make this too!! LOVE IT!!!!

Dafrog

do u like veggie soup. cheap n easy. bag of generic frozen veggies, generic v8, season. simmer done. i add ground round browned n rinsed to mine. buy meat n bulk and portion out and freeze. peanut butter (check out, some are real oily) kix cereal is a good snack, not real sure what your taste are. make a list, plan your meals in advance. I use to think u had to eat junk to eat cheap, actually it was me being lazy. boxes r easier. buy bulk frozen veggies and bulk meat. check around for the best deals.

funnygirl0940

I would investigate the possibility of buying fresh produce. You've got to think about it. I realize that processed food is "cheap" but it's killing people. All I can recommend is doing what I'm doing.

1. buy mostly fresh produce
2. beef/once a month/fish twice a week/chicken & boil your own beans(those still must be economical in the states?)
3. check into oat groats...they are oats before they've been processed and are very tasty. I make a porridge w/2 cups whole milk/2 cups water/1 cup oats...we no longer buy any processed cereal. It can be eaten cold or hot, and is good plain or topped with fruit, honey, and yogurt.
4. I buy wheat berry and grind my own flour to make whole wheat bread/pitas/tortillas/crackers/graham crackers...

It may take a while but google and study up on homesteading/being self sustaining.

We just ate our first green salad with fresh spinach from our 6 week old garden. I grew the lettuce & spinach from seed.

I make our yogurt and use pretty much exclusively raw honey.

We have found that we eat richer, better cuts of beef & fish because we don't eat as much meat. Tomorrow, I'll be making a lentil vegetable soup.

But here's a catch...I live in Mexico. As you'll see in my profile pic, my fresh produce drying after shopping in the outdoor market. We spent about $35 US that day. Buy either fresh or fresh frozen veggies/fruits. Learn how to boil beans...some secrets I found are to slice fresh garlic and ginger root into the water. Soak the beans(especially fava & garbanzo(chickpeas) ) and change the water a few times in the process, even while boiling them. Beans & cutting out processed food may be the way to go.

So we buy extra virgin olive oil, canola oil for mayo(but fresh avocado is even better in place of avocado).

I'm eating well, not into the low fat/processed food and I'm losing weight, my hair is growing & I feel good.

NikkiJ17

We are a single income family of 5 so I know what you're saying!! I plan my meals...my husband gets paid biweekly so I sit down and plan my breakfast, lunch & dinner for everyday for the two weeks (obviously due to freshness I can't get it all - but at least I know what I need - and I save money back for that). Sometimes it works out that we have extra because of unexpected meals provided for us (being invited out to eat or to someone's house). I don't necessarily stick to what I chose for each day, depends on what sounds good when that day arrives but I know if I planned the meal than I have the stuff in the house to prepare it. I look at the store ads and plan my meals according to what's on sale. Also buy meat ahead, when it's on sale buy more than you need. We have a "bent & dent" store. Things are cheaper if it's dented or the box is slightly messed up, I always start my shopping trip there just to see what I can get. Hope this helps!!! Remember it's the small steps, the little changes you make that makes the difference, so don't get overwhelmed trying to get it all at once.

hkystar

i recommend frozen veggies (based on cost), only buy fresh veggies that are in season. You dont need to use as much meat as most recipes call for. I have found I can get away with 1/2 the meat and not have lost the taste. No buying drinks, you can live with just water to drink - aside from milk. Coupons can help. And dont forget to occasionally buy a treat for the family. Jello always went far with me as a child (my parents didnt have a lot of money).

Dreadz_Veggies_4Life

I am not sure if you have farmer markets in your area, but I buy my veggies and fruit from there and I save alot of money. Some do offer meats but I don't eat meat so I would not be any help in that area but it may be a good start if you are able to locate one in your area.

elmct57

is there a food pantry or food bank in your area? sometimes when times are hard you can supplement with items from there. and i find prices at the dollar store cheaper on some food items as well.

virginiagomes

Getting ideas

nonoark

Do you have any of the nutrition information on this recipe? Or is it already in the system? I would like to try it since I love cooking/eating with an international flair. Thanks for the recipe, it sounds yummy.

DeeDeeLHF

The more unprocessed that you go the cheaper it will be. Recently we needed to cut back so I made a commitment to use up what is in our freezer and pantry, to not throw anything away (meaning use it up before it spoils), and only purchase what I absolutely need.

I was able to go for three weeks without buying anything but milk and flour and now in the last 6 weeks since I have spent less than $200.00 and we are a family of 6 including 4 adults!

I buy frozen veggies as they are the cheapest.

I buy meat in bulk, prepare it then freeze it and use less of it in recipes.

I use more beans and seeds.

I have become very creative with what might have been thrown out, for example I did pumpkin seeds this year from our pumpkins, canned lots of tomatoes, even made salsa from the green tomatoes. wrapped to store the other green tomatoes, picked the grapes that grow wild near our house and am in the process of squeezing them to make grape jelly. Look around for free items. (farmers that have harvested already but still have fruit and such hanging on the trees and vines.)

Apples are really cheap right now so I am making sauce and carefully storing apples for the winter. (The cost of these apples were not included in the $200.00)


I create extra meals and put them in the freezer so that on busy days when I might be tempted to get take out, I can simply re-heat.

I thought the kids would hate this but actually they are enjoying the lovingly prepared meals.

Also, if times are really tight you can look into the Angelfood network.

D

morganadk2_deleted

I always have the ingredients in the house , lentils are really cheap, good for you and filling! Plus this is so quick and easy to make!


Red Lentil & Tomato soup

100g Lentils
1 large onion choppped
1clove garlic crusshed
1 vegatable stock cube
1Carrot chopped
1 can tomatoes

In a pan onoin crushed garlic and stock cube, enough water to cover them, and simmer

in a spearate pan place the lentils enough water to cover them, and simmer


When the lentils are cooked add to the first pan and blend add more water , seasoning as required.

Enjoy!


makes 3 servings 187 calories each! my whole family love this one .
Edited by morganadk2 on Wed 11/03/10 11:11 AM

SJSchwartz

We are a family of 7 and buy our groceries anywhere from $60 - 100 a week (and that's including toilet paper, paper towels & everything else we need to buy at the store on a weekly basis)

We also have a "bent & dent" store and can buy food CHEAP there! Example: Canned beans .10/can, Name brand Instant oatmeal with all the goodies in it .75/box. Salad dressings .50/bottle. Name brand cereals .75/box. Olive oil 1.00/Quart bottle. etc....

Also, I don't know if you know this, but at WALMART (in the states anyway), you can take in a competitors ad to show to the cashier, and you can buy the same item there for the same price as listed in the ad. And if it's a store-brand from another store, you can get the same item in Walmart's brand (great value) for the same price in the ad. That way, you don't have to do so much running around to other stores. It just may be a little more time consuming at the cash register, buy hey, you're saving money!

If you buy your beans & rice dry, they are a LOT cheaper than the "instant" versions. Potatoes are cheap and can be used in TONS of ways. Frozen ground turkey (in the 1 lb rolls) are usually cheaper than ground beef. I look for sales on the 10 lb bag of chicken thighs, and usually stock up on 3 or 4 bags at a time (usual sale is .39 or .49/pound.) Pasta is cheap. If you cook it al dente, it's actually not all that bad for you. The carbs aren't broken down completely. Spahgetti sauce is cheap, just look for the lower sodium kinds. I can usually find the tubes of refrigerated biscuit dough (the kind with 10 smaller biscuits in them) for just .39/roll. Those can be used in a variety of ways; as biscuits, or flatten them out before baking them and add garlic powder to make garlic bread, or flatten them out and add a little spaghetti sauce, pizza veggies, and cheese to make little pizzas, or roll flat and add a little cinnamon and sugar to make little cinnamon rolls, or cut into small pieces and add into boiling soup broth to cook as little dumplings.... the ideas are endless. Tortilla shells are cheap... we use those to wrap up beans, flavored brown rice, & cheese, or we make quesadilla's with them, or for crispy crust pizza's. Sometimes canned veggies go on sale, and that's the time to stock up on them. Just keep your eyes open for sales! That's a great time to stock up and freeze what you're not going to use now, for later.

Good luck, you can do it!

funnygirl0940

I always have the ingredients in the house , lentils are really cheap, good for you and filling! Plus this is so quick and easy to make!


Red Lentil & Tomato soup

100g Lentils
1 large onion choppped
1clove garlic crusshed
1 vegatable stock cube
1Carrot chopped
1 can tomatoes

In a pan onoin crushed garlic and stock cube, enough water to cover them, and simmer

in a spearate pan place the lentils enough water to cover them, and simmer


When the lentils are cooked add to the first pan and blend add more water , seasoning as required.

Enjoy!


makes 3 servings 187 calories each! my whole family love this one .
Edited by morganadk2 on Wed 11/03/10 11:11 AM

i'm getting ready to make lentil soup right now...waiting for hubby to come home w/carrots and garlic...my recipe is different from yours but love lentils!
Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes(i always use raw and puree in the food processor...never processed/canned)
2 cups dry lentils
8 cups water
1/2 cup spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vinegar
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
Directions

In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and basil; cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in lentils, and add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve stir in spinach, and cook until it wilts. Stir in vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper, and more vinegar if desired.
Nutritional Information

Nutritional Information
Lentil Soup
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 349
Total Fat: 10g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 130mg
Total Carbs: 48.2g
Dietary Fiber: 22.2g
Protein: 18.3g

BWSydney

I've recently been on a roasted vege kick - My recent fav is roasted zucchini.

Preheat oven to 450, place cut veg skin side down, spray with non-stick cooking spray (I use the olive oil kind), brush with minced garlic and you're pretty much done! They only take about 10 min and are sooo yummy with just a little bit of salt.

Oh and chopped up butternut squash is another fav.

foxfirekenzie

I do the majority of my shopping at our local 'refurbished' store. It seems as if most communities have them. This store sells items that are about to go out of date, dented cans, off brands or imperfect packaging. You have to be somewhat selective in what you choose for your own safety. If you get carbs like pasta, cereal or the like, put them in the freezer to combat bugs! I hate those little buggers.
Keep in mind the day the store gets their fresh produce and you can make a major score there.
Do a little digging and see if your area has one of these stores. Ours is called Carls Super Saver.
Good luck!

nonoark

I made the Taco soup (sounded so good) and loved it!!!! As posted, it does not cost much to make. I did use the ranch seasoning in it. The only part I was concerned with when I put it into my recipes to get other nutrition information was the sodium. It is a wonderful treat, but if you are watching your sodium intake (like I am) due to HBP then you will want to plan your other meals to make sure you stay on goal for that day. I will be trying to adjust and lower that with the next batch I make. I am too hooked not to make it again!!!
Thanks for the new idea!!!

GrandmaCarolyn

Remember that eggs are a good source of protein and fairly cheap, Chicken breast is really great with salsa. Don't forget chili. Use dried beans. Just remember to get the leanest hamburger or ground turkey you can afford because fat packs twice the calories than carbs or protein. I have even bought chuck arm roasts, trimmed the fat well and ground up the leftovers for chili, or for sandwich meat mixed with fat free mayo or Miricle Whip. You can get a manual meat grinder pretty cheap and often you can find them at 2nd hand stores. You can grind your own turkey, too, and trim the fat. Low fat Valveta is good over veggies and makes great sandwiches, too. If your family hunts or if you know people who do, wild game is much lower in calories than most meat. Elk is especially good but venison makes great chili. And don't forget canned tuna. Try mixing it with salsa for a change
Turkey should be very cheap now. Buy one and stick one in the freezer.
Turkey Stew:
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2-4 cups turkey leftovers (I really pick the bones)
broth from boiled large bones
2 lb. carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 lb potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large chopped onion
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp pepper

cook veggies in 2 cups water till tender, add
turkey meat
seasoning
2 cans cream of chicken soup mixed with 1 1/2 cups broth
mix well
Freeze leftovers

TracieJ65

I made this the other night. Cheap, fast, and actually very filling! You can put other veggies in it to change it up a bit, plus I put garlic in it and used some Mrs. Dash seasoning. I think some zuchinni, maybe eggplant, artichoke hearts would be great and I will play around with it the next time I make it.

Pasta and Beans:

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans
2 cups penne pasta
salt to taste

Directions

1.In a medium size saucepan heat the olive oil. Saute onion until tender. Stir in tomatoes and entire can of beans. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
2.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3.Mix pasta with bean mixture and salt as desired.

DETAILED NUTRITION
Serving Size 1/4 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe 4

---

Amount Per Serving
Calories 279

Total Fat 6.4g 10 %
Saturated Fat 0.9g 5 %
Cholesterol 0mg 0 %
** Sodium 228mg 9 %
** Potassium 247mg 7 %
Total Carbohydrates 46g 15 %
Dietary Fiber 6.1g 24 %
Protein 9.8g 20 %
Sugars 4g
** Vitamin A 6 %
** Vitamin C 26 %
** Calcium 7 %
** Iron 30 %

azmomof2

I don't know if this was mentioned yet but angelfoodministries.com is a great resource for cheaper groceries and you can look up a nearby location online, see what they have offered for the month, and even pay online and then pick it up the day the goods come in! Basically they have a box that generally is geared for a family of four and like I said you can see what they have that month before buying it. They also have a fruit and veggie box, a box geared for after school snacks, and also gluten free meals and healthy/senior meals. So I encourage you to check it out

Also I'd google or ask about any food co ops you might have in your area. I have one called bountiful baskets but I noticed it's not in your state but co ops like these help you to save a ton on veggies and fruits!

One more tip my friend's hubby is a regional manager out here for a grocery store chain and she told me that if you are lucky and the butcher is in he'll tell you what early mornings they do their mark downs on all the meats!

Good luck to you and hope this helps you and a few others :flowerforyou:

kayemme

i have this whole budget thing practically mastered.

first, beans. eat a lot of beans, but don't buy them canned. buy them dry, they are much, much cheaper plus you don't have to deal with the can later. if you can buy them in bulk, even better because you can probably find organic and use a cloth bag. this is optimal.

pound for pound all vegetables will be cheaper in season, so the first thing you have to do is look to see what is in season right now. once you get the rhythm of the natural world, it really helps.

avoid meat as often as possible. replace meat with mushrooms.

grow and use a lot of herbs. sage + fennel = sausage flavor.

make soups. soup is probably the cheapest and healthiest thing you can eat. there's a taco soup recipe someone posted that looks fair, but again avoid the cans and you'll bring the serving cost down considerably.

spend money on things like eggs and milk. you get better nutrition from better-treated animals. i'm not saying this to be a food nazi, i'm saying it because it's true. if you cut a dollar out from buying in season, spend that dollar on the eggs or milk. you're doing yourself a favor.

don't buy anything in a box unless you do the math and can confirm that it is, in fact, cheaper. it almost never is.

pancake mix is simply flour, baking powder and salt. it is literally 50¢ worth of product in a $4 box. and THEN you have to deal with the box!

save your gas and walk or bike to the store. keep a lean fridge (mostly empty). keep leftovers in clear containers so you can see what's in it and what you can make it into tomorrow. plan your meals out so you can effectively use up your leftovers.

keep your vegetable trimmings in a freezer bag in the freezer. when the bag is full, put the trimmings (including garlic skins, potato skins, carrot tops, beet greens, etc...) in a pot, cover with water and make a vegetable stock.

avoid things with a box / barcode, even if it appears cheaper. pound for pound, it's never cheaper if it's in a container.

virginiagomes

Any more ideas?