Suddenly on one paycheck-- Budget Foods??

lmelangley

Here are a couple of tips to help save on fruit that might be going bad:
1. Use them to bake. You can make small scones or cookies without too many calories (check out recipes online- allrecipes.com is my favorite site) and freeze any you don't eat right away.
2. Throw the fruit in a blender and freeze it in approximately 2 cup portions. Then, buy a large container of plain, lowfat yogurt. Mix one of the frozen fruit portions with some yogurt and a little orange juice, if you have it on hand, for a wonderful smoothie. Makes a great breakfast.

Remember that if you buy too many veggies or fruit, you can usually freeze them before they go completely bad. We take odds and ends of broccoli, string beans, snap peas, and carrots and freeze them make lovely stir fries in the future - if you're a meat eater, this is a great way to save on meat because you can get away with about half as much as you might otherwise use in a stir fry.

And, lastly, you might want to consider volunteering once or twice a week in a soup kitchen or at community dinners. You'll be giving back to your community and probably feel good about doing something really productive - looking for work can be a downer at the best of times. Plus, you'll be really appreciated - volunteers are needed everywhere. Such dinners usually feed their workers, which means one less meal to pay for a week.

Good luck!

Jennyisbusy

This is how my broke *kitten* survives:

1. Google your local groceries stores name and coupons together - see if you have some blogs that work where you live. I have iheartpublix that works great for me. In short they match coupons to sales and sometimes you can really rack up on the deals. Sometimes it is a lot of work to make it all come together.

2. Don't spend money on drinks - stick to water it's cheap and 0 calories

3. Proteins help you to feel full and satisfied so those get priority, Beans, peanut butter, tuna,are usually my go to cheapies. Chicken, pork, and beef have to be on sale. Seafoods are a treat.

4. Add in the rices, veggies, fruits etc. A bag of potatoes, and a bag of apples get pretty good mileage. Canned/frozen veggies last a really long time. Frozen can be great cause you can get just enough out of the bag and leave the rest frozen.

shababe2010

Bump

sufikitkat

I personally hit up farmer's markets for my produce. It truly lasts me longer than any produce from the grocery store and is much much cheaper! Another hint is to look for club value at your local store. I am not sure what your local grocery store is, but here we have Wegmans that sells a lot of their healthy foods in a CLub Pack. Example that I love is their Soft Whole Wheat Bread (true whole wheat, no HFCS!) and its a decently sized loaf is on its own $1.79, but you can buy two for $2.99. BJ's does carry some organic products as well and their coupons are often great so that can help too! Overall, I also ensure that I place my leftovers from anything in a sealed container and the fridge right away. Using pop and lock containers helps food last longer than glad containers too. Good luck!!

jchester71

I am a full time student, work part time and my wife is unable to work due to uncontrolled MS. We spend about $150-$200 a month on food and here are a few pointers.

1. Trader Joes is your friend, just stick to the store brands, healthy and cheap.
2. Shop relatively frequently to keep produce from spoiling w/ only one person working you have the time.
3. Buy meat when it is on sale and freeze it, then plan your meals around what is in your freezer. You will be shocked how much money this saves.
4. Try ethnic supermarkets, they are usually way cheaper than the big chains.
5. Hit fruit stands/flea markets for produce. I bought 1/2 a bushel of oranges for $5 last week, and they will last for a month.

knetterk

bump

DannyMussels

I didn't really read any of the replies, so sorry if I repeat anything.

If you have a bulk food store, check that out. I usually get nuts/grains etc when they're on sale.

Whatever you get, buy bulk (obv) cause it'll be cheaper, and remember 95% of stuff can be frozen, to prolong its life (milk, cooked pasta, cheese etc) so don't be afraid to buy a lot of fresh stuff. You can clean/portion vegetables (onions, peppers) and freeze em in baggies, once thawed they cook up fine, with very minimal loss in quality. (theyll get slightly softer due to ice partical damage, but work perfectly in dishes)

If you're any good at cooking, take something cheap like popcorn or rice crispies (anything) and turn it into some sort of cake, cookie or snack bar. It's a decent way to spice up cheaper foods, make them a litle more interesting to eat.

Any sort of meal at a really cheap price can be used or manipulated into something 10x better. Stewing beef, ground beef, flank steaks. I've gotten pounds and pounds of lean ground beef really cheap, and turned it into bags and bags of beef jerky. A fairly healthy, and waaay cheaper version then store bought.

Start checking flyers if you get em and look for sales. I snatch up vitamins/supplements from local pharmacies when they're either half off, or 2 for 1, and can save $50-100 dollars on less then 10 items. The same will apply for foods. Again, virtually anything can be frozen.

If some of your fresh foods are nearing the end of their shelf-life, cook them, they'll last another week or so longer.

If you have any farmers markets nearby, its a chance to get stuff (often better quality) for better prices, and you'll be supporting someone locally.

Hope some of that helps, and hope things work out for you guys!