food budget

acasey0123

so in a couple of months I will be moving out of my parents house and into an apartment so I will be on a VERY strict food budget....$25 a week...I want to eat healthy but not keep having rice, pasta and beans all the time (plus thats alot of carbs) what are some tips/ideas

curlyclo

Frozen or canned fruits and veggies are pretty cheap, so maybe those instead of fresh fruit & veggies for a while?

4lafz

$25 a week is WAY low. Not sure if I could do it and I am very thrifty. Dried beans in bulk - be sure to rinse and soak them. If you are in a hurry cook them all one day and put in individual wrap to freeze them. Frozen veggies on sale. Perhaps try the clearance section of the meat dept for sale (same day use or freeze) chicken. When you can get it buy as much as you can - cook and freeze. You won't be able to afford pre-packaged meals and frozen foods - that's a good thing. Just get to know when your market marks things down (Milk at mine is usually Tues). Good luck!

Elixandra

I need some ideas myself.

Elixandra

Frozen or canned fruits and veggies are pretty cheap, so maybe those instead of fresh fruit & veggies for a while?

If you do go this way try and stay away from caned veggies as much as you can there nasty high in sodium. I just found this out myself.

knetterk

bump!!!

MommyLyssa

My friend spends around $35 a week on a dairy/gluten/wheat/sugar free diet (health issues for the moment), and that is hard for her. She does end up searching for meat often for the clearanced meat and just stocking up. Portion sizes will help a lot. Sorry that isn't a ton of help, but $25 a week might very well be too low Good luck though! Who knows, maybe it is possible! I spend around $325 a month for a family of 5.

glittersoul

$25 dollars a week will be tough.

Some stuff you can get for cheap:

dried beans & lentils
Frozen veggies & fruit
Peanut butter
Bags of salad/spinach

You can look for Farmers markets & co-ops/csa's ( http://bountifulbaskets.org/ )if they are available in your area. Shop your sales ads and buy stuff when it is cheap and always check the clearance section if they have it. (I know they have one at my grocery store, but not all do).

Malani2010

Maybe some bread and pbj!!! I agree with the frozen fruits and veggies and maybe some ramen. I don't think $25 is much for food. Also some lean cusine.

strivingfor130

bump

Justjoshin

Oatmeal in bulk.
Beans
Whole Fryer Chickens can be had for about $5.00 (depending on where you live), and once roasted/grilled you should be able to use that as meat for atleast 2-3 days for one person.
Tuna
Lettuce
Tap Water

Buying fresh fruit/vegetables will probably become impossible. So canned/frozen will be your choice there.


I'm far from frugal, and probably spend $12.00 + a day in food/vitamins/supps etc.


Look for healthy offbrands of everything. Buying namebrands will kill you.

Justjoshin

Frozen or canned fruits and veggies are pretty cheap, so maybe those instead of fresh fruit & veggies for a while?

If you do go this way try and stay away from caned veggies as much as you can there nasty high in sodium. I just found this out myself.

There are plenty of companies that make salt free canned vegetables.

renee474

I have been surprised at the variety of healthy options in the discount grocery stores. In my area, they are stores such as Marc's, Aldi, Save-A-Lot. Cheap prices on produce and many whole grain options like cereal, bread, and grains.

Aussie4870

that is a really low budget but you can probably do it if you are smart, shop the sales and use coupons...

i can feed myself and my two kids for about $40/week so its definetly doable...

get the Sunday paper, check the sales flyers for your local grocery stores and see if you can plan meals based on what is on sale...

if you can, when things are on sale that you use all the time and you have a coupon to match stock up and buy as much as you can...

inskydiamonds

Agh, that's way low. Good luck. :-/

I would definitely use coupons if I was in your position.
Also, one thing that helped me cut my food expenses (though, not that low) was to meal plan. I can make use of the same ingredients multiple nights in a row by planning my meals for the week ahead of time.

Like someone else mentioned, keep your eye out for good deals on meat and get them when you can.
You're probably not going to be able to eat much fresh produce, but make sure that you still get SOME fresh when they have sales. If there's a small produce store around, sometimes the prices there can be cheaper than at the grocery store.

renee474

Just thought of a few more things from my young and poor days.
You can usually find a small rotissie chicken (already cooked) at most grocery stores for about $5.00. Remove the skin and shred the meat. That should get you through a main meal for at least a few days. You could put it on a sandwich, quesadilla, salad, pizza, all kinds of options.
Another one of my standbys in college was frozen, chopped, spinach. I used it in all kinds of meals. Mix it in with pasta sauce and serve over whole wheat noodles. Put it on a pita pizza with tomato sauce, some feta or parm and garlic (yum). I used to eat it sauteed and with a blob of cottage cheese on it (but that's kind of weird).
Good luck! You can do it!

chchchangess

buy in season! fruits and vegetables are always cheaper that way.

jlanab

MEATS:
Its usually cheaper to buy a whole chicken and cut it up yourself. If not a bag of frozen chicken breast will run you $6. Talk to the people in the meat department about different cuts of beef that are cheaper but comparable in taste. They should be able to help you with this. If you're buying pre-seasoned meats from the meat department (fish/chicken) cut the fillet in half as one fillet is usually 2.5 servings of 3 ounces.

WARNING:
Stay away from pre/mini/personal packaged items (buy a canister of Quaker Oats and grits instead of the individual packets). Youll get more for your money that way. Also the same if youre doing canned fruit. Although I like the individual packages of peaches and mandarin oranges buy the BIG can and separate into smaller tupper ware containers AND FREEZE! Same with yogurt, find a flavor you like and buy the 32oz for 3.50 vs $.65 for the smaller size.


MENU:
Make a menu before you shop and come up with foods that will fill you. For example stir fry is a fav of mine (chicken, beef, pork, or shrimp). Fill it with veggies, meat and bulk it up by serving over brown rice, tons of protein, fiber and flavor, and relatively inexpensive to make.

If youre having a soup day put brown rice or quinoa in it, both are relatively cheap if you buy and bulk and you can season any way you like.

SIDE DISHES:
Store brand frozen vegetables are usually under 2 bucks, beans dried or canned are cheap

also rethink what you consider a "meal". I used to have to have a meat and 2 sides, but now a baked potato or red beans and rice is sufficient as well as filling- no longer considered a "side dish"

multi purpose meals- if i make a pot of rice for breakfast, they next day i will have it with stir fry, if i make chilli, eat it plain, serve over a baked potato (same with broccoli cheese soup). This way youll still have variety on your budget.

Invest $2.50 in a sunday paper and use the coupons, fifty cents here and there add up!

LisaMarieee

Oatmeal, lettuce, dried fruits, bananas and frozen veggies are cheap.

Ruby11222

Gosh, okay, $25.........I couldn't do it!

Rolled Oats
Dried Lentils or canned, but dried would go further
Rice
Cans of beans (red kidney, baked beans, chick peas)
Whichever vegetables are in season
Canned fruit
Biggest store brand cans of tuna
Rice noodles, rice pasta
Pita bread or mountain bread

I rarely eat meat, but I would definitely scrap it on that budget and go for the most filling of the cheap things, and try hard to stay away from overly processed foods. I spend quite a bit of yogurt but I doubt I could afford it on that budget, it is not cheap here.

OfficerFuzzy

Don't use the packet that comes with the top roman, if you're really trying to be healthy.

"Some people don't think the food is safe, but Asian markets are pretty cheap, but they're just straight stupid The teas cheaper, the tofu, the rice, the vegetables and sometimes they have the exact same brand that's at the regular grocery stores."--Grandma

Look for sells and coupons.
Buy in bulk when possible.
And cans are great investments.

poisongirl6485

Pay close attention to sale prices and stock up when there's a low price. Pair sales with coupons if possible.

fordster99

$25.00 isn't a lot but it can be done. The key is trying to stock up when you can find things cheap or on sale. If you live in a town that has several stores then find out when they change their ads out and keep an eye on the specials they are running that week. I do that and I have found frozen veggies for less than a dollar a bag and boneless, skinless chicken breast for less than $4.00 a bag.

If you can before you move out, I would try and gather up as many dry foods as you can so you won't have to start from scratch. Tuna, canned chicken, cereals, whole grain pastas and spices are a good thing to get before you move out on your own.

Aldis is a good place to go. Big Lots is where I get my spices and some of my dry goods for really cheap.

Good luck..

Elixandra

Frozen or canned fruits and veggies are pretty cheap, so maybe those instead of fresh fruit & veggies for a while?

If you do go this way try and stay away from caned veggies as much as you can there nasty high in sodium. I just found this out myself.

There are plenty of companies that make salt free canned vegetables.

True. I haven't found many on a budget yet. Im probly not looking hard enough though.

bailer1310

Frozen Vegatables - Steamer packages $1.27 @ Walmart. 3 packages can last you a week.
A package of frozen salmon @ Walmart - $4.98 (4 individually wrapped filets)
1 package of chicken breat fillets - $5 - $
Fresh Fruit - Stawberries, oranges - $4
Whole wheat Grain Bread - $2.98
Sliced Turkey - $4.00


It can be done...but you have to be frugal, clip coupons and look for sales!! Good Luck.

RuthAne

eggs

saugustin07

I usually pick two meals I can eat all week long for lunch and dinner and eat the same thing for breakfast everyday

Breakfast oatmeal/ or boiled egg and fruit

I only by fruits & veggies that are on sale and in season!

Lunch/ Dinner - homemade nachos with black beans salsa, cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt / fish & salad

The fish was on sale as well as the salad

If fresh veggies are too much choose frozen over canned!
Canned veggies tend to have a lot of added crap!

With some snacks

My total usually comes to $30 ish

Always make a list before you leave, look for sales, coupons!

hmstarbuck

Do you have an Aldi around you? They are great in prices and have a wonderful Fit & Active line that will help you keep on track. If not, I would watch any adds and build up a pantry when things go on sale. Once you get it built up a bit, $25 would be easy! I have a great pantry and just keep creamed soups to cook with with, tomato pastes, sauces and diced/stewed cans, chicken stock. If you can buy in bulk, that helps too. Good luck. It's a challenge, that should make it fun :-)

chchchangess

http://ask.metafilter.com/111595/How-to-Eat-off-of-25-a-week this page has tons of helpful tips too.

fiberartist219

That is a really low budget. That's half of what I was spending on just myself, 6 years ago.

Anyway, I agree with what's been said before. Try shopping at stores like Aldi or Save-A-Lot. I also agree with the Asian Markets. There is a great one near me. There are some odd foods there, but there are also good deals on produce and seafood. Just stay away from the cookies.

Portion out your food when you're done cooking it. Put some in the bowl you're going to eat out of, and put the rest in lunch sized portions in containers. Freeze whatever you can't eat in a few days. If you're going to eat on the cheap, you're probably going to cook a lot. You can't afford to let anything spoil.

I also buy a lot of eggs and frozen veggies. They are easy and they store well.

Buy produce in small quantities just for the spoiling factor.

Topsking2010

Bump