$75-$100 Budget for 2 weeks of meals! D:

eddyca

I shop at Trader Joe's and I spend around $130 every 2 weeks :-/ But I have been splurging on Alaskan salmon every weekend which is around $11. I think I may have to reconcider my spending a little bit!

My usual grocery list:

Frozen:
Chile lime chicken burgers
microwavable brown rice
puff pastry margherita pizza

Refrigerated section:
Fat free cottage cheese
Fage Total 0% yogurt
wild caught Alaskan salmon (only on the weekends)

Produce:
Honeycrisp or fuji apples
lemon (only on the weekends for the salmon)

Middle Isles:
lightly salted rice cakes
organic peanut butter w/ sea salt

aklitten

NPR story: How low can you go? $10 meals.

The challenge: Feed a group of four for under $10. Bonus points for dishes that seem more expensive.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103470173

This was a very interesting series, and I'm sure there are easy ways to make sure these are healthy.

ShrinkinMel

Google melomeals 3.33 a day or something like that. It may help you greatly. You can always rearrange some things if you want meat. Not sure of your "diet" style.

I spend between 90-120 a week for 3. Nov and Dec are usually more since I seem to cook too much for our little family of 5 for holiday meals.

I'm working towards mostly clean and vegetarian to vegan eating with little processed stuff but it can be tough. But by getting a a system of cooking and freezing dry beans I believe I'm on my way plus it saves over canned beans. Its been a slow processes.

ebgbjo

Will be checking this thread as my husband and I just spent 300$ for 9-11 days worth of food. we are horrible when it comes to grocery shopping and we will still end up short an ingredient or something we will need.

PudgyPigeon

Thank you for the ideas!



@ebgbjo: I know EXACTLY how you feel. We have been doing that since we've been together. We could easily spend $300 for about 9-11 days as well and always run out of something or forget things. Even though I write out lists and plan meals- it never lasted. So, I'm working on not only fixing portion sizes but with this bill coming up it forces us to cut back on everything. Almost a blessing in disguise.

KokomoJoe

Not that it helps now, but I have a huge pantry that I keep stocked up. Oatmeal, lentils, beans, organic canned tomatos, organic pasta sauces. Most of this I bought when seriously on sale (ie 4 1L containers blue diamond unsweetened almond milk for $5.00, organic tomatoes 796 ml for 99 cents). I probably could live for 2 weeks if I had to out of my pantry and freezer. When items go on sale I stock up. I still spend the same but when I can't get to the store I am not stuck. Buy in bulk as well, my grocery store has a lot of organic items in bulk (quinoa, rice, oatmeal beans) and keep in the pantry. I get most of my meat direct from an organic farmer 30 miles away and get my eggs fresh from another farmer.

Good Luck with your quest, with a little planning watching sales I am sure you can do it.

crudd12

Do you have an ALDI grocery store in your area? They have great prices on food and have everything-milk, produce, eggs, meat, canned goods, etc. Good luck to you!

gazz777

Bump. In the lead-up to Christmas we are on $200 for 7 of us. I am glad the salvos are around.

RonneyKay

Oh and stretch things into multiple meals. For instance I roasted a chicken on Monday for dinner. Had enough left for Tacos Wednesday and Chicken soup tonight. ALWAYS use your leftovers.

I was going to suggest this. We make extra meat just for the left overs for lunch or dinner the next night or the following night (in different ways of course, ie tacos, burritos). Also boil a chicken (a whole fryer is usually fairly cheap) and add carrots, celery and onion and that makes your chicken broth, which CAN be frozen and you can just take a little out at a time. I usually use ziplock sandwich bags to freeze them, but alot of people use ice trays, makes just the right amount. Its perfect for mashed potatoes, rice, veggies, etc... And its less processed then the canned kind.

You can also never go wrong with buying beans and lentils in bulk. If there is a sprouts near you, I suggest you check out their bulk food section, they are very well priced.

Definitely go for whats on sale. Stay on the stores perimeter, its where all the meat, dairy, and produce is. The aisles are for the boxed/processed stuff. If you do buy the boxed stuff, definitely go for whats on sale, and use coupons.

I think this is doable, with a little planning, ESPECIALLY if you have access to a few different stores.

Let us know how you do and what you get:) i'm curious!

Ronney

woou

If you're lazy like me, cook a whole bunch of rice up at once and then while it's still hot put it in ziploc baggies in individual portions and freeze it. If you store it in the fridge it dries out, but when it's frozen you can microwave it and it heats up and tastes just like fresh!

I did not know that. So the rice doesn't need to be defrost? Just pop in microwave?

jinglett

The Sunday paper and the local grocery ads are your friend. Look for what's on sale and what you have coupons for. Shop where things are cheapest if necessary. Our local Kwik Trip always has the best price on milk, bananas, apples, oranges, bread, onions , potatoes and butter. Watch for the meat that is on sale for the week, if it isn't as low in fat content as you would like--eat less of it and add more sides to augment the choice. Usually someone in our area has a good deal on meats. Before Thanksgiving, I stocked up on turkeys for the freezer--meat was less than $1.00 per pound and is low in fat and can be fixed a variety of ways. Cereal is usually on sale somewhere--add coupons to bring the price down. Plan your eating around the sales not the other way around and you can save big time. I feed a family of 7 each week. You have to shop smart. Good Luck!

flip1329

bump

Taka75

I think you need to meal plan very carefully and make the best of things that are on offer, but only if they are going to be used and offer a lot for the price! You may well have to make more things from scratch to make your budget stretch further.

Also think about bulk buying some things if you have space to store it since you need to budget so firmly till mid Jan.

Pulses are your friends! A lot of meat based meals involving things like mince can be stretched much further than you think by adding things like lentils and porridge oats to bulk them out and make the cost/portion more reasonable.

Not to mention they can be used to make a tasty meal in their own right - lots of curries for example. This is a recipe for bean curry
http://www.cheap-family-recipes.org.uk/recipe-bakedbeancurry.html?opt=p3m1
Very yummy and quick too! The portion size is huge though!

Actually I'd recommend that whole website! It was set up to help feed an "average" family of 4 on £100/month (so ~$150). It is a UK site so you would need to check for equivalent foods available to you but most of the recipes are seriously yummy and taste as good as the pictures look!

http://www.cheap-family-recipes.org.uk/

There is also a celebration week planner which may give you some ideas for christmas week ( http://www.cheap-family-recipes.org.uk/planner-christmasweek.html )

Good luck! :flowerforyou:

sarahmaryfearnley

This question comes up all the time so I'm throwing this out there again

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/391578-eating-well-on-a-budget

It is absolutely possible to eat really well (healthy adn tasty) for very little money but it takes planning and a freezer. My Hubby and I spend ~$50-$75 a week including cleaning products, pharmacy, pet food, and indulgences like dog treats, wine, and diet coke.

dropofhope

I don't know where you live but please visit bountiful baskets.org it is a food co-op where you an get a basket of fresh fruits and vegetables for $16.50. It is a ton of food, easily $60 at a regular grocery store. And it's enough food to last two weeks or more. I hope you find one in your area because it is a amazing. They have the best nine grain bread that I have ever eaten in my life!

woou

This question comes up all the time so I'm throwing this out there again

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/391578-eating-well-on-a-budget

It is absolutely possible to eat really well (healthy adn tasty) for very little money but it takes planning and a freezer. My Hubby and I spend ~$50-$75 a week including cleaning products, pharmacy, pet food, and indulgences like dog treats, wine, and diet coke.

I spend less on sale items, because we don't have space in our fridge. What I'm wondering is how much does the electricity bill increase with a freezer? The only items we have plugged in and on standby in our home is the stove, microwave, fridge and grandfather clock.

bonkers5975

www.emealz.com

Best kept secret on the net.

sarahmaryfearnley

What I'm wondering is how much does the electricity bill increase with a freezer? The only items we have plugged in and on standby in our home is the stove, microwave, fridge and grandfather clock.

I just did a quick google search and found this article about chest freezers cost vs benefits. From what I read, It costs ~$200/yr for a regular fridge/freezer. We actually have 2 fridge/freezers. We bought the extra unit for my Hubby's home brew (lager's have to ferment cold) and the extra freezer space was for me. We live in extreme South Texas (~850 sq ft home, rented, built in the 50's, and very poorly insulated) and our electric bill this last month was $81. At it's highest in Aug it's double that ~$160 bc the A/C is running pretty much 24/7.

Article:
7 ft3: $210 + $25/year in electricity. Assuming 10-year life, that’s $3.83/month. For a 20-year life, that’s $2.96/month.

15 ft3: $410 + ~$38/year in electricity. 10-year life: $6.58/month. 20-year life: $4.88/month.

25 ft3: $710 + ~$52/year in electricity. 10-year life: $10.25/month. 20-year life: $7.29/month.

Potential Benefits

Less Eating Out
To be honest, I really just want to stock up on a large variety of frozen foods so that there is less of the daily question… “What am I going to cook for dinner?”. Too often, the answer ends up as “let’s get take-out”. I want staples like frozen chicken breasts and veggies, as well as having a few Trader Joe’s pizzas and burritos tucked away.

Ability To Stock Up During Sales
If there is a sale on something like frozen vegetables, now I can buy in bulk instead of waiting around for the next sales cycle. You can also freeze everything from bread to milk.

Storing Fresh Fruit
You can do some fun (and cheap) U-Pick at local farms during the summer and not have to eat it all at once. Blueberries, strawberries, peaches, yum. Home gardeners can do the same.

Less Shopping = Less Driving = Less Gas
I try to grocery shop in conjunction with commuting or other errands, but living in suburbia has still definitely increased my fuel usage.

Buying Half A Cow
Although I’ve never done so, it might be cool to buy a whole cow. I guess I’d need one of the bigger freezers for such an undertaking.

Cooking In Bulk
I have tried a few times to cook an entire week’s food ahead of time, but I’d often run out of freezer space. Also, this way one can make their own soups or stocks in large batches. My mom always used to freeze her homemade chicken stock into “pucks” using old margarine tubs.

In addition, there are also the make-your-own-takeout places like Dream Dinners and Super Suppers, which I have never tried before because I never had that kind of freezer space.

I would imagine that I should be able to make up the $5-$10 a month in costs, especially if I can cut down on the dining out. Everyone I know with a chest freezer likes it. Anyone out there disagree?

woou

Thanks a lot for that extensive response! What I'm confused about is this:

From what I read, It costs ~$200/yr for a regular fridge/freezer.

7 ft3: $210 + $25/year in electricity. Assuming 10-year life, that’s $3.83/month. For a 20-year life, that’s $2.96/month.

15 ft3: $410 + ~$38/year in electricity. 10-year life: $6.58/month. 20-year life: $4.88/month.

25 ft3: $710 + ~$52/year in electricity. 10-year life: $10.25/month. 20-year life: $7.29/month.

So a regular fridge/freezer combo costs about $200/yr and just a freezer is about $52/yr for the largest size? Maybe I'll ask my family for a freezer on my birthday. :laugh: I'm striving to get into nursing school, and I think having meals prepared will help tons. I rarely ever buy fast food anymore, but it is mighty tempting when I'm stressed and on the run.

mandag9008

ok here is my list
breakfast-
$3.00- Quakers Oatmeal weight control - comes in a pack of 10.
$3.00- kellogs raisan bran

drinks
$4.00- lipton tea- comes in a pack of 20
$2.00- mio water inhancer
$2- 2% milk 1 gal.

meats
$15- walmart large pack of chicken breast, skinless
$15.- walmart swai fish (8oz fillett)

veggies
$1.50- green giant steamers(11 oz) X3
$1.50- lettuce
$2.- fresh tomatoes
$2- 2 onions
$0.50- peppers

snacks
$3- 100 calorie snack packs (comes in a pack of 6 or 8 i believe)
$3- fiber one brownies (6pk)
$3- fiber one snack bars(6pk)

fruit
$1.50- dried fruits (i usually get prunes, mangos, craisans) X3
$5- bag of oranges

$70 -75 bucks
this honestly last me about 2 wks

bonkers5975

Check freezers second hand, classifieds, craigslist, etc. I got mine off the classifieds, paid $75 for it, and that was 8 years ago. It still runs like a dream.

jill___

You can pack in a lot of nutrition with very little money if you buy things like frozen veggies and dried or canned beans. A vegetarian diet would be easier on your budget, but I know that's not for everyone!! I spend about $20 a week grocery shopping for myself. I eat oatmeal for breakfast every day, soup for lunch, and rice & beans for dinner... with a few snacks in between. I know it seems boring, but when you're on a tight budget, you do what you can!

Gunff

get a large pork roast, submerge it in water in a crock pot on high for 8 hours.

drain, put on BBQ sauce and put it on low until it is warm.

It will serve lots and lots of meals and leftovers. We turn them into pulled prok sandwichs, I've put them on chips to make nachos, you can buy a cheap pilsbury(or off-brand) roll-out pizza crust and package of cheese and make pulled pork pizza.

you'll easy get 3 meals for both of you (or net 6 meals) from a $8 - $10 pork roast + BBQ

RadBarb

The responses that everyone has made on this budget meal topic are amazing! I am new this week to MFP and am still in awe of everyone's wiliness to help one another. - Can someone help me understand what "Bump" means though? I have seen it on a couple of posts and just can't figure it out!
Thanks!

almost50now

When cooking dried beans, if you don't have time to soak them or forgot to, just add a little baking soda, less than half a teaspoon, and they will soften up quickly.

To RadBarb: Bump lets you stay connected to this particular topic. If you comment on a topic you can go back to "My Topics" in "Community" and you can find this thread again. Took me awhile. Still don't know how to reply with a quote showing. lol

mispoohbie

Bump for later... Thanks everyone.

Mama_CAEI

I think it's very do-able. We're a family of 6 and we probably spend $250 a month on groceries.
Some tricks to smart grocery shopping are:
-use coupons combined with sale prices (we can't stack coupons in Canada and we don't have double coupon days and stuff like that, so I try to use my coupons on sale-priced items)
-buy "family size" packages of meat, divide into meal-size portions and freeze
-buy stuff on the clearance rack (for example, our grocery store has a 50% off rack in the bakery dept. with stuff that's on its "best before" date...we just bring it home and freeze it!)
-buy family pack or bulk size staples and shelf-stable food when possible; if you don't already belong to a warehouse club (like Costco, Sam's, etc.), consider getting a membership: not everything is a better price than the grocery store, but many things are;
-buy your fresh fruits and veggies every couple of days instead of buying enough for a week and then throwing them out because you didn't eat them fast enough;
-think outside the grocery store: we buy a lot of our staples at our local drug store because their sale prices are often better than the grocery store;
-cook from scratch; pre-packaged foods might be convenient but they cost more per serving and are usually full of sodium anyway;
-buy store brands rather than name brands (unless your coupons bring the name brand price lower than the store brand);
-your Crock-Pot can be your best friend! Make big stews, soups, roasts, etc...you can freeze the leftovers to eat later on.

msps1973

I am vegan so I eat tons of friuts and veggies- that is probably what I spend the most $$ on. My husband is NOT vegan, but recently shot a deer, so our freezer is stocked with venison for him. I make pretty much everything! Pasta sauce, baked goods, veggie burgers, etc. Beans are really cheap as is rice. I make a lot of soup- usually 2 batches a week- and freeze. That usually covers lunch for me. I always buy store brand pasta, etc. And Aldi is a great stop for canned goods, bread, cheese and meat.

When I make a meal I always make enough so there are leftovers for lunch or dinner. And yes, always use your leftovers!! You can add leftover veggies to eggs the next morning or add some oatmeal and turn into a veggie burger. THe possibilities are endless!!

Vegan on 3.33 a day is a good site. You can always add meat to the the recipes if you want. I spend about $100-125 every 2 weeks on food. But I am trying to reduce that but using what I have before I go shop.

Hope this helps!!!

Tjm288

WHATS BUMP!?

PrincessGlitterTush

BUMP