Food allergy plus very tight budget...tips?

sufikitkat

Twenty five dollars a week isn't very much for someone who needs enough calories to train for a marathon.

No amount of coupon cutting is going to give you a colorful, diverse diet on 25 a week. Something has to give, and I think variety is going to be the thing that goes. Your diet will rely on beans, eggs, whole chicken, and a grain of your choice. Throw in some cheap veggies, and that's 25 dollars.

And, if you rely on these things that require cooking, food allergies will not be a problem. You might, however want to invest in some protein powder (a birthday present?) ...because monotonous diets will kill your appetite...you will get mighty sick of looking at the same 4 things for every meal, which will be a problem if you are in training. [dairy free, soy free protein powder might be hard to find! I wonder if it even exists?]

Well, I eat a ton of fruits and veggies and whole wheat products every day so I think I am doing ok. No lack of anything. Supplements are covered by insurance too which helps. I am mostly concerned with the fact that certain staples are NOT cheap since I have an allergy. Most of what I have to buy are not your typical on sale or coupon cutting items. I have friends with Celiac that have it even worse so I was looking for some advice to pass on for them as well. I already have Hemp protein, but honestly find I only need it on my long run days (7+ miles where I burn more than 1,000 cals)

I believe it is completely possible to have a well rounded diet on a budget, I see people do it everyday. The food allergy is an extra challenge and I was interested to see if there was something I haven't thought of yet to help my dollars go further to supply the items I have to buy more expensive because I have to.

sufikitkat

No amount of coupon cutting is going to give you a colorful, diverse diet on 25 a week

That is completely FALSE! I have a budget of $125 a week for my family of 5 for all our groceries, household, and personal item including diapers. I hardly ever buy generic items and we eat plenty of fresh produce. Every week your local stores will have a variety of meat and seasonal produce on sale and that is what you should base your menu around. You can often get free or extremly cheap pasta, cereal, crackers and other pantry items by combining a sale with a coupon. A lot of people think you can only get unhealthy food shopping with coupons, but when an item is on sale most of the time the lowfat, low sodium, and whole grain versions are also on sale.
A lot of couponers get their household and personal items for free (or even get PAID to buy them) and apply that savings towards fresh produce. I never pay for toothpaste, floss, bandages, or dish soap and a lot of other everyday items we use. I would recommend you find a money saving blog or 2 to follow on facebook. Most of them include a diet plan on a budget too. My favorite is www.moneysavingmom.com and not too long ago she did a series on how to do p90x on a budget. During that time she spent $60 per week to cover all of her family of 5's food, household and personal supplies.

I have a friend that ventured into couponing recently, she has a stock pile that she has given items out from occassionally (mostly things she wouldn't use) and mostly donates to those even more needy than myself. I guess my dilemma is how time consuming couponing can be. I have finally gotten a grip on balancing full time job, my workouts, and my accelerated graduate program workload, but I will definitely look into it more. Perhaps it can just be a Sunday night thing as those tend to be my nights where there's nothing planned and I have most of my homework that is due that week completed. Thanks for the sites!!!

sufikitkat

Thank you for your advice! However, I unfortunately cannot eat your basic yogurt and processed foods are already out for me since I can't have milk...most products have it which stinks! I won't go into details as to why, but I am anti-WalMart and especially in my area with a gold mine of a grocery store like Wegmans I don't think I could ever shop elsewhere. In regards to the fruit, I love fruit and definitely buy up what I can when I can. Bananas, apples, and grapes are my three regulars...most affordable and last a long while. Like I said, your advice is so appreciated, I am just looking for someone with the same restrictions as myself.

to add: I do not do soy based...mostly almond based. Hypothyroid plus soy not a good combo. I know, I sound like I have so much going against me but I never see it that way...I see it as a way to treat my body better :-)

Coupons.com, smartsource.com, red plum site are great for coupons and you can print 2 each. I also can't have dairy (long story) and don't like the reaction of soy on me. When I have my frozen strawberries and blueberries, I use Dream Whip and make it with almond milk (super yum!). I am sole income for a family of 5 and have very little budgeted for groceries - usually $50 weekly... that's food, household, personal (and I have 2 teen girls), etc... so my normal is to get Kashi cereal for me as a "in a pinch" meal, and use coupons and grab it on sale. For most of the other meals - I can get whole chicken cheaper than selections. So I put in a crock pot, once cooked, I make multiple meals from it ... casseroles, stews (kids love my chicken stew), soups (great for bringing to work), etc. There are also some of my blogger buddies that get me deals through CVS for groceries too (even though not my main store at all), but have gone many times where they pay me to shop cause of their ECBs. Just thought I would toss that out there

Thank you!

sweet110

No amount of coupon cutting is going to give you a colorful, diverse diet on 25 a week

That is completely FALSE! I have a budget of $125 a week for my family of 5 for all our groceries, household, and personal item including diapers. I hardly ever buy generic items and we eat plenty of fresh produce.

Well, it wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong. I guess I was thinking...she nixes walmart, lives in one of the most expensive states in the union, and is training for a marathon, which is like feeding 2 people. I live out east and won't shop at places like walmart, and I couldn't do it on 25 a week if I had to eat both the amount and level of high nutrition required from an athlete without resorting to monotony. So, I spoke from my experience.

Good thing there is a wealth of experience on MFP.

sufikitkat

No amount of coupon cutting is going to give you a colorful, diverse diet on 25 a week

That is completely FALSE! I have a budget of $125 a week for my family of 5 for all our groceries, household, and personal item including diapers. I hardly ever buy generic items and we eat plenty of fresh produce.

Well, it wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong. I guess I was thinking...she nixes walmart, lives in one of the most expensive states in the union, and is training for a marathon, which is like feeding 2 people. I live out east and won't shop at places like walmart, and I couldn't do it on 25 a week if I had to eat both the amount and level of high nutrition required from an athlete without resorting to monotony. So, I spoke from my experience.

Good thing there is a wealth of experience on MFP.

I'm lucky to live in an area that has Wegmans :-) and a Co-Op that is fantastic...plus a year round farmers market which is great when its busy!