How to survive on 40-50 dollars per month on food.

californiansun

Don't know if this has been posted yet but there is an entire blog dedicated to a guy who ate (semi healthy) on $1 per day.
Took a lot of work but it is certainly possible.

Edit: http://www.grocerycouponguide.com/articles/eating-well-on-1-a-day/

I've been reading it since I saw your post... it's really amazing what he did. Thanks!

Jaw_g

I think it's all relative ... just I have noticed in Australia that the cost of living has blown out like anything! Rent is pretty high, health insurance runs around $320 a month for a family, petrol is $1.38-$1.54 per Lt (a gallon is 3.785 litres - so at cheapest we are paying $5.22 per gallon!).

It makes it hard to prioritise what to cut back on ... my goal this year is reduction :laugh: reducing my waistline and our expenses!

Woah here in New Zealand petrol is $2.25 ish per Litre!! Which would be $8.52 per Gallon (NZD) or $6.43 per Gallon (USD)... according to currency exchange!

smiley245

Some of this has probably been said in here already,,,

Do you have a freezer? If so this could help quite a bit. A whole chicken for my family(4) will make 2, maybe 3 dinners and a pot of soup (roast chickent and veg, chicken soup, chicken quesidillas for example)
I find soup, chillis and stews the best bang for your buck, especially if you can freeze it for meals later in the month where $$ might be tight.
Spaghetti sauce is another staple around here.
Keep an eye on the reduced bin for produce. Things like carrots, celery, peppers and even over ripe bananas freeze well for use later.

Buy in bulk the staples you go through the most, like beans, rice, flour ect. In an airtight container they can last quite a while.
Same applies to family packs of meat when on sale (if you have a freezer of course) they are generally cheaper (per KG) than the smaller packs.

Price matching at walmart and coupons are a great saver. Better bonus when you can price match a sale item and use a coupon. We only use coupons for stuff would actually buy, it does take some planning, but has saved us lots.
I do find manufacturers very generous for things like whole wheat pasta, pasta sauces, cereal, juice, shampoos and soaps coupons. I miss our soy milk coupons that were directly on the carton. (My BF is a Vegetarian. )

last week multigrain cheerios were on sale for 2.99 inside the box there is a coupn for free juice and i had a .75 coupon Bonus! I get exited over little things now lol

Im in canada and like going to food basic sunday before a long weekend, Thats usually when they will reduce the dairy we go through 8L of milk a week, so when they reduce it to 2$ for 4.29 thats some savings for us.

You can grow a few things from an apartment. Back in the day I had 2 tomato plants, a few carrots, and herbs. They dont take up much space and you can garden them year round.

You seem very resourceful :)Im sure you can make it to your goal of 50$ a month

cbart2818

I'm spending 150 a week. o.O

Me too!! I can't even do $50 a week let alone $50 a month. *sigh*

blynnblair

bump i'm trying to cut my grocery bill while still keeping within my macros

I check the weekly ads, portion out the meat to what i need and freeze the rest. i need to add more beans and rice into my diet though!
this thread rocks!

gogojodee

Bump for later!

DrivenDiva

bumpage!

GeneveSparkles

I'm on a limited budget too, what's worked for me is planning my meals for the week that will have similar ingredients. For example I'll buy an avocado, red bell pepper, spinach, quoinoa, tomatoes, black beans, bread and cheese. I can get at least 4-6 meals out of those ingredients 2-3 lunches and 2-3 dinners. Total cost about 10 bucks. I can use the avocado, bell pepper and cheese for sandwiches and I can combine the bell peper spinach, quinoa, black beans and tomatoes in a skillet and top with cheese and avocado. Try to buy things that will do double duty

noweightfisherj

If your supermarket has a bulk food section, like rice and beans purchase from there it cost much less.

EpiGaiaRepens

hit the produce stands! el cheapo, super healthy, and yummies all around!

Atarahh

Go to Dollar Tree. They have a great frozen food section. I have gotten the steamed veggies from there, and sometimes you can catch the Smart Ones meals.

kappyblu

bump

mississippi_queen

I really want to read these tips but I'm WAY too a.d.d. right now... Hopefully later

tappae

I haven't read the whole thread, but I've been looking into the cheapest foods on a per calorie basis (whole foods only) and the winners are all seed-type foods (grains, legumes, oils, and some nuts), so that leaves a lot of holes nutritionally. Dried fruit can be pretty cheap and so are fresh bananas. The cheapest actual vegetables I can buy are sweet potatoes. They don't require pesticides, so you don't have to worry about buying organic versus conventional. They're pretty nutritious, having vitamins, fiber and most of the amino acids you need, and they're easy to cook. Do you have space for a small garden? Growing your own salad greens can make a huge difference.

Edit: I don't know your daily calorie goals, but if it's around 1600, your target would be to average 1000 calories for every dollar you spend. The only things I've found cheaper than that are oils, sugar, flour, oats and bulk pinto beans. Aldi's bananas and sweet potatoes are just above that.

Jesstruhan

I had to eat that snugly in college. I totally feel you! It is also the time that I became a confident cook at home.
I ate a lot of these, which are filling, relatively nutritious and dirty cheap.
- Potato
- Onions
- Oats
- Lentils
- Beans - all kinds. Dried Beans are very inexpensive
- Rice
- Eggs
- Chicken - Whole and Roasted at home. On sale, some of these cost only a few dollars and for just you, a 3 lb hen is plenty for a while. When you cook them and use them like a Thanksgiving Turkey, will last you a couple of weeks. Chicken broth can be a boon to bland starches.
- Bullion - you will be amazed how much flavor you can get out of one tiny cube
- Apples
- Root Veggies
- Pork. It only takes a tiny bit of cured pork to add enormous flavor, thus, making it cheap.
- Inexpensive cheeses
- BIG green leafy veggies. If you buy a whole head of romaine lettuce, it can really last a while.
- Dried fruit. The reason this fits the budget is you can use small amounts for flavor, snacks or otherwise, and it lasts much longer than the month you purchased it in. It's a $6 hit now, for three months worth of snacks, salads, flavor-adds, etc. Cranberries are my favorite.

Become an avid home-chef. Spices make the low-budget world go around so get really good ones if you can. Penzey's has very high quality spices for much less than the store, so go there if you can find one. . My sis can feed a family of 6 on $200 per MONTH at times, and she does a stellar job by cooking at home. Good luck!

californiansun

I went to the store today and my grand total was 47.67. This will last me longer than a month.

I bought egg noodles, beans, diced tomatoes in a can for chili, seasoning, 2 family size frozen veggies, 5 lb red potatoes, 5 lb red apples, cheese, 50 whole wheat tortillas, beef, chorizo, a dozen eggs, salsa, gallon of milk, 2 boxes of cereal, 2 loaves of whole wheat bread, peanut butter, ham, mustard, sour cream and 2 cream of chicken soup.

I probably could of made healthier choices, but I've been really wanting chorizo and eggs.

californiansun

I had to eat that snugly in college. I totally feel you! It is also the time that I became a confident cook at home.
I ate a lot of these, which are filling, relatively nutritious and dirty cheap.
- Potato
- Onions
- Oats
- Lentils
- Beans - all kinds. Dried Beans are very inexpensive
- Rice
- Eggs
- Chicken - Whole and Roasted at home. On sale, some of these cost only a few dollars and for just you, a 3 lb hen is plenty for a while. When you cook them and use them like a Thanksgiving Turkey, will last you a couple of weeks. Chicken broth can be a boon to bland starches.
- Bullion - you will be amazed how much flavor you can get out of one tiny cube
- Apples
- Root Veggies
- Pork. It only takes a tiny bit of cured pork to add enormous flavor, thus, making it cheap.
- Inexpensive cheeses
- BIG green leafy veggies. If you buy a whole head of romaine lettuce, it can really last a while.
- Dried fruit. The reason this fits the budget is you can use small amounts for flavor, snacks or otherwise, and it lasts much longer than the month you purchased it in. It's a $6 hit now, for three months worth of snacks, salads, flavor-adds, etc. Cranberries are my favorite.

Become an avid home-chef. Spices make the low-budget world go around so get really good ones if you can. Penzey's has very high quality spices for much less than the store, so go there if you can find one. . My sis can feed a family of 6 on $200 per MONTH at times, and she does a stellar job by cooking at home. Good luck!

WOW! Thank you soooo much for these tips!!!

GymAnJuice

so going through this post later for idea's....

mandimuscles

Man I'm only up to page 3 but this is a great topic! Thanks!!

carolinagirl7

I need to "bump" and run! Some great ideas on this thread, and I only got through page 2. Like many others, I need to decrease the amount I spend in food. I have found farmers market and Aldi's (finally got one that opened close to me) as my 2 best allies to decrease my food bill. I also started a garden with tomatoes, peppers and zucchini. I am lucky to live in the South,in regards to where my farmers markets are open year around with seasonal (and some unseasonal) choices. I can plan a small winter garden as well. I also realize, though not as cheap as the OP, I have it pretty good for food prices. I was not aware of such price differences around the world for food. Thanks everyone for the great tips!