Broke

MelissaAnn1983

I hate being broke. Lunch and dinner ends up the same. BREAD BREAD BREAD! Its not even healthy bread. I swear its the most white bread calorie loaf ever. Last night it was grilled cheese. Tonight is apparently grilled cheese. TOO many carbs and I really hate using butter now. Too many calories and too many carbs! I can't wait to have a better job. I can't wait to live in an economy where jobs are not scarce. Wishful thinking. I guess I should be happy that I can at least eat something. :-(

graelwyn

Suggest next time payday comes round, stocking up on plenty of canned beans, tuna, eggs, frozen veggies, yoghurt, baking potatoes and some rice. Beans can go a really long way, you can make big stews with stock, beans and some veggies.

redscylla

Definitely don't forget potatoes. Homemade garlic mashed potatoes are delicious, full of nutrients, and only 200 cals per serving. Pair with a side of veggies and you've got a respectable lunch. Try a basic bean burrito for dinner and you'll be golden. You can eat very cheaply and still have decent food. I certainly do.

marieautumn

make salads instead...thats not very expensive. just put whatever you would put on your sandwhich in a bowl with lettuce instead of bread. my fav cheap salad right now is canned mandarin oranges, strawberries, blueberries, avocado and left over chicken on a bed of spring lettuc e mix. I top with a poppy seed dressing I get at walmart for about $2

imlik

Bumping so I can see what other suggestions people have; I'm about to be broke, too. I do second the beans and rice suggestions, though. You can get BIG ol' bags of beans or rice for pretty cheap. Grab a packet of Taco Bell sauce and it's even more delicious. 3-5 pound bags of apples, oranges or potatoes can go a long way, especially if they're on sale. And watch out for sales or coupons on canned tuna. Sometimes I can still find it for about 40 cents a can. If you have a bread store nearby, sometimes they'll have steep discounts once the breads reach the end of their shelf-life--maybe you could pick up some whole-wheat bread that way.

ETA: I forgot Old-fashioned Quaker Oats. Good for your heart (much better than most cereals) and not very expensive. A canister of Quaker Oats will also last quite a bit longer than even a big box of cereal.

unkeptwalnut83

Beans and rice, great complex carbs.
There are tons of websites and books giving tips on how to eat cheaply. Take advantage of the sales when you can, grow what you can. I do a lot of frozen fruits and veggies, so that way I don't end up with stuff going bad and throwing it away.
If only you lived nearby, I'd invite you over. I love cooking for people.
Make friends like me.

TaraFTMVA

make salads instead...thats not very expensive. just put whatever you would put on your sandwhich in a bowl with lettuce instead of bread. my fav cheap salad right now is canned mandarin oranges, strawberries, blueberries, avocado and left over chicken on a bed of spring lettuc e mix. I top with a poppy seed dressing I get at walmart for about $2

Yum!

gracie2586

mine is spaghetti you can usually get whole grain noodles for about $1.50 and jar of sauce for $2.00 thats at least three meals for $3.50 and some sauces have a full serving of vegetables in them lol

TaraFTMVA

I make taco soup which involves beans, taco seasoning, diced tomatoes with peppers and ground turkey. If you buy bag beans its cheap and it goes a long way! I generally use light and or dark red kidney beans (1 bag) and 1 bag of black beans though you can use pinto as well. I use rotel diced tomatoes which are generally 99cents a can here and I use 3 for 2 bags of beans and 1lb of ground turkey, 1 package of reduced sodium seasoning. Its about $15 for everything and 1cup is high in protein and not too high in calories (about 160). I also add a bag of mixed vegetables to stretch it farther and add more nutrients, but mine generally makes 16-18 servings of 1 cup and it lasts me and my boyfriend a good few days. Next time I plan to freeze some and pull it out when I want it again bc it makes so much! Also I agree with PP about spaghetti, we do it all the time, I get the Ragu light basil sauce and put it over whole wheat pasta and it is extremely cheap. If you go this route you can even put a baked or grilled chicken breast on top and voila! I get lucky and find chicken at good prices because I hit the grocery store early in the morning when they mark down their meats for quick sale. Might want to try that as well. Or put a spin on your grilled cheese and add diced or sliced tomatoes and onions! I love making grilled cheese like that

theblackbirdtree

If you happen to live near a Safeway, their new online couponing (Just 4 U) is an incredible resource.
They use your club card to cater to what you typically buy and then automatically give you discounted prices for those items. Also, they have coupons that are attached to your card once you "add" them to your Savings List.
Then, when you put your phone number in at checkout, it traces your card and applies the savings. Since every 2 weeks the specials change, I go online and "add" the ones I'd use and every week it's different, so I save tons of money (1.99 for a pound of strawberries, 1.00 off berries, $10 off a produce purchase of $30, ect.) and eat different things pretty often.

Never underestimate the power of veggie and bean soup and freezing it until you want it again. Fruit can be frozen as well. Anything you cook, cook extra and freeze it so you can eat it again in a month or so.

Coupons really made the difference for me.

DesireeLovesOrganic

beans, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, quinoa are all cheap too.

caraiselite

try and get food stamps? my friend is poor, has no children, and manages to get like 100 a month. can't hurt to try.

Goal_Seeker_1988

You are not alone! I am the only working. My fiance is having a hard time finding a job and with having $1200 comin out every month in bills there's only bout $300 left over for gas and groceries and all the unexpected cost of living. Doesn't go far!

bleacheblonde

Switch to brown rice instead of white bread. You'll get your carbs, but way more fiber and it's so much better for you! And cheaper! And yummier. Beans, Potatoes, eggs, and canned meat are also good cheap options. I've heard Aldi's has really cheap groceries but I haven't gone there yet. My fiance and I just got a food stamp card, and it is a ****ing LIFE-SAVER. If you can, see if there's help available while you're in a tough spot. We're still trying to eat healthy, but I totally feel your pain. It's very hard to do that on a strict budget.

bleacheblonde

You are not alone! I am the only working. My fiance is having a hard time finding a job and with having $1200 comin out every month in bills there's only bout $300 left over for gas and groceries and all the unexpected cost of living. Doesn't go far!

It sounds like you have my exact same life. Argh, frustrating, isn't it? Sometimes we feel like we're struggling alone, but there are still a lot of people out there that can't find jobs.

gogospice

I got a 4lb bag of Quinoa from Costco for $10.00. Some pasta sauce, a couple heads of lettuce, some fruit and eggs. Total was about $20.00 and I could have easily eaten for 2 weeks!

foxfirekenzie

If you live near a store that has bulk bins, go there! You can get grains and so many other items much cheaper than their packaged twins. Winco near me has bulk bins and I shop them almost exclusively.

Old fashioned rolled oats and steel cut oats are less than a dollar a pound and go far in the diet. It is possible to eat healthy and inexpensively. Also, have you considered baking your own bread to control the ingredients and cost? It really is so easy.

Best of luck!

Oh, you could always try dumpster diving, and I am being totally serious! Amazing what grocery stores toss out. You may even ask at your grocery store if they allow customers to have the discarded items, mine does!

Keegansmum6

One word "Aldi"

NoAdditives

You should shop at Trader Joe's. There are some fairly close to you in Marietta. They have great prices on food, much of which is organic. I can feed a family of 5 for roughly $150 a week, which averages out to $1.43 per person, per meal.

icemaiden17_uk

Bump! I'm broke to!! But in the UK!!

gramacanada

i have $40 a week for groceries. I eat very well. I don't live near any big discount stores, and in Canada there are no real coupon deals. I buy almost no processed, precut, pre-made anything, I eat all my meals at home and I get all the food groups. I spend about $10 of my $40 each week for fruits and vegetables. I buy one loaf of bread a week. It takes a bit of planning and organization but it's been working for me for 8 years or so. Good luck.

RunMyOregonBunsOff

Get brown rice and dried beans. Lots of things that you can do with them and both can be cooked and refridgerate pretty well so you can make some for the week and then have that to break up the other meals.

starcatcher1975

bumping to ready all the great ideas later

makemewannadie

I live off £10 a week for food- for myself I usually buy bunches of salad leaves, a cucumber, beetroot, lots of tinned tomatoes, frozen vegetables (broccoli/cauliflower), carrots, white onions, a couple of sweet potatoes, sometimes maris piper potatoes, some dried pasta, dried lentils, and some tinned beans (pinto/kidney beans), and that lasts me pretty well. My boyfriend (who I live with) gets a bit more (£15) because he's a meat eater (i'm vegan). We just about manage, it can be done!

dhencel

do you qualify to go to a food bank or a charity that helps people with food??

ChristineS_51

Check out this website, it is Australian, but has members from all over the world. You can get the newsletters and look at some stuff for free. Has great ideas, hints, recipes, ways of re-thinking your life.

http://www.simplesavings.com.au

I agree with the dried beans, vegies, what about eggs are they cheap in the US? a great bundle of protein deliciousness :-)

Could you take in boarders and get some room rent off them? Sell stuff you don't need on ebay?

likearadiowave

Buy fresh fruit/vegetables from the supermarket. Canned/bagged tuna (if you like tuna) If you shop around, they aren't usually that expensive unless they're organic (in my experience.)

Search the internet for healthy recipes you can make with existing ingredients. If you're creative, you can make a lot of small, quick meals that won't be helping you pack on the pounds.

wgn4166

I use Butter Flavored cooking spray. Its does a great job!!

kelseyhere

This is why I eat a lot of eggs

You should also look into local produce shares, sometimes called "CSA" for Community Supported Agriculture. It's basically a group of local farmers who get together and sell their produce in bulk to the local community. I am signed up for one where every Tuesday I pick up a HUGE basket of all fresh fruits and veggies for $20- the same amount of produce at the grocery would cost me well over $60. Another popular program is called Bountiful Baskets which is basically the same thing, just not 100% local as they source some of their produce from other states. Just type in 'CSA+the name of your city' into google and see what's available. There are at least 5 CSAs in my small city, so I'm sure there are some near you as well. Another great thing is that the CSA will often give you a discount if you volunteer to work at the farm or at the basket pick-up. Most farmer's markets will also give their volunteers some sort of kickback in the form of discount and or free food. If $20/week sounds like too much, find a neighbor to split it with you- there is more than enough for two small families.

In general though I do find it very disheartening that our government provides more support to the farmers who produce products that end up in high fructose corn syrup and white bread than the ones who are growing the sustainable, healthy crops that don't make us fat

MikeInAZ

So a huge head of brocolli is about $1.50 Cauliflower is $1.50. 10lb bag of pinto beans is about $5, Huge bag of spinach is about $3. Brown rice $3. Whole chicken fryer is about $3 on sale and freezes well, you can cut it up and have 10 meals out of that. Grapes on sale are $.85/lbs, apples $1.25, Pears $1.49, bag of carrots is $1. Cucumber is $.79. A can of chickpeas (which can be blended into hummus with a little oil, garlic and lemon juice is $.99. You can eat VERY healthy for pennies a day.

Stay away from processed foods, breads, white rice and potatoes. Ramen noodles are not your friend!

Good luck!

- Mike

Stompp

Potatoes, rice, eggs, dried beans, veggies.

Don't be afraid of the eggs!

Less than $2 usually for 18...