$30.00 A WEEK...
MED2012COLORADO
Posts: 238
What would you buy for grocerys if you only had 30.00 a week. I am looking for all ideas. Would you live on ramen noodles for a week so the following week you could have 60.00 to spend on sales? I prefer fresh fruits and veggies for my vitamins, i know this might not be possible but i am hoping for the healthiest way to stretch a buck. Looking forward to your grocery lists, and brilliant ideas :flowerforyou:
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Replies
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Shrimp ring - $3.00 x 2 = $6.00
Oriental veg. mix - $4.00
Rice = $10.00/box
Frozen fruit - $4.50/bag
Protein Powder - $30.00 for a massive jar
Water
Ice
Egg whites - $4.000 -
Dried beans are cheap, freeze well when cooked, and are an excellent source of protein and fiber.
I can get a dozen eggs around here for a buck, another source of protein.
I am not sure where you are located, but we have Aldi's around here and every week they have super cheap produce. This week, oranges, avocados, and grapefruit are super cheap.
Do you have a bakery outlet near by? I can get a stock of bread for close to a month for what I'd pay for 2 loaves in a normal store.
Shop early in the morning or later at night. Sometimes meats are marked down. You would have to cook it up right away or freeze it, but there is nothing wrong with it.
Look at unconventional places for food. Our gas station here sells bananas, onions, and potatoes for 38 cents a pound.0 -
We have a store here called Ugo.I can get groceries to feed 5 for under $100 for all week and that's with me getting all the things that I need to stay on track.Eggs are one of the best things to keep around.I always keep spinach,mushrooms,oats and sliced turkey as well.0
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Chicken Breast(4 per pack, 12 oz size) x 3 = 12.00
7 bags frozen veggies = 7.00
B1G2 Steak = 8.00 (6 steak total)
Nuts (cashew, pistachio) = 10.00
Sweet potato = 4.00
Steamer healthy meals = 6.00
Usually the basics of what I buy every week, albertsons or kroger0 -
A bag of beans and a bag of rice aren't very expensive and last a long time. Buy day old bread and keep it in the fridge. Buy almost expired meat and freeze it. Whole wheat pasta is pretty cheap. Buy pre-mixed salad greens.When tuna is on sale - buy a lot, I buy 6 cans if it's on sale. There's always a brand of yogurt on sale.
This doesn't apply to you as you're in America...but to Canadians reading this....buy some groceries at Giant Tiger. I feel greasy buying food in there but it's so much cheaper than Metro and even No Frills.0 -
I lasted 5 days a few weeks back on $10 lol. I bought two packets of meat for $5 each (sausages and turkey mince). Then I cooked them up and ate them with frozen veggies from the freezer for lunch and dinner. Brekky I already had in the house, usually rolled oats and milk. Plus a couple of meals I ate my sisters left overs. But yeah, meat and veggies are quite cheap!!
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I know they aren't as good for you as fresh, but you can get frozen veggies for pretty cheap when they are on sale - $1 a bag.0
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make a huge pot of soup my friend.
Carrot and coriander
Chicken and sweetcorn
There are so many possibilities plus the veg is cheap and flavour it up with herbs, lasts me a week!0 -
As many people have mentioned... rice and beans. Healthy, cheap, and simple. Do you have a 99c store where you are? You can get your produce and almost all of your groceries (Even some meat) for 99c. If not the dollar store has a lot of groceries. Just watch what you are buying because sometimes $1 isn't as cheap as you can get something. Sales, sales, sales. We are always on a budget. Oatmeal is another one that is cheap and you can eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Cook a whole chicken, that can be stretched for 3+ meals depending on how many people you are feeding. Fresh fruits and veggies are always good, but you can do frozen or canned if necessary. 0
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Yes we have an aldis i shop there sometimes. I waste so much money i just need some structure and ideas as what to get. Seems like i go grocery shopping and spend 100.00 and then i lok around a couple days later and i have nothing. Some of my friends say it is because i buy organic and i end up throwing alot out because i dont eat it in time. I dont agree with that , i dont buy organic specifically just here and there and mostly in summer when fresh. Defitnitly doing the rice and beans but i dont want to get bored and binge or something. Would you recommend the protien powder over chicken or fish? what would your meals look like on that list?0
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I'm sure I spend less than $30 (I'm in England by the way!). I live on:
Fish
Eggs
Frozen veggies
Wholemeal bread
Porridge oats
Nuts and seeds
Protein powder
Water
My diet over the summer was 100x better because I was working a better job, but the academic year started in September and I left that job for a much lesser pay one.
Just do what you can with what you have. Your results will inevitably be slower, but money is an issue for nearly everyone.0 -
Frozen fruit and veggies are good for you. Sometimes even better because they get frozen right away and preserves their nutrients verses the "fresh" stuff thats been sitting on a truck for however long then sitting in the store losing nutrients.
Unless its local produce, that fresh isn't as fresh as you think.
I hate frozen green beans so I by no salt added canned and I buy canned tomatoes which have more lycopene due to the heating process. I look for the BPA free cans. Otherwise I buy frozen (plus its way more convenient) and I do buy fresh but when trying to save some money I buy more frozen or seasonal fresh produce.0 -
If you have the option for natural protein vs powder, do natural. Your body needs the other nutrients within the meats.0
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My weekly budget is about $20 per week here's what I buy...
Oatmeal
Grapefruit
Spinach Salad
Tyson Ready Grilled Chicken Strips
Eggs
cheese sticks (they last two weeks, 12 in a pack)
Rice cakes (last me two weeks)
Jello
Off brand Greek yogurt
frozen veggies
Meat (Chicken or fish, whichever is on sale)0 -
Big bag carrots $4
Cabbage $2
Oatmeal $4
Mori-nu tofu x 2 pkgs $6
frozen berries (good one!) $5
multigrain bread $3
peanut butter $3
Tuna $2
eggs $1
I am assuming the pantry contains some vinegar, soy sauce and olives...and some kind of oil, perhaps some flour. The following week I would buy some noodles and the week after, some rice (brown) , canned tomatoes could also be good, and refried beans, or a package of green lentils.
Cabbage + carrots = slaw
cabbage + carrots + tofu + eggs = stir fry + peanut butter and soy sauce to sauce it up
carrots = snacking
tofu + berries = smoothie
bread + peanut butter + grated carrot = sandwich
tuna + olives + bread = sandwich
oatmeal + berries = breakfast
oatmeal + berries + eggs = muffins (+ carrots?)
muffins + peanut butter = yum
cabbage + eggs = surpisingly delicious0 -
The flash freeze frozen veggies are actually better for you in some ways because they are frozen at the peak of their life rather than being picked, shipped, and placed on shelves. If you have a farmer's market still open, those are the best places for actual, fresh fruits and veggies. So, with that being said, I shop at Safeway:
A couple of bags of frozen veggies: $5
5 Apples, pears, or bananas: roughly $5
1 bag of pre-washed lettuce: $2.50
3 cans of tuna on sale: $3 each
Chicken breasts, 3 or 4: $6-$7
Generic brown rice: $2-$3
1 box eggs: $3
= $28.50 -
Lots of great suggestions but can you shop everyday say spending around five dollars watching one day for veg. sales like broccolu and cauliflower two of those would do you a week. Buy a little chicken breast make stir fry's they go a long way. If you have veg. you think you can't eat fast enough no time to make soup with them right away. Find time to chop and freeze for a later soup. All kinds of ways to eat cheap. Go to the veg. section of the grocery store especialy the big ones if your not to shy ask for lettuce and carrots at the end of day tell them you have rabbits and hate to see all that food going to waste lol.
Take care and you can do it. You will do it.0 -
I'd buy a whole chicken as apposed to just the bag of breasts. A whole chicken is just around $5 and you can make several meals with the meat. I like to season one, throw it in the slow cooker on high for 4 hours then harvest all the meat from it. Then I throw the bones back in all the juices in the slow cooker, add about 6-8 cups of water then let it continue on low for 8 hrs. You now have the best homemade chicken broth. I strain that and freeze the stock in a muffin pan so I have frozen portions of stock ready to go.0
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We feed a family of 4 for about 300 bucks a month, it's tight... We try and buy fruits and fresh veggies as much as possible. Frozen veggies are cheaper and to me, just as good. Look for sales and store brands. If something is on sale one week, get it, it might not be on your 3rd week of the month or whatever. If things were that tight, I'd actually call the store and see how they do their sales, or look online. Some stores have better deals than others.0
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I would get some frozen veggies, a family pack of chicken, some rice, I need my nature valley granola bars, some apples, eggs. Sometimes if you go shopping early they will have meat that is about to reach it's 'sell by' date with a coupon. One day I got two huge pork roasts for $5 each! Avoid convenience, premade foods and junk food.0
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Find out when your stores mark down their meats. My local store marks them down on Saturday mornings. So the ones about to expire on Saturday mornings have a $1 or $2 off coupon attached. Take it home, cook it or pop in the freezer!
Fresh fruits and veggies are awesome, but frozen are just as good and usually cheaper. You can get a bag of frozen veggie blend and stir fry it with the meat above with some lemon juice/olive oil or a marinade. VERY filling and will give you two meals!
Tuna is a great source of protein! I put a can in my stir fry sooo... Like $1.25 for the frozen veggie blend and $0.75 for the tuna. That's two meals for $2!
Also second the Aldi suggestion! AND The Dollar Tree. No fresh fruits and veggies, but they have seasonings and marinades cheap.0 -
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Right now a 3lb bag of apples is around $3. Tangerines are also in season and are about $4 for a huge box. I also buy frozen veggies - store brand is $1 per bag and if you are only buying for yourself, that stretches to about 3 servings. Peanut butter is less than $3 a jar at Trader Joe's. Ground turkey is also super cheap (much less than beef right now) and you can use it for almost anything. Also buy canned tuna. It's a great source of protein and very affordable!0
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Hey There I wish I could tell you exactly the prices and what not, but I am awful at that, but for my family of 3 I only spend about $30 a week (but we go grocery shopping every 2 weeks). I am a stay at home Mom, so we only have one income. Anywhos, I make everything I can from scratch,(bbq sauce, marinades, etc especially my bread). I have a system, where one paycheck I go out and buy my meat in bulk. This will last us about 2 months. Then for the rest of the weeks I get the basics I need to make whatever I want, like eggs, milk, cheese, flour, sugar, butter, rice etc, we also use frozen veg though. I think the only reason I am able to do this unfortunately is because I started with a well stock pantry, around tax time we go on a big grocery trip and I restock what we might not use as quickly (like cornstarch, baking soda, spices). I hope this makes sense and/or helps. It is possible once you stock up to only get what you are out off.
This may not be practical for you, but I meal plan, so I use up what we have and nothing goes to waste. Sundays I try and go through and plan for the week. Maybe that way you could go shopping once a week so stuff is fresh and you wont loose as much. I hope something I said helped!
I forgot to add some stuff, I also agree with Aldis, we do a lot of shopping there. Canned tuna is a great option, rice, chicken, I eat a lot of apples and peanut butter, that's my fav right now. Whole chicken is way cheaper, (I bought one on my last trip for $3.50), you can cook it up and eat off of it for days! Good luck!0 -
I'd buy a whole chicken as apposed to just the bag of breasts. A whole chicken is just around $5 and you can make several meals with the meat. I like to season one, throw it in the slow cooker on high for 4 hours then harvest all the meat from it. Then I throw the bones back in all the juices in the slow cooker, add about 6-8 cups of water then let it continue on low for 8 hrs. You now have the best homemade chicken broth. I strain that and freeze the stock in a muffin pan so I have frozen portions of stock ready to go.
Great idea!!!!!!0 -
Dried beans and rice FTW.
Add carrots, onions, cabbage.
Chicken breasts are too expensive. Buy the leg quarters.0 -
make a huge pot of soup my friend.
Carrot and coriander
Chicken and sweetcorn
There are so many possibilities plus the veg is cheap and flavour it up with herbs, lasts me a week!
^^. This. That's where soup came from...poor people in the old days. Threw together what they had and then could eat for days.
Also rice and beans.
All the good food is very cheap if you're smart.0 -
Get regular oatmeal, if you get the big thing it's about 3 or 4 bucks, but lasts for a few weeks. Flavor it up with some cinnamon or peanut butter your golden.
Salad mixes are generally 3 or 4 bucks also, but if you portion it right, 3 lunches. Get a loaf of bread, some lunch meat (try to aim for anything lower in sodium and with no fillers or preservatives if your budget allows), and if you have room, provolone cheese. Make a half sandwich, and take a couple cups of the salad mix to work.
OR
Get some chicken breasts. I don't know if your store has them. I find these thin sliced breasts. They run about 3-4 as well, and there's about 6-7 in there. You could always save some for lunch (much better alternative than lunch meat!)
Buy fresh fruits and veggies (go for what's in season) Worst case, bird's eye steam fresh is cheap, and can provide 1-2 servings.
Peanut butter for filling calories/protein
But never settle for ramen!! I was saving money for moving and I tried to eat "the college kid diet" ramen, pizza, etc.... I felt like crap. I rather have just bought fruits and veggies and less crap!0 -
this is 35.92 at Kroger
1 box boil in bag brown rice, Kroger brand, $1.72 (4 bags per box)
Dole Salad Blends, 2 bags, $4.00
Jacks salsa, mild, $3.00
Frozen Veggies, 5 bags $5.00
Kroger Brand loaf of bread $1.00
1 gallon Kroger Brand fat free milk $2.78
4lb bag oranges $2.99
3 apples $.99
Morning Star Farms Burger pack, 4ct, $3.99
Progresso Soup, 2 cans, $2.50
Cheerios, $1.99
Baby Carrots, 1 bag, $1.00
Chicken Breast, 2lbs, $5.000 -
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