$30.00 A WEEK...
Replies
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A lot of veggies can be frozen if you realize you aren't going to use them. Same with fruit. I'll cut bananas that are going overripe into chunks and freeze them. They work perfectly in smoothies or banana bread. Same with berries.
A simple and cheap meal is stir fry. Others have already mentioned frozen, bagged veggies. Get the mixed ones for stir fry and keep them on hand. Throw them in a pan with some protein (chicken, beef, pork, tofu, whatever) and season with some soy sauce, ginger, garlic or whatever you like and serve with rice or noodles. Very filling for very little money. You can't make a bunch of this ahead of time, IMHO, because the veggies get mushy but it's a quick dinner on nights when you don't have a lot of time to cook.0 -
I just read that aldis has a 10lb bag of potatoes for $1.98. I cant believe that :noway: but i am so happy about it. Since it is just me im wondering what am i going to do with 10lbs of potatoes??? . I dont want to eat tons of potatoes for a week but maybe 3 times a week until there gone. Can i freeze raw potatoes, or should i dice them up then cook them then freeze? I am already thinking about what i am going to do with the money i will be saving :bigsmile:0
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I store potatoes in the fridge and they keep for a really long time. Months! If they start to get soft, I usually end up making a stew or mashed potatoes so they don't go to waste.
I also store onions in the fridge, but I go through them so quickly, I don't know how long they'd last like that.
Thanks for asking your initial question. You've had some really great responses and hints at smart shopping!0 -
I just read that aldis has a 10lb bag of potatoes for $1.98. I cant believe that :noway: but i am so happy about it. Since it is just me im wondering what am i going to do with 10lbs of potatoes??? . I dont want to eat tons of potatoes for a week but maybe 3 times a week until there gone. Can i freeze raw potatoes, or should i dice them up then cook them then freeze? I am already thinking about what i am going to do with the money i will be saving :bigsmile:
I would dice them before freezing. But thanks for the info. Potatoes are on my grocery list and Aldi is on my list too!0 -
Large cans of oily fish like mackerel or pilchards in tomato sauce, frozen vegetables, longer life fresh veggies like onions, cabbage and carrots, canned tomatoes, dried beans or lentils, barley, powdered milk. Fruit and many meats are quite expensive per portion but mince is good for padding out, also consider offal - liver for pate or in spaghetti sauce.0
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Potatoes....I love me some Colorado potatoes. Can boil em, fry em, bake em, steam em, butter em, season em, cheese em....you get the point. Potatoes fried in a lil bit of healthy butter, ground turkey, steak seasoning, and some cheese is some good livin. Got yer protein, potassium, vitamin D, and some carbs to boot!0
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I would grow a window box garden of fresh greens so that would be an ongoing thing that I would not have to pay for. You can also easily grow green onions inside.
Bananas, apples, baby carrots, milk, eggs, oatmeal, wheat bread, tuna, onions, potatoes, whole chicken, peanut butter, black beans, the cheapest cheese I can find, brown rice, a jar of salsa, and frozen veggies. If I had money left over, I might buy some Bisquick. This has an assumption that you already have condiments. Definitely turn the chicken into soup when you're done with it.0 -
Re fresh veggies cost: Grow your own! Salad greens are so easy that it's RIDICULOUS! You can do them in a window box even. You will pay for the soil once and like $1 for seeds and you're GOLDEN. In the summer, see if your town has community gardens. It's good exercise too and is very grounding. Then learn how to properly freeze them and/or can them.0
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Great post! I have a ton of ideas for myself.0
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$30 a week could buy me a weeks worth of food at 1800 calories a week. About $60 for what I currently eat which is about 3500 a week on maintaining.
$30 would buy probably this
1.5kg chicken breast ~ $16
2kg rice (brown, basmati or white) ~ $4
950g tuna (in 95g cans) ~ $8
2kg green beans ~ $2
That would be very basic eating for weeks on end if I had little money to spend.
Realistically, I would spend about $60 a week at 1800 calories just to buy everything in bulk and save it later.0 -
I'm doing $15 a week and I literally go in the grocery store through every aisle and grab what's on sale in the largest size, then with any money left over I get fresh produce. I also have staples (almond milk $2 and eggs) that I repurchase every week. Stick to frozen vegetables, rolled oats, loaves of bread(put it in the freezer), avoid ramen and other unhealthy cheap things0
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I'm doing $15 a week and I literally go in the grocery store through every aisle and grab what's on sale in the largest size, then with any money left over I get fresh produce. I also have staples (almond milk $2 and eggs) that I repurchase every week. Stick to frozen vegetables, rolled oats, loaves of bread(put it in the freezer), avoid ramen and other unhealthy cheap things
No offense, but you are either:
1. Living in Mexico, or
2. If that is you in the pic, are the posterchild for undereating.
Realistically, $15 per week is unrealistic. I sometimes do that in a day.0 -
$5 or less .Whole fryer chicken.. boil with salt n pepper. Then de-bone.
$4 potatoes 10#
$1.50 Carrots 3#
$1.50 celary
$2 head lettuce
$1.50 loaf bread
$2 lite mayo/dressing
^^ make soup with the dark meat.
Chicken on salad or sandwiches with half of the breast meat.. the other with potatoes and carrots dinner.
$13 remains
Eggs
Pnb
Cheese
Fruit0 -
A whole chicken
Some potatoes
1lb-1.5lb ground meat
Tinned tomatoes
Wholewheat pasta or brown rice
Some oatmeal
Milk
A pulse like lentils or beans
Spend whatever you have left on fruit and veggies
Roast the chicken, have with potatoes and veggies. Have leftovers for another 3 meals. Make soup with the carcass. Make a bolognese or chili sauce with the ground meat, tinned tomatoes and veggies, pad out with some beans. Have with wholewheat pasta or brown rice. With pulses added should do 6-8 meals. Have oatmeal with milk for breakfast.0 -
Once upon a time, when I made a lot less money and was a single mom with three small children at home, I was a wizard at stretching a dollar and getting the most nutrition for my money. These days, with just two of us at home and a more demanding work load (job + school) and fortunately a lot more money to go around, I have gotten lax and tend to rely on shortcuts (but old habits die hard and I still can pinch a penny!). I still do keep a basic eating and grocery routine, though.
There are so many great ideas posted on this thread- many I practice and other than specific foods I can only add a couple of general strategies:
#1-Staying within proper portions is important to making food go farther, and
#2-something that works for me (I realize it wouldn't work for everyone) is that I tend to eat the same inexpensive and simple things each day/week as a base (but watch sales and stay flexible for added variety):
-a simple but filling and nutritious protein and fiber smoothie every day for breakfast- I have had this same type of breakfast almost daily for the last several years, even on weekends- again, might not work for everyone but i like it : )
-for snacks/mini meals- raw veggies and hummus- pretty cheap to make especially if starting with dried chickpeas and can also use other beans to make delicious/nutritious/cheap dips; apples with cheese or nuts (always whatever is on sale and measure/weigh for correct portions- essential for staying within calorie and dollar budget);
- homemade plain yogurt- soooo easy to make, can strain it or use it as is and is way cheaper than purchased in store- i eat a lot of it in a variety of ways
-chicken-whole or breasts (only purchased on sale) that I cook in bulk for the week and eat instead of lunch meat, on salads, etc. I usually only buy any meat on sale (2$ or less a pound is kind of my target, even for extra lean ground beef or turkey- i will buy extra- as much as I can afford- to have for future weeks. I will usually spend a bit more on fish.
-I usually only buy romaine lettuce (whole head) as weekly staple because if you wrap in paper towels or foil will keep long time in crisper drawer and usually cheaper than bagged (unless bagged can be found on a good sale).
- as a general rule I tend to look for protein and high fiber items that keep one satisfied longer, and usually ONLY buy on sale- for example, the good quality, high fiber bread items that I like are spendier than the crappy no-fiber breads (4 or 5 dollars for a pack 6 Thomas' 100 calorie English muffins) so I buy several when B1G1 or better and freeze. As some others have said, it might take a bit of time to get a good stock of frozen/pantry sale items but once you do, you have a lot more freedom with your dollars each week.
- another strategy that helps me stay on target both calorie-wise and budget-wise is to drink lots of water and other good fluids like teas (both with caffeine and herbal) throughout the day- keeps me filled up and cozy, and sometimes when I am craving a sweet thing a couple of cups of tea with honey or stevia does the trick. Buy tea when it is on sale (Celestial Seasonings, etc. is often B1G1 or better) and eventually you will have a good selection (if that type of thing appeals to you).
Good luck in your endeavor- I am inspired!
Tamra0 -
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.
Actually, frozen vegetables are frozen at their peak of freshness, so they are just as good if not better than fresh.0 -
You got that right! Now i am hungry. Thanks :flowerforyou:Potatoes....I love me some Colorado potatoes. Can boil em, fry em, bake em, steam em, butter em, season em, cheese em....you get the point. Potatoes fried in a lil bit of healthy butter, ground turkey, steak seasoning, and some cheese is some good livin. Got yer protein, potassium, vitamin D, and some carbs to boot!0 -
i would probably live off of chicken, tuna, eggs, milk, and rice.
30 a week isn't much for groceries. I lived on a pretty tight budget after high school, but I've learned that you shouldn't skimp at the grocery store, if anything look at other expenses you can cut.0 -
The cheapest brand of beans and rice (count the servings on the back -- it will last more than just one week!)
Generic oatmeal, if you like it (I don't, I eat rice, instead).
The cheapest brand of eggs
That weeks cheapest vegetables and fruits, some fresh and some frozen, as many servings as I could afford.
The cheapest dairy product available, if you use them (I don't). Think how much does it cost per serving.
Sometimes large bags of frozen vegetables are on sale and pretty cheap, even cheaper than fresh.
Carrots are usually cheap.
Whatever other produce is on a special deal that week.
Sometimes a big bag of potatoes are cheap, but I think brown rice is better for you.
Meal Plan: For breakfast, rice (or oatmeal), one egg, maybe some kind of fruit or vegetable or juice, if you found some cheap.
I like to make a rice stir fry with onion and any bits of vegetable I have, or cook the egg with it.
Lunch: Potato Soup or Bean Soup (with the beans and a few cheap veggies like carrots), or rice with some cheap frozen vegetables, or if you got a really good deal on produce, some salad, maybe with some cooked beans or hardboiled egg mixed in.
Dinner: Beans and Rice. Beans can be just cooked whole, or made into refried beans. Add any side vegetable you can.
Because the beans and rice will last more than one week, maybe the next week you might have enough money to get something like canned tomatoes or tomato sauce, if you find a really good deal. That can be used to make a chili or a tomato-bean soup, or just simmer the beans and rice in the tomatoes.0 -
$30? For one person? My weekly shopping bill was £15:
3 Tins sardines
bag of salad
bag of chopped vegetables
2 cartons of chicken breast
1 carton of chicken roll (ham)
6 pack of crisps (they say 6 packs are made in the kitchen - mine's in the fun cupboard :bigsmile: )
3 x 4 pots of chocolate mousse
2 pots of cottage cheese
6 kiwis
Will probably last a bit longer than a week. Do have lots of peanuts and peanut butter from shopping a few weeks ago that I also eat for protein.
Most of it is the "Value" stuff at Tesco which most people cannot bring themselves to eat, though. Tastes fine to me.
If I had to spend $30 = £20(?), I'd probably buy a few bottles of cider. So much for healthy eating. :laugh:0 -
I spend way more than $30 a week, but I don't cook.
Hormel Pepperoni Snack Tray: $7
Whole Roasted Chicken: $5 each, 3- 4 a week. (I debone and use it in salads or my go to after a workout for protein): $20
Stick Cheese: $3
Greek Yogurt: $1 each, 6-10 a week: $10
Bottled Water: $4
Eggs 2 dz: $6
Shredded Cheese: $3
Oatmeal: $3
Salad $4 each 7-10 a week): $40
$96 a week. Again, I DO NOT COOK. Everything I eat is premade in the deli. So I pay more to have it made already for me. My salads, deli trays, whole roasted chicken, all deli meals.
When I am traveling for work ALL of my food is on the fly, premade, deli stuff.
I should cook.0 -
Steamed rice, piled with the cheapest veggies you can find. Meat, if it's on sale. A little bit of soy sauce goes a long way, and it makes for a super tasty and healthy meal.
I know brown rice is better for you, but I can't stand the taste, so we just eat white rice. Seems to work.
You can also chop up and boil potatoes, and eat them as a side. Super yummers.0 -
I'm not the greatest at this health wise, my husband and I have lived off 11-20 dollars a week eating Ramen noodles, hot dogs we got on sale, buy one get one free, Grits, beans and homemade quesadillas. Horrible diet lol! It was really hard for me to eat healthy on that tight of a budget, these are some good ideas people have posted, I wish I had thought of some of this!
I would try and buy things that would go far and keep you full, I think the oatmeal is a good idea. I would also pick things like rice and beans, peanut butter, those keep me full longer, bread, milk, a large thing of eggs one week that would last past the next, I would buy as large of quantities as I could to stretch it farther and find manager specials, coupon etc. so the next week there would be more money for other groceries. It might not be the healthiest but what you said about getting Ramen and stuff one week so you would have more money for fruits and things the next week is a good idea.0 -
30.00/week seems totally doable. 60-75 dollars last me a whole month - and all healthy foods. 90% non processed foods.
I get...
Eggs
Chicken
Brown rice
Fresh veggies or frozen to last longer
Fruit
Cereal
Milk
Salad/lettuce
Triscuts
Cheese
almonds
list goes on and changes. I also make sure to use coupons when I can0 -
Also alot of grocery stroes have dollar days - like Rainbow, where you can find yogurt, eggs, bacon, etc for a dollar a pack!0
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beans, rice and chicken leg quarters.....one a day vitamins [shoplifted]....:embarassed:0
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I'd buy in bulk - a big bag of dried legumes and a bag of brown rice. Then I'd supplement with bags of frozen veggies and one lean meat source, whatever is on sale. I would also buy a gallon of lowfat milk and whatever fresh fruits are on sale.
If I had leftover money after that, I'd purchase dense foods like oatmeal... and I'd probably throw in a jar of peanut butter.
Another option is to cook more from scratch - a bag of whole wheat flour, a few packets of yeast, a small container of salt/sugar... and you can bake your own bread for pennies.
Lastly, we have a market here called Fresh and Easy - and they mark down foods significantly at 5 pm everyday... so you can pick up veggies, meats, bread, and fruits for half price if you plan to eat or freeze them in the next day.
Thanks for the question!0 -
LOL You cracked me up ....I dont cook....Again I DONT COOK......: sigh: I should cook.I spend way more than $30 a week, but I don't cook.
Hormel Pepperoni Snack Tray: $7
Whole Roasted Chicken: $5 each, 3- 4 a week. (I debone and use it in salads or my go to after a workout for protein): $20
Stick Cheese: $3
Greek Yogurt: $1 each, 6-10 a week: $10
Bottled Water: $4
Eggs 2 dz: $6
Shredded Cheese: $3
Oatmeal: $3
Salad $4 each 7-10 a week): $40
$96 a week. Again, I DO NOT COOK. Everything I eat is premade in the deli. So I pay more to have it made already for me. My salads, deli trays, whole roasted chicken, all deli meals.
When I am traveling for work ALL of my food is on the fly, premade, deli stuff.
I should cook.
But i hear ya on the over 30.00 a week, just for me i was spending mindlessly 100.00 - 200.00 A week, yes, A WEEK, Buying organic everything, fresh everything, shopping everyday for this and that. I was thinking for the new year i want to finance better and the one place i wanted to start was where i wasted the most money. The food i was throwing out was so wasteful. So i thought i would challenge myself and see just what i could by for 30.00 if that is all i had. With that came some brillant ideas and help for people on a budget or trying to save money like me. :flowerforyou:0 -
Eggs
Ground Turkey
Spices
Ramen
EDIT: BEANS0 -
bump0
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