$30.00 A WEEK...

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MED2012COLORADO
MED2012COLORADO Posts: 238
in Food and Nutrition
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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  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,406 Member
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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 - $4.00
  • mominwi419
    mominwi419 Posts: 87
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    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.
  • necie75
    necie75 Posts: 22
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    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.
  • FitBeto
    FitBeto Posts: 2,121 Member
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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 kroger
  • stephdeeable
    stephdeeable Posts: 1,407 Member
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    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.
  • hiddenaudacity
    hiddenaudacity Posts: 122 Member
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    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!! :)
  • kclynn7
    kclynn7 Posts: 71
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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.
  • runningwoodpecker
    runningwoodpecker Posts: 58
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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!
  • GouchisGirl
    GouchisGirl Posts: 321 Member
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    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. :)
  • MED2012COLORADO
    MED2012COLORADO Posts: 238
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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?
  • haroon_awan
    haroon_awan Posts: 1,208 Member
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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.
  • TripleJ3
    TripleJ3 Posts: 945 Member
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    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.
  • Drea_ann
    Drea_ann Posts: 65 Member
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    If you have the option for natural protein vs powder, do natural. Your body needs the other nutrients within the meats.
  • oameyers
    oameyers Posts: 76 Member
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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)
  • runboostie
    runboostie Posts: 51 Member
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    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 delicious
  • ajfrench
    ajfrench Posts: 323 Member
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    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
    = $28.5
  • LinCharpentier
    LinCharpentier Posts: 1,122 Member
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    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.
  • lucyford22
    lucyford22 Posts: 198 Member
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    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.
  • AmyFett
    AmyFett Posts: 1,607 Member
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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.
  • cgarand
    cgarand Posts: 541 Member
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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.

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