Budget of $100 a month on FOOD- HELP!

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  • janalayn
    janalayn Posts: 510 Member
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    Check your community for a soup kitchen or food pantry. My husband is the chef in the local soup kitchen. They serve healthy meals 4 nights a week and provide food boxes as well as free produce and breads.
  • _SusieQ_
    _SusieQ_ Posts: 2,964 Member
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    http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/01/lentil-and-chicken-soup-3-pts.html

    Makes a huge batch and freezes well. Lentils are super cheap.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Buy dried beans, they are super cheap. Ramen noodles may not be the healthiest of foods, but if you add some dried beans and/or a bag of frozen veggies it's a healthy cheap meal. Bean soups are a great way to stretch a budget. Add some veggies of your choice and maybe a little rice or pasta.
  • ninakir88
    ninakir88 Posts: 292 Member
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    also use coupons and shop sales
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
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    bump to share a bit later.. also some really great threads along this line in the archives.. this topic comes up often and in each thread it's amazing what a person can learn on budgeting and eating healthy doing it. :flowerforyou:
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
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    forget the chicken and buy beans and tofu. Meat is expensive if you're poor.
  • tkcasta
    tkcasta Posts: 405 Member
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    Just and FYI everyone, students don't usually qualify for food stamps. A lot of places it's an automatic disqualification unless you have children.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
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    Just and FYI everyone, students don't usually qualify for food stamps. A lot of places it's an automatic disqualification unless you have children.

    Yep, they will base of your parent's income.
  • suzieqcookie
    suzieqcookie Posts: 314 Member
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    as someone who is and has been in your foot steps, let me also call attention to this: if you have that little money for food, how are you going to buy all the new clothes that you will need from losing weight?
  • Nerdybreisawesome
    Nerdybreisawesome Posts: 359 Member
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    NM
  • Hksalex
    Hksalex Posts: 144 Member
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    im pretty simple.. i buy in bulk too.. but yeah..

    all i have is Chicken, Bell Peppers, Spinach, some cheese, a few Mrs. Dashs seasoning.. tons of water, and Naked Smoothies.. cost me just under 30$ a week for food..
  • forgtmenot
    forgtmenot Posts: 860 Member
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    I agree with others that say buy things like rice, beans, etc. These things are cheap and last a long time. Also buy frozen veggies, most places sell these at around $1 per bag and again, they last a long time. Oatmeal is good for breakfasts and is cheap. Look for sales on items that have a long shelf life and buy a lot of them so next month you won't need them again.
  • Jentorres8814
    Jentorres8814 Posts: 121 Member
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    What state are you in? $100 is better than nothing so just make sure you have the basics for you dietary needs. There is alot of help out there for ppl who can not make ends meet. . Everyone has been in that position. Don't get ride of your car...in order for you to get back and forth to work will be tough. When I graduated from college I ate ramen and frozen pizzas..ALOT lololol but eating healthier may be a challenge b/c sometimes it's a little more expensive to eat that way.

    Frozen veggies are great bang for your buck...they are flash frozen so you don't lose any nutrients. Stock up on those and chicken.

    In the freezer isle you can almost always find rolls of grinded chicken or turkey..looks kinda like a log of sausage. That is always cheaper than buying freshly ground. Same thing applies..it's juts frozen to last longer

    Google recipes with 3 or few ingredients that are healthy....and that you can freeze in large batches. That will last you a long time I promise.

    Good luck to you!
  • shanander
    shanander Posts: 50 Member
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    Do you know anyone that has a costco/sams club membership? You can get a 20lb bag of chicken breasts for ~$20-25 and large quantities (4lbs+) of frozen organic broccoli and green beans. Grab a few staples from a store and get creative! Lentils are CHEAP and very filling.
  • tlwells62
    tlwells62 Posts: 15 Member
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    First -- yea for you for putting your education first. You are obviously a very smart woman.

    Second -- this is a fitness site. Ignore those who want to give you money advice. There are great sites for that, with experts.

    Third -- alot of smart fitness folks (above) gave you alot of GOOD advice.

    Good luck!!!
  • KittieLea
    KittieLea Posts: 1,156 Member
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    Congrats on furthering your education!
    Being poor is only temporary, so just focus on school so you can be successful when you've completed everything :)

    For cheap food, think beans, rice, potatoes, eggs, and fruits and veggies that are on sale each week. Also, my grocery store has a section of "managers specials" for fresh foods that are near their expiration dates. I've found bagged salads, yogurts, snacks and deli meats for about $1 a piece.

    Being from Houston, I can't agree with people who suggested selling your car. We need cars here in Houston since our public transportation is crap, so I can see where you're coming from. But selling it for a cash car isn't a bad idea. Carmax is usually very fair. Maybe see how much they'd give you, and if it'd be worth it to get a cash car?

    Good luck!!
  • dellrio
    dellrio Posts: 131 Member
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    I was feeding 3 people including myself on $50 a month for a while. Dried beans are cheap and healthy, 25 pound bag of flour for $8 can make a lot of loaves of bread/tortillas/pizza crusts etc. Make all of your food from scratch, no prepared foods, it takes a lot of planning but will save you tons of money. I can make a huge batch of chili using dried beans and canned tomatoes (no meat im vegi) add some carrots and frozen corn, make homemade corn bread using cornmeal and flour. Whole batch of chili/cornbread costs $5 and will feed you for a week. BUT you can freeze it in smaller portions so you dont get burned out. Homemade flour tortillas are very easy, add some cheese, veggies, and beans and make homemade enchiladas for less than $5, enough food for a few days.

    Big bag of white rice for $15, make spanish rice, white rice, red beans and rice, rice pilaf, fried rice, rice pudding, etc etc.

    One extra benefit to cooking from scratch, no preservatives helps you loose/maintain healthy weight, your body will start to rid itself of chemicals, and you burn calories making the food. Make a plan and it can be done, after a few months $100 will seem like a lot of food money.

    Right now I feed 2 people on less than $100 a month.
  • lgwilliams77
    lgwilliams77 Posts: 12
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    Frozen Tilapia at Walmart is $3 for 6 filets. 100 calories per 4 oz. Great for cheap protien.
    I also do ham 4oz, wheat wrap, slice of cheese and that is less than 200 calories - I eat that for lunch
    peanut butter is not the end of the world - just no jelly! apples, celery is much better
  • agidavis
    agidavis Posts: 36 Member
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    Honestly the only thing that worked for me to save money is too cook meals at home in bulk.

    Like lentil soup for example all you need is lentils,.celery, onions, tomatoes, and carrots. Maximum $8 for a huge pot, and freeze whatever you dont eat, thats enough for me for 5 lunches.
    Any kind of soup is cheap in if you buy bulk beans, lentils, peas, onions, garlic all those things are a great healthy addition to cooking and you could freeze the rest.

    best of luck!!
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
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    Can you switch from a car to a bicycle, or move closer to your internship so you can walk? Are there any food banks?

    Food wise buy dry beans and lentils, plain oats, brown rice, frozen vegetables, fresh root vegetables, canned tomatoes, dried fruit, canned oily fish, organ meats like liver, peanut butter - not only are these often reasonably priced but they supply multiple nutrients at once, eating white refined carbs like noodles adds calories but no minerals or fibre so to me they are a false economy. Get some dry spice blends, dried herbs, chilli, garlic, soy sauce, block creamed or dried dessicated coconut and you can make various South or East Asian, mediterranean or Mexican type dishes.

    Fresh fruit, salad vegetables, wheat products and muscle meat have gotten more expensive in recent years but you don't need to eat any of these for health. I price foods up per 100g or per serving so I can make a fair comparison from store to store and product to product. If you have a freezer buy bulk.

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