Getting through on a budget

Eliminating eating out is a great thing. My husband and I have cut it down to that we only eat out about 1 time per week. We typically save about $500 each month. Also, another thing you might want to consider is to talking to the student loan finance company. I have found out that they are willing to work with you to get your payments to where you are comfortable. It may take several calls but for me personally they had me to pay about $600 per month and at the time there was no way that I could afford that. With talking with them they reduced my monthly payment to only $130.00 per month. I now pay way more than the monthly payment but there are options available.

On to food suggestions. Typically frozen veggies are cheaper than fresh. I also buy a lot of stuff in bulk including meats. Then I portion them out and freeze them. Check sales fliers for better deals depending on the store. Also, with me only buy fresh fruits and veggies with what you absolutely know you will eat before going bad. I still have a problem with this. I buy a ton and can only eat about half and then I throw about half away.

I agree with what others have said. If you don't already, look for discount grocery stores like Aldi's. I love going to Aldi's because their produce is usually cheaper than even Walmart.

I applaud your resolve in getting your budget under control. I, too, really had to struggle w/ budge once I retired. It is not any fun at all to not get what I want when I want it! (I am a spoiled old gal!) I gave up Weight Watcher's for MFP because I could not justify the monthly cost when I can get the same benefits here for free. But, that is me..... I have very supportive, living breathing friends in my close community who help me w/ my eating issues. If I did not have them, I might have stayed w/ WW for that living, breathing human support.
The meal planning and cooking at home is also very important to me because it gives me control of what I put in my mouth as well as what I actually spend on food.
Good Luck. I think the fact that you are reaching out for suggestions shows how dedicated you are to being a success.

The crock pot is your friend...make big batches of soups, stews & meats while they are on sale and freeze in meal-sized portions. Also, at the end of the week if you end up with leftover produce, chop it, throw it in the crock pot with a can of tomatoes & beans, a piece of turkey sausage, some dried spices....a couple hours later.....ta-da...soup!

Also, if you haven't done it yet, for the next couple weeks (or years), keep a diary of EVERY SINGLE PENNY you spend--just like MFP works to keep you mindful of eating and what junk you need to cut from your diet, a daily financial log will help you find where you're spending on useless crap. Get rid of that student debt as quickly as you can...they may "negotiate a lower payment" BUT at what cost to you? Believe me, any breaks they appear to be giving you is always going to be in their favor.

Focus on creating meals using staples, such as: milk, bread, cheese, butter, frozen vegetables, canned/condensed soups etc. Whatever money left over use on fresh produce. buy frozen and canned goods in bulk and just store them.

beans are very inexpensive and great for you nutritionally!

sounds like you have a money to eat out as often as you'd like.

preparation is the key to success. home cooked meals can cost a fraction of what prepared meals cost, all it takes is a little time and effort to do.

spend a few hours a week and cook together.

grill up a family pack of chicken. butcher it into strips and then grill it, and seperate it into 4 ounce baggies if you want to go the extra distance. makes great snacks on their own, or thrown in a salad, or in a wrap.

make a big pot of rice. great side for most meals.

a big pot of oatmeal can also be a great quick breakfast. make it a little wet, so when you reheat it, it stays moist.

make a whole carton of hard boiled eggs. they last a week.

pb & j's can be made for the whole week for breakfast or for snacks.

Coupons.
Learn to coupon. They're amazing. (Safeway, Vons, Dominicks also has "online coupons" called Just For You if you have any of those in your area. You just load the coupons onto your Safeway card.)

Pay cash for groceries. That simple act saves me about $10-20 a week. (Less likely to make impulse shopping moves) Make a meal plan. Make your grocery list before you go to the store and stick to the list. As a single person, I've been spending $35-40 a week on food. I also recommend Dave Ramsey's book "Total Money Makeover" for general finance, budgets, & getting out of debt advice.

Chicken-boneless skinless breasts are almost always avail. under 42/lb and you can flavor them so many ways. Fruit/veg in season and if not in season, then frozen and if on sale, even better. Whole grains you cook yourself-like brown rice instead of Zatarain;s-add your own seasonings. Seasonings are often cheaper in bulk at stores like whole foods or vitamin cottage than in the jars at the grocery store. Oatmeal is cheap. Bananas are too. Add plain fat free yogurt from a large container instead of single serve and you have a cheap breakfast with complex carbs, protein and fruit-excellent nutrition.

I often crock pot 5+ pounds of chicken with seasonings and a little bit of water then shred it and eat a chicken sammich for lunch all week-you can add salad dressing or cottage cheese or avocado or light mayo-whatever you like and it's super cheap. I buy good bread, but it's still a bargain because it has good nutritional value and it's def. cheaper and healthier than eating out. Make your own taco salad from the same kind of shredded chicken and whatever veg are on sale. ore chicken and add frozen veg or fresh to make soup.

HTH at least a little bit-it's tough to eat super healthy on a budget, especially if you want good produce, but it can be done-and it is ALWAYS cheaper to cook from scratch than it is to eat out.

I messaged you with a link to my blog. Check out my tips.

eggs, beans, frozen veggies, coupons

I recommend a website called mint.com... you can set up budgets and enter your bills and accounts and it keeps track of everything financially. You can set goals and work towards saving for those goals. Its one of my favorite websites and helps a ton. you can track spending patterns as well


edited to add: this will help you to be able to spend your money on more important things like healthy eating and living...

My husband and I went through and were able to add up everything we spent money on that wasn't a necessity, found out we were spending about $1600 a month on non essential things.

Do a weekly shop,plan your menus for the week,if you are working make and pack your lunches,decide you must cook in the evenings stop the take away meals they are unhealthy as well as expensive,if you dont cook learn to cook,Allrecipes.com is a great site with lots of tips its worth lookin at!!!

Buy and cook in bulk. Every time I make a meal that can be frozen, I double it and freeze half of it. Once the freezer is full, we start eating out of it. I also saved a ton of money by starting a cooking co-op with friends. We used our costco membership to buy groceries in bulk when they go on sale or there was a coupon (non perishable items or things than can be frozen) and then all the families split the cost of food. We were spending $40 for two weeks of lunches and dinners.
Also, someone else mentioned not buying drinks, and I think that is a great idea. We buy milk, and that is it. I would also stay away from any boxed or packaged food you can't make yourself. You don't need crackers or chips. You can make your own bread super easy. The price per ounce is cheaper if you grate your own cheese or used dried beans instead of canned. Also, watch sales, sign up for freebies, always use coupons and send in rebates. You don't have go to extremes, but comparing prices will save you a lot. I also started making my own laundry detergent. It costs about $15 to make (I purchased distilled water), and it has lasted us at least a year. Make sure you pay your bills on time, and anything with interest fees, pay as much as you can. Cut your cable (go exercise instead). There are so many things you can do before you need to sacrifice the quality of food you are eating. Make a budget, see where you are spending, and cut the luxury items first. Food is not a luxury item.