Groc shopping on cheap budget

GrandmaCarolyn · November 2010

Remember that eggs are a good source of protein and fairly cheap, Chicken breast is really great with salsa. Don't forget chili. Use dried beans. Just remember to get the leanest hamburger or ground turkey you can afford because fat packs twice the calories than carbs or protein. I have even bought chuck arm roasts, trimmed the fat well and ground up the leftovers for chili, or for sandwich meat mixed with fat free mayo or Miricle Whip. You can get a manual meat grinder pretty cheap and often you can find them at 2nd hand stores. You can grind your own turkey, too, and trim the fat. Low fat Valveta is good over veggies and makes great sandwiches, too. If your family hunts or if you know people who do, wild game is much lower in calories than most meat. Elk is especially good but venison makes great chili. And don't forget canned tuna. Try mixing it with salsa for a change
Turkey should be very cheap now. Buy one and stick one in the freezer.
Turkey Stew:
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2-4 cups turkey leftovers (I really pick the bones)
broth from boiled large bones
2 lb. carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 lb potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large chopped onion
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp pepper

cook veggies in 2 cups water till tender, add
turkey meat
seasoning
2 cans cream of chicken soup mixed with 1 1/2 cups broth
mix well
Freeze leftovers

TracieJ65 · November 2010

I made this the other night. Cheap, fast, and actually very filling! You can put other veggies in it to change it up a bit, plus I put garlic in it and used some Mrs. Dash seasoning. I think some zuchinni, maybe eggplant, artichoke hearts would be great and I will play around with it the next time I make it.

Pasta and Beans:

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans
2 cups penne pasta
salt to taste

Directions

1.In a medium size saucepan heat the olive oil. Saute onion until tender. Stir in tomatoes and entire can of beans. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
2.Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3.Mix pasta with bean mixture and salt as desired.

DETAILED NUTRITION
Serving Size 1/4 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe 4

Amount Per Serving
Calories 279

Total Fat 6.4g 10 %
Saturated Fat 0.9g 5 %
Cholesterol 0mg 0 %
** Sodium 228mg 9 %
** Potassium 247mg 7 %
Total Carbohydrates 46g 15 %
Dietary Fiber 6.1g 24 %
Protein 9.8g 20 %
Sugars 4g
** Vitamin A 6 %
** Vitamin C 26 %
** Calcium 7 %
** Iron 30 %

azmomof2 · November 2010

I don't know if this was mentioned yet but angelfoodministries.com is a great resource for cheaper groceries and you can look up a nearby location online, see what they have offered for the month, and even pay online and then pick it up the day the goods come in! Basically they have a box that generally is geared for a family of four and like I said you can see what they have that month before buying it. They also have a fruit and veggie box, a box geared for after school snacks, and also gluten free meals and healthy/senior meals. So I encourage you to check it out

Also I'd google or ask about any food co ops you might have in your area. I have one called bountiful baskets but I noticed it's not in your state but co ops like these help you to save a ton on veggies and fruits!

One more tip my friend's hubby is a regional manager out here for a grocery store chain and she told me that if you are lucky and the butcher is in he'll tell you what early mornings they do their mark downs on all the meats!

Good luck to you and hope this helps you and a few others :flowerforyou:

kayemme · November 2010

i have this whole budget thing practically mastered.

first, beans. eat a lot of beans, but don't buy them canned. buy them dry, they are much, much cheaper plus you don't have to deal with the can later. if you can buy them in bulk, even better because you can probably find organic and use a cloth bag. this is optimal.

pound for pound all vegetables will be cheaper in season, so the first thing you have to do is look to see what is in season right now. once you get the rhythm of the natural world, it really helps.

avoid meat as often as possible. replace meat with mushrooms.

grow and use a lot of herbs. sage + fennel = sausage flavor.

make soups. soup is probably the cheapest and healthiest thing you can eat. there's a taco soup recipe someone posted that looks fair, but again avoid the cans and you'll bring the serving cost down considerably.

spend money on things like eggs and milk. you get better nutrition from better-treated animals. i'm not saying this to be a food nazi, i'm saying it because it's true. if you cut a dollar out from buying in season, spend that dollar on the eggs or milk. you're doing yourself a favor.

don't buy anything in a box unless you do the math and can confirm that it is, in fact, cheaper. it almost never is.

pancake mix is simply flour, baking powder and salt. it is literally 50¢ worth of product in a $4 box. and THEN you have to deal with the box!

save your gas and walk or bike to the store. keep a lean fridge (mostly empty). keep leftovers in clear containers so you can see what's in it and what you can make it into tomorrow. plan your meals out so you can effectively use up your leftovers.

keep your vegetable trimmings in a freezer bag in the freezer. when the bag is full, put the trimmings (including garlic skins, potato skins, carrot tops, beet greens, etc...) in a pot, cover with water and make a vegetable stock.

avoid things with a box / barcode, even if it appears cheaper. pound for pound, it's never cheaper if it's in a container.

virginiagomes · December 2010

Any more ideas?

Groc shopping on cheap budget

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