$125 shopping budget

I spend about 100-125 a month on groceries for myself. Usually ends up something like this:

Protein:
- Chicken (Whatever body part is on sale, usually each pack is about 2 meals)
- Smelt (Generally 2.99 per pound, where a pound gets me ~3 meals)
- Pork chops (Usually easy to find in the manager's specials, 2-3 meals per pack)
- Eggs
- Tuna (egg + tuna + stir fry veggies = delicious protein slop)
- Steak/pot roast (once or twice a month)

Veggies:
- Radishes or turnips
- Bell peppers
- Carrots
- Frozen mix

Fruit:
- Bananas
- Apples

Grains:
- Bread (whole wheat)
- Noodles (from the Chinese market near me - $2 for 4 servings of rice/wheat/buckwheat/soba noodles? Sign me up)

Snacks:
- Yogurt
- Almond milk

Honestly it's not too hard to keep a low food budget if you don't mind eating a lot of the same things often once you find the best inexpensive meats or vegetables in your area. Of course it depends where you are.

For one week, for the two of us I have been spending under $100. We are following a ketogenic diet which is more restrictive than most but here goes:

5 avocados $7
bag of mixed spinach & kale 3
bag of kale 3
zucchini 3
frozen broccoli 2
frozen green beans 2
eggs 4 (I buy cage free eggland's best brand)
bacon 5-7 (depends on if there is a sale, I get no sugar, low sodium)
almond milk 2 cartons 8
grassfed butter 4
chicken thigh or whole chicken 5-7
ground meat of some kind 4-6
beef, chicken or turkey bones for broth 3-4
chicken hearts 3
soda water 2 cases $10 (la Croix brand)
fresh salmon 15-20 depending on everything else and what we have at home.
nuts 5-7
coconut oil 9
I rarely buy all of this list. We are eating less due to eating more healthy fats and being full so our meals aren't as big and food lasts us longer now. I take stock of what we have at home, what I can buy & make for cheap that's nutrient dense, bone broth or kale chips for example. I make sure we have protein for lunch w/ greens, protein for dinner w/greens and enough snacks.

That should be easy! I spend about $100 per month for 1 person.

I'd buy:
fresh fruit and vegetables (in season)
romain lettuce and spinach
carrots and celery
salad dressing
hummus
lean meats (chicken, turkey, steak) - I look for what items are on sale
eggs
butter
coffee

Depending on how much money I had left - and what my tastes were for the week:
Yogurt (greek)
PB
Sugar-free jam
English muffins (or a bread to have the PB&J on)

I eat pretty simply. But $125 should be an ample healthy food budget for two.

That's a good challenge. I'm going to see if I can do it when I shop this weekend. I've had to drastically reduce my shopping bill. When I was employed full time, I never took cost into account when I shopped. I just bought what I wanted. Now that I'm a poor college student on a fixed budget, The $4.99 cherub tomatoes in the cool plastic container are out. The $0.99 whole tomatoes are in. LOL.

Oh...and no more Whole Foods. That place will suck your bank account dry the minute you walk in.

In graduate school, I lived on a VERY low grocery budget. I pretty much lived on peanut butter, peanuts, coffee, milk, eggs, carrots and spinach. Don't forget about dried rice and beans and other grains. Super nutritious and economical. I'd skip any beverages other than coffee, tea, and minimal alcohol if you drink.

Dried beans and lentils, potatoes, sweet potatoes, eggs, bananas, rice, canned sardines, peanut butter, bread, cabbage, frozen veggies and fruits. Watermelon or Pineapple if they are on sale, Earth Balance margarine, and walnut or olive oil.

This can easily be done, I spend 150 a month on just myself. Sometimes less.

There are months I just stock up on meat if it is on sale, and some months I really stock up on dry goods, then the rest is spent on fresh foods.

I see you guys are iced tea drinkers, yum, me too! Do you brew your own tea? You can find tea bags on sale often and you will save a good amount of money brewing your own.

Shop sales, if pasta is a buck or under a box, buy 10. If chicken is on a good sale, buy extra and freeze. Jarred sauces won't go bad, stock up when it's a good deal. I probably have about 10 jars in my cabinet right now (and I have limited storage space, one bedroom apartment, I get creative with storage though) that I didn't spend more than 80 cents on each one. I am not a crazy coupon lady or anything like that, I just hit a good sale. I will even stock up on berries and bananas - freeze them if they will go bad before I eat them. Not as good as fresh, but great to throw on top of yogurt or pancakes or in a smoothie.

If you have a safeway near you, I really like their "Just For You" coupon program, so simple.

I usually spend about $220 for a whole month for 2 people so this should be doable without trying very hard.

And that's including buying toilet paper and stuff too.

Hmm ... I generally spend about $125 for a week for a family of 6 (including growing adolescent boys who eat like they are trying to fill a hollow leg :laugh:)

This week:
fresh fruits and vegetables: apples, bananas, peaches that were $0.99/lb, 2 pound bag of carrots, 10 pounds of potatoes, etc
Whole grain pasta (barilla was on sale for $1 each so I got 3)
2 jars spaghetti sauce
3 pounds ground beef
2 loafs bread, plus hamburger buns
2 boxes mac & cheese (generic brand)
12 ramen
lunchmeat
2 lbs cheese
3 gallons milk
4 boxes cereal, plus on bag cereal (a sweeter kind for a treat), and 1 box instant oatmeal (mostly store brands)
cottage cheese

I know I'm missing some things, but this can give you a general idea

Dinners are going to be:
sloppy joes (home made, 1 lb ground beef, tomato soup, bbq sauce, the buns)
spaghetti (we do 1 whole package pasta, 2 jars sauce, 1 lb ground beef, but you could make that 2 different meals by cooking less at a time)
meatloaf (home made) with mac & cheese as a side
Home made chicken soup (using a whole chicken in my freezer)
egg scramble ... my daughter is doing this one, so I'm not sure what all goes into it yet, but eggs, veggies, cheese ...

We buy things that last well in larger amounts when they are on sale, so we didn't have to buy eggs this week, or canned soup (my husband's lunch), or the chicken. But we did have to buy both flour and sugar (we ran out of both ... we often do a lot of our own baking so don't buy cookies often) If you can get a good price on meat in bulk, you can separate it when you get home and freeze it, and it will last well. Also be willing to eat leftovers for a 2nd night's dinner, or for lunches. That can save a fair amount of money.

I love this website: http://www.5dollardinners.com/

Some of the meals I can substitute healthier options if they're a little heavy, but it keeps me on budget.