$125 shopping budget

Hmmm...that's not a terrible budget. Eggs, Rice, Frozen chicken breasts, Frozen fish, Lots of frozen veggies. Milk, Yogurt, Bread.

Honestly even with buying those things you'd probably have some left over. My family and I do 300 every 2 weeks and that's for me, my wife, and 2 kids.

I was wrong earlier when I said that my family of 4 is 300 every 2 weeks. It's actually 350. If you were to break that down to 2 people though it would only be $175. So not a whole lot higher than your budget.

I've actually found the biggest thing that helps me budget is that I make a shopping list in excel and I have a column next to each item where I type the estimated price. I always overbudget so even though milk might be $2.50 I budget $3. By overbudgeting for the things that I know the price of it usually offsets for the things that I don't budget enough for. Then I always take the receipt when I get home and type the actual price I paid into another column right next to the estimated prices to see how I made out. Most of the time I do very well and have money left over. Once in awhile I go over budget for whatever reason and then I know I need to be a little cheaper on the next shopping trip to compensate.

Honestly even with buying those things you'd probably have some left over. My family and I do 300 every 2 weeks and that's for me, my wife, and 2 kids.

That's right about the same for us. Me, wife, and 2 kids as well.

Shop the sales this week at your store, my store had a kick *kitten* sale on chicken breast this week. I planned most our meals around that, (still have stuff in the freezer from previous weeks also) only spent $60 this week, for 2 adults and a 4yo. This included fruits and veggies that were also on sale.

It helps to buy in bulk, when the item is on sale, youll spend a little more that week, but it stretches out for the rest of the month. You can google how to freeze almost anything, even milk.

Mind you, these are all MN prices off the sale sheet.

$8 - 10lb bag of leg quarters
$8 - 4lbs ground beef
$3 - 2 dozen eggs
$8 - 2lbs sandwich meat
$7 - 5 cans spag sauce
....... 5 cans diced tomatoes
$9 - 10 bags frozen veggies
$5 - bag potatoes
$4 - bags carrots
$4 - bags onions
$4 - 2 heads lettuce
$30 - ~20lbs other produce
$2 - peanut butter
$2 - jelly
$2 - sandwich spread
$8 - breads
$2 - 8 boxes mac n cheese
$8 - 12lbs other pasta
$4 - tea
$5 - coffee

Total - $123

My husband and I live on a budget of 200 a MONTH for us. It depends on where you live and the shops you go to. We buy mostly organic also and do most shopping at costco and trader joes. We love our carbs (great for weight loss, carbs don't make you fat!) and we get pasta, white rice sometimes basmati just depends on my mood, potatoes. I make my own bread using the 5 minute artisan technique (really stupidly simple anyone could do it).
Protein can be eggs, peanut butter, beans (I eat organic canned black beans from costco), chicken etc.
If purchasing meat try to buy cuts that are more intact meaning buy whole chicken, a full pork loin to cut into roasts and such. In the long run you'll save money. Also, frozen veggies are just freaking awesome The trick is to blanch them quickly and then stir fry or whatever.
It's kinda difficult to give an item by item breakdown but you get the picture. So in short - buy in bulk, prepare your own foods and not from a packet, shop around. I have my staples I always buy at costco and I have my staples I always buy at trader joes and whole foods fills in the rest.
I've made it a personal mission to not shop at walmart so it's totally do-able to be healthy on a small budget (not to disrespect anyone who shops at walmart... although you shouldn't give them your money because they're evil... but I worked there for 3 years and it was hell and my husband STILL works there and it's STILL hell)

My fiance and I get through with $50-65/week for both of us.

We grocery shop every week and I plan that weeks meals around what ever is on sale. A lot of regional grocery stores post there ads online, or it might be worth the convenience to grab the sunday newspaper) I also make what I can (like greek yogurt, for example). It usually breaks down with $30-50 spent at the regular grocery store (depending on protein sales and such. We'll still splurge on good, fresh cuts of steak and things like that) and then $20 at our farmer's market on more fresh veggies and fruits.

It seriously helps if someone in your household can cook and enjoys it.

We're milk and water drinkers, and occasionally iced tea, in my house so drinks aren't usually a problem (except that milk is $4.57 a gallon here right now lol)

idk about where you live, but i live in central america, and powdered milk is #1 here. if you can find powdered milk (and if you enjoy the taste), i totally recommend it. cheap as hell & it doesn't expire! not to mention you can vary the thickness based on taste/preference/calorie allotment.

I don't know where you all live but I spend $150 a week and sometimes still have that "there's nothing in the house!" feeling!

I need to learn to shop like you guys do...

Wow! I found these posts somewhat amazing and, at times, unbelievable. But then again, before I started eating healthier, my husband and I were both overeating out of control. He is still doing the same thing while I'm trying to do better. We are both addicted to food (he far worse than anyone I know (including me!)).

A typical bill for one week of grocery shopping is $130+. I think part of the reason it's so high is because we live in New England where prices tend to be on the high side. I know the quantity of groceries is definitely a contributing factor. I shop sales and try to purchase my produce and household staples at a local discount market. It's not like we're eating steak and lobster either. We eat a lot of chicken and very little beef. Fish is also included when it's on sale.

Any suggestions? I know I can't change my husband - it has to be his decision, but I'm open to any other ideas out there. Thanks!

my best tip is go whole foods whenever possible

canned goods here are outrageous ($1-2 for a little can of corn or peas, $2-3 for a can of mushrooms or spinach).. and there is so little actual content in the can, and they're so salty! we don't have any frozen veggies here, but i remember they were a pretty good deal, and quick & easy if you're not into cooking. if you're into cooking, find cheap fresh seasonal veggies, and you'll get a lot more bang for your buck

we boil beans too. same thing. a little can of beans goes for ~1.50-2.00 here. it gives you about a cup of beans. but you can buy a whole pound of dry beans for about $0.40. if you can take the time to boil them to soak/simmer in a crockpot, you can put them in little baggies and they'll freeze for a long time.

same with grains (though i dont have a fridge, so i can't attest to freezing them..)

sometimes making your own food isn't worth the time or money though. like i buy tortillas & bread, instead of making it, because it's cheaper and wayyy easier. ... it's all about keeping an open mind & thinking: Would it be cheaper if i made this myself? or is it not worth the time/minimal savings?

I am completely in awe on how little everyone spends and jealous all at the same time... We spend about $200-$250 a week $300 on weeks we have to buy cleaning products/toiletries/dog food... Me, my husband, and 3 boys 19,16,10... My husband and I eat pretty clean, lean meats, veggies, fruits, yogurt, nuts, fish etc. that is the bulk of our cost right now as the kids are eating it as well. Then we have the staple items for the kids, lunch meats, bread, PBJ, snacks, popcorn etc. My family goes through 6 gallons of skim milk in a week alone.. I shop at Super Walmart with coupons. Prior to them opening the super walmart I was spending a lot more at the regular grocery stores. Here I thought I was doing good and ya'll put me to shame! :noway:

Nice Budgeting people!!! :flowerforyou:

There's so much good advice here, I'll try not to duplicate it. I do think your goal is do-able, if you're not including non-food items in that budget, but I also think it might be a challenge in some weeks, if you want to include significant quantities of lean animal protein. Meat is running way high right now, and will be for a while (same for dairy products). As a rule of thumb, the more fat and bone there is in a cut of meat, the cheaper it is. That's why whole chickens are so much less than boneless, skinless breast pieces, for example. At the same time, leaner, boneless cuts are often what you will be looking for if you're counting calories, so keep that in mind as you plan.

As others said, shop the sales, and stock up when (and only when) things are truly marked down for the week. Sometimes a store will mark something down by 10 cents and advertise it, so it pays to be aware. And plan your menus, and your shopping, in advance. Also, don't stock up on things that you can't eat or preserve before they spoil. A 5 pound bag of apples that turns mushy before its gone is a waste. But if you love applesauce, then its a bargain.

Feeling like a stalker as I did it, I took a look at your profile to see where you lived, and I noted that Safeway is the prominent big grocery store there. I see from the flyer on their website that they have chicken breast for $2.99/lb this week, and london broil for $3.99. Those are both lean cuts that you can do a lot with, so you might start your planning around what you could do with them. With the london broil, you can eat it as a broiled steak, or make stew or soup, or fajitas...you get the idea. If you have a food processor, you can also cut it into chunks and grind it up for hamburgers, meatloaf, meatballs or chili, because ground beef that's over 90% lean does not tend to come as cheap as that (in some areas, anyway). Then you can add in a meal or two (or more) based on pasta and beans (always cheap), and go from there. I see that corn is on sale at 8 ears for $2.00, so, if it sounds good, you might make a pot of chicken corn chowder. Leftovers make great lunches, and, for me, breakfast is usually eggs, oatmeal or cereal, but something in a different category for planning purposes.

I'm trying to give examples, so I hope this makes sense and doesn't sound nuts. This is basically how I do it...I figure out what I've got, and what I can buy, and what I can make with it. Again, I think planning is key if you're trying to eat both well and cheaply, and MFP lets you enter recipes, and your food log a week in advance, so if you're *truly obsessive, you can spend a few hours figuring next week all out in advance.

Good luck!

About £80 then? Seems easy enough.

£35 on cooked chicken drumsticks.
£10 on salad.
£2 on couscous.

Bit samey but it's pretty much what I eat.

Oh, leaves £33 for a nice bottle of whisky. :laugh: