Low income grocery shopping tips for a newbie to adult crap.

i shop for 3 and my budget is 180 to 200 if that. i always check for sales. sometimes you can also get food from the dollar tree, 99 cent store. cut up your fruits and veggies. take fruit with you everyday. dont shop "namebrand" store brand is the same and much cheaper.if your going to freeze ur fruit only use for smoothies if you make them. the pizza your dad brings, he could give you the money to BUY healthy foods until you get more money. tell him that you want healthy items. i wish i could spend 350 on groceries. ohwell i do what i can. im low on food, but i make it work. meat and veggies.

I spend about what you do per person per month on food. So, this is how I do it.

• Eggs for protein several times a week. Cheap, quick to cook and versatile. You can whip up a veggie stuffed omelette for dinner in less than fifteen minutes.
• Try to find sales on meat where it is less than two bucks a pound. This time of year, it's not unusual to see whole birds going for .99/lb. Learn to cut up poultry.
• Learn to make stock and soups. This uses up those bones in a way that gets an extra nutritional bang for your buck. Besides, if you work somewhere that has a microwave, individually frozen soups are an easy, cheap lunch.
• Pork loin is also often on sale in bulk for cheap. Buy a loin, chop it up and package it however you like. Great with veggies for a quick meal.
• Rice. I don't know what role grains play in your diet, but rice is cheap. A stir fry is a nice, healthy meal.
• I don't eat a lot of beans, but when I'm strapped for cash, some of my meals are going to involve beans and rice. You can spice that stuff up cheap.
• Frozen veggies are often on sale very cheap. Stock up. They're about as good as fresh in terms of nutrients, even if it makes your foodie soul (presuming that's an issue) shudder. They also have the added advantage of not going bad as quickly
• EAT PRODUCE IN SEASON. I'm not buying strawberries right now, but I am buying apples, oranges, winter squash and so on. If it's in season, it's cheaper.
• Shaunie has also given some great advice about looking for sales and avoiding namebrand anything.
• It's winter, so a lot of produce like apples, oranges and squash actually do okay for a couple of weeks.

Apples last a long time and are cheap when you get them on sale. Canned fruit can be decent, especially if you get light syrup and rinse it off before you eat it, or packed in water.

I have a lot of dried beans that i use in recipes for soups and chilis, along with lentils. If you buy the family-sized meat packages, they're usually a lower cost per pound than lesser quantities.

One thing i do is find out when grocery stores mark down their meat because it's reached its sell-by date (my favorite store does it in the morning or afternoon on Mondays and in the afternoon most other days). I buy tons of meat on clearance and freeze it (or use it that day).

Also, a block of tofu is about $3 where i am. That's always an option for low-cost protein. Google has tons of recipes for it.

ETA also, the other responses that appeared while i wrote mine. Lol. I get stuff at the dollar tree and aldi's and the dollar general a lot.

Dried Beans, lentils, split peas, rice. These are your friends. I also agree, Aldi is where I shop, I feed a family of 5 on about $70 a week. The produce is super inexpensive, an they even carry almond milk and some organic products. Granted, we are vegan so I don't buy dairy, eggs, or meat, but they have all that there on the cheap too. It can be done!

great suggestions on here. When I lost a job last Summer and had realized that I stocked my pantry with canned beans, tuna fish, brown rice, diced canned tomatoes, dry whole wheat noodles and spaghetti sauce. I also had a ton of frozen veggies that I had bought on sale. We were able to eat out of the pantry and freezer for two months before I started to get low on food. If you can get someone to give you a crockpot, you can make vegan chili and soups and eat off of them for days. I know, my husband and I have done it. Good luck!

If you have a farmer's market near you, many vendors would rather sell at a discount at the end of the day than pack it all back up.

Beans of all kinds make the cheapest source of protein. Eggs come in a close second, I believe.

Learn to budget your fresh produce. Buy a few things that last longer: eggplant can usually last two weeks, as can most kinds of squash. Oranges and apples can last even longer.

Instead of those sugary cereals, make oatmeal.

Looking at your diary, it looks like you are spending more for organics in a lot of instances where there is no proven nutritional difference (lots of Publix Greenwise products). You are also spending money and calories on drinks, when water is free. I haven't priced oreos lately, but you could probably make your own brownies or other treats for less. Are you paying for the fast food or is someone else? And unless you are growing your own marijuana, that is a big expense that could be going to your food budget.

$350 for two isn't all that limited in most parts of the US. We spend more than that in one of the more expensive areas, but my husband still eats like a teenager and has certain things that he is willing to spend more on to be able to fill up happily.

I shop at Kroger and stock up on canned fruit and vegetables. Usually I pay 69 cents to a dollar for each. I did pick up a frozen mixed berry selection and that wasn't too bad. Try making smoothies if you're not too keen on eating the frozen fruit as is.

shanunie wrote: »

i shop for 3 and my budget is 180 to 200 if that. i always check for sales. sometimes you can also get food from the dollar tree, 99 cent store. cut up your fruits and veggies. take fruit with you everyday. dont shop "namebrand" store brand is the same and much cheaper.if your going to freeze ur fruit only use for smoothies if you make them. the pizza your dad brings, he could give you the money to BUY healthy foods until you get more money. tell him that you want healthy items. i wish i could spend 350 on groceries. ohwell i do what i can. im low on food, but i make it work. meat and veggies.

If you do shop at dollar stores, try to be sure and buy American/Canadian made products and check those expiration dates.

I want to add to my "spend time looking at prices" tip.

Sometimes, the name brand is cheaper! Don't automatically reach for the generic.

Many stores like to price the name brand per ounce and the store brand by "each" or serving or whatever. They specifically do this to confuse people who can't do math. ESPECIALLY when there is a difference in the way the tags are priced, DO THE MATH. Sometimes it's as easy as using the total grams on the package and the price.

Sometimes, frozen Dole berries are cheaper than the Publix brand.

Sometimes, buying a larger size is cheaper. Not always! Again, the stores mix up the labels, doing one per serving and one per ounces, so you can't tell which is cheaper unless you do the math. Don't automatically buy the "bulk sized" stuff, thinking, "It's cheaper n bulk." Not always.

And remember with generics...the store doesn't make them. Your grocery store has not gone into the business of drug manufacturing, plastic bags, hemorrhoid suppositories, spaghetti sauce and cat food. Etc. They're buying it from the people who make it. There is very little difference between the store brand and the name brand...sometimes none, except for the box.

I noticed that when Ragu changed it's jars, so did my store...and the generics were in the same jars, with the same yellow caps Ragu once used. Different paper taped to the glass, though.

Some things, like laundry soap, the name brand is actually better. Tide really does get out stains that the cheapo stuff doesn't. But very, very often, the cheap stuff is just as good. Sometimes better.

Kalikel wrote: »

I want to add to my "spend time looking at prices" tip.

Sometimes, the name brand is cheaper! Don't automatically reach for the generic.

Many stores like to price the name brand per ounce and the store brand by "each" or serving or whatever. They specifically do this to confuse people who can't do math. ESPECIALLY when there is a difference in the way the tags are priced, DO THE MATH. Sometimes it's as easy as using the total grams on the package and the price.

Sometimes, frozen Dole berries are cheaper than the Publix brand.

Sometimes, buying a larger size is cheaper. Not always! Again, the stores mix up the labels, doing one per serving and one per ounces, so you can't tell which is cheaper unless you do the math. Don't automatically buy the "bulk sized" stuff, thinking, "It's cheaper n bulk." Not always.

And remember with generics...the store doesn't make them. Your grocery store has not gone into the business of drug manufacturing, plastic bags, hemorrhoid suppositories, spaghetti sauce and cat food. Etc. They're buying it from the people who make it. There is very little difference between the store brand and the name brand...sometimes none, except for the box.

I noticed that when Ragu changed it's jars, so did my store...and the generics were in the same jars, with the same yellow caps Ragu once used. Different paper taped to the glass, though.

Some things, like laundry soap, the name brand is actually better. Tide really does get out stains that the cheapo stuff doesn't. But very, very often, the cheap stuff is just as good. Sometimes better.

I forgot about unit price confusion. I once helped a woman figure out a shopping budget for her family. I was shocked that she didn't have a clue how to compare prices. I had to go with her on a few shopping trips and help her compare things, follow her list, stick to her budget etc. Those price labels were a real bugger for her to figure out.

I always have a calculator in my purse when i shop!