Dieting on a budget?

If you're okay eating things multiple times throughout a week:

-stews/soups
-casserole... like a baked pasta dish with a bunch of veggies and turkey/chicken sausage can last 3 meals for two people each
-currys and lentil dishes are cheap and can last a while
-cook a whole chicken (upfront is pricey but freeze the meat and use if for 2+ weeks)
-eggs are cheap and a good protein. just put a fried egg on roasted veggies for a cheap and healthy meal!

Even better - buy a raw chicken and cook it yourself!

bananas 75c/lb.
eggs $3/dozen.
tuna $1/can.
oats $3/2 lb bag.
frozen veggies vary, but they're usually pretty reasonable for the amount of servings you get out of them.
breakfast cereal is also very cost-efficient, and most of it is fortified, too, making the sugary kids' stuff a slightly better choice than your usual indulgence foods. (seriously, reese puffs have saved me from actual reese cups so many times.)

buy what's in season, buy what's on sale, and buy only as much as you expect to be able to eat before it expires.

Hey there,
I see you're in Australia? I don't know about discount food stores down under but I live to quite a tight budget and I shop at Lidl/Aldi discount stores. I don't buy branded stuff just generic store's own brand.
I find that planning my meals for the week really helps me to budget and not spend unnecessarily.
Also buying meat or other slightly more expensive items when they're on offer or from the reduced section of the supermarket and freezing them.

I usually have yoghurt or cereal for breakfast. Sometimes a boiuled agg - eggs are super cheap from Lidl and actually last a lot longer than the "sell by date".

For lunch I will have soup - You can buy loads of veggies and a cheap cut of meat to make a big batch of soup. I might cook up 2 - 3 batched on a Sunday each one with about 4-6 servings and then freeze them. I'll take a tub out to defrost the night before work and that is my lunch sorted. If I don't want soup sometimes I'll eat dinner leftovers or in the summer I'll make salad with cheap veggies like cucumber/tomato and lettuce and maybe tinned tuna for some protein.

For dinner - again I'll often batch cook as I'm buy in the evenings and it's convenient to just be able to heat something up.
If you can find cheap-ish minced beef you can cook up batches of bolognese sauce, chilli, cottage pie etc and these all freeze pretty well. I also often cook veggie dishes - veggie stews made with loads of herbs and tinned tomatoes - add beans for some volume and these also freeze well.
If I find cheap stuff in the reduced section then I'll cook fresh.
This week for example I found some salmon fillets and spring greens in the reduced section - total £3.00 and this will do 2 meals for me. £1.50 a meal is pretty cheap!

So I guess my ultimate advice is plan! Also have loads of herbs and spices in your cupboard as they help make anything tasty!

I'd also recommend this website: http://agirlcalledjack.com/ - she's a single mum previously living on benefits and fed herself and her son really wholesome food on a very tight budget.

I hope this helps!
L

One idea for money savings is to filet chicken breasts in half. I noticed that no one in my family notices it is half the chicken when they get a "whole" piece. Also when buying hamburger, it really is worth it to get the lower fat content , because you cook away a lot less of what you bought, therefore it goes further. On top of that, it is healthier. Another thing I have been working on is finding good ways to use leftovers. I find that a lot of people these days don't even eat leftovers.

theres me OH and 2 kids living on OHs wage so money is tight I cook everything from scratch. buy whole chickens not chicken breast it stretches out further then soup can be made with any left over meat veg and stock made out of the bones, have a google for a girl called jack she is all about budget recipes her mixed bean goulash is lovely works out at 182 calories per serving, chickpea curry is another good one of hers oh and I live off eggs for lunch or tinned tuna then buy the basic salad bits tomato lettuce and cucumber

http://agirlcalledjack.com/category/recipes-food/

^^ a girl called jacks recipe page from her blog

*Pre-chopped

bump

Hi, Go tos for me were eggs, potatoes, fresh veg and fruit just for the week, frozen works too and lasts longer, buy protien on sale or reduced when able and portion before freezing. Making soups, stews and cassaroles and freezing portions out with the leftovers, keeping basics on hand in your cupboard like olive oil, pasta, rice, beans, boullion, rolled oats, honey, raw sugar and unbleached flour. Portion control was key for me. Its amazing how far something can stretch when you follow reasonable portion guidelines. Oh, and price matching too if you have time to invest in researching the ads, be sure to read your store's price matching policy so you know exactly what they will accept. Good luck!

I'm not sure if grocery stores in SA have weekly circulars like they do here or not, so this may or may not be helpful. I get the specials at all the grocery stores I like to shop at and see what their loss leaders are for the week. Plan your meals around these items, and if you have freezer space you can buy extra for weeks when you don't have the money.

Once you have a menu, write down all the items you need on your grocery list, and only buy things that are on the list. It's shocking how much extra crap we buy and how much that adds to the food bill!!

Good luck!

Read my earlier post... eat the same, just less and lose weight and save money

Great tips. Agree and try to do most. One more thing -- avoid waste and freeze/cook any foods that will go bad before you can eat them. Before vacations, I try to chop up any fresh fruit and freeze for smoothies, any leftover veggies or meats for soups. Or make my own frozen dinners by combining the stuff I already paid for.

eldamiano wrote: »

You clearly dont go to the supermarket very often, or you would know these things.... surely?

stuff like this doesn't help. it's judgment, not advice.

and prices vary widely from place to place. in my sister's town a normal sized package of granola bars costs nearly $10. generic butter is nearly $10/lb, a small head of cauliflower $8. can of corn? over $5. availability varies, too. i can't get grits in my town. ever. they've never had it and have no plans to order it in. i can't tell you how many times i've looked at a recipe and scratched my head because i've never heard of an ingredient.

the person who posted this needs ideas. she'll have to take everything people say and sort through to find out what is available in HER town and what's cheap in HER part of her country.

Breakfast: Hubby has coffee and six eggs, I have coffee and fruit.
Lunch: Hubby has leftovers, I don't typically eat lunch.
Dinner: Tonight, we're having grilled chicken with grilled root vegetables and sautéed cabbage.

Find a local farmer, explain the situation. I happily give away my excess meat/fruit/veggies to those who can't afford food.

That being said, I have laughed people out of my yard when they drive up in an escalade while talking on a freaking iphone 6 and THEN proceed to tell me they cant buy food.

See if you have a Grocery Salvage store in your area. You can get great deals on even organic food. And if you have room enough in your freezer, you can really stock up. The selection varies and you have to check dates, but it is worth it. I was pregnant and I fed myself, husband and daughter on a tight month for $150. If that place was closer to me, I would do almost all my shopping there!