Cutting the food budget
JoRocka
Posts: 17,525 Member
So- I'm curious- how many of you have sacrificed on your food to save money. No- you college kids who have no money and live off ramen noodles don't count... 
I've started eating a lot more beans and rice through the week and my egg consumption has spiked again as well- I have all but stopped buying chicken (I hate that) because I'm trying to save money on an epic new level that is "buy the bare minimum and cut costs at the store" I still eat meat- whenever we go to dinner I'm ordering steak or chicken (usually lots) so it's definitely NOT a not meat thing- just a flat out budget thing. (he's got more money than I do- and he hates when I cook- so 9/10 we go out to eat Wednesday night- so I get a mid week break!)
Curious how many of you have done hard food budget cuts- what you have cut out- and how long you've sustained this?
I'm pretty tolerant about eating the same thing for days on end- it doesn't bother me. I'm assuming folks with families wouldn't be doing this as often since more people = more room for finickiness and intolerance to that kind of repetition.
But I am curious. I'm kind of guessing I've got about a month of beans and rice for daily food before I gotta switch it up.
I've started eating a lot more beans and rice through the week and my egg consumption has spiked again as well- I have all but stopped buying chicken (I hate that) because I'm trying to save money on an epic new level that is "buy the bare minimum and cut costs at the store" I still eat meat- whenever we go to dinner I'm ordering steak or chicken (usually lots) so it's definitely NOT a not meat thing- just a flat out budget thing. (he's got more money than I do- and he hates when I cook- so 9/10 we go out to eat Wednesday night- so I get a mid week break!)
Curious how many of you have done hard food budget cuts- what you have cut out- and how long you've sustained this?
I'm pretty tolerant about eating the same thing for days on end- it doesn't bother me. I'm assuming folks with families wouldn't be doing this as often since more people = more room for finickiness and intolerance to that kind of repetition.
But I am curious. I'm kind of guessing I've got about a month of beans and rice for daily food before I gotta switch it up.
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Hmmm, me personally, I refuse to cut down on my food so I make cuts elsewhere in order to get my groceries. For example, we cut down going out to eat to once a week, I've cut down on race registrations this year (lol), etc. However, if I was going to have to cut in the grocery department I would probably cut out my "treats" like my dark chocolates, individual yogurts, granola bars etc. I'm curious to see where other people make cuts0
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i spend my days scouring flyers for deals. i ONLY buy things that are on sale and only if i'm satisfied that it's the best deal i can get.
Exception is eggs.
I usually buy my meat from wal mart or costco (Costco has 4 pounds of gound turkey for $20. Say What??
I go shopping once a week and set a $50 limit but if I buy snacks I always go over.0 -
yeah I'm around 40-50$- I'm trying to get it a little lower.
yesterday- herm what did I get (and I was made I didn't even buy chicken because I spend 55$ and I was like- wtf- no meat and I'm still over 50!!!)
4 tomatoes (plum/roma- I buy whatever isn't over 2$/pound)
3 cucumbers
3 bags of black beans
1 Container of yogurt (the big-un- 4.99)
Bag of rice
1.99 turkey hill (on sale obviously)
6 bags of veggies (99C/bag)
18 eggs (think they were 4 and change)
and I splurged for myself and bought a sugar scrub which was 6 bucks- and I bought cheap disposable razers- 2 bucks.
So that puts me just under 50 without the sugar scrub/razers- so call it what 45? still- for a no meat trip- that's not much!!!
hoping outside of the fresh veggies (tomatotes/green peppers)- I can make most of that last 2-3 weeks- yogurt is 4 servings- I split that in half- so technically it's 8- but I probably get 6- so that'll make 2 weeks .
I suspect if I checked my weekly purchases- I tend to buy treats more often than I think- so I'm thinking the ice cream is one of the things that's gotta go. blarg. sad panda face LOL- although 2 bucks just doesn't seem like a bank breaker!!!
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When our twins were babies, we had to cut as many costs as possible. We saved a lot of money at the grocery store by price matching. It can be time consuming to do, but it is well worth it. We didn't cut out things entirely, but we definitely shopped a lot smarter. Typically, we would use the ads to plan our meals for the week. Then we would use our extra grocery money to stock up on things that were on sale like meat, cereal, etc. I used a lot of frozen veggies to bulk up our meals - you can big bags of store brand frozen veggies for super cheap. They also go on sale a lot. Ground turkey is typically cheaper (and a great swap) in most meals that call for ground beef. We did a lot of meatless meals, too, like canned soup, grilled cheese and apple slices, mac and cheese with fruit and veggies on the side, etc. We always had fresh fruit and veggies as well, but we would get the cheaper variations. For example, red delicious apples in the bag rather than gala apples. We lived on a very tight grocery budget for at least a year - it can definitely be done, but it takes some planning. Good luck to you!
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I still spend an ungodly amount of money on groceries, but buying dried beans and bulk rice definitely helped bring it down over the last few months, as well as getting as much as possible at Trader Joe's and farmers' markets.0
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fresh vegetables and organic foods,anything healthy for you basically,are normaly expensive get a store card to get the store discounts and shop with coupons during weekly sales. For example if you go to the store and a head of lettuce is 3.50$ you can easily cut that down by say going during a sale week so maybe that week the lettuce is on sale for 3.00 and you have a coupon for 50 cents off 2.50, dont forget to include your store discount card which usually takes a precentage off your item. 2.00 so by using alll of these oppurtunities at one you can keep from spending 3.50 on said lettuce and save 1.50 small changes like this will really add up0
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stores such as kroger,foodcity,and many other have store discount cards\
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eacupp2101 wrote: »fresh vegetables and organic foods,anything healthy for you basically,are normaly expensive get a store card to get the store discounts and shop with coupons during weekly sales. For example if you go to the store and a head of lettuce is 3.50$ you can easily cut that down by say going during a sale week so maybe that week the lettuce is on sale for 3.00 and you have a coupon for 50 cents off 2.50, dont forget to include your store discount card which usually takes a precentage off your item. 2.00 so by using alll of these oppurtunities at one you can keep from spending 3.50 on said lettuce and save 1.50 small changes like this will really add up
I don't eat anything organic- or anything that's specialty grown. I have the cards for all the stores I shop at as well.0 -
I cut back on dining out when I feel that I need to save more, but I won't cut back on groceries.0
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I cut back on dining out when I feel that I need to save more, but I won't cut back on groceries.
well- i don't typically eat out- about once a week on the weekend I'll spend about 10 bucks on dinner so I don't have to cook- but on my own- I eat what I cook- so unfortunately that's very little for me to cut down. I pack a lunch every day to work and I eat at home after I finish with workouts/dance. I usually only go out to eat with my BF and he insists on paying- so that's not really a cost that comes out of my budget.0 -
I coupon and plan my meals out. I also buy bulk and freeze things0
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I am attempting to be more cost aware at the grocery store. I used to be really good at it. Then I discovered Noosa yogurt and lost my mind. But Dannon was on sale for 39c this week and it's hard to justify buying something that costs 6x that. Even if I eat 2 Dannons in order to get the same amount of protein, it would only be 1/3 the price.
Other than that, I try to stick with the fruits/veggies that are in season and on sale. Thank goodness spring is here because there's more variety now. With meat, I try to get whatever the buy one get one sale is for the week. When it is pork that goes out the window because my husband doesn't eat pork. We have a deep freezer so I can buy ahead but then one of us has to remember to take it out in time to thaw.0 -
So- I'm curious- how many of you have sacrificed on your food to save money. No- you college kids who have no money and live off ramen noodles don't count...
I've started eating a lot more beans and rice through the week and my egg consumption has spiked again as well- I have all but stopped buying chicken (I hate that) because I'm trying to save money on an epic new level that is "buy the bare minimum and cut costs at the store" I still eat meat- whenever we go to dinner I'm ordering steak or chicken (usually lots) so it's definitely NOT a not meat thing- just a flat out budget thing. (he's got more money than I do- and he hates when I cook- so 9/10 we go out to eat Wednesday night- so I get a mid week break!)
Curious how many of you have done hard food budget cuts- what you have cut out- and how long you've sustained this?
I'm pretty tolerant about eating the same thing for days on end- it doesn't bother me. I'm assuming folks with families wouldn't be doing this as often since more people = more room for finickiness and intolerance to that kind of repetition.
But I am curious. I'm kind of guessing I've got about a month of beans and rice for daily food before I gotta switch it up.
I buy a huge box of oatmeal and that lasts me forever - even eating it everyday. That with an egg on top really sticks to my ribs all morning, not hungry until noon or so. I have saved so much money just doing that!
Costco has a huge bag of individually wrapped skinless chicken breasts for $25. And the chicken breasts are bigger than usual pre-packages ones.
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I am attempting to be more cost aware at the grocery store. I used to be really good at it. Then I discovered Noosa yogurt and lost my mind. But Dannon was on sale for 39c this week and it's hard to justify buying something that costs 6x that. Even if I eat 2 Dannons in order to get the same amount of protein, it would only be 1/3 the price.
Other than that, I try to stick with the fruits/veggies that are in season and on sale. Thank goodness spring is here because there's more variety now. With meat, I try to get whatever the buy one get one sale is for the week. When it is pork that goes out the window because my husband doesn't eat pork. We have a deep freezer so I can buy ahead but then one of us has to remember to take it out in time to thaw.
this is a real issue!!!
I have a smaller freezer- and I tend to forget things- and or not cook them- or forget to take them out on time- so think- Oh I should cook tonight- then realize- I've forgotten to pull the food out.
then I go to the store and the frozen stuff just sits there LOL 0 -
i've been considering adding oatmeal- tricky thing is carbs are cheap- but high calorie- and I'm still on a pathetic amount- but i wonder if an egg on top would get me what I need out of them.CurvyToFit wrote: »So- I'm curious- how many of you have sacrificed on your food to save money. No- you college kids who have no money and live off ramen noodles don't count...
I've started eating a lot more beans and rice through the week and my egg consumption has spiked again as well- I have all but stopped buying chicken (I hate that) because I'm trying to save money on an epic new level that is "buy the bare minimum and cut costs at the store" I still eat meat- whenever we go to dinner I'm ordering steak or chicken (usually lots) so it's definitely NOT a not meat thing- just a flat out budget thing. (he's got more money than I do- and he hates when I cook- so 9/10 we go out to eat Wednesday night- so I get a mid week break!)
Curious how many of you have done hard food budget cuts- what you have cut out- and how long you've sustained this?
I'm pretty tolerant about eating the same thing for days on end- it doesn't bother me. I'm assuming folks with families wouldn't be doing this as often since more people = more room for finickiness and intolerance to that kind of repetition.
But I am curious. I'm kind of guessing I've got about a month of beans and rice for daily food before I gotta switch it up.
I buy a huge box of oatmeal and that lasts me forever - even eating it everyday. That with an egg on top really sticks to my ribs all morning, not hungry until noon or so. I have saved so much money just doing that!
Costco has a huge bag of individually wrapped skinless chicken breasts for $25. And the chicken breasts are bigger than usual pre-packages ones.
I looked a chicken breasts by the bag at Wal-Mart-I wasn't impressed- I dont' go to costco unfortunately- but I'm consiering doing the frozen chicken breast/bag thing- that might be a good option for me to rotate in and out.
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I buy so many *kitten* eggs yo0
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i've been considering adding oatmeal- tricky thing is carbs are cheap- but high calorie- and I'm still on a pathetic amount- but i wonder if an egg on top would get me what I need out of them.
With the oatmeal and whole egg + 2 egg white, unsweetened almond milk (125ml) I'm only at 270cals for breakfast
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I buy so many *kitten* eggs yo
lol- I go through about 2-3 dozen in a 6 day period. sooooooooooooo yeah. lots of eggs.
good deal- that's not bad- I usually skip breakfast so I can have a giant dinner- but I do occasionaly squish some food in the AM- under 300 is a great deal- and the egg/white ratio is good to.With the oatmeal and whole egg + 2 egg white, unsweetened almond milk (125ml) I'm only at 270cals for breakfast0 -
Before trying to recomp, my budget was set for $50 a week. Now I'm at $65 easy. But I'm not buying bottles of wine or dining out, so its ok, I can send the money on groceries.0
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I have to be on a budget because I'm unemployed and have a 3 year old. I hit up Aldi to save a ton on pantry staples, 99 cent store (they even have organic stuff at mine), and take advantage of Kroger manager specials lol. I'm able to eat clean and stick on a very tight budget This way0
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In February, I lived off $20/week for groceries. Lots of split pea soup, lentils, one giant pot of beef chili, and some chicken thighs.
I don't wish to repeat it, but I did it.0 -
I buy so many *kitten* eggs yo
lol- I go through about 2-3 dozen in a 6 day period. sooooooooooooo yeah. lots of eggs.
good deal- that's not bad- I usually skip breakfast so I can have a giant dinner- but I do occasionaly squish some food in the AM- under 300 is a great deal- and the egg/white ratio is good to.With the oatmeal and whole egg + 2 egg white, unsweetened almond milk (125ml) I'm only at 270cals for breakfast
*kitten*, need to step up my egg game0 -
Oh! Question for the oatmeal with egg on top!! How do you season it so it tastes good?0
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Wow! I'm losing my mind reading that in some areas lettuce is $3.50/head, and Roma tomatos are $2/lb.0
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My freezer is full of "double discounted" meat/chicken. One store I shop, discounts their close dated meats 30% around 10 AM. If it is not sold by 3 PM it gets discounted to 50%. I've been buying it for years and "ain't" dead yet. Other than that, we eat by whatever is on sale in a given week and stock up on the non-perishables when on sale.0
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You could try making your own yogurt to save a few dollars. If you are paying $5 for a quart, then you could make it for quite a bit less. Here, my milk is very cheap at about $2.60 for 2% milk. I'd probably use about 42 oz of milk and strain the yogurt a bit to make it more creamy like traditional store-bought, but that's only about 1/3 of a gallon of milk. I usually make a gallon of yogurt at a time and then strain it so it's greek style. I get 64 oz of greek style yogurt for the cost of the gallon of milk. It's a bit of effort, but it might free up a few dollars to buy some more meat.
Another thing I do to save money is to make a lot of soups/chilis. I like chicken taco soup or chili or even regular chili. I usually triple the amount of beans they call for and it still tastes delicious but costs a lot less. I can make about 20 cups of these chilis/soups with 1 pound of chicken breast. It gives me the taste of meat without too much extra cost.
Other than that, I shop the sales and stock up when there's a really good deal on something. I also shop Aldi's and usually try to only plan my meals around the fruits/veggies that are on sale or always cheap at Sam's club.0 -
I'm cutting in a different way. I was buying my lunch every day which was almost 15 bucks sometimes, plus my quest bar for breakfast and a snack. So I've finally started bringing my lunch every day, but I haven't really skimped on the groceries I love yet. It may be next because...struggles. The company I work for is practically going under.0
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Instead of buying pre packaged individually almond 100cal packs we are starting to buy large bags ans portion them ourselves. Cheaper!0
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I spend $100 on groceries and around $40-$50 on meat. That is for 2 adults and 2 tween boys who I swear have hollow legs. But that's also includes toiletries, food and litter (crystals) for two adult indoor cats, and other household items like waste bags, cleaners and laundry soap. I shop at the market for fruit and veg and a local green grocer. I try to buy what's in season because it's cheaper, and I look at veg that's cheap because it's damaged or its close to being tossed...especially if I am going to use it in the next day in a soup because quite frankly it's fine it's just not pretty and in a soup you can't tell. I find NOT buying at supermarkets helps substantially with cutting costs. I get the groceries and household items from a 'budget' supermarket - Aldi. But after seeing how they keep their costs low by purchasing their products from manufacturers that employ international workers and pay them substantially less than the award, I am trying to figure out other ways of doing my shopping. I buy my meat from a wholesale meat place. I buy two or three types, I buy quantity and I only buy what's on sale and I portion it out in freezer bags for the following weeks.
Both my hubby and I take lunch from home. The kids always take lunch from home and prefer my food over the lunch order system because the food is disgusting. So we save money that way.
However....If it's a good week and we get a bonus from work I nearly always buy feta, chocolate or take the kids out to eat their choice... But we are saving to go overseas next year to Disneylandand every penny counts. 0 -
workoutgrl87 wrote: »Oh! Question for the oatmeal with egg on top!! How do you season it so it tastes good?
Garlic salt/powder and pepper is the best (tried all different seasoning before, but that tastes the best to me) Sometime I'll make a huge Amish Oatmeal Bake for the week with blueberries, raisins, and walnuts on Sunday and just throw an egg on top. onceuponachef.com/2014/03/amish-style-baked-oatmeal-with-apples-raisins-walnuts.html Thats the recipe I like the most and you can def cut the butter/sugar in half and use unsweetened almond milk. Still tastes great 0
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