how to shop when you're broke and have a family
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Hi. Here are some resources:
bettertimesinfo.org/2004index.htm Better Times Almanac and Compendium of Useful Information...
Here's their shop list: justpeace.org/shopping.htm
wholesomemommy.com/real-food-on-a-food-stamp-budget-the-challenge-begins/ Wholesome Mommy-6 months of real food (meal plans and recipes) on a food stamp budget.
Cooperative Extension publications: extensionpubs.umext.maine.edu/ePOS?this_category=8&store=413&form=shared3%2fgm%2fmain%2ehtml&design=413
Cornell Cooperative Extension: extendonondaga.org/nutrition/family-meal-time-healthy-recipes/
I wish you the best of luck. I have tried a garden a few times and it always seems to cost about the same as just going to the Farmers Market or Aldis. So I got to the point that I will grow herbs as fresh ones cost more at the grocery store and they are usually easy enough to start from seed -- and I seem to grow them easy enough -- just be careful because some of them grow like weeds.-- like mint and chives.. (many are considered weeds..lol) but you can season food with them, dry them and make teas as well.0 -
ShelliesTrying wrote: »I have never gardened. I wanted to start one this year but I just couldn't make it happen. (we had a very hard, life altering summer and I'm trying to get us on our feet)
I do buy tuna, rice, beans, frozen fruits/veggies, oatmeal, peanut butter etc. I meant that I avoid the middle stuff like pop-tarts, chips, cookies, frozen meals etc.
I live in California and I have to say, it is very expensive to have a small garden. My husband and I do it because it's an activity we love, but is costs us a lot in fertilizer, plant food, water etc. It's much cheaper to buy even organic foods than it is for grow enough for a family. Plus, everyones aware of drought we have, so water utility has gone up substantially. Possibly if you have a larger area and are able to grow enough for canning and freezing. Otherwise, not realistic for us as a family of 2. (Except herbs, I grow 8 different herbs and it's a cheap way to add a ton of flavor)
Honestly I was very poor growing up and my mom made all of our meals. We ate cream of wheat and oatmeal for breakfast. She would make large meat loaves with brown rice filler for dinners and we'd make sandwiches with left overs. We had frozen veggies and lots of beans. Beans are such an amazing food that doesn't get utilized enough. If you have a crock pot, it's a lovely meal to come home to. 7 or 13 bean soup with a cheap piece of bone- in ham for flavor and additional protein.
It sounds like you're doing the right things. I would check your local store for programs for selling bruised or "undesirable" produce at a discounted price. Many places are selling the day of expiration at 50 and 70% off. I can be honest and say that I always look for expiring meat when I shop because my local Winco butcher will mark it down for me and I'll freeze for later use.0 -
99 cent store has a lot of good stuff.. And also you don't get wic?0
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There are a lot programs that are willing to help families you just have to do your research. Can you apply for TANF, WIC & in most town have social service that help. Also there are childcare that are willing to work with low income families or childcare services. Its hard understand been there done that with two children a full-time mom and went to school as a single parent. I could not get help from Social service because I made to much but I did get from social service in my town and received child support which was not much. How about child support, do you received child support? If not reached out to the father maybe he can help or file child support. I wish you all the best you and your family will be in my prayers.
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It looks like other people have mentioned buying online but I would really look into that, I bet even Amazon could get you some bulked foods at big discounts. I'm pretty sure you could find a lot of good deals if you snooped around for foods you are interested in buying0
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ShelliesTrying wrote: »I live in a rural area. Any bulk stores are 2 hours away. I do make it a couple times a year. I buy lots of fozen veggies. I don't buy a lot of canned foods in general. My 3yo loves all veggies so I try to keep sugar snap peas, cucumbers, sweet peppers and stuff like that for her. I try to keep apples, bananas and oranges as well. When other fruits are on sale I will buy those as well.
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blerg the computer ate my post!
basically i am also poor, and live waaay out in the sticks.
i find it helpful to shop in catagories, and to avoid high cost items like greek yogurts, protein bars, single serve items.
dont be afraid of processed foods, you can lose weight no matter. i personally keep chicken nuggets in the freezer, and canned tomato soup in the pantry, for those busy nights.
i also batch cook in the crockpot, and eat the leftovers over several days. we eat low cost side dishes like rice quite frequently.0 -
Oatmeal is cheap from ( £1-£2 kg) tescos/asdas , you can always pick up frozen chicken for a kilo. (£4 frozen chicken breasts) Always buy frozen vedge. ( £1 mixed ) Also a kilo which will last a lot longer than buying fresh. If you like peanut butter etc , I would suggest buying the tescos brand for a lot cheaper prices than the organic products.0
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+1 on the milk!goldthistime wrote: »ShelliesTrying wrote: »And just to address the cooking posts...I do cook. I very seldom buy pre-made items. I am a good cook and there really isn't much I can't cook. I do anything I am capable on my own. And not just in the kitchen. If I need a cute outfit for my 3yo to cheer on her brother at a football game, I make her one. Just an example. If I can make it myself, I do.
You sew too? You're making the rest of us look bad
Regarding milk though, I can see why having restrictions as a child make you want to go the other direction with your own kids. Growing up at my house, we were served milk at every meal, the way people serve water in most homes. I am going the other direction on milk. I am trying to stop/reduce drinking calories period. I stopped drinking juice a long time ago, but recently read an article where they pointed out that drinking a lot of milk falls into the same category.
How are you doing with food spoilage? When I was working full time, it was a big problem for us. I didn't do well using food up on time and wasted money.
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i find the fruit and vegetables are cheaper in those shops that only sell fruit and vegetables (i don't know what they are called lol!) I have heard farmer markets (they sell heaps of fresh food) become very cheap as they begin to close up shop at the end of the day. Make use of bulk foods such as brown rice and beans such as kidney beans and even lentils. They are in their whole form and bulk up a meal. Add healthy fats into your meals like nuts and olive oil, this adds energy so you won't starve.They sell bulk nuts i'm sure. You could perhaps make your own trail mix by adding in nuts, dried fruit and chocolate bits/yogurt covered raisins. Make use of potatoes those are so cheap and are healthy you can do a million things with a potato. Maybe search (student food budget tips) in google0
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You're amazing -- and I do think a lot of people have posted great ideas. The crock pot is a great resource, as are rice cookers. You're doing so much right that I'm hoping that the little tweak of being able to cook that way helps.
Soups and stews are really a good option -- and if you're worried about the length of time anything in a crock pot will cook during the day, how about cooking overnight, refrigerating all day, and reheating? I do it that way frequently for flavor purposes anyway
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michelle7673 wrote: »You're amazing -- and I do think a lot of people have posted great ideas. The crock pot is a great resource, as are rice cookers. You're doing so much right that I'm hoping that the little tweak of being able to cook that way helps.
Soups and stews are really a good option -- and if you're worried about the length of time anything in a crock pot will cook during the day, how about cooking overnight, refrigerating all day, and reheating? I do it that way frequently for flavor purposes anyway
OMG Why did I never think to cook it over night and re-heat later!?!?!? Seriously, brilliant! I can't believe I never thought of that, geez!
I have been doing the "roasted" whole chicken in a crock-pot on Sundays and yesterday after I pulled my chicken out we had some shredded chicken BBQ sliders on those little Kings Hawaiian rolls and I portioned the rest and froze it. This time I made the stock/broth from the left over bones and stuff. I couldn't last time because I seasoned it Cajun style. I left the stock to cook over night and pulled it out this morning and I will portion and freeze it tonight after I get home from work. I can get probably 3 meals out of the whole chicken I'm thinking. I will make like chicken pot-pie or chicken noodle soup etc so that less meat will feed us all. Thanks again.0 -
I must say that I am thrilled at how this post took off. There is so much useful information here and I know I am not the only one who is feeding a family on not a lot of money!0
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If anyone is going to use a crock pot then I would suggest you pre-cook the meat before adding it to the pot, my friend had been doing lots of crock pot dinners and then realised she had put on a lot of weight, she stopped the dinners and stopped gaining weight - I always pre-cook the meat so the fat doesn't get lost in the sauce.0
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ShelliesTrying wrote: »We leave the house at 7am and the earliest anyone was getting home from school was 3:30pm which is still 8 hours and I was leery about letting food go that long in the crock. Now the kids stay after for homework help or band/football practice so we all get home at the same time usually bc I go get them. I am going to get a christmas light timer like an earlier poster suggested.
I use my crock pot ALL the time (especially in the winter. I turn it on when I leave for work at 8am, and turn it off when I get home at 6pm (or sometimes as late as 7pm). ALL of the recipes I make call for cooking for 8-10 hours on low, but the odd time it might go 11 hours, the food has been fine (I'd actually be more worried about turning the crockpot off and having it just sitting there cooling down). I never make anything that requires a "mid" step though unless it's a weekend and I'm home (ie cook for 6 hours on low, add X and then cook another hour on high).
Another option would be to invest in a programmable crockpot. You tell it how long to cook on which setting, and when it's done, it automatically turns it down to "keep warm". Mine isn't that fancy, but my sister has one and loves it.
@ShelliesTrying - crock pots cook at different temperatures - how long did your chicken take to cook?
My little crockpot does take 8 hours for 8 hour recipes, but my big one is closer to 5-6 hours.
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kshama2001 wrote: »ShelliesTrying wrote: »We leave the house at 7am and the earliest anyone was getting home from school was 3:30pm which is still 8 hours and I was leery about letting food go that long in the crock. Now the kids stay after for homework help or band/football practice so we all get home at the same time usually bc I go get them. I am going to get a christmas light timer like an earlier poster suggested.
I use my crock pot ALL the time (especially in the winter. I turn it on when I leave for work at 8am, and turn it off when I get home at 6pm (or sometimes as late as 7pm). ALL of the recipes I make call for cooking for 8-10 hours on low, but the odd time it might go 11 hours, the food has been fine (I'd actually be more worried about turning the crockpot off and having it just sitting there cooling down). I never make anything that requires a "mid" step though unless it's a weekend and I'm home (ie cook for 6 hours on low, add X and then cook another hour on high).
Another option would be to invest in a programmable crockpot. You tell it how long to cook on which setting, and when it's done, it automatically turns it down to "keep warm". Mine isn't that fancy, but my sister has one and loves it.
@ShelliesTrying - crock pots cook at different temperatures - how long did your chicken take to cook?
My little crockpot does take 8 hours for 8 hour recipes, but my big one is closer to 5-6 hours.
I just cook it for 8 hours. I don't mess with it until then.
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http://www.crock-pot.com/crock-pot-site-catalog/crock-pot-6-quart-cook-and-carry-digital-slow-cooker-with-heat-saver-stoneware-brushed-stainless-steel/SCCPCTS605-S-A.html#start=1
I bought this one at walmart for 50% (not sure why it was on sale but it was) and paid $30 for it.
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The holidays are coming up and you'll find canned pumpkin afterwards on clearance, seriously stock up it makes a great addition to soups, chili, spaghetti sauce, baked goods.
Frozen veggies are big money savers. I use frozen broccoli in egg dishes, frozen mixed veggies for chicken pot pie, frozen peas and corn in pasta and potato salads.
Dry beans again are a must but don't be afraid to use all different kinds. I make a batch of white beans then puree them after cooked to make a thick creamy soup base where I throw scraps from all sorts of meals together and let the crockpot do it's magic.
Split pea soup made from a leftover ham bone is amazing, add some frozen cauliflower and carrots for more texture.
I never buy breadcrumbs, I use all the extra crumbs (this include stale ones) from crackers, chips and pretzels. I keep them in a ziploc bag or container and let them build up then grind or smash if you don't have a grinder. Next time you need breadcrumbs these work perfect. Also oatmeal is great to make meatballs and meatloaf with.
You live in a rural area and right now those farmers are overrun with zucchini, squash, pumpkins and apples so if you can get the fresh stuff cheap pick it up and remember you can freeze all these things. I shred zucchini this time of the year and freeze to use later in sauces. Apples a little past their prime make great applesauce, pumpkins and squash can be cooked down and frozen quite well too. I personally don't like to freeze them without cooking first, I find the flavor changes.
You're doing an amazing thing for your kids by thinking of their health and teaching them healthy eating instead of just filling them up with convenient and easy foods.0 -
Ok. So if you have any discount resale grocers buy meats and veg there. It may be worth the trip. Or a mexican grocer they tend to be cheaper as well. Buy seasonings in hispanic section they come in bags. Buy nuts in the cooking section not the nut section. Health foodstore you can buy things like grains or chia quinoa by the lb thats cheapest way. Buy some things at 99c store like cheeses bacon etc. Aldi has good produce at good price. Always at all stores look for mark down meats or buy unusual cuts for cheap. Switch to eggs n bacon for breakfast for kids. Buy beans by the bag lentils etc buy frozen veg and fruit. I do all this and I get sometimes only 20 for a week look for sales too and stock up on meats when you can
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ShelliesTrying wrote: »I don't know how else to title this. I would like some help or suggestions on how to shop to feed a family when you are poor. It's myself and 3 kids (3, 13, 14) on about $26k a year. I barely have enough to keep us in milk and bread. I don't know how to shop to make the most of it. I buy as much fresh fruits and veggies as possible and I avoid the center of the grocery store to avoid the processed foods. I try to keep us in sandwich fixin's, sandwich meats, peanut butter, eggs etc. My kids eat a ton of cereal and I'm trying to wean them off of cereal bc I know it's not healthy. I know it doesn't make much of a difference but I try to stick to cheerio's, mini wheats, raisin bran etc. I buy ground turkey and chicken breast when I can.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I've been racking my brain trying to make this work. At this point it's no bad that it comes down to paying a bill or buying food. Our cupboards are bare! I'm trying to keep us healthy and continue losing weight.
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