Staying full on a limited budget?
SuperheroSadie
Posts: 167 Member
Hey all!
So I recently started strictly budgeting. My boyfriend and I spend $30/wk between the two of us on groceries. So naturally we stock up on pasta, microwave veggies, bread, milk, eggs, rice, beans, etc. Those things made up most of my diet to begin with, but for instance we've switched to white bread ($1.5 for a huge loaf) instead of whole grain organic bread ($3 or 4 a loaf), and now I'm starving mere minutes after having my breakfast that used to keep me full for a few hours!
Such a budget doesn't really allow for meat either, so what I've discovered is that I literally cannot stop eating since switching over. I use 'literally' in the valley girl sense, as in 'I could, but I'm hungry all the time and massively hangry at work and in the mornings'.
I'm eating up to my calorie limit every day, which admittedly I just lowered (1620-1380, wanted to lose 1.5/wk instead of 1), but I used to eat around 1400 a day before this regardless.
Anyway, let's get to the point. I'd be willing to raise the budget a tiny bit (maybe $10?) If you guys could give me some good ideas for stuff that will actually keep me full. I have a Sam's club membership, and a Market Basket up the block, if that helps any!
Thanks in advance!
So I recently started strictly budgeting. My boyfriend and I spend $30/wk between the two of us on groceries. So naturally we stock up on pasta, microwave veggies, bread, milk, eggs, rice, beans, etc. Those things made up most of my diet to begin with, but for instance we've switched to white bread ($1.5 for a huge loaf) instead of whole grain organic bread ($3 or 4 a loaf), and now I'm starving mere minutes after having my breakfast that used to keep me full for a few hours!
Such a budget doesn't really allow for meat either, so what I've discovered is that I literally cannot stop eating since switching over. I use 'literally' in the valley girl sense, as in 'I could, but I'm hungry all the time and massively hangry at work and in the mornings'.
I'm eating up to my calorie limit every day, which admittedly I just lowered (1620-1380, wanted to lose 1.5/wk instead of 1), but I used to eat around 1400 a day before this regardless.
Anyway, let's get to the point. I'd be willing to raise the budget a tiny bit (maybe $10?) If you guys could give me some good ideas for stuff that will actually keep me full. I have a Sam's club membership, and a Market Basket up the block, if that helps any!
Thanks in advance!
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Replies
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Oats are a good breakfast option and they're cheap, plus you can make porridge with water instead of milk.
Wouldn't a loaf of non-organic whole grain bread cost just the same as a loaf of white bread?
Keep a little money each week, and look for offers on meat. Stock up and freeze what you will not be using, same goes for fruit and vegetables.
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if bread is important, its very easy to make and the ingredients are dirt cheap if you find a store that sells in bulk.0
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Get the 100% whole grain bread. But generic oats. Also, many other grains, such as rice and quinoa are inexpensive and can be make a yummy cereal with a sweetener, fruit, and milk. You can also throw in a tbs of peanut butter to make it more filling. Eggs are in expensive and also filling especially if paired with fiber filled veggies like spinach.
A little meat can go a long way. Consider but one whole chicken, roast it for one meal, make sandwiches for lunch next day, then throw the rest in a pot of water or crock pot to make soup. Add seasoning, a bag of mixed veggies, a grain or pasta.
Good luck!0 -
You might be missing oil. Maybe peanut butter would be good.0
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Refried beans. Flour tortillas. A bit of sharp cheddar cheese. Some stolen taco bell sauce packets. Roll up and bake 15 mins. Cheap meal.0
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Oats, penut butter, beans. Oh and protein powder. This can be used between meals.nuts/seeds.0
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I grew up eating beans (great northern) and cornbread. (My mom threw in a ham hock (which are cheap), but I don't like meat). Where I live in the Midwest, a 1 lb bag of beans is $1.19. I cook half the bag to feed my family of five 2-3 meals. A box of Jiffy cornbread mix is $.49 and I make a double batch. Throw in an onion and some salt and pepper, and you've got one of the most delicious, easiest and most economic meals I can think of. (And leftovers freeze well.)0
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Hey I'm on nearly the same budget, broke college kid over here
. I spend about 30$ for two weeks. You CAN find cheep wheat bread. I buy my whole wheat bread at winco for 1.68. If where your shopping doesn't offer wheat bread cheaper than 2$ try somewhere else because I promise it exist. Frozen veggies to stock up on isr cheeper, and buy in season.
Another thing is, tofu is nearly cheaper than meat. For a pound at an Asian grocery store you can get it for 1.29. Tofu is good protein and fills you up. Honestly just try a different grocery store, see what's around and what they have to offer! On thirty bucks yesterday bought
Doz. Eggs, brocolli, apples, bananas, butter, wheat bread, yogurt, spinach, lettuce, bag of peppers, tomato's, vegetarian chicken nuggets, 24 tortias, frozen corn and a few other items I can't recall.
This will last well over two week s with naturally stocked items I have(I buy a biggg box of soymilks at coscto as they only have to be refrigerated when opened, rice, noodles, pb, and sauces). Buy none fresh items in bulk, like tortias and even eggs if you eat them everyday !0 -
I'm impressed with how you guys can only spend $30 on food for a week or 2?! The items the previous poster mentioned would cost me at least $45. I considered getting vegetarian options instead of meat but it's so much more expensive here it seems?! I bought a box of veg chicken tenders at my local grocery store and they were nearly $7 for 8 strips
Sticking to the topic though I would recommend drinking a lot of water , also oats in the morning help me to feel fuller longer! Peanut butter.. Almonds.0 -
SuperheroSadie wrote: »Hey all!
So I recently started strictly budgeting. My boyfriend and I spend $30/wk between the two of us on groceries. So naturally we stock up on pasta, microwave veggies, bread, milk, eggs, rice, beans, etc. Those things made up most of my diet to begin with, but for instance we've switched to white bread ($1.5 for a huge loaf) instead of whole grain organic bread ($3 or 4 a loaf), and now I'm starving mere minutes after having my breakfast that used to keep me full for a few hours!
Such a budget doesn't really allow for meat either, so what I've discovered is that I literally cannot stop eating since switching over. I use 'literally' in the valley girl sense, as in 'I could, but I'm hungry all the time and massively hangry at work and in the mornings'.
I'm eating up to my calorie limit every day, which admittedly I just lowered (1620-1380, wanted to lose 1.5/wk instead of 1), but I used to eat around 1400 a day before this regardless.
Anyway, let's get to the point. I'd be willing to raise the budget a tiny bit (maybe $10?) If you guys could give me some good ideas for stuff that will actually keep me full. I have a Sam's club membership, and a Market Basket up the block, if that helps any!
Thanks in advance!
Compare the fiber in your previous bread brand to your current brand and see if there is a difference that that could explain the difference in your fullness.
Foods higher in fiber like beans keep me fuller longer than foods like bread or pasta, so if this is true for you as well, eat more beans. I often add beans to pasta dishes.
You don't need to pay extra for "microwave" veggies - this is a marketing gimmick. Just buy the store brand and cook them on the stove.
For the rice and beans - are you buying them in bulk or in boxes and cans? Dried beans are way cheaper than canned and big bags of rice cheaper than smaller options, especially boxed rice.
This is an awfully low budget for two people. Maybe you can get some assistance from food pantries or churches.0 -
notmyrobot wrote: »I'm impressed with how you guys can only spend $30 on food for a week or 2?! The items the previous poster mentioned would cost me at least $45. I considered getting vegetarian options instead of meat but it's so much more expensive here it seems?! I bought a box of veg chicken tenders at my local grocery store and they were nearly $7 for 8 strips
It may have to do with the area I live in. But I remember being able to find reasonably priced wheat bread when I lived more in the city area.0 -
check out the Satiety Index mendosa.com/satiety.htm. Researchers fed 240 calories of a variety of foods (from jelly beans to potatoes), and then recorded how full they made the participants feel (also measured by how much they ate a few hours later). Check out the "high satiety" foods on this list and cross reference against the price and pick some low price high satiety foods.
From a quick glance, popcorn, all-bran, oatmeal, potatoes, eggs, apples and oranges took like good bets. Beef has a 176% satiety index so might be worth it to get some cheap cuts and cook in a slow cooker (think barbacoa at Chipotle - yum!). Ling fish has a 225% satiety index. Looks like it's common in Britain and it was a British study, and per Wikipedia, it's like cod). Cod is $6.99 a pound at my local grocery store..
Kerry0 -
What others have posted are good suggestions.
Buying in bulk, or larger quantities, is less expensive. The larger size container of Greek yogurt vs small individual cups; its worth it to me since it very nutritious (protein, calcium, etc). Same with cottage cheese, sprinkle of chia seeds.
Eggs, lentils, beans.
For meat: it really does keep me full longer so I would pay the price. Buy on sale!! I load up when whole chicken is .88¢/lb -- a whole chicken can be 2-3 meals! Same with cheap cuts of beef and chicken thighs/legs/quarters. At .99¢/lb on sale, we can eat chicken all week!
Making from scratch your own snacks.
....and popcorn. Yum. Popcorn definitely fills me up & super inexpensive if you airpop/stove pop from kernals (not the pricier small bags)0 -
Gee, I need to take lessons from you guys. My eggs alone are $6 a dozen
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We quit bread altogether here. Oatmeal for breakfast gives you a hot, high-fiber meal. Buy generic and it's about 2.99 a carton.
Eggs I get at Trader Joes, they have the best prices. Not sure if you have one close to you.
Ditto on the whole chicken. If you watch sales sometimes you can get a roasting chicken for about 5.99 and if you're careful, you can eat off it for days. I usually serve the roast chicken one night, then the rest gets 'parted out' and put in pastas, soups, etc. ] I also look out for cheap sales on pork roasts. Sometimes you can get a decent sized pork roast for around $6.00 if you watch sales. They too can serve for one meal, and then get sliced up for lunches, added to pastas and beans, etc.0 -
Oatmeal,peanut butter, chicken thighs, bulk ground beef, canned meat and fish, frozen, vegtables and frozen fruit.0
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I try to stick to a budget also, usually stick to under $250 for me, my husband and step daughter....(and my husband eats like a teenage boy.....) Meat when it is on sale and marked down close to best buy date.....tons if chicken, 2 breasts feed 3 of us with leftovers for lunch the next day, eggs... Lots of eggs, tons of soups when on sale and paired with coupons, and beans and rice are our main staples.
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Think about whole grains and dried beans in bulk bins, fruits and veggies in season, plain fat free yogurt in larger containers, whole chickens (cut up and freeze), bogo sales. Buy food that will nourish you the most and don't waste money on refined grains, chips, sweets. Make wonderful pots of soups or stews. Grow your own herbs on your windowsill. I go to the organic farmers market and ask for ugly produce. I once got a huge bag of mustard greens for a dollar because they had started to wilt.
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Wow. I spend about $350 minimum a week! Anyone know where I could learn to budget? (I do have a few kids too /) )0
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I've been obsessed recently with grabbing the recipes of a website called budgetbytes. She aims for $40 per week for her food budget for 2 people, and posts each recipe she makes along with the cost of each food item in the ingredients list. Food in Australia is stupidly expensive, and with decent meal planning, I've dropped the grocery list for my husband and I down quite a bit.
My suggestion is don't just 'stock up' on cheap foods each week. Sit down with your partner, plan out your meals for the week, with maybe planning to use leftovers for lunch the next day, compare to the staples you already have in your pantry, and write your shopping list. If your local supermarket has an online store, plug in your shopping list there to see what your list might cost. Too much? adjust your meals and try again.
For meat/protein, check to see if butchers have bulk buy sales for chicken thighs (or whole chicken) that you can portion out and freeze, or as someone mentioned above, cuts of stewing beef, or ground beef for slow cooker meals, chilli, curry, etc.0 -
I completely agree. No-name oatmeal, bread-store Saturday specials (mine does 5 loaves for $5(including whole wheat)), try hitting farmers market up just before closing, they may offer their produce for super cheap just to not take it home. Also, ask your local grocery store when they do meat or produce mark-downs, like my local
Albertson's did their produce on Wednesdays, so if I got there early, I could get produce half off.0 -
From the AARP, Healthy Food on a Budget.
http://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-2016/healthy-food-budget-photo.html?cmp=SNO-ICM-FB-AO&socialid=365093897#slide10 -
One thing you might want to check on is what nutrients you are getting right now. If you are are low in nutrients, you will feel as hungry as if you were low in calories, sometimes. Just look at the meals over the last couple weeks, and get on a site (nutritiondata.self.com is the one I'm on) where you can look up food and get all the nutrient information on it. See if you are consistently low on some nutrients, you know?
If you are lucky, maybe you can just get a bottle of vitamins and that would take care of it. :-)0 -
Dollar Tree has name brand Natures Own wheat and other name brand wheat bread for $1 a loaf. Not out of date either. I buy several and freeze them.0
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The least expensive produce, eggs, and fresh bread in my area is at the "farmers market" (it's not really, it's just what it's called) and ethnic markets. Large supermarket chains have a lot of overhead, and their prices reflect that. Buy what's in season (i.e., really cheap) and freeze some for later. If you're not familiar with what's in season where you live, I'm sure you can find info on the web. Adjust your menu as the seasons change.0
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I buy what's on sale, and plan around that. If I won't use it, but it is a steal (meat) I will grab it and freeze it. We cook just about everything from scratch and plan leftover usage...Right now I am going through my local markets' sale flyers...chicken legs .59/lb, beef roast 2.89/lb etc. You can cut those legs into thighs and drums (I have 3 kids), that beef can be ground, cut into steaks or roasted or braised (stew) giving you several meals, all that work with frozen/on sale/or going out of date veggies. I also just planted my veggie seeds for my tiny city garden, so they can get an inside start...0
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I suggest making as much from scratch as possible. Buying flour, yeast, etc. may be a bit of an up front investment, but should last you a number of weeks. Making your own bread should be cheaper than buying. Also, save those veggie scraps and make your own vegetable broth. You can save it in a bag in the freezer (I use a gallon size and just make it whenever my bag fills up) so it doesn't go bad.
Dried beans are super budget friendly as well. Cook and freeze and then you have beans all the time! You can even control your sodium content more effectively if that bothers you.
My budget is not as small as yours, but I definitely look for ways to cut some budget corners when I can.0 -
See if there's a www.bountifulbaskets.org in your area. You can get a large basket of produce for $15 that should easily last 1 - 2 weeks depending on what you pick-up e.g. an orange will last longer than spinach.
Also, when I was a starving student I would watch the discount meat bin, swing by early in the morning, always found great deals on meat that was priced for quick sale. I bought a food vac-sealing machine and would buy all the discount meat I could, grill it up and then vac-seal it for future use. Check out Craigslist in your area for someone selling one, most end-up in the appliance graveyard. Bags can be expensive so look for sales, buy on Amazon or Costco; expensive but they pay for themselves in the long run, trust me.0 -
Also, if you are looking for recipes to make not just foods to buy check out www.Budgetbytes.com
She breaks down the cost of every meal (in her area of course) and she also does a weekly roundup of what she spent on groceries and how she used what she bought.0 -
I'm fond of a book, available online for free, called "Good and Cheap."0
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