I'm broke, I need good foods on a budget!

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  • beautifultippz
    beautifultippz Posts: 5 Member
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    HealthierRayne wrote: »
    Saving money is pretty easy when you go back to basics, dry beans, rice, pasta, frozen veggies/fruit (which will eliminate spoilage which can be a big money waster) potatoes, oats etc

    low sodium flavour additions can fairly simple - I opt for things like garlic, onion, chili peppers, ginger (which freezes great) You could also invest in a couple of windowsill herbs - they will keep giving back! (My grocery store sells sizable plants at about 3$, with spring upon us the local greenhouse might have it even cheaper since people are starting their gardens soon)

    Gluten free can be pretty pricey because it's so trendy right now, I would stick to whole foods as they generally (minus my suggested pasta) are gluten free by nature.

    Low carb, also trendy, and more difficult if you don't want to eat cheaper things like beans/legumes for protein sources. If you are looking at a big portion of your budget going to animal proteins then I would suggest taking a monthly trip to a big box store to stock up and freeze into portions (I used to do this years back when I was a meat eater and it really helped us stay on budget)


    Thanks so much!
  • beautifultippz
    beautifultippz Posts: 5 Member
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    funkymorganicsx wrote: »
    I also suggest ALDI. They have items that are cheaper than anywhere, even Walmart. Greek yogurt for example 60 cents a piece where walmart is 1.00 usually if not more..I buy organic milk which is $3.69 at Walmart but only $2.39 at Aldi ( I just discovered Aldi yesterday and it rocked my world). They have plenty a nice healthy foods section..I got some frozen quinoa with spinach and garbanzo beans..lots of frozen meats general I would say it is one of the cheapest grocery stores with healthy options.

    I've been dying to go to ALDI! I'll find one nearby. Thank you!
  • beautifultippz
    beautifultippz Posts: 5 Member
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    smit7633 wrote: »
    My husband and I have less than $100 biweekly for groceries and one thing I've learned is to make large meals that last several days.

    For example soups or lasagnas. You just new to pick a low sodium low carb gluten free meal, and make enough to last all week. Portion it out ahead of time so you won't eat tomorrow's lunch accidentally. If the food is not enough then supplement with salad.

    Good luck!

    Thank you so much!! I've lost about 60lbs so far, just want to keep going. Will look for the frozen chicken bags for sure!
  • sistrsprkl
    sistrsprkl Posts: 1,013 Member
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    Dried beans, eggs, peanut butter/peanuts, carrots, a big container of baby spinich lasts me a while.
  • jessakittyis
    jessakittyis Posts: 159 Member
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    First off congrats on losing so much already! Aldi is great and I highly suggest it. I live in the suburbs of NYC so I know how it is... I think at this point I'm probably just re-hasing what other people have said but definetly shop your store sales. Only plan to cook with what is on sale and if you know you will continue to use something buy it in bulk when it's cheap. We use chicken breasts almost every week so when Perdue was on sale for $1.69/ lb I bought 4 packs and froze them.

    Me and my boyfriend are on a tight budget too and I cook our breakfast, lunch and dinner every week (we eat out maybe once a month) so if you want to friend me my diary is open so you can get some idea of meals to make.
  • AlisonH729
    AlisonH729 Posts: 558 Member
    edited April 2016
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    Wish we had an ALDI nearby- here's my experience with the others...

    We're in NJ too, and A&P is now Acme. I have been getting most of our proteins there as they have been running Buy One Get One specials on everything from chicken breasts, pork chops to pretty nice steaks that are big enough for DH & I to split.

    I find that produce at Acme is still overpriced, just like it was at A&P. Stop & Shop is pretty reasonable for produce, plus the quality is great IMO, but they're packaged good still seem pricey.

    When I need to do a big food shopping, to replenish our pantry items (canned tomatoes, beans, dry goods) and frozen veg I go to Shoprite. Their produce & meat are priced well enough that I get those things there if we need them to avoid additional trips to one of the closer, but spendier stores.

    I've scored other stuff like olive & coconut oils, balsamic and some Bobs Red Mill items for a song at Ocean State Job Lots. (Just check the expiration dates.)
  • sanfromny
    sanfromny Posts: 770 Member
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    I know in NYC there a plenty of produce stands. Prices tend to be cheaper than the supermarket. Buy off brand. Whole wheat spaghetti and ground meat (chicken , beef or turkey). That goes a long way and freezes easily. Collard greens are also cheap and make big portions and freezes well too. Slow cooker chicken chili. Chicken thighs are very cheap, some beans (get a bag of beans, its cheaper and you get more in the long run without the sodium) and a few other cheap ingredients. Also find the wonder bread store. I know it's a dying breed but they have many cheap items like whole wheat bread for $. We had one in Queens for years, was pissed when they shut it down. Buy condiments at the $1 store. And coupons for the supermarket! Use www.couponmom.com I make $150 last every 2 weeks with me, husband,kids and a dog!
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
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    @beautifultippz we don't have an aldi near me.Closest one is 30-40 miles. I'm familiar with the are you seem to be in. (I'm in southern PA but my brother is up by Parsippany). That is an expensive area, but NJ has great farm markets. Do you have any nearby? I find that shopping local also helps lower costs and ours down here have all opened up in the past couple weeks.

    I also recommend that you see if you can order online at any local stores. That way you can actually filter your results to show only what is on sale. Acme, shoprite, and giant all do online ordering where they pick your order and then you show up and pay and they load it in your car. It's like $5 or less for the service and it really lets you see the final total of your groceries and benefit from saving some time too. I use that alot.
  • ReaderGirl3
    ReaderGirl3 Posts: 868 Member
    edited April 2016
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    beautifultippz wrote: »
    funkymorganicsx wrote: »
    I also suggest ALDI. They have items that are cheaper than anywhere, even Walmart. Greek yogurt for example 60 cents a piece where walmart is 1.00 usually if not more..I buy organic milk which is $3.69 at Walmart but only $2.39 at Aldi ( I just discovered Aldi yesterday and it rocked my world). They have plenty a nice healthy foods section..I got some frozen quinoa with spinach and garbanzo beans..lots of frozen meats general I would say it is one of the cheapest grocery stores with healthy options.

    I've been dying to go to ALDI! I'll find one nearby. Thank you!

    Aldi is seriusly awesome-I just got back from my local one a few minutes ago :) I spent $40 and walked out with 5 cloth bags full of food!

    Also, during off growing seasons frozen veggies will be your best friend. I get bags of them for $1 or less. The dollar stores in my area now carry some frozen foods too and I can get bags of veggies and fruit there!
  • creativecalico
    creativecalico Posts: 9 Member
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    Totally agree with shopping at Aldi! Your local Spanish or Asian grocery will probably have better produce at better prices than the chains and WAY cheaper spices. As far as foods themselves, bags of frozen chicken, EGGS, bags of apples and oranges, produce you have to cut yourself like cabbage and kale.

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