Food - on a budget

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melzteach
melzteach Posts: 550 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What are your must haves for a small grocery budget?

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  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,141 Member
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    If you shop around prices differ greatly. Vegetables, fruit and fish, prawns and chicken for me are a must.
  • olgitafajita
    olgitafajita Posts: 7 Member
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    Dried beans! A bag costs about a dollar, and cooked you can get several meals out of it. You can throw them in a crockpot with some seasoning and veggies and then come back in a few hours and voila! I buy red and/or black beans and throw them in with garlic, onion and a can or tomatoes to make chili. I buy black eyed peas and cook them with collard greens. Red lentils for moroccan lentil soup. Recipes abound!
  • swaymyway
    swaymyway Posts: 428 Member
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    What country are you in? If from the UK you can't beat Lidl and Aldi for cheap fruit and veg, Aldi have a 'super 6' each week and Lidl do great half price offers each week - I look forward to getting the new leaflets each week to find out what I am going to be eating lol
  • melzteach
    melzteach Posts: 550 Member
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    I'm in the USA, Southern Texas.

    Oh and we have a renovation project gone horrible and I don't have a kitchen to speak of. For cooking I've got a grill, double hot plate, microwave, toaster, crock pot, and a blender.
  • calliope_music
    calliope_music Posts: 1,242 Member
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    frozen chicken breasts, greek yogurt, frozen veggies, brown rice.
  • MegtheTeach
    MegtheTeach Posts: 8
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    Appliance-wise: Try a rice cooker. It's kinda like a crock pot / slow cooker that switches off magically when the food's ready. http://www.food.com/cookbook/rice-cooker-recipes-80457 for examples. I got one for $15 at the WalMart.

    Food-wise, I want to second the Aldi suggestion. Also, you can find cheap produce at a farmer's market or international grocery. In metro Atlanta, the best produce price & quality is found at the Buford Highway Farmer's Market. It's an international grocery with the absolute lowest produce prices in town.

    What have I been buying?
    * green bell peppers go well with hummus (skip the other colors -- they're way more expensive and taste the same)
    * strawberries in season
    * chicken (for the grill, mostly)
    * international seasonings (this recipe is to die for: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/06/broiled-or-grilled-pollo-sabroso.html)
    * cereal & skim milk
    * fat free Hebrew National hot dogs (40 cals each!)
    * baby spinach (to cook or eat as salad greens)
  • liveyourlifex
    liveyourlifex Posts: 149 Member
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    salad! at Costco, they have pre-cut salad for $1.99
    brown rice
    non fat milk
    cereal (some are expensive but buying bigger bulks will cost less)
    beans
    fruits
    veggies
  • GaveUp
    GaveUp Posts: 308
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    I eat fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, chicken, cottage cheese. I never thought I would say this but it really isn't that expensive to eat healthy for me.

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