Eating well with no money

2»

Replies

  • NaturalNancy
    NaturalNancy Posts: 1,093 Member
    Bags of potatoes and carrots are cheap.
    Apples and oranges.
    Get the carrots w the skin still on, much cheaper than peeled and cut carrots.
    Frozen peas and frozen corn are cheap and easy to microwave and taste good.
    Tofu is $1.99 for a 1lb block
    Lettuce is cheaper whole and not pre washed in the bag.
    Dry beans are great cooked and eaten alone or added in a huge soup.
  • hilarync
    hilarync Posts: 7 Member
    cheapveg.tumblr.com/post/132897154983/recipes-for-a-southern-sunday-after-re-watching

    There's a good idea in this person's blog: go to a farmer's market when it is close to closing time and you can haggle down prices on fresh produce.
  • trisH_7183
    trisH_7183 Posts: 1,486 Member
    Soup can be your number one friend. Make broth by simmering small piece if meat or cook ground turkey/ beef.....as long as you like with water covering the meat. Amounts are up to you. Seasonings ditto. Add what you like. Mine has onion,celery & canned tomatoes with juice or tomato soup or juice.Shredded cabbage,diced.....fresh,frozen or drained veggies from cans. I don't use broccoli in soup.....the gray color is yuck :s Dice a couple potatoes if you have them,or just include mixed veggies canned or frozen.
    Taste as you go....S&P,tbl of sugar.....what ever seasoning you have & like. You can find seasonings & canned/ frozen veggies at Dollar Tree.The more veggies the better.Easy to freeze,will keep in fridge for several days.Tasty,good for you & cheap.
  • laurelann19
    laurelann19 Posts: 14 Member
    If you're on EBT, some states (I know MA does) run programs where you can use EBT at select farmers market stands. Other than that, definitely frozen gives you a great bang for your buck, or starting a small garden, even if you only plant a couple types of seeds. Lettuce, spinach, zucchini and squash agree all very versatile!
  • k_nelson_24
    k_nelson_24 Posts: 251 Member
    I can sympathize. Canned and frozen fruits and veggies are the way to go! Other than that, it takes a little effort but keep tabs on what goes on sale and make sure you buy produce that's in season. At my local Sam's club, a bag of apples goes from $4.98 to $7.98 when they aren't in season!
  • SueSueDio
    SueSueDio Posts: 4,796 Member
    Check out the Good and Cheap cookbook at this site, it's a free PDF download and has a bunch of recipes and good ideas. :)

    http://www.leannebrown.com/
  • tonkacrew3
    tonkacrew3 Posts: 51 Member
    Thank you all SO much! I want to especially thank Sue for the link to the book! That is just awesome! Where did you ever learn about it? ☺
  • SueSueDio
    SueSueDio Posts: 4,796 Member
    I'm not sure - I think it was probably mentioned on a previous thread about eating on a budget! (There have been a few on the forums recently, if you do a search you might find some more ideas.)

    My family aren't keen on beans, which would probably be a good, low-cost protein option, but I'm trying to sneak some into a handful of recipes to make them stretch a bit further. I try to watch for things that are on sale, but I'm not really good at checking out all the stores - it seems to me that the gas I use up driving around them to compare would cost more than I might save, so I just look at the weekly flyers and see if there are any must-haves!

    I've realised that Bulk Barn is pretty good for a lot of things, and bought some spices there yesterday for mere pennies so I can try a new recipe. It's nice to be able to buy just what you need of so many things, rather than an entire package you might not use. My Wal-Mart also sells off fruit and veg that are just past their peak, usually for one or two dollars for a big bag. And the farmer's markets will hopefully start up again soon here - I've got bargains there in the past by going towards closing time, as someone else said. :)
  • GetFitTiki
    GetFitTiki Posts: 7 Member
    Not sure what state you live in but we have a place called Aldi. They usually have very reasonable produce prices. Their locations can be found at corporate.aldi.us/en/suppliers/divisional-map.
  • liftingandlipstick
    liftingandlipstick Posts: 1,857 Member
    SueSueDio wrote: »
    I try to watch for things that are on sale, but I'm not really good at checking out all the stores - it seems to me that the gas I use up driving around them to compare would cost more than I might save, so I just look at the weekly flyers and see if there are any must-haves!

    Walmart also ad matches! Check out the weekly flyers online for any stores in your area, and Walmart will match advertised prices. Most items have to be the same brand (if some other grocery store has their brand milk on sale, you can't get Walmart brand milk for the same price), but they match produce also. I ad match TONS of produce every week, pretty much only buying what's on sale (somewhere). *Some stores will make you show them the flier, so either bring one with you or look it up on your phone.

    I second a lot of the ideas in here: I'm on a pretty tight budget also, but I make it stretch. I do use food pantries on occasion (I prefer the ones that let you pick your own items, but I'm not picky). There is probably a Second Harvest/Feeding America drop location somewhere around you (if you're in the US). You get what you get, but there is some decent stuff in there. I always get tons of canned veggies, some kind of bread, some kind of protein. There is unhealthy stuff too, but you can portion it out, or share it with friends/family who may also be struggling. Even if you only get the basics from a food pantry, that opens up most of your grocery budget for luxuries (which for me is fresh produce).

    Farmer's markets and produce trucks are usually super cheap compared to the grocery stores, and depending on where you live, they should be starting up now (mine opened this weekend in Wisconsin), and have plenty to offer within a few weeks.

    And I do garden. I spent about $20 today on plants and soil, which is an investment, but down the road, I'll be able to get fresh veggies free! For that $20, I got two tomato plants, two pepper plants, a cucumber plant, 4 celery plants, 4 squash plants and a few herbs. If you've got a green thumb, it's even cheaper to start from seed, but it's a bit late for that (again depending on your location). I'm a novice, but I grabbed a few packets of seeds also, to grow lettuce, spinach, cauliflower, more squashes (I love squash! filling and tasty with more nutrients and fewer calories and carbs that potatoes or pasta), more herbs. I have strawberries growing up from last years planting. My $20 outlay today, even if I only get a few items from each plant, will easily turn into $50 worth of veggies.
  • godlikepoetyes
    godlikepoetyes Posts: 442 Member
    Back in the day when we were strapped, we became vegetarians. As others have said--beans, peas, rice, peanut butter, tofu, milk, eggs (eggs!). And I'd like to make a plug for canned--canned gets a bad rap and it really shouldn't. You can rinse whatever veggies or beans you buy canned to cut the sodium. (I know lots of folks worry over the lining or whatever, but that seems rather silly to me.) But you will stretch your dollar with dried beans. Visit ethnic markets and food stores. You will find awesome deals on rice (10 lb bags or bigger) as well as other items that would be more expensive in a conventional supermarket.

    Organ meats tend to be cheaper and famous chefs sure do love their pig ears and liver and hearts and sweetbreads, etc (have you watch Chopped?!).

    Here in my town, most of our farmer's markets offer double SNAP and EBT points.

    You can make your own yogurt.
    You can start a sourdough and make your own bread.
    Buy the whole chicken when it's marked down. Other meats as well.

    The Internet is full of sites where you can get recipes to try, if you have access. If not, the library has tons of cookbooks.

    Simple, simple foods and recipes as someone mentioned above--chili with beans + potatoes, very filling. Spaghetti sauce you make yourself with just a few ingredients. Soups and Stews--I make Pottage in the crock pot and there is nothing more satisfying--lentils, rice, barely, a can of chopped tomatoes, Bragg's Aminos or any hearty sauce would work--steak sauce, soy sauce, etc. I throw an onion in there, too. And boy, a crock pot--if you don't have one, get one. It doesn't have to be an expensive one. White beans with pasta (there's a fancy Italian name for it. CABBAGE! Black beans. Red beans. Chickpeas!! (I can't eat beans anymore and my heart is broken!)

    Eating well doesn't have to be expensive, and eating healthy doesn't mean "organic" "fresh" "local" "in season" or any of that stuff. If you can get affordable fresh, by all means do. But it isn't necessary. Frozen or canned veggies often, OFTEN, have more nutrition than the fresh that's been flown in from halfway around the world. And I love canned fruit.

    You can find ways to make this work for you. And don't worry over the fat content or whatever. If you stay away from packaged foods, you should be fine. (Unless you coat everything with lard and sugar, of course. ;-)

  • miz_ppyn
    miz_ppyn Posts: 118 Member
    I know the feeling of making the $ stretch. New zealand is one of the expensive countrys in the world to live althou its where i am born n bred wouldnt change it for anything. I use to buy what was cheap n freeze it. Buy cheap frozen veg. And also buy canned foods. Id also take clippings of plants and grow my own produce. I still do it today. Admiring my 3 peach trees 1 apricot tree 2 feijoa trees 1 orange and 1 lemon. My citris grow in pots. Also have a little herb garden filled with different herbs. If you have space n a lil time its worth doing in the long run plus good excercise to have to maintain ☺