Food Prep on a REALLY tight budget??
Beachbunnie83
Posts: 1 Member
I am on a super tight budget until I get a job.... I think if I did food prep that I would be able to reach my goal quicker as well as eat more during the day which would keep me from eating sooooo much at dinner time and before I go to bed. Also, I have a family that I fix dinner for so I normally eat what I fix for the family dinner. Any suggestions?
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I eat as cheaply as possible, here are some of my favorite foods:
Eggs with toast (or any "breakfast for dinner" type meal is usually cheap - pancakes, waffles)
Potatoes - prepared any way: baked, roasted. Top with salsa, shredded cheese, deli meat.
Beans and Rice - dried beans are even cheaper if you feel confident to cook them. Sometimes I add a can of plain tomato sauce to rice while cooking.
Pasta and tomato-based sauce. For even cheaper sauce (instead of buying "jarred pasta sauce") I buy a huge can of tomatoes, cook it on the stove with a few spices, and blend to make it smooth.
Buy big bags of celery and carrots (not baby ones) and peel/slice/chop/whatever enough to grab and go all week long
I often add frozen veggies for sides to my meals, as they are really cheap and won't go bad in my freezer. Frozen peas are my favorite.
To meal prep, decide on what you'll make in the week. Check in your cabinets to see if there are any items you could use to make a meal around and reduce your costs. Make a list and bring it with you shopping. Good luck! Meal planning on a tight budget is challenging, but you can do it!12 -
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Have you ever tried lentils? They are a bit bland, but I make them with a small amount of Italian Sausage, lots of onions, some carrots and celery and add hot sauce plus some rice and it's a very filling meal. Lentils can also be a substitute for ground beef in chili, sloppy joes or even tacos. You will need to spice them up.
Homemade chili with lots of beans - I use 3 different kinds (kidney, black & pinto) and I use canned beans, I've never had luck with the whole soaking/cooking. And I like my beans on the mushy side. Add a cooked sweet potato in there and it's a game changer!
Homemade soup is a good option for leftovers. Using store bought stock can be expensive, either make your own or use bouillon cubes (it's a sodium bomb, but cheap).
Good luck!3 -
I second the lentils and also add in chickpeas. These are cheap sources of protein and can be used on meatless days quite easily. I tend to eat my lentils in vegetable soup ( add, then when cooked put soup in a blender and purée it). My chickpeas I like as hummus.1
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Chicken and frozen veggies are pretty good and cheap1
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OATMEAL. Super cheap when bought in bulk, expands to double its size, a serving is 1/2 cup, and it keeps you full. It can be made ahead of time, it can be sweet, it can be savory, and it ROCKS with bulk nuts and bulk peanut butter.
Edited to add:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10598470/savory-oats
There's a thread about savory oats that's being discussed right now and there are another dozen if you search the forums.2 -
Lots of great suggestions already here. I'll second/third many of them. Eggs, bread, chicken with on sale/frozen veggies, spaghetti with canned sauce, pb&js, canned beans, rice.0
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Food prep and meal timing will not make you lose faster - eating less will make you lose faster.
Eating together as a family is associated with good health.
Avoiding waste is my number one tip to save money on food. Plan meals so that you use up everything before it spoils. Write down what you need for the meals you have planned, always shop with that list. Also look at meal composision - you need some protein, but more than you need is just spending unnecessary dollars, protein foods are typically expensive. Look for bargains, and look at price per pound, before you make your decision. Don't fall for hype - real, simple foods are cheap, and perfect to make healthy, tasty meals from.
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Buy your meat on sale. A single roast can be cooked at once and the leavings can make stew, soups, and sandwich meat during the rest of the week. It doesn't matter if it is a chicken, turkey, pork loin or beef.2
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Check out Aldi, they have a really nice selection for great fresh produce, meat, canned items, and lots of healthy options for really good prices. I often pick up a dozen eggs and a loaf of their healthy bread - that can be several meals for less than $2.50 total.4
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Check the markdown bins in the produce and meat departments. The produce is usually a little imperfect or very ripe, but if you eat it quickly, you can get some normally expensive items very cheaply. Same goes for the meat department. If you use the meat quickly or freeze it, you can get some great bargains. Good luck!0
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the blog budgetbytes is really good for cooking on a budget - she breaks down the cost of many of her recipes to show0
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People have already mentioned my "budget" foods. Potatoes, eggs, pasta, rice.... if you can't afford jarred sauces get some canned tomatoes- diced or puréed, and some cheap Italian seasoning and garlic and onion powders. Canned tomatoes can also be cooked with the rice for variety. Other inexpensive vegetables in the fresh section are usually carrots and cabbage- and sometimes there are good sales on frozen vegetables.
For meat, I tend to shop the "managers special" section.
While I don't have to be as strict as I was 15 years ago, I still keep some of these basics on hand.0 -
I should say- dollar stores tend to have some basic spices. Not the best quality, but if you don't have any from before the job situation, it's better than nothing.1
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I agree with reducing food waste. Don't spend money on anything that you won't use the entire thing. This is especially key for fruits and veggies where you pay by the weight. Broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus often have stocks/stems that people throw away but they pay for the entire thing.
And, skip the "snack" foods like chips, cookies, crackers, snack cakes, granola bars, cereal etc. If you need to have snacks around, buy a loaf of bread and PB and J. That will at least offer more nutritional value for a better price.3 -
I've started to use a pressure cooker and can now cook lots of things quickly. I don't know if you can budget for one but for beans, frozen meat, etc, it's great.0
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@Cbean08 that's a really good point about stalks of food. I don't do this, but when I was visiting my brother who is a chef, I noticed him slicing up the broccoli stalks finely and saving them. I was surprised and asked and he told me that the flavor of broccoli is just as strong in the stalks as the florets. So he cooks the stalks with other foods, or makes cream of broccoli soup with them.1
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First, consider 'scrap' gardening. You can actually grow a lot of food from the parts we cut off...like lettuce will continue to grow from the base of it, if you put it in water, so will celery. you can grow potatoes and sweet potatoes, too, but those take a bit of time so aren't as useful immediately. (this has some ideas -http://www.diyncrafts.com/4732/repurpose/25-foods-can-re-grow-kitchen-scraps ）
I'd also recommend growing an herb garden. If you can get a $1 or two to get just a few seeds, put some dirt in a container (heck, use a craptastic old grocery store bags with holes for drainage and put some dirt in from outside, if you have to). It gives you some nutrients, and some flavor, without the huge cost of buying herbs. It can be a huge help when you have to eat the same foods over and over, you know? Local garden groups may even be willing to part with a few starter plants, or seeds, for free.
There are also a lot of food parts that can be eaten but we usually throw away - check out many ethnic recipes to find uses for them. Stalks for parsley and cilantro can be chopped and stir fried or used in soups. Any limp veggies, make soup out of 'em. Avocado seeds - dried, with the outer seed coating off, and then ground up, they are used in some traditional Mexican foods. citrus peels and pomegranate peels are edible, if you dry them and grind them up they can be used in teas for good vitamin C boost (careful of pesticides though). Bell pepper seeds and pith are edible, just don't grind them up (ground up, they get bitter, but are fine if fried or in soups). All squash seeds are edible, so you can roast them and eat.
Go check out some ethnic markets. Mexican markets often have VERY cheap corn masa (very health and versatile) and beans. Many Asian markets have extremely cheap rice and certain veggies. Indian markets usually have extremely cheap spices.2 -
rice and beans. the gross out (grocery outlet). cassoulet 50 ways. whatever is cheap in the meat section and freeze it by portion/meal size. as said the veggie stocks don't get tossed, shave them and make a slaw. instead of couch surfing try dinner table surfing. when you make a list stick to it.0
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Really good tips here. Another thing to add: here in the US (idk where the OP is located) some stores like Dillons/Kroger have a store loyalty card that gets you cheaper prices or better sales. My Dillons card also gets me extra coupons both in the mail and through their app.
Another thing I've done is to learn when my store stocks their manager's special/markdown sections (one is around 10 am & the other is like 8 pm) and I try to shop around those times if I can to get the best choice.
Most stores also have their sales flyers online so you can plan a bit ahead of time.0 -
Homemade chicken chili can really pack in a bunch of nutrients as well as high protein. Died beans, boneless/skinless chicken, and a broth of your choice. Easy and cheap
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Is there an Aldi's near you? They are SUCH a bargain priced grocery store. Scour the circulars in your area to find the best sales. Frozen vegs keep for a long time but if you really prefer fresh and they start to go before you've used them, make soup. Soup is the answer for vegs that are starting to go and if you pack in some beans and maybe some bowties, you can make a fine minestrone. A jar of broth powder will go MUCH farther and is way cheaper than buying canned broth. Making your own goes farthest BUT this can be a time consuming process. Instead of buying all of your produce at the supermarket, look for smaller fruit stands in your area; where I live, the herbs and veggies are usually much cheaper.0
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budgetbytes and cookign on a bootstrap0
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