Budget ideas?

Jennimecham
Jennimecham Posts: 1 Member
edited November 22 in Food and Nutrition
I'm newly single and find that my grocery budget has to be much less than it was. It seems that eating healthy is so much more expensive. For example, I need to take lunch to work. A salad is more than a 99 cent microwave meal. Can anyone give me tips on how to eat healthy, get all of nutrients in, and stay in a minimal budget? I have about 65 pounds to lose and I'm dreading the holiday season... I could use some motivation and tips! Thank you!

Replies

  • cdudley628
    cdudley628 Posts: 547 Member
    Meal prep is my best advice.

    Batch cook and spread the food out throughout the week, or even find recipes that you can freeze leftovers and then you have "frozen meals" for lunch. There are many blogs that discuss freezer meals and provide recipes. There are also blogs (and YouTube channels) about eating on a budget. If you don't like spending a lot of time cooking, slow cookers and instant pots are great!

    Coupons could also help. Shop sales and stock up when your staples are cheap. If you find clearance meat or an amazing meat sale, you can stock up on it and freeze it for when you need it.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    I prefer fresh, but if I were on a budget I would buy a lot of fruits and veggies frozen. They are usually considerably cheaper, especially when you consider waste/spoilage. If you are a milk drinker, buy whole milk instead of skim and cut your portion to 60% of what you would normally drink; you may even find that much more filling. Buy chicken breasts that aren't filleted and filet them yourself and/or buy thigh meat and just use 80% of what you would for white; again you may find it just as filling. Eat lots of chicken.
  • GOT_Obsessed
    GOT_Obsessed Posts: 817 Member
    It's a good idea to freeze seasonal items if you can. In August I picked strawberries on 3 occasions very cheaply and froze them all. Now I plop one or 2 onto a drink as "ice cubes" or make them into smoothies.

    Moral of the story: Be aware of what is in season and what is not.
  • nic_27_grassisgreener
    nic_27_grassisgreener Posts: 193 Member
    I personally almost never eat salads, because I think they are boring and not filling. Usually I just eat smaller portions of food that I really like. A box of pasta + can of tomato sauce is probably more than 99 cents, but it will last 4 or more meals, so it probably comes out to be less per meal. Rice and beans are also a staple for me, and cheap. Potatoes are on super sale this week because of thanksgiving coming up, so I'll probably have a baked potato for a few lunches. I just cook them all one night and boom, lunch for the week.

    If I *were* to make a salad, here's what I would do.
    Bunch of spinach: $1.00 (you do have to wash and cut this yourself)
    Tofu block: $2.00 (I'm vegetarian, but maybe something like frozen chicken breast on sale would have a similar price point?)
    Leftover cold veg, potatoes, grains from my fridge, dressing from my fridge.
    That's enough for 4 salads, and though not very interesting, would get the job done for not much more than 99 cents per meal.

    Best of luck, I totally understand the challenges on eating well on less money. Sometimes, if a 99 cent packaged meal is what works into your energy/time/financial/calorie budget, just role with it! And don't feel guilty.
  • celiah909
    celiah909 Posts: 141 Member
    edited November 2017
    Buy in bulk and meal prep. Plus I feel those .99 microwave meals don’t fill me up so that’s not helpful.
    Buy rice and beans in the larger bags, not canned or microwaveable. Also I buy frozen veggies. They last longer and are just as good.

    I also shop the sales. So if chicken is on sale that’s what I grab.

    Best of luck!
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    Nothing wrong with microwave meals.

    I like to make a big pot of soup or a grain salad on Sunday. Then I portion it out for lunches throughout the week.

    Frozen veggies, in season produce, canned beans, bulk grains, eggs, store brand yogurt, rolled oats, canned tuna are all inexpensive. If you make stuff like that the foundation of your diet, there's nothing wrong with adding in some cheap convenience food.
  • nickssweetheart
    nickssweetheart Posts: 874 Member
    You've gotten a lot of great advice already and I don't have much to add. I just want to highlight one thing as a person preparing meals for one (yes, I'm single, despite the screen name from 2011!)
    Plan meals to avoid waste. Store properly and eat up everything. Don't be picky, but don't base your intake on foods you don't like, either. Try new things occasionally.

    I really think the above is key for the newly single. Don't buy anything perishable without knowing how you're going to use it or having a plan for preserving it/using it up if you don't eat it as fast as you expect.

    For example, I will go ahead and buy more carrots if I get a good price even if I don't have a specific meal in mind because I can ALWAYS make soup. When grapes are cheap, I wash them all and then freeze some in 1 cup portions because frozen grapes are delicious and good "slow" eating. I never hesitate to buy onions because they last really well and I use them in everything. What I won't do is buy extra lettuce because 1) I don't have a way to easily use it up if it starts to get old and 2) the ways I like to eat lettuce involve higher calorie ingredients like oil or dressing.

    And others have mentioned lentils. They are SO good. If you haven't cooked with them before here are a few really cheap recipes:

    https://forksoverknives.com/recipes/budget-friendly-lentil-bolognese/#gs.rVl=Acs
    geniuskitchen.com/recipe/easy-lentil-stew-191459

    And a bonus recipe that's good for using up carrots and celery and onions if you have too many:

    geniuskitchen.com/recipe/uncle-bills-vegetarian-minestrone-soup-81419

  • Nikion901
    Nikion901 Posts: 2,467 Member
    I'm single also ... and I don't know what your food budget allows, but my average food cost is 180 per month over the last 11 months. I cook all my own meals except for the one-time a month allowance for a restaurant/fast-food/takeout/orderin meal. I eat a lot ... as I have only lost 20 pounds this year ... so I know I could cut it back some more.

    If what I spend is within your budget for food, send me a message and I will give you more details of how I use the food I buy. Otherwise, you have gotten some other very good responses here already.
  • Heather4448
    Heather4448 Posts: 908 Member
    Meal prep.
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
    edited November 2017
    nickssweetheart wrote: »
    You've gotten a lot of great advice already and I don't have much to add. I just want to highlight one thing as a person preparing meals for one (yes, I'm single, despite the screen name from 2011!)
    Plan meals to avoid waste. Store properly and eat up everything. Don't be picky, but don't base your intake on foods you don't like, either. Try new things occasionally.

    I really think the above is key for the newly single. Don't buy anything perishable without knowing how you're going to use it or having a plan for preserving it/using it up if you don't eat it as fast as you expect.

    For example, I will go ahead and buy more carrots if I get a good price even if I don't have a specific meal in mind because I can ALWAYS make soup. When grapes are cheap, I wash them all and then freeze some in 1 cup portions because frozen grapes are delicious and good "slow" eating. I never hesitate to buy onions because they last really well and I use them in everything. What I won't do is buy extra lettuce because 1) I don't have a way to easily use it up if it starts to get old and 2) the ways I like to eat lettuce involve higher calorie ingredients like oil or dressing.

    And others have mentioned lentils. They are SO good. If you haven't cooked with them before here are a few really cheap recipes:

    https://forksoverknives.com/recipes/budget-friendly-lentil-bolognese/#gs.rVl=Acs
    geniuskitchen.com/recipe/easy-lentil-stew-191459

    And a bonus recipe that's good for using up carrots and celery and onions if you have too many:

    geniuskitchen.com/recipe/uncle-bills-vegetarian-minestrone-soup-81419
    So true about perishables. I have chickens and guinea pigs so they can pretty much eat anything I don’t, but I also freeze a lot. I portion out meals into single servings and label and date with the month and year and throw them into my freezer. Also, if I open a jar of something that won’t last until I use it all, I portion it out and freeze too.

    Every so often I take a shopping break for a couple weeks and only get something if I really need it- like milk or produce- and live out of my cabinets and freezer. Sometimes it’s because I have too much, other times it’s financial necessity like this month when my plumbing needed work and my car battery needed work and was broken into last month. Catch up time.


    Edit- I enter the recipe in the recipe builder and I don’t delete it until I’m sure I’ve eaten it all out of the fridge or freezer.
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
    Oh, an often maligned budget food is sardines. Low calorie, high protein, high calcium. A can of the ones canned in tomato sauce mashed up and put on pasta and topped with a little cheese is a quick and cheap meal.
  • pisces1983
    pisces1983 Posts: 10 Member
    I find shopping for fresh fruit and veggies makes my grocery bill much less than it use to be. I use to spend $300 a week eating out. Now I don’t buy anything but fresh fruit, veggies and fish. The fish can be expensive but being over weight is something I would pay lots of money to change so I just use that money to be healthy instead. Now I spend $90 a week on groceries. I cut out all things that aren’t strictly meals or within my allotted points for a snack. A lot of my friends and family pay for expensive diet plans or to belong to expensive gyms. I decided if I wanted this badly enough I wasn’t going to use time or money as an excuse. I run outside 5 times a week for free and keep my kitchen stocked with fruit and veggies to snack on.
  • maura_tasi
    maura_tasi Posts: 196 Member
    I agree with meal prepping. Yes, a salad may seem more than those 99 cent meals, however, the ingredients for a salad will last longer. Those 99 cent meals add up! When I grocery shop I look at all of the ads at the stores in my area and find the products I need that are the cheapest. My grocery trips last a little longer because I go to several stores to save money but it's worth it. Do you have an Aldi near you? If so definitely do a lot of shopping there. Ive only had a few so-so experiences with the produce and overall I find it great. They have awesome prices on fresh produce and meats. The only thing I wouldn't recommend at Aldi is there frozen veggies, I haven't had the best experience with them and prefer t wait until the brand name ones or the big grocery store brand go on sale at my grocery store. Before you go out for your shopping trip decided exactly what you will need for the week so you aren't over buying. I'm a big fan of stirfrys for meal preps. I use whatever veggies were on sale that week and stir fry them in a skillet and put over brown rice and that'll either be my lunch or dinner for 4-5 days. Meat is expensive, but stock up when it goes on sale because it freezes well! Also, there's nothing wrong with frozen veggies. Those steam bags often go on sale for $1 and are great for meals and meal preps and for bulking up meals. It does seem like those inexpensive freezer meals are cheaper than fresh produce, but the cost of them do add up and they are far less satisfying since ththan servings are usually small. It takes some getting used to but I think you will find if you look at all of the ads and shop the sales you'll be spending less than you think on the fresh stuff!
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    www.budgetbytes.com

    - Stock up on freezable/non-perishable foods when on sale
    - Lots of beans, rice, eggs, veggies, fruit are cheap
    - Meal-prepping can reduce food waste (make a large batch and freeze half)
    - Avoid restaurants/fast food in favour of cooking at home
    - Buy only small amounts of fresh food to reduce food waste (fresh produce and meats can go bad quickly)
  • megbrewerr
    megbrewerr Posts: 25 Member
    When I'm cooking on a budget I get whatever type of lean meat is on sale (ground beef or turkey, chicken breast or thighs), with a plethora of frozen vegetables to save $, then sometimes some rice. Add hot sauce, greek yogurt, seasoning and/or salsa to give it some flavor. Very simple to count, can get a little boring
  • perriwinklejones
    perriwinklejones Posts: 11 Member
    edited November 2017
    Three words.

    Beans, rice and curry xx (eta: okay, 4 words.)
  • jb050794
    jb050794 Posts: 43 Member
    If you shop late at night, look for the "Manager specials" on meat. Very cheap meat, but cook and eat it soon!
  • Sunshine_And_Sand
    Sunshine_And_Sand Posts: 1,320 Member
    I always felt like chili is a good budget go too. It can be made using mostly inexpensive canned ingredients and makes several servings so that u can bring leftovers for the next day and freeze some for later if you don't want to eat it for several meals in a roll. Also, if you want to add meat to it, the less expensive cuts of beef tend to work better for chili anyway.
  • wendhall
    wendhall Posts: 37 Member
    I like to shop at Aldi also for the best prices, I have had good experience with most products there. They now carry more healthy options an organic items for less. Save A Lot is another store like this. Look around in your area for other discount stores too, we have a discount store called P&R that has many discounted items and lower prices on produce and meat. I do check expiration dates, some items can be expired but if I take the time to look I can find great deals. The last time I was in they had rotisserie chickens for $3.49 that were freshly made that day. The dollar tree, dollar general or family dollar can have great deals too. Look around town and see what stores you might be missing.
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    I use alot of recipes from budgetbytes.com

    I also meal prep when I can, and Im 90% of the time a vegetarian so I dont spend money on meat at the store.
  • grinning_chick
    grinning_chick Posts: 765 Member
    edited November 2017
    cmtigger wrote: »
    Oh, an often maligned budget food is sardines. Low calorie, high protein, high calcium. A can of the ones canned in tomato sauce mashed up and put on pasta and topped with a little cheese is a quick and cheap meal.

    Gonna second sardines. Fear them not, like I did for years before finally screwing up the courage to try them. If you want to ease gently into them, start with boneless/skinless fillets in water or good olive oil. Smell like tuna, pretty much eat like tuna. Treating them just like a can of albacore tuna, minus the mercury, is a 101 way to introduce them - e.g., tuna salad, tuna casserole, tuna dip. :) Assuming, of course, you like and eat tuna.

    The only thing I learned is they do get a bit fishier in sandwich salad or cracker dip if you mix in and let sit in the fridge overnight because of a two portion batch. But then again tuna doesn't fare all that well, either, when you do such.

    There is a great sardine review & rating page to research/navigate which ones to buy and try: http://mouth-full-of-sardines.blogspot.com/p/sardine-list.html
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
    grinning_chick wrote: »
    cmtigger wrote: »
    Oh, an often maligned budget food is sardines. Low calorie, high protein, high calcium. A can of the ones canned in tomato sauce mashed up and put on pasta and topped with a little cheese is a quick and cheap meal.

    Gonna second sardines. Fear them not, like I did for years before finally screwing up the courage to try them. If you want to ease gently into them, start with boneless/skinless fillets in water or good olive oil. Smell like tuna, pretty much eat like tuna. Treating them just like a can of albacore tuna, minus the mercury, is a 101 way to introduce them - e.g., tuna salad, tuna casserole, tuna dip. :) Assuming, of course, you like and eat tuna.

    The only thing I learned is they do get a bit fishier in sandwich salad or cracker dip if you mix in and let sit in the fridge overnight because of a two portion batch. But then again tuna doesn't fare all that well, either, when you do such.

    There is a great sardine review & rating page to research/navigate which ones to buy and try: http://mouth-full-of-sardines.blogspot.com/p/sardine-list.html

    That is a good page.
    I discovered them when I needed to go low sodium/high calcium and Safeway offered me a coupon for a really good deal. I tried it and now they are in rotation. (Do check labels for sodium content.)
    I’ve eaten them like tuna salad too.
  • Sp1tfire
    Sp1tfire Posts: 1,120 Member
    edited November 2017
    Egg roll in a bowl recipe! http://tiphero.com/egg-roll-in-a-bowl/ It was shared with me and it is a budget god send.
    cauliflower = 3$ for a huge head that'll last multiple uses ( I riced it for this recipe!)
    Ground pork = $2.50 where I live for a lb
    coleslaw mix veg= $2.50
    sesame oil = $3.00 (once you buy it you won't have to for a long time!)
    tiny knob of ginger = 60 cents
    tiny garlic bulb = 60 cents

    Big servings in it too if you sub cauliflower rice in for regular. Makes a lot!
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    I haven't read all the responses, but it looks like you got some great suggestions so far. I have chosen to place myself on a strict budget until the end of next year. With that, I have been shopping sales, checking out flyers and meal planning based on what's cheap at the moment.

    I was able to get 30lbs of vegetables for less than $15. Look for what's in season. Right now (in my location) squash are on sale. I haven't been a fan of squash due to inexperience with them, so I'm doing some learning on prep. I have learned to roast the seeds, and those are amazing for snacks.

    Someone here suggested the app, Flip, which has all the local flyers and you can use it to create a shopping list. That's been very helpful too. Get creative: I made breakfast sandwiches, English muffin with cheese, egg, and ham for less than 50 cents each.
  • maybe1pe
    maybe1pe Posts: 529 Member
    Right now my SO and I have placed ourselves on a stricter food budget for the time being (paying for an upcoming trip) and we have started cooking 2 or 3 things every Sunday. We then portion them out for each of us to take to work throughout the week and have dinner ready when we come home. We eat those things until they are gone and then we make something different. We don't throw out leftovers we make sure we eat or freeze them.

    Buying frozen or canned fruit or vegetables.

    We like beans so I bought dry beans 2lbs for $2 and I made them in the crockpot. We now have days and days of beans to eat for the price of a couple of cans. Also we buy rice in bulk and make rice to go with meals. (SO is gluten free so we alternate our starches each week between rice, beans, sweet potatoes, or potato depending on what I can find super cheap)

    I buy chicken thighs bone-in, skin on and skin them myself. (side note bake chicken skin with salt and pepper for an hour and it's like bacon) in my area thighs like this are less than $1 a lb and boneless, skinless chicken breast is $2+ a lb.

    It is hard sometimes and some weeks are really boring food wise. But for us right now saving the money is worth it. I've been feeding us both on less than $200 a month. It's possible.

    Basically; batch cook, freeze if you have to, don't let anything spoil.
  • sarasmiles124
    sarasmiles124 Posts: 138 Member
    For cheap meals I usually do more vegetarian meals. I have meat and seafood maybe two to three times a week. I have a lot of lentils, soups and salads.
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