$25 weekly food budget

KailaLaFlor · January 2018

I eat separately from my family, so I buy what I need for about that.

Biggest thing for me is buying huge bags of frozen vegetables (love broccoli and onion/pepper mix) and roasting up a sheet pan or two full in the oven.

-Add some teriyaki to that and serve with rice.
-Add it to pasta with a little cream cheese.
-Add it in an omlette.
-Use it as a side dish to some protein.
-Eat it with roasted potatoes.

That's basically my lunch/dinner everyday. Just add in some protein.

Oatmeal for breakfast with raisins and nuts.

thaithyme · January 2018

1. Shop farmer's markets/local if you can. Often times you can get good discounts.
2. Look for an Asian market. Produce is super cheap.
3. Dried legumes, rice, lentils, etc. Macros per dollar are amazing.
4. Shop sales at any of your stores. I mostly shop King Soopers with my member card, which also saves me a good bit. For instance, chicken thighs are on sale for $1/pound at my KS this week with my card.
5. Meal plan but be willing to adjust. If I wrote a meal plan with asparagus but brussels sprouts are on sale, I get the sale stuff.
6. Prepare as much as you can. Prepared foods are more expensive and not as good for you (in most cases).
7. Optimize dollars versus macros. Things like celery, iceberg lettuce, etc are not worth buying in the sense that you gain no real nutritional value for the money you're spending.

judywalsh97 · January 2018

Definitely dried beans & rice. Like the people who said bread, if you look up a 'mug loaf' by James morton its such an easy bread recipe and it'd be much lower in calories than premade bread cause theres no fat.
Lean meat is tricky, tinned fish is great, chicken thighs are so cheap but fatty. 'Stir fry' packs made from off cuts are generally great value.
Seasonal fruit/veg is generally cheaper than exotic out of season stuff (bye bye berries & avocado)
Try plan meals around the weekly specials where you shop.

cmriverside · January 2018

kimny72 wrote: »

Muscleflex79 wrote: »

xmarye wrote: »

It can be enough money to feed an adult, depending on where you live. In Canada, the average is $200 per person per month. In the US, it seems to be $100 per month. Check out Freedom in a Budget. She posts budgeting videos and financial tips, but is also sharing her weight loss on a budget. She spends $25 per week (she lives in Florida, US) and does the weight watchers points too (you will notice that in her latest videos she spends closer to $50 per week, but that's because she just moved in with her husband and now shops for two). She shares delicious recipes too! I don't do the WW points, but I enjoy watching her videos still.

Here's a link to her weight loss playlist: https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLpgLsNKlKGi76qFqsZpf2VGl3MYrGqxQV

How to spend $100 a month on groceries videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEXqDrCw23Q and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMe5XShpWYk&t=907s

Good luck! ox

where did you get these numbers? while it is possible someone could eat for this amount (200/month in Canada, 100/month in the USA), I can't imagine these being averages?!

I agree, they sound more like "with a little effort, technically it's possible to feed one person with this amount". I can eat for $25 a week if I'm careful and plan well, but no way is that the US average.

Agree. I live in Seattle. Not exactly a cheap place to live. For instance, eggs are $1.80 for a dozen...milk can be had for $2.39 a gallon, but you have to shop around for it and go to the stores using staples as loss leaders. I am pretty careful because I'm doing this, "How low can I go?" experiment - and I buy any treats and spices and condiments at the Dollar store or from the bulk area at my Kroger. I buy store-ground/grind-it-yourself peanut butter which is a great deal. $1.65 or so for a pound of organic as opposed to what, $4.50 for Adams? I use coupons. Kroger is great for savings if you pay attention - but it's work and I can't just go in and buy name brand items, I buy all store brand when possible.

I always want to say to the lady next to me, "But if you buy this store brand paper towels you get twice as much for the same price," or "This butter/milk/sausage is $1.75 less for the same thing."

I manage to keep my mouth shut, but the struggle is real!!

youngmomtaz · January 2018

It depends on where you live. I know some prices posted in US cities are crazy crazy low to me. I live in rural Manitoba.

Anyway, I would pick one big item a week to “stock” your pantry with: a large bag of oatmeal, a large bag of potatoes, a large bag of rice, canned goods, dry goods, etc. Then you will have to really plan the rest of your week, make a meal plan, but individual fresh fruits and veg, buy on sale, look for coupons, frozen veggies, frozen fruit, things you can split and freeze or just ration through a week or two. When we were broke newly weds I bought powdered milk. Not because we love it to drink but then we could add it to recipes and things like oatmeal and it kept forever without us having to keep an eye on the date on a large jug of milk. We bought our meat in large pkg and froze it in small serving sizes.

That is very little to feed yourself with, if you can, see if there is a community food pantry or something similar in your area.

AlabasterVerve · January 2018

Food (and cooking experience) is highly individual so this might not apply but I could live pretty happily on $25 a week if I had to until my situation improved. Meat, eggs, beans and vegetables are all healthful and affordable where I live.

I'd buy 7lbs or spend up to $20 on meat (my preference would be for ground beef), get a dozen eggs, a bag of beans and spend the last little bit on cheap, versatile vegetables - cabbage, onions, canned tomatoes, a bag of frozen vegetables etc. If I didn't already have a full pantry and was starting from scratch I'd spend $10 on meat that first week (or two if need be) and buy more beans. I'd use the savings to get whatever pantry items I needed like salt, pepper, coffee, tea, vinegar etc.

jb050794 · January 2018

I think this is doable. This month, I've spent about $80 dollars on groceries. I've been trying to eat out less. My grocery trip 2 weeks ago, I spent about 55 bucks and will have enough food for the rest of Jan. I bought eggs, bread, tortillas, greek yogurt, some fruits and veggies, turkey, tuna, almond milk. For feb, I am going to try and eat out even less.

amtyrell · January 2018

Check out krazy coupon lady website. They tell you how to combine coupons for free or nearly free items in your area. In the last week I have gotten free del monte fruit cups, Hershey bars, cheese, fig bars, special k, muscle milk bars, pine cleaners, razors, makeup, laundry soap. I use these major discounts to expand my budget and pantry. I stock up when free or really cheap and use to have a good pantry full of stuff to cook from

aeloine · January 2018

Went to Sam's this last weekend, bought 6 bags of pasta for $6. Each bag has 8 servings. That's 48 servings for $6. I've been cooking a serving with 1/2 cup of sauce, some frozen veg and an egg or two for the last couple of days. Comes to Just about 500 calories per meal, probably at about a $1 a meal, and hits a lot of nutritional criteria.

https://www.samsclub.com/sams/mm-import-fusilli-6-pk-1-lb/prod21223553.ip

You can shop online without a membership (there's a small fee) or tag along with a friend that has a membership.

$25 weekly food budget

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