Tips: eating right on $7-$10/day?

cedric_says
cedric_says Posts: 26 Member
edited November 27 in Getting Started
I'm trying to eat healthy on a small budget.

Running a small business has left me little time to shop and cook on a regular basis so I end up eating out a lot.

Meal prepping sounds great but after a few days of eating the same cold left overs gets old.

Please share your tips on eating right on a budget of $10/day or less below!
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Replies

  • deirdremarianneryan
    deirdremarianneryan Posts: 8 Member
    I would really, really suggest cooking lentils and adding meat or vegetables as needed. They are cheap, easy, tasty and healthy.
  • RaeBeeBaby
    RaeBeeBaby Posts: 4,246 Member
    Check if there is a discount grocery in your area. I can spend under $30 for tons of fresh veggies, beans, bread, yogurt, etc. I also shop the meat sales at the bigger grocery stores. I feed myself and my husband for under $50 a week so you should be able to stay within your budget if you do a little planning. It's going to be hard to eat out on $7-$10 a day so you may need to fit some meal prep into your schedule somewhere.

    The rotisserie chicken is a grand idea. As a single person you could eat on that for many days and put any leftovers in the freezer. Other quick things are bagged salads and canned beans or fruit. Cottage cheese and pineapple is a good quick breakfast for low cals and not very pricey. Tortillas are good for making tacos or quesadillas (with the chicken, veg and beans). You can do that in the microwave in less than a minute.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    Meal prepping doesn't mean eating cold food... You can prep meals that require reheating. Obviously some foods are a bit gross reheated (dry double cooked chicken! Urgh) but if you're smart about your selections you can have a decent tasting meal.
  • cedric_says
    cedric_says Posts: 26 Member
    Wow!! Thank you for all the feedback! I appreciate you all taking the time to share. I will definitely consider the resources you all have recommended.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    biggest advice - shop around, get shopper discount cards for all available grocery stores (I personally i have/use giant, safeway, food lion and shoppers - those discounts add up - i think my giant is over $150 to date this year and you can earn points towards discounts on gas at the same time).

    plan your meals around the proteins on sale for the week - i normally make 4 servings of each meal - 2 for dinner and 2 for lunch
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member

    Freeze what's left when you get sick of something...will last ages in freezer, and may be in the mood for it again in a batch or 2 of something else.

    ditto above on the rotisserie chickens - it's a loss leader item in quite a few chains - cheaper than a raw chicken, and ~ALL of the meat can generally be easily pulled cleanly off the bone with pretty much no waste. You can get a lot of 2-3 oz servings off of 1 of those.

    If sauteeing chicken (bought raw) to reheat for later, don't overcook.

    Soup is cheap. If you are in the north, then the local yearly available cheap produce is generally the traditional soup vegetables (carrots, celery, turnips, potatoes, onions, ...). Dried beans work well for soup and are cheap. Canned beans are also pretty cheap.

    Starch is cheap to fill in calories once protein & fat needs are met. (rice, potatoes, pasta, bread,...).

    Eggs are cheap.

    More expensive, but not by too much (not a problem on $7-10/day), and are good lean protein sources: lowfat yogurt and cottage cheese.

    Stuff can be bought in varying degrees of work required from the supermarket (with pretty much all of them being cheaper than take away). Bagged pre-washed salads, for instance. And lunch meat and hot dogs, can be found in varying quantities of fat, salt - some of which aren't bad. (Price rite has some cheap generic turkey franks that I often chop and add to rice & beans or soup; and if I didn't have to limit the wheat, a hot dog would not be a problem).
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    buy on sale only. check out ibotta or other similar money saving apps. use coupons
    soup. easy to make and reheat
    salad. lots of variety
    tuna packets
    in season fruits.
    dry beans or lentils save money.
    i buy plain yogurt and use it for cooking, dips, parfaits.
    budget bytes is a great site.
    mostly, i spend about 25 dollars a week. prep and store. i put some in the freezer so i can pull out something if i get sick of what i prepped
    consider making your own bread/tortillas
    and next growing season, try to plant your own fruit and veggies.
  • gia_incognito
    gia_incognito Posts: 103 Member
    Buy from the bulk area. Bulk pasta/rice/lentils. Get some broccoli and other leafy veggies. Meat will be your most expensive item.

    Target has good deals on food sometimes. I found some yummy yogurt for a dollar a pop.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,985 Member
    Is food so expensive in the US? If I were to convert that to GBP I could not eat all of it. I spend about $130 per month on all groceries, including lots of unessential things, like expensive teas, artisan bread, and candy.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    Is food so expensive in the US? If I were to convert that to GBP I could not eat all of it. I spend about $130 per month on all groceries, including lots of unessential things, like expensive teas, artisan bread, and candy.

    No, I feel like this is a really reasonable amount in most parts of the US for someone who is preparing their own meals. However, if one if buying a lot of takeout (like OP), it will be a lot less than what they're currently spending.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    $7 to $10 a day won't go far if you eat out. I do breakfast at home and when I wasn't doing keto Oatmeal is so cheap if you cook it (not instant). I have a business and pack lunch daily. I do this because it's cheap and I can eat at my desk in five minutes with no travel outside. A cooler with an ice pack keeps it for me. I save at least $50.00 a week over some of my employees. Drinks, I have a hydroflask I fill with ice & water daily. You get used to it and it's free. Probably the cheapest is a sam's or costco rotisserie chicken (they are the biggest) get it on sunday and eat it for dinner and cut up the rest for sandwiches or salad protein.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    yirara wrote: »
    Is food so expensive in the US? If I were to convert that to GBP I could not eat all of it. I spend about $130 per month on all groceries, including lots of unessential things, like expensive teas, artisan bread, and candy.

    No, I feel like this is a really reasonable amount in most parts of the US for someone who is preparing their own meals. However, if one if buying a lot of takeout (like OP), it will be a lot less than what they're currently spending.

    yep. pretty much this in the western NY area too - shouldn't be a problem unless buying takeaway/restaurant food or impulse buying lots of snacks/gourmet items.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    in a pinch (as in 0 food prep time): greek yogurt single + Clif bar amounts to decent macros while using less time and money than takeout.
  • cedric_says
    cedric_says Posts: 26 Member
    My average day is looking like a breakfast burrito from Del Taco in the morning for around $5. Then in the afternoon or evening I'll stop at el pollo loco for a double chicken bowl ($6-$9) and or I'll stop at the super market for .5 to 1 lb of steak or chicken to cook ($5-$7). My average day is probably around $15 per day.

    My main concern with re-heating leftovers is I don't like to use the microwave. Whether you believe using the microwave is okay or not doesn't mean much to me. I'd rather be safe and wait a few extra minutes to cook on the stove then increase my chances of complications later in life.. however, getting a hot meal in the middle of the day without is extremely difficult unless you can use a hot plate at work.

    After considering a few of your recommendations, I suppose I could make make a few breakfast burritos myself at home all at once and wrap them in foil. (easy to re-heat without the microwave) In the afternoon, I could probably eat a salad but I don't like them much. Drink a protein shake in the afternoon and cook when I get home from work or re-heat a chicken bowl when I get home.

  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    edited July 2018
    cedric_says wrote: »
    My average day is looking like a breakfast burrito from Del Taco in the morning for around $5. Then in the afternoon or evening I'll stop at el pollo loco for a double chicken bowl ($6-$9) and or I'll stop at the super market for .5 to 1 lb of steak or chicken to cook ($5-$7). My average day is probably around $15 per day.

    My main concern with re-heating leftovers is I don't like to use the microwave. Whether you believe using the microwave is okay or not doesn't mean much to me. I'd rather be safe and wait a few extra minutes to cook on the stove then increase my chances of complications later in life.. however, getting a hot meal in the middle of the day without is extremely difficult unless you can use a hot plate at work.

    After considering a few of your recommendations, I suppose I could make make a few breakfast burritos myself at home all at once and wrap them in foil. (easy to re-heat without the microwave) In the afternoon, I could probably eat a salad but I don't like them much. Drink a protein shake in the afternoon and cook when I get home from work or re-heat a chicken bowl when I get home.

    There's a good chance the fast food chains are microwaving your breakfast burrito and the chicken in the salad bowl anyway (especially items where they mix cheese in with the minced meat, they often microwave for at least a few seconds to melt the cheese into the other ingredients).
  • cedric_says
    cedric_says Posts: 26 Member
    Thanks @ritzvin ! Yes, I understand that. However, being in the same room with the microwave while it is running is more of a concern to me. Escaping the use of a microwave completely is the goal but I understand is extremely difficult nowadays.

    Does anyone think it is actually possible to live a truly healthy life without compensating or compromising?
  • cedric_says
    cedric_says Posts: 26 Member
    What I mean by that is, is it possible to have quality, affordable, and convenience without compromising or compensating?
  • PloddingTurtle
    PloddingTurtle Posts: 284 Member
    Another couple of resources for you given your stated preferences

    Reheating foods without a microwave (there's a video on using an Instant Pot to reheat foods)
    Warm lunch without a microwave

    I don't personally have an issue with using a microwave, other than how the microwave ruins some foods, but I know many people do have concerns. Not going to judge or argue on that. Can you use an Instant Pot at work? They are available in a variety of sizes. It's a tidy appliance that doesn't take up much more room than a microwave. You can plug it in, add a bit of water, and steam your foods under pressure to reheat quickly. There are numerous accessories to facilitate a variety of foods in the reheating process. I have done some limited experiments and found it quite efficient for making/reheating single meals in a couple of minutes.
  • mountainmare
    mountainmare Posts: 294 Member
    Yes if you are committed to growing some of your own food and/or preparing your own food sourced locally and eating seasonally. You already compromise with grab and go for the sake of convenience. I'm not judging, but to say you want to escape the microwave but not cooking at home is odd to me. There are so many options for good fresh healthy food out there that don't need a microwave or a fast food takeaway
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,985 Member
    cedric_says wrote: »
    What I mean by that is, is it possible to have quality, affordable, and convenience without compromising or compensating?

    I can cook a very nourishing soup in 30 minutes, or a simply curry, or pasta, or other dishes. Then divide them into several servings and just warm them up again. if you don't like microwave then you could also use a pot. Takes 10 minutes max. In those 10 minutes you might also use a small rice cooker to make a portion of rice to go with curry, chili con carne or whatever you cooked. Thus that's 30 minutes cooking on one day,10 minutes on the following ones.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    I do this now and very consistent - eat oatmeal or 2 eggs for breakfast. Coffee from a french press or free at work. Lunch is typically a salad and dinner is some manner of meat and vege and baked potatoes. Save a lot of money by buying whole fryers over chicken breast and we also buy our beef by the 1/2 or 1/4.

    Soup extends the budget a lot as do most stocks. Also makes for creative use of spices and bringing new life to leftovers.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    cedric_says wrote: »
    My average day is looking like a breakfast burrito from Del Taco in the morning for around $5. Then in the afternoon or evening I'll stop at el pollo loco for a double chicken bowl ($6-$9) and or I'll stop at the super market for .5 to 1 lb of steak or chicken to cook ($5-$7). My average day is probably around $15 per day.

    My main concern with re-heating leftovers is I don't like to use the microwave. Whether you believe using the microwave is okay or not doesn't mean much to me. I'd rather be safe and wait a few extra minutes to cook on the stove then increase my chances of complications later in life.. however, getting a hot meal in the middle of the day without is extremely difficult unless you can use a hot plate at work.

    After considering a few of your recommendations, I suppose I could make make a few breakfast burritos myself at home all at once and wrap them in foil. (easy to re-heat without the microwave) In the afternoon, I could probably eat a salad but I don't like them much. Drink a protein shake in the afternoon and cook when I get home from work or re-heat a chicken bowl when I get home.

    If you refrigerate your chicken or meat promptly after cooking in initially, you could just eat it cold rather than reheat it. There are noodles and grains (precooked, dehydrated) that you can heat with hot water from the coffee maker or water dispenser, if you have that available. Dump the cold chicken or meat and maybe veggies (prepped and packed from home) on top of the cooked noodles or grains. No microwave. Still sort of hot.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    you could buy a thermos pot - heat your lunch in the morning, take it in the thermos and it should still be at least warm by lunchtime.
  • PloddingTurtle
    PloddingTurtle Posts: 284 Member
    I know a tow truck driver who spends most of the day on the road and who prefers a hot lunch. He used to be a junkfood/fastfood addict. Now he wraps his healthy lunch up in a foil packet and places it on the manifold of his engine while driving to heat it up. Inspired people gonna do creative things to meet their goals.

    I have some hot and cold options I like for both breakfast and lunch. I know I have to prep in advance and have my breakfasts and lunches made and individually packaged in the refrigerator on Sunday night if I want to stay on plan for the upcoming week, so that's what I do.
  • cynthialperkins
    cynthialperkins Posts: 15 Member
    I think that you can have quality and affordable together easily, but it won't be as convenient as less healthy or affordable takeout. I think anything worth doing is going to require some effort, and that may mean having to compromise something else.
    Lasagna's a great convenience food. I mix a lot of spinach and some bean flour (garbanzo or mung) into the ricotta/cottage cheese/plain yogurt mix, sometimes some cooked carrots. I'll cook two or three pans of it, refrigerate, cut it into meal portions and freeze. I can eat lasagna for several days before I get sick of it; then I take a break and come back later.
    For quick evening meals, buy a pork loin and some boneless chicken breast, slice thinly and freeze spread out on a cookie sheet. Once the fillets are frozen, you can pop them off and bag them in the freezer. They cook in a skillet faster than KFC can assemble a bowl!
    For microwave-free lunches, it would be good to have something like tuna salad/chicken salad/peanut butter and jelly...
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