$75-$100 Budget for 2 weeks of meals! D:

Im going to BUMP because I'm curious as well! As we will be sticking to a very tight budget come the first of the year as well.

Well, $100 doesn't seem like much for 2 weeks! That is $50 each, giving you each only $3.57 per day. I know my husband and I couldn't do that. If you each had $100 for 2 weeks, that would be more realistic, giving you $7.14 each. But, either way, I would think soup is the way to go! You can make a pot of veggie soup using canned veggies and eat on that for a few days, maybe even with you sharing the $100. Good luck!

Eggs are cheap. And you can make a lot of different breakfast varieties with eggs.

Bean and rice burritos are cheap and pretty filling, if you must have meat in it, you can look for steak or chicken on sale and cut it up in strips.

Hamburger isn't too expensive for the amount of calories in it, of course it's not as healthy as it could be, but if you need red meat in your diet, that's one way to get it without breaking your wallet.

Must have spices for me are chili powder, curry powder, garlic (the jars with the juice in it), and onions (just buy two or three every week and chop them up). You can save by buying garlic and chopping it yourself, too, but I find a jar of garlic is worth it as it keeps in the fridge and lasts a long time.

*Edit* Cans of chipotle peppers can be handy if you want to spice up the bean and rice burritos.

my brother and I spend less than $75 for two weeks of groceries and do just fine.
We shop at Aldi and that really helps keep the cost down.

breakfast is usually otameal, eggs or cream of wheat for me and he usually eats cereal or eggs

lunch is usually a tuna wrap, or sandwich or left overs.

dinner varries but is usually meat with a side of veggies, or i make chicken alfredo or some other kind of dish.

snacks are string cheese, yogurt, fruit, cereal bars, etc.

You're probably looking for something more specific and maybe our meal plans are a little bland but it's works well for us


our shopping list always always looks like this

coffee
creamer
eggs
milk
flour tortillas
whole wheat bread
cheese slices
lunch meat
string cheese
yogurt
chicken breasts
pork chops
ground beef(90/10)
california blend veggies
pinapple
kiwi
baby carrots
cereal
cereal bars

Like a prev post I shop at Aldi's which I can save a lot esp on can goods. I use coupon whenever possible at other stores. I agree with others soup is very cost affordable and goes a long way. Also dried beans- after tired of them by themselves add to soup.

Oh and stretch things into multiple meals. For instance I roasted a chicken on Monday for dinner. Had enough left for Tacos Wednesday and Chicken soup tonight. ALWAYS use your leftovers.

Breakfast = Oatmeal and eggs and apple (split between the two). Super economical

- The idea on roasting the whole chicken is great. Remember to completely pick it and save the carcass for stock
- dried black beans yummy protein and delish
- Frozen Broccoli is super economical and tasty roasted in oven
- Hamburger Steak (the 90/10) 1 lb = 4 servings add broccoli above and You can have two meals for two people for 5 bucks depending on meat prices in your region.
- Whole wheat pasta with canned tomatoes (del monte makes a organic and petite diced tomato which is really good) Price meal for two under 3 dollars.
It's cheaper to make your own bread but super time consuming
Making your own tortillas is so time consuming that it is not worth it LOL.

Soups are a great filler. Broth (see bird above) plus veg (filler up with cabbage which is super inexpensive) add white northern beans (dried) and other veg various spices and you eat like a king

it can def. be done. if i can do 1 person and a cat on $15-$20 for 1 sometimes 2 weeks. this can certainly be done.
1st. look at the flyers for your area and see what meat/produce is on sale (meat on the first page is a loss leader meaning it's about as low as you will see it). if you have coupons even better. alot of store loyalty cards have coupons right on their site you can add to your card making it even easier and no need to buy the paper.
2nd. find meals that use those items. adjust the amounts for the two of you and see what you need.also if it's something you won't likely eat, don't buy it even if it's a good deal and you think you might, most times these are things that get wasted in my opinion.
3rd. see what you already have in the cupboards and freezer
4th. plan a menu for the week or 2 weeks with all of that.
5th. make a grocery list of exactly what you need and don't already have from your menu plan and stick to that only. impulse buys are what blows the budget for me.

mine is usually something like
1/2 gallon milk
1 8oz block of cheese (if budget allows that week)
2 bags of lettuce or spinach (usually runs about $5 for both)
1 bag of carrots or 1 tray mushrooms (both is they're onsale for 1.50 each or less)
1 green pepper
1 onion
1 pasta or rice (i buy a few when they're $1 each or less)
a bit of whatever veggies are cheap (like this week i got brussells sprouts and green beans)
1 cup of yogurt ( my new menu plan has me only eating it 1x per week now for variety otherwise i'd buy the tub for $2)
whatever frfuit is on sale (this week i got mandarin oranges which will last a couple weeks
you could add bread (i make my own)

when things are onsale i will usually grab a couple of them to keep on hand.

i have a full menu plan that i just made for myself so that I use up everything i have before I move without it getting boring or eating hte same thing week after week. I have 7 different breakfasts for the week and then i also have cereal as an alternative if i don't have something or don't feel like it.
for dinners i have 7 categories that i have 2-5 different recipes in each day that I can pick from. they all use roughly the same ingredients but it changes it up enough so where i'm not bored of it either. i also include a side salad and a veggie at each dinner too on top of the veggies in the main dish.
lunches, i have different options for there too and have 1 day as salad and 1 day as leftovers the rest are all different. like i said with dinner 1 day i have soup down but that includes many different types of soups and chilies that i can make for abut $3 for 10 meals worth.
snacks. i do buy some premade things when i can get them cheap enough, but for the most part make them myself. i made unsalted soft pretzles that i keep in the freezer (40 cals), or will make muffins, or cookies, all kinds of things and just alter then to make them healthier where I can.

My girlfriend and I spend about $100 - 150 when we go to the grocery store, which is often once every two weeks. However, we usually already have meat and vegetables stocked in the freezer. We buy soda and candy and other unnecessary things, so cutting those out I think it would definitely be possible to do two weeks on $100 if you're careful.

Here are a few tips that have been helping us save money, though our budget isn't actually as tight as your planned budget. -

-Buy store brand products whenever possible. Especially pasta, cereal, bread, and those type of things. They are really just as good as name brand, and much cheaper. Eat a LOT of pasta and rice.

-Buy dry instant milk instead of fresh, especially if you're not the type to be able to drink a full gallon before it goes bad.

-Go for the cheapest frozen vegetables and only get fresh when they're on sale or cheap and in season.

-Eat meat for maybe one meal a day, and have a small portion of it. Meat tends to be one of the most expensive things you can buy. Eggs are a great, cheaper source of protein. Canned tuna is also a good value especially if you get it on sale.

-Buy a LOT of Ramen. It's full of sodium, but if you and your hubby split a package it's not bad on calories. I highly recommend eating it as soup (I know some people will drain the broth off) because it's more filling that way. Also try adding some peas.

- Consider buying a cheap rice cooker. It makes it a lot easier to make rice especially if you're having it all the time. If you can afford it, also consider buying Japanese style rice (we buy Botan Calrose rice). It's a lot tastier than that long grain dry textured stuff that most people eat..
Here's a rice cooker for $14 http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-RC3303-3-Cup-Cooker/dp/B002CVTT52/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1322859305&sr=1-2
You can google a lot of good recipes that can be cooked in a rice cooker too.

- If something is on sale, and you know you will eat it... BUY IT. Buy as much as you can afford to and freeze it if it's perishable. Buy the meat that's almost expired (in our store there is a small section of it and it's all marked down by a lot), then freeze it as soon as you get home.

- Forget the traditional view of what a 'meal' is supposed to be. Try to keep things balanced, but don't be afraid to try strange things. Use EVERYTHING you buy. Don't let stuff expire. Mix odd combinations if you have to in order to make everything count. Even if you make a meal out of popcorn and a piece of cheese or something. Take inspiration from weird food from other cultures. (For example, I bought broccoli slaw mix on sale and had some left, so I mixed it with one egg, 'complete' pancake mix, and fried up a very inauthentic 'okonomiyaki' pancake (with a sauce made of ketchup, Worcestershire, soy, and sugar). I also steamed the slaw mix and mixed it with ramen and added a thai peanut sauce made of peanut butter, vinegar, soy, and sriracha. Sounds weird but both dishes were good. )

- We're too lazy for this, but you can save a lot of money if you learn how to do couponing and combine coupons with items that are also on sale.

And finally... Don't be ashamed to apply for food stamps if you think you need them. They exist for a reason. Even if you only qualify for a little bit, it will help.

Sorry for the giant wall of text, hopefully a few of these tips are helpful


Edit: I saw you have two boxes of white rice!
Rice is very good plain with just some soy or sriracha on top. Usually as my side dish with rice I will have either a japanese rolled sweet omelet (you can google recipes, it's really easy to make) or tuna salad.
Cucumber salad also pairs really well with rice. It's just thinly sliced cucumber with some sweetened rice vinegar or white vinegar as dressing.
You can also make 'mexican' rice by adding some heated up salsa to your rice once it's cooked. That goes really well with canned refried beans, and a fried egg with salsa and cheese melted on top. YUM!

If you're lazy like me, cook a whole bunch of rice up at once and then while it's still hot put it in ziploc baggies in individual portions and freeze it. If you store it in the fridge it dries out, but when it's frozen you can microwave it and it heats up and tastes just like fresh!

Buy a turkey or two left from Thanksgiving and toss them in the freezer. A turkey roasted on Sunday can feed you for several days. Make open faced sandwiches, serve with that rice you have, make a turkey soup, etc. I buy whole chickens when they are on sale. You can do a lot with a piece of meat that is less than $1 per pound. You can bake your own whole grain bread.

Food Network has a show called $10 dinners. Get some good ideas there.

-Buy store brand products whenever possible. Especially pasta, cereal, bread, and those type of things. They are really just as good as name brand, and much cheaper. Eat a LOT of pasta and rice.

Eeek. Save yourself and DON'T eat a LOT of pasta and rice. Your waistline will thank you.


As for my husband and I, we usually spend anywhere from $50-$150 for two weeks. It really depends on the types of things we need, and if there are good sales on meat. We always shop at Aldi for basic items, and use coupons at Kroger. Clip coupons like crazy. Believe me, I save about $30-$40 average on groceries each week just by using coupons.

Our two week shopping list looks like this:

2 loaves of wheat bread, 1 goes right into the freezer. Each is only $1.09 at Aldi
10 cups of fat free yogurt. Fat free yogurt is only $0.39 a cup at Aldi
2 bags of baby carrots, each only $1 at Aldi
2 pounds of lunch meat, ham and turkey, each package is $3.29 at Aldi (or you can get Kroger brand for $3.19)
2 pkgs Diced peach cups, you can get a 4-pack at Aldi for less than $3
2 pkgs apple sauce with cinnamon, you get a 6-pack at aldi for less than $3
1 bundle fresh asparagus, $2 at Kroger
1 bundle fresh broccoli, $1.30 at Kroger
1 bundle fresh cauliflower, $1 at Kroger
1 bundle fresh green onions, $0.50 at Kroger
2 bags of Clancy's veggie chips (great snack, low-cal!), each is $2.19 at aldi
1 lb bag of white rice, only $1.19 at Aldi
2 jars of Ragu light alfredo sauce, only $1.60 at Kroger, each
2 boxes of Wheat pasta, you can get wheat spaghetti at Aldi for only $1
Boneless skinless chicken breasts, if they are on sale.
4-6 cans of chunk light tuna, only $0.59 a can at Aldi
3 cans of black beans, $0.59 each at Aldi
1 pkg flour tortillas, $1 at Aldi
93/7 Fresh Ground Turkey. A 1.2 lb package is only $2.79 at Kroger, Kroger brand turkey
3 lbs of bananas, usually $0.54 a pound
Frozen fruit
1 half-gallon of milk, usually $2 at Aldi
2 cartons of fit and active egg substitute, only $1.69 at aldi, each
1 lb of fit and active turkey bacon, only $1.60 at Aldi
1 box of assorted oatmeal packets, only $2 at Aldi
1 pkg of string cheese, $3

~~$65.00 total

Like other people, we usually stock up the freezer once every other month with meats, etc. $1.79 is a good price to pay for boneless skinless chicken breasts. Buy the big package and split up into 8oz baggies and freeze (a serving for you and your husband). If you buy a 4-lb package, you can get 16, 4oz servings of chicken, for only $0.45 per serving.

Tuna salad is great on bread or crackers.

Turkey bacon, eggs, oatmeal are all good breakfasts. You can also make a "quiche" with eggs, bacon, and cooked vegetables. Mix together, throw in the oven for about 1/2 hour at 350 and tada! Yum!

Grilled chicken, chicken alfredo, chicken with mixed vegetables, etc.., are all good dishes to make with chicken.

Chili is a great and easy meal to make, and you'll have left overs.

Hope this helps.

I'm not too sure on the budget. But I love white rice for breakfast. Put raisins and no calorie sugar if you got any. At wal mart they have great value no calorie sweetener for like 5 bucks but a big thing of it. I buy one every couple months.

Oatmeal for breakfast. It gets tedious and a little nerve racking but it will last for a while when you do the right portions.
Same with eggs.
If you get the healhy versions, pb&J will last you a while. Tuna fish and any of the leftovers from dinner are cheap.
For fruits and veggies, I eat a ton of veggies and maybe one or two fruits a day. I find appples can be cheap and last a while. Same with cranberries. I also say any kind of cheap frozen veggies. Just make sure you are eating the portion sizes and you should be ok.

I buy $1-2 wheat bread from ralphs thats only 110cal for 2pcs, and I buy roma tomatoes/cucumber, and fat free miracle whip mayo ( i buy the huge one cause it lasts FOREVER), I make tomato/cucumber sandwich out of those. It's cheap and healthy! Also same ingredients except do it with ralphs tuna in water (about $0.60-1 per can, sometimes they have even better deals). I also buy sometimes cheap turkey meat with bread/mayo/vegies combo. Typically in "season" produce is cheaper than others so eat those cause veggies/fruits are not only healthy but feel you up better than other foods. Beans are also cheap, and great source of energy before workout. You can also buy eggs in sets of 64 for like $2-3 at like Johns/Food for Less or one of those cheap markets!
I will try and think of more