Need help losing weight on a low budget

Hi berkeleygirlforever!

I just suggested to another person who's on a tight budget ramen noodles (hopefully without the seasoning packet, since it's all salt pretty much) and frozen stir fry veggies. You can add your own seasonings (Chinese 5-spice powder, ginger, soy sauce) and change it up a bit. One bag of frozen stir fry veggies (generic kind) is under $2 from Wal-Mart (I think) and you can usually find ramen at 10 for $10. For just the two of you, it could be two meals, easily. Wal-Mart also has specials on frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 5 lbs for $8--that should last you guys quite a while). You can add those, too.

To make the stir fry more "exotic" and add a little protein, you could add some peanut butter to the mixture when cooking to give it a Thai flavor.

I hope this gives you some ideas! :flowerforyou:

Cheers, :drinker:
Deborah

I myself am a newly seperated single mom of 2 young kids and am in the same boat! I used to think eating better had to be WAY more expensive but it really doesnt! I only buy the fruits and veggies that are on sale and you really don't need all that much of them for yourself and kids. Canned can be cheaper but it's definitely not as good for you. You can save money by buying in bulk and freezing them or dividing up frozen bags into smaller portions when you open them since you probably don't need the whole bag. Tuna is very good for you and I also eat a lot of it, as well as lean beef. You can make stews and chilis and freeze them into smaller portions as well, I do that a lot. I also buy the boneless skinless chicken breast when it's on sale and use that for chicken soup which can be frozen as well as salads and things like that.

I normally eat the same things everyday in the week b/c of my budget lol. Normally my breakfast is 1 or 2 eggs, a slice of whole wheat toast or a light english muffin with extra fiber and some fruit. Lunches I buy deli meat, usually the presliced store brands are cheapest and a big package lasts me all week, I have a sandwich and some cottage cheese with cucumbers/tomatoes. Dinners I always make extra of and have left overs for dinner or lunch the next day or freeze them.

Also we have a hostess bread store that sells the bread at a discounted price, I can bread for about 40-50% half off. So I stock up on that and freeze it. You can buy whole grain pastas pretty cheap too, now about the same price as regular pasta. PB + J is also a good choice when you're running low on cash and kids love that.

Have you also thought about planting a garden? If the weather by you isn't nice or you don't have time, what I did was plant flowers in my house, by a window with sunlight, it works just the same. You can use practically anything to plant them in, too. I'm growing cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers, lettuce, watermelon...you can also do it year round this way!

If I think of anything else I'll let you know!

~Ari

Oh also, in the sunday newspapers they always have coupon books, I'm a couponaholic lol.

oatmeal. i eat this a lot! you can change it up, depending on what you have. brown sugar and cinnamon is my fave, and if we have any, a banana cut up in it. one day i did peanut butter with some honey. play with what you have and like!

Lentils and dried beans and peas can be a HUGE $$ saver. I actually just made a supper tonight that serves 8 and it's full of fibre, protein, complex carbs, folic acid, iron, potassium...

1 cup yellow split peas
3/4 cup brown lentils
3/4 cup red lentils
(soak these in cold water for an hour)
prepare 8 cups of low-sodium vegetable stock (the bouillon cubes are WAY cheaper)
heat 1 tsp black mustard seed in 2 tbsp olive oil until seeds begin to turn gray and pop. Add in 1 chopped onion & 2 bay leaves. Cook until onion is clear and add 1 tsp cumin, 2 tsp corriander, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp paprika, a small pinch of red pepper flakes, 4 cloves garlic minced, 1/4 cup minced fresh ginger OR 2 tbsp powdered ginger (use some vegetable stock to prevent sticking).
Add in 2 chopped carrots & cook until tender.
Drain & rinse lentils then add to soup pot with remaining stock, cover & simmer 30 mins until lentils are soft. Blend with hand blender or blender & season w/ cracked pepper & lemon juice.

This is SUCH a tasty (HEARTY!!) and VERY healthy soup. If you do make it, it's already in the database under Rebar Lentil Split Pea Soup :flowerforyou:

I am also a homeschooling Mama :drinker:

You also might want to look at where you are buying your meat and when. One of the grocery stores in town has a 10 lb meat sale until the 10th of the month, and I can usually get 10 lb of ground beef for about $13. I've also noticed that when I go shopping on the weekends, the chicken selection isn't as good. All of the pricy chicken is leftover, so I usually go back on tuesday or wednesday afternoon and there is usually packages of chicken breasts for about $4 of perdue chicken at kroger.
Boneless pork chops can often be less expensive than you think. I usually get a packet of 4 for about $3. I would honestly just try going to the grocery store at a time you don't normally go and see what their selection is at that time. Maybe ask the meat counter if they have any "specials" on meat that is coming close to the expiration date so they can give you a discount. But definetly use it that day!

As far as lunch goes, I love tuna. I actually made it for my lunch tomorrow! Have you thought about getting canned chicken and making chicken salad for a change? Maybe trying different spices, or adding a little dressing like ranch or italian for a different taste. Maybe instead of bread make a tuna wrap with a tortilla and some lettuce.

A while back another MFP gal put a link in a post to 5dollardinners.com There are some awesome ideas in there, and they are for 2 or more people. I have found several amazing recipes on there and am excited to try more. Good luck and keep plugging forward!!!

I did the grocery game too! VERY helpful!

Also, check out the website www.5dollardinners.com. She has a lot of good, frugal ideas!