Say you are a broke college student....

cook beans in water when they are nearly done add bacon strips or sausage, cilantro, tomatoe slices maybe some onion slices too and a garlic clove salt to taste wait till bacon is fully cooked and BAM!!!!!! ranchero beans.

bananas can be cheap!!!

Local Farmer's Market!

I would live on Butter and any cheap cuts of meat I could get + frozen veggies

FYI - Grocery stores mark down the meat during the week. I used to shop on Tuesday mornings just to catch the deals. You have to either eat the meat or freeze it immediately. Produce is done the same way especially ripe bananas and apples.

I agree to hit up the dollar store!!!! Amazing how much they have now, they've really expanded as far as foods.

I always keep bread around, I sometimes buy bulk at BJs or Costco and freeze the other loaf. 'diet' bread, usually. One of our staples since we both work and go to college, is packaged meals. We get dollar store ones, but just watch the nutrition on them. Or lean pockets for quick meals, just make sure you get some healthy stuff during the day lol.

oh, and i love a nice large jar of peanut butter (natural), it lasts forever, has some nice healthy fats, and if you just put it on some toast it's filling while not TOO many calories.

Beans, frozen chicken breasts, rice, canned veggies (store brand) or frozen veggies, tuna, dried fruit, yogurt, eggs, jello....

You can get a lot of frozen veggies for cheap, black beans, pinto beans, chick peas, low cal low sodium soups, ground turkey and frozen chicken. I'm a broke teacher so I understand. lol

Also, the bananas and other frozen fruits would be a good idea!!

I guess it depends on where you live. Checking flyer weekly for specials are a great idea. And making larger amounts( when the ingrediants are on sale) and freezing left overs in portion sizes can save you money and help your diet when your to busy/tired to cook you have stuff in the freezer ready. It can keep you from buying something thats fast but hard on the budget and not good for you.

And had very little money for food for the next 2 months *-* what would be the top items on your list?

I was thinking:
cans of tuna 52 cents
bag of rice around $1.20 or so
maybe a bag of frozen chicken breasts - $6 or so

what would you add :flowerforyou:

friends who work on campus in the cafeteria, that let me sneak end on shrimp and steak night as well as to get veggies and fruit daily. LOL...frozen veggies/fruit like broccoli, spinach, blueberries, etc also so black beans and lentils, brown rice, protein bars. However I would probably end up with PEANUT BUTTER, BREAD, CHEESE, ALMOND MILK, CHEERIOS, whole wheat bread, deli meat, bagged salad, chicken breasts, ground beef, eggs...I would use a printer on campus to print my COUPONS! ;-)

Also...you could get yourself a job of some sort with campus food service and eat for free!!

In addition to the brown rice and tuna you listed, here are some cheaper, healthy options I buy:

* Frozen veggies (often cheap and last longer than fresh)
* Certain fresh veggies like carrots, ones in season (I shop sales for what is cheap fresh veggie wise).
* Seasonal fruits (shop sales, bananas are usually a safe bet as well as seasonal fruits)
* Canned veggies and fruit
* Canned and dried beans (chili, rice and beans, make your own black bean burgers, etc.)
* Eggs
* Pasta (sometimes I can get the whole grain kind for a dollar a box on sale, which I did this week)
* Manager specials on meats like chicken, lean cuts of beef, etc. (just freeze them when you get home until you are ready to use them)

You also can check discount stores to stretch your dollar further. I clip coupons every week, but am selective about the ones I use. Good luck.

I second the peanut butter. Eaten in reasonable quantities, it is a nutrious protein (e.g., meat) substitute.

Popcorn pop on the stove, Salad fixings, oatmeal, bag of boneless-skinless chicken breasts, a bag of fish filets, a bag of frozen shrimp.

Lots of green beans, bag of beans, cans of soup, cans of chicken meat and turkey meat. Wheat pasta, ground tukey, garlic and tomato sauce. A big bag of Kale to make Kale chips with.

If you like Sushi, get your own stuff to make sushi and you can make any combination you wish. If youn want fish in it, imitation crab meat and you can ask at the fish counter for sushi grade fish, sometimes you can find a really good deal on tuna or salmon.

Shop your circulars and figure out what store near you has the best deals consistently and plan ahead. I was a terrible eater in college. I ate hot dogs and chips w/ cheese & salsa. Thankfully I burned off most of those bad calories by walking all over campus!

In my area Albertson's beats out everyone else on produce and meat. I buy chicken breasts (untrimmed) when they're on sale for $1.69-1.88 lb and tilapia fillets at buy one get two free (usually 6-8 fillets per pack.) I trim the chicken breasts when I get home and put them in ziplocs to freeze.

Buy fruits and veggies in season. If you can find a good farmers market near you great. Watch out though. Since farmers markets have become hip the produce isn't always the deal it used to be. In my area I can usually find better deals in my local grocery store. Strawberries are in season here in Florida and I was able to buy a basket for $1.50 at Albertson's. Grape tomatoes and blackberries are on sale this week at Albertson's for $1 per basket. Frozen veggies go on sale here at least once a month for $1 a bag as well.

As for packaged foods, eggs, bread and dry goods, my local Super Walmart kills the competition. I can buy twice the amount of food for usually half the price. This is the place to buy cereal, oatmeal, rice, beans, and canned goods such as tuna.