How to survive on 40-50 dollars per month on food.

bulk Onions, lentils, potatoes. Get indian and french recipes (esp. indian for vegetarians!)--a lot of them are based on "poor" foods, like legumes and cheap cuts of meat. Make sure you have a good spice cabinet. Go to outlet groceries or bulk food sellers. If you can prove you lack of income don't be to proud to visit your local food bank, you can get some staples there.

Indian is a great idea. I could live for a long time on moong dal and paratha both of which are super cheap, quick, and easy to make. I love this site she has recipes and videos to show you how to cook the different items http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2010/12/05/moong-dal-soup/

between going out to eat and buying food just for myself I spend aprox. $700. per month. I have been trying to not go out much but have not seen my food bill decrease b/c when I do go out I spend less than when I cook at home. I definately will be back to this thread to learn some new ways to save.

Bump Bump Bump I really needed to see this a lot, Thank you for sharing!!

To save money on fresh produce try going to a farmer's market! You can buy a TON of produce for super cheap.

THIS !

Okay well first stock up on stuff that goes on sale that doesnt go bad right away. Like egg beaters and breeze almond milk. Cut coupons and only buy the healthy things you have coupons for when there on sale. Go to cheaper markets to get stuff like dollar stores and stuff. I got some really good frozen spinach from the dollar store and it is microwavable and you can eat it right out of the bag so you dont even need a to clean a plate. Then if you like yogurt buy all the yogurt you can when it is on sale and look for the later dates as they will last longer, as long as you dont open them. Same thing with bread. I love fiberone bread but it is always alot of money and when it goes on sale it is 2/for $5.00 usually so I try to save my coupons for that purchase and see if anyone else has the coupon there not using so I can buy 2 breads with 2.00 off so it only ends up costing me 3.00 for 2 loaves and then I freeze them and take out what i want when I want it. U have to think like that. Where I leave there is cheaper markets like Aidis, Walmart, PriceRight and Dollar Tree so on my free time I walk around them and do inventory on what is cheap and how much more cheaper it is. I also get my fruits and vegs from farmers markets all around as it is cheaper and better quality then the markets. Good luck. And if you have left overs try to use them up by cooking them before they go bad and just reheat them or add them to whatever you are eating at the time.

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Dang, I wish I could live off $50 a month! I spend $40-50 a WEEK! :x

I live in Australia as well. I am from the US though. I think one thing to remember is that Aussies, get paid WAY more, for the most part than they do in the US. Honestly the equivalent for her spending 100 a month would most likely be 200 here. Before I left 8 years ago, and yes prices have gone up since then. You could get a gallon of milk for 99 cents. Bread was 50 cents, and so on. The minimum wage in the US is like 7-8 bucks if I am not mistaken. When I lived there I made a whooping 5:50 and hour and that was above minimum wage in the state I lived in. Oh and minimum wage doesn't go by age in the US like here. I usually spend about 400 a fortnight on groceries. I have tried and tried to get it under that but can't.

Far out! $50/mth I wish I could only spend $100/mth! The kids milk comes in at $4.97 per 2lt and having 3 little ones means a whole heap of milk - they have to drink A2 milk but it is much better than regular (regulat milk is around $3 per $2lt!

Groceries are really expensive in Australia ... 'cheap' apples are when they are $2.95/kg, tomatoes range between $3-$8/kg a single head of lettuce is around $2.80 on a cheap day! Oh, and these are regular prices, not organic or anything. I bought a 1lt of almond milk trying to be a bit healthy and it cost $3.95! Wont be buying that again!!!!! The cheapest cage eggs run around the $3 per dozen.

I will be watching this thread for some ideas ... am down to our last $$$ before our monthly pay day in 5 days ... grrr I hate getting paid monthly!

Oh, and I would love some of your tips for getting down to $100/mth spend

Edit: WOW! "$5 rotisserie chicken" the cheapest I have ever found one around here is $9.98 for a small one, the large ones (that barely feed a family of 5) are around $12.95!

i also live in Canada, and I agree, groceries are so expensive here!! I pay about 3.50 for a dozen egg! Milk is 4 bucks for a 2 liter. Isnt that ridiculous??

I wish I could do $50 a month. I am single and spend around $150/mo, not counting eating out.

I spend more than $50/mo in chicken alone I bet. I eat a lot. But I burn a lot. Takes a lot of fuel to feed my body.
I do my best not to waste, especially veggies. Tuna is cheap, decent food as well.

Speaking of, I have to go to the grocery store tomorrow. I'll try to keep it under $100 for the rest of the week.

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I spend about $400 a month

I wish I could do $50 a month. I am single and spend around $150/mo, not counting eating out.

Same boat. Much of my diet is protein from meats, hell a tub of whey protein costs $20 bucks alone! I stick to pretty much all the same foods, really not much I can cut out and still make my calorie goals.

bulk Onions, lentils, potatoes. Get indian and french recipes (esp. indian for vegetarians!)--a lot of them are based on "poor" foods, like legumes and cheap cuts of meat. Make sure you have a good spice cabinet. Go to outlet groceries or bulk food sellers. If you can prove you lack of income don't be to proud to visit your local food bank, you can get some staples there.

Indian is a great idea. I could live for a long time on moong dal and paratha both of which are super cheap, quick, and easy to make. I love this site she has recipes and videos to show you how to cook the different items http://www.manjulaskitchen.com/2010/12/05/moong-dal-soup/

I'm a big fan of Manjula's kitchen!! I'm Indian and still learn so much from her. Her videos are great. Try the dahi vada recipe if you haven't..it's deep fried but they come up SO well. I love that she is spreading the joy of Indian cooking among Indians and others too!

On topic: I'll echo what others have already said. Cook from scratch, stock up when things are cheaper, freeze fruits and vegetables yourself. Make soup stalks, boil your own beans and lentils rather than buying canned, make loads of spaghetti sauce and can or freeze it when tomatoes are cheap. Supplement meals with little meat but mostly veggie and your bill will come down.