How to survive on 40-50 dollars per month on food.
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I live down in Porterville and I think bananas are 66¢ a pound right now. We have great oranges around here too. I was also going to tell you about the hillbilly housewife website. And coupons! And... the coupons you don't need some people will buy them on ebay (not selling the coupons, but compensating you for your time clipping them) and you could have a little bit more for groceries. Also, canning seasonal foods save us $$$.Where the heck do you live? I want to move there....(In reference to getting all that for such LOW prices!!)
Fresno/Clovis, CA
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I wouldn't know, I spend about $200 a month on food, just for myself! it's crazy. And I buy all sales. I eat rather healthy.
Thing is, I can eat a lot sometimes. So buying food on $50 per month would mean eating less, and therefor you will
automatically lose weight. Wish I could do it, someone tell me tips!0 -
Do you buy things like flour, rice, beans and lentils in bulk? We buy 50 lb bags of flour (I have no idea how much they are, my parents buy everything) and they last for a long time. Same with the other things... Your cost may be up this month, but I think in the long run it will save you money? Just something to think about, even plan for it. Set any extra money or change for big bags of food that you can store in your pantry or closet, that way, the next time you go food shopping you don't even have to worry about those items....
*shrug* that's what my parents do, but with 6 kids living at home right now, its kind of necessary :laugh: good thing we all pitch in for groceries!0 -
You can lose weight by making a few changes - replace pasta for Shirataki Noodles - you can eat 3 times the amount and still 1/4 of the calories of pasta! Here's more on them: http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/products/p/shiratakinoodle.htm
They are packed with fiber so will be more filling than pasta too! I boil them for a few minutes then saute them into my pan of whatever i'm cooking - usually i'll saute veggies with ragu - add the noodles into it and saute a few minutes. It's really good and seriously low cal!0 -
In fact, here are some great recipes with Shirtake Noodles! http://shirataki-noodles.recipesilove.com/0
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Create a monthly menu, using things you have on hand already, making you trips to the grocery store, less expensive I will walk through my kitchen with a notepad and pen, and take inventory of all the items I have in stock, then create my menu, accordingly. I have frozen hamburger (or deer burger, my husband's a hunter), and tomato juice, all I need to buy is a can of beans to make a chili. Then the next day, I'll make fries(potatoes) or hotdogs (bought on sale, stocked up), for chili dogs/chili fries, for lunch. Two meals, and I only bought a can of beans! My cookbooks are my best friends:) I'll usually sit down with my list and a cookbook and create new menu ideas. Sometimes, I only have to buy one or two items for a meal. I usually plan so that I can get atleast two meals out of higher priced items. Watch your local adds for meat sales, 10/$10 items (frozen veg, chesses, condiments, noodles, and yogarts) the store usually lets you mix items. This is when you stock up on items. Say this week you only spend $10 because you shopped according to what you already had, then when a store has a sale, you can use what you saved to stock up. We have a local grocery store that twice a yr has a HUGE meat sale, we always stock up. Last yr, we bought enough meat for 146 meals for .$34 a serving. Hunting and fishing also gives us an advantage. When strawberries, blueberries, peaches, and apples are in season, I will go to the local orchard or farm and buy in bulk, then freeze or dehdyrate. I am not a gardener, but have friends and family that will pass on their bounty and it helps tremendously. Trading also works, my Momma was a seamstress my aunt a baker, they would trade services. My mom would sew for my aunt, and my aunt would bake for us:) This may work if you know a hunter, fisherman, or gardener, willing to trade with you. Also, learning to make your own breads saves money. I can remember making a couple loaves of bread once, and my husband laughed saying, he never thought he'd be so poor his wife would make their bread:) I believe their are some websites or youtube videos for gardening without a yard or patio, but I don't know those right off hand.0
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Bump0
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$50 a month on food? I spend about 200 a month for me and my guy. Not including eating out.
Farmers market and freezing as much of it as you can is good. Butter, milk, meat and cheese are way expensive here. Pasta, potatoes, frozen fruits and veggies.0 -
Geez... I was spending over $400/mo for just me here in Korea until I gave up buying meat. 1 pound of chicken here is about $11.
Now.. on 1500 cal/day, I'm spending about $250/mo on groceries. I miss cheap USA beef! It's about $14/pound for ground beef here. 0 -
Bump because all the suggestions so far have been awesome 0
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Starting a garden and growing your own will cut costs significantly. I am part of a produce co-op and that saves me a ton of money. Buying in bulk can save some money on things like rice, oats, beans, etc. Portion control will allow you to come up with a menu plan where you can really stick to what you buy also.0
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Here's something I've had lately. Cook a pot of brown rice, about 5-6 cups, when done add a drained can of tuna, and 1/2 can of mushroom or cream of chicken Campbell's condensed soup. Stir it all together while hot. You could add some frozen peas too. Not fancy food, but I think it's pretty healthy and you can eat it for a few nights. :flowerforyou:0
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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'm also in Australia, and rather than buying a ready cooked chook, I buy raw ones, that end up being bigger/meatier than the shop cooked ones, (sometimes I find them 2 for 10) and cook them in the crock pot. You get the same thing for half the cost. Eat the meat hot the first night, 'leftovers' the next night, and anything left on the bones gets frozen for 'later.' And you can use the chicken juice as broth. Then again, there is only me here.0 -
Bump0
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sushi is cheap to make amd yummie too!!0
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Check out happyherbivore.com - many of her recipes are pretty inexpensive and easy. She does a 1200-cal meal plan menu that you can download for $5 per week. Once you have a staple of foods built up I think the most I spent was $15 one week! I have downloaded 3 weeks worth and just rotate through those as well as my own recipes. They are vegan recipes, so I just adjust them for my own calorie needs and I'm flexitarian so I'll sub eggs or whatever. All of her recipes (that I've downloaded) on the 1200-cal plans are 90% whole foods. Good luck! :flowerforyou:0
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Here's something I've had lately. Cook a pot of brown rice, about 5-6 cups, when done add a drained can of tuna, and 1/2 can of mushroom or cream of chicken Campbell's condensed soup. Stir it all together while hot. You could add some frozen peas too. Not fancy food, but I think it's pretty healthy and you can eat it for a few nights. :flowerforyou:
That is so cheap and easy, thank you!
Thanks everyone for the suggestions, I keep writing them down.
I literally have NO food left, I'm cutting it close!
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make your own soups/stews :bigsmile:0
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Ugh... I spend way too much on food.
$1.33-$1.66/day is pretty challenging. The funny thing about your requirements and your particular luck with regards to cheap produce is that if you focus on eating enough vegetables and getting enough protein I think your diet will be healthier than most and you can afford "unhealthy" options like gravy, etc. because it's hard for you to over indulge.
Beans (esp. dried and soaked) are definitely a strong cornerstone for cheap balanced eating- I'd prefer higher protein to carbohydrate ratio beans since your diet is, IMO, already destined to be carb heavy. Bulk rice, potato, and pasta are dirt cheap. Of the three, I think I'd prefer the whole potato but variety is king, IMO.
I need to check out my local farmer's market as I'm in an agricultural area... b/c, man, those prices are really good. Also, you need to figure out if/any foods are local; e.g. I live in pork country and it's $1.2/lb for the cheaper, ironically the higher calorie and, sadly, tasty cuts. But if you're really cutting the budget and trying to eat that cheaply I think it'd be difficult to get too much saturated fat since a lot of your protein will be vegetable source.
Learn some basic cooking methods, e.g.:
Season your food: Vegetables in particular, but everything really, can benefit from decent seasoning. The cost of seasoning, if you use it regularly and don't just let it go bad/bland, is minimal. To my taste a little pepper and butter on broccoli takes it from barely palatable to tasty. Salt, pepper, garlic, and maybe some tabasco or paprika will go a long way. Add Bay leaves, oregano, thyme if you like Italian. I second Indian but Indian is an orgy of spices, from what I've read, though you can certainly pick recipes by their spice requirements.
Cheap cuts: Stuff like ribs, brisket needs to be slow cooked and can be quite good. If you don't have a crockpot, grilling can be a bit pricey with the upfront costs, though. Cheaper cuts can be marinated, imparting flavor and reducing toughness. A big ole' ham can be cooked at 300F until it's done and then used for omelets, sandwiches, leftovers...
Roux: equal parts flour and oil (or butter) used to make gravies or thicken just about anything. Best done a good non-stick pan. Stir over medium (or lower if your pan is of dubious quality) until starchy smell/taste is gone. Since the proto-roux doesn't have water it easily gets to napalm temperature so be careful tasting it. Cook further for more flavor but less thickening power. Add a cup of stock(or broth or ramen noodle packet...) or two to a pan you just cooked a meat in and then add, carefully, the warm roux until the gravy is a little thinner than you'd like since it will thicken as it warms. Make sure to whisk or mash the roux into the sauce- roux lumps are better than flour gravy lumps but they're both worse than no lumps.
Blah, blah, blah...0 -
Oh, I do that. Line the bottom of the crockpot with carrots, potatoes, and celery and it's a meal in one. The next night, the chicken bones go back in the crock pot to make chicken broth, combined with some of the juices from the night before.0
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Ugh... I spend way too much on food.
$1.33-$1.66/day is pretty challenging. The funny thing about your requirements and your particular luck with regards to cheap produce is that if you focus on eating enough vegetables and getting enough protein I think your diet will be healthier than most and you can afford "unhealthy" options like gravy, etc. because it's hard for you to over indulge.
Beans (esp. dried and soaked) are definitely a strong cornerstone for cheap balanced eating- I'd prefer higher protein to carbohydrate ratio beans since your diet is, IMO, already destined to be carb heavy. Bulk rice, potato, and pasta are dirt cheap. Of the three, I think I'd prefer the whole potato but variety is king, IMO.
I need to check out my local farmer's market as I'm in an agricultural area... b/c, man, those prices are really good. Also, you need to figure out if/any foods are local; e.g. I live in pork country and it's $1.2/lb for the cheaper, ironically the higher calorie and, sadly, tasty cuts. But if you're really cutting the budget and trying to eat that cheaply I think it'd be difficult to get too much saturated fat since a lot of your protein will be vegetable source.
Learn some basic cooking methods, e.g.:
Season your food: Vegetables in particular, but everything really, can benefit from decent seasoning. The cost of seasoning, if you use it regularly and don't just let it go bad/bland, is minimal. To my taste a little pepper and butter on broccoli takes it from barely palatable to tasty. Salt, pepper, garlic, and maybe some tabasco or paprika will go a long way. Add Bay leaves, oregano, thyme if you like Italian. I second Indian but Indian is an orgy of spices, from what I've read, though you can certainly pick recipes by their spice requirements.
Cheap cuts: Stuff like ribs, brisket needs to be slow cooked and can be quite good. If you don't have a crockpot, grilling can be a bit pricey with the upfront costs, though. Cheaper cuts can be marinated, imparting flavor and reducing toughness. A big ole' ham can be cooked at 300F until it's done and then used for omelets, sandwiches, leftovers...
Roux: equal parts flour and oil (or butter) used to make gravies or thicken just about anything. Best done a good non-stick pan. Stir over medium (or lower if your pan is of dubious quality) until starchy smell/taste is gone. Since the proto-roux doesn't have water it easily gets to napalm temperature so be careful tasting it. Cook further for more flavor but less thickening power. Add a cup of stock(or broth or ramen noodle packet...) or two to a pan you just cooked a meat in and then add, carefully, the warm roux until the gravy is a little thinner than you'd like since it will thicken as it warms. Make sure to whisk or mash the roux into the sauce- roux lumps are better than flour gravy lumps but they're both worse than no lumps.
Blah, blah, blah...
Thank you for your suggestions! i got a fab coupon from my grocery store, so it's going to help me greatly. I spend 20 bucks and get potatoes, good quality bread, crackers and something else for free. I'm excited haha0 -
Roux: equal parts flour and oil (or butter) used to make gravies or thicken just about anything. Best done a good non-stick pan. Stir over medium (or lower if your pan is of dubious quality) until starchy smell/taste is gone. Since the proto-roux doesn't have water it easily gets to napalm temperature so be careful tasting it. Cook further for more flavor but less thickening power. Add a cup of stock(or broth or ramen noodle packet...) or two to a pan you just cooked a meat in and then add, carefully, the warm roux until the gravy is a little thinner than you'd like since it will thicken as it warms. Make sure to whisk or mash the roux into the sauce- roux lumps are better than flour gravy lumps but they're both worse than no lumps.
I basically lived off this during my first year of grad school. I stirred in tuna and either peas or broccoli and served it over rice.
What I use is about 2T butter/other fat, 2T flour, 1C milk, scale as desired. After you have made it several times you will be able to add the flour and milk until it 'looks right', but measure at first.0 -
Bump for later, so need to save on food shopping0
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Bump - I need ideas too!0
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Do you have a GFS or Gordon Food Service, Or a save a lot. GFS is alot like Sams Club but no memberships, open to the public. Have to becareful what you buy but you can stock up on a lot of household items and food. We go one ever couple months. It helps.0
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Bump0
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Great thread
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wow.. 50 bucks a month...
Um.. dried beans, cheap eggs (I think WAlmart, you can get like 2 dz for 2.50 or something).. bulk chicken thighs and drums (not if you are veggie, I guess).
WE used to cook a pack of ramen like the instructions, drain just about all the juice out and crack an egg in and stirfry.. a little sesame oil, and that is tasty.. I dont know about healthy tho.0 -
I live in the number one city in California that supplies most of the produce in the world, so produce/groceries are very cheap here.
I can get apples for 59 cents/pound, bananas for 13 cents/pound, etc. We have a lot of Farmers Markets in town that sell organic produce on the cheap and milk is from the company that is in my town, so milk is inexpensive. I buy a dozen eggs for about a 1 dollar to 1.23.
Wow, that seriously blows me away!!!!! Even the farmers markets here are not much off what you pay at the supermarket, sometimes they actually charge more!!! Bananas can range from 99c/kg in the high season right up to $22/kg (although this has only happened a couple of times in the past 10 years when cyclones wiped out the banana farms in QLD) the average price for bananas would be around $3/kg
And I know that a kg is 2.2 x a pound but there is such a big difference still! And my family are big meat eaters ... probably the cheapest half descent meat runs at about $18/kg a little cheaper when on special. I have tried buying the cheaper stuff but it isn't worth it, too fatty or tough, only really fit for the slow cooker!
Thanks for starting this thread, like I said, I will be watching it for some ideas ... I think if I can get our bill down below $500/mth for the whole family I would be really happy!
Me too!! I live on the East Coast, and pay out of the nose for fresh veggies/fruit!0 -
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
I live in the number one city in California that supplies most of the produce in the world, so produce/groceries are very cheap here.
I can get apples for 59 cents/pound, bananas for 13 cents/pound, etc. We have a lot of Farmers Markets in town that sell organic produce on the cheap and milk is from the company that is in my town, so milk is inexpensive. I buy a dozen eggs for about a 1 dollar to 1.23.
WOW :noway: thats awesome!!!!! :flowerforyou:0
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