Buying Groceries on Only $25/wk??

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jnhu72
jnhu72 Posts: 558 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm short on cash for the month because I paid some old bills off. So, because of this I only have about $25 to spend a week on groceries so I don't go over my budget. I have no problem making things in bulk and freezing them, so if you have any recipes or any ideas on what to buy to get the most out of my money, I would be very grateful! Thanks =)

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  • kimberly0416
    kimberly0416 Posts: 123 Member
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    I'm short on cash for the month because I paid some old bills off. So, because of this I only have about $25 to spend a week on groceries so I don't go over my budget. I have no problem making things in bulk and freezing them, so if you have any recipes or any ideas on what to buy to get the most out of my money, I would be very grateful! Thanks =)

    Not the best meals but with such little money this is the best I can come up with.

    Breakfast: Old fashion oatmeal
    Lunch: Peanut butter and jelly
    Dinner: Rice and tuna with salt and pepper no butter. Throw in a can of peas to change it up.
    Snack: Carrots for sweet and for salty put salt on them.
    Boiled eggs are great and filling.
  • jetheridge11
    jetheridge11 Posts: 5 Member
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    dried beans- can be made into a large variety of things- driedn pinyo beans-
    can become red beans and rice
    refried beans
    chili
    soup
  • ArtGeek22
    ArtGeek22 Posts: 1,429 Member
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    Soup: there are a lot of low cal ones. Also, they do lots of buy 1 get 1 free on soups.

    Beans and rice: Cheap, decent in cals, and yummy!

    Fruits and veggies: Check out your local farmers market. Their fruit and veggies are fresh and fairly cheap.


    Hope I helped and best of luck to you :flowerforyou:
  • yesthistime
    yesthistime Posts: 2,051 Member
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    a few bags of beans ($4)
    a few bags of rice ($4)
    a bag of apples ($3)
    a bunch of bananas ($2)
    a few cans of tuna ($2)
    a jar of peanut butter ($2)
    a loaf of wheat bread ($1-2)
    a pack of chicken drumsticks ($4-7)
    a can/jar of spaghetti sauce ($1)
    a box of whole wheat pasta ($1)
  • tanyaleighcummings
    tanyaleighcummings Posts: 105
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    If you have an outdoor wall that is yours, for the future you can create a salad wall with gutters. Make them slightly slanted so one runs into the other for drainage. Fresh veggies are most expensive, but greens grow quickly and don't need deep soil.
    The ideas on here are good, can't really add to them myself for this time. But some forethought will mean next time you can still have tastey greens to go with your tuna or beans.
    I'd suggest soups but you wouldn't believe what I spend on a big pot of homemade soup.

    Canned chicken will work when you are sick of the tuna...I know after a week of that I can't bear to look at a can of tuna for a month. I personally skip the jelly and just do PB. Jelly can actually peak my sweet tooth and isn't filling. Bananas or apples are cheap if you just have one apple or half a banana a day. Half a grapefruit won't break the bank either.

    Some genaric Metamucil will help you feel full too if you are used to eating larger portions...and of course all the water you can drink.
  • SergeantSunshine_reused
    SergeantSunshine_reused Posts: 5,382 Member
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    I only spend about $50 a month on groceries now :]

    Do you have an aldi's near?

    I buy a lot of :
    Potatoes
    cheap meat that is on sale (not always the leanest)
    in season veggies
    bread
    noodles
    beans

    hit up a farmers market!

    Make some chli!
  • rmh84
    rmh84 Posts: 28
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    Lentil soups are great - pull a couple recipies online. Red lentils are my favorite. You could do a week of soup for lunch on a 4$ bag of lentils, a can of V8, a couple carrots and an onion.
  • mrsdizzyd84
    mrsdizzyd84 Posts: 422 Member
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    First you have to think in meals. There won't be any variety here. Think about something you could stand to eat everyday for a week.

    Breakfast = Grits, oatmeal, or cream of wheat depending on what is on sale.
    Lunch = beans and rice or a PBJ sandwich
    dinner = Beans and rice or a cassarole
    Snacks = Apples or oranges or carrot sticks

    You can buy an onion, a bag of beans, and a bag of rice for $3-$4. That could give you lunch for a week or add a $1 pack of hot dogs for dinner for a week.
    You can buy a pound of ground beef, a pack of frozen veggies, and a few potatoes for $6-$7 that would make a 8x12 pan of shepard's pie. I'm assuming you already have salt pepper and the like.
    You can buy a can of hunts spaghetti sauce, a pound of ground beef, and a box of whole wheat noodles for $6-7 and have a huge pot of spaghetti for the week
    If you can find a whole chicken on sale for $5 you can boil it, with an onion and a carrot. Save the broth, shred the chicken, add a bag of frozen veggies and mix it all together for a chicken vegetable soup. You could also add some noodles to bulk it out a bit. That should give you enough soup for a week and would cost around $7-8.

    Breakfast: Oatmeal + Milk = $5
    Lunch: beans + Rice = $3
    Dinner: Shepard's Pie= $7
    Snack: Bag of apples or oranges= $4
    That's $19. You can use the other $6 to bulk things out. Maybe adding a loaf of bread, peanut butter and jelly.

    You could leave the meat out, but honestly, I'm a meat kinda girl.

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