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

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  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,032 Member
    beans are filling and cheap as well!!
    plus sprouting makes some great salads and stir fry
  • radicalreader
    radicalreader Posts: 207 Member
    I love this web site. She always has great ideas for healthy meals on a budget.
    http://www.poorgirleatswell.com/
  • BarbWhite09
    BarbWhite09 Posts: 1,128 Member
    $50 a month.. that's crazy! My boyfriend and I spend at least 350-500 a month.

    Holy cow, wish I had that much money to spend a month! Jeeeez
  • jem33199
    jem33199 Posts: 80 Member
    I haven't had a chance to read all of the comments in this post so forgive me if this is redundant. The best book ever on frugality (imho) is "The Complete Tightwad Gazette" by Amy Dacyczyn. Some of the information is slightly dated now. However, her positive attitude, humor and mindset is priceless (get it - priceless? haha) Ahem....Anyway, she talks about feeding her very large family in a healthy way for a small dollar amount. Best of luck. You can do this!
  • Robyn120
    Robyn120 Posts: 249
    bump
  • jennfeustel123
    jennfeustel123 Posts: 29 Member
    This site has many frugal recipes, and a sample menu for how to feed a family on $50/month.

    http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/recipeindex.htm

    Great website!! Love it!!
  • californiansun
    californiansun Posts: 392 Member
    OMG GOOD LUCK! If u can do that with 50 cuz I always spend around 200 a month and half way thru the month all the food is gone.. since I started eating more to lose weight healthy food = EXPENSIVE!!!! :/ But im still tryin

    I've been doing it, you just have to be organized.

    Like I've said, I spent less than 45 dollars a month and a half ago. :)
  • StarvingDiva
    StarvingDiva Posts: 1,107 Member
    I am on unemployment so I probably have about that to spend. I tend to make a lot of things that can stretch, like Lasagna made with low fat cheeses and zucchini instead of noodles. That lasted me over a week. I made a skillet meal with turkey kielbasa, potatoes and spinach, broke that up into 4 servings. This is how I stretch my dollars.
  • californiansun
    californiansun Posts: 392 Member
    I am on unemployment so I probably have about that to spend. I tend to make a lot of things that can stretch, like Lasagna made with low fat cheeses and zucchini instead of noodles. That lasted me over a week. I made a skillet meal with turkey kielbasa, potatoes and spinach, broke that up into 4 servings. This is how I stretch my dollars.

    Wow that sounds amazing!!! Thanks!
  • JessicaMurch5515
    JessicaMurch5515 Posts: 150 Member
    If you have an asian market near you, they have really good prices on produce in my experience. I just went to mine yesterday and got a bag of 8 baby bok choys for 69cents, a pound and a half of shiitake mushrooms for $2. They had a lot of "normal" veggies as well as really neat things you don't see at a normal grocery.
  • californiansun
    californiansun Posts: 392 Member
    If you have an asian market near you, they have really good prices on produce in my experience. I just went to mine yesterday and got a bag of 8 baby bok choys for 69cents, a pound and a half of shiitake mushrooms for $2. They had a lot of "normal" veggies as well as really neat things you don't see at a normal grocery.

    Good idea, thanks! :D
  • Gloria67648
    Gloria67648 Posts: 108 Member
    Bump! Great ideas. I'm in a food desert here in the middle of Kansas. I miss California!
  • jodymcadam
    jodymcadam Posts: 24
    Bump.
  • mrs_deg1983
    mrs_deg1983 Posts: 157
    Hi all,

    I'm really trying to cut down my budget on food, extras, gas, etc. I can only spend at most 50 dollars a month on food. I usually spend about 100; I'm trying to cut it as close to half as I can. I eat pretty healthy (most of the time) and I eat mostly vegetarian.

    I'm trying to come up with ideas of what I can buy at the store that is cheap, healthy and filling.

    So far I've come up with: eggs, brown rice, bread, milk, some produce (apples, bananas, and frozen veggies), beans, whole wheat pasta, a little bit of cheese and yogurt. (and butter on occasion)

    Does anyone else have any ideas/recipes for me?

    Thanks!

    shop at a cheaper stores. i like to dig in to my mother in laws garden as well.
  • mrs_deg1983
    mrs_deg1983 Posts: 157
    Hi all,

    I'm really trying to cut down my budget on food, extras, gas, etc. I can only spend at most 50 dollars a month on food. I usually spend about 100; I'm trying to cut it as close to half as I can. I eat pretty healthy (most of the time) and I eat mostly vegetarian.

    I'm trying to come up with ideas of what I can buy at the store that is cheap, healthy and filling.

    So far I've come up with: eggs, brown rice, bread, milk, some produce (apples, bananas, and frozen veggies), beans, whole wheat pasta, a little bit of cheese and yogurt. (and butter on occasion)

    Does anyone else have any ideas/recipes for me?

    Thanks!


    also dont forget coupons, bread stores and some dollar stores you can get can goods 2 for a buck or 4 for a buck.
  • ChasingSweatandTears
    ChasingSweatandTears Posts: 504 Member
    I really need to follow this thread.... We spend way too much for food just for me and my hubby and seems like we are always running to the store. Ugh.
  • mrs_deg1983
    mrs_deg1983 Posts: 157
    these last a while if you can find them on sale. Just a few dinner side i can make big pans of.




    baby red taters,

    i like to get green beans and snap them. cook them till they are tender add some EVOO , onions and garlic yum.

    Cook up some brown rice in low cal chicken broth add onions and green peppers.

    If you want to try something out there get a whole corn on the cob and let it sit in a baggy of italian dressing and a tad of salf and grill it up.

    Get some whole wheat spaghetti noodles and cook them to how you like them. Then shock them after straining the water set them in a bowl of ice water. In another bowl add some dice tomatoes, onions, green peppers and cucumbers and use some Italian dressing just dont make it to strong then add salt and pepper to tast. Add noodles and enjoy!
  • unsuspectingfish
    unsuspectingfish Posts: 1,176 Member
    I spend over $500 a fortnight on food for myself and my family (2 adults and 2 kids). There is no way I could do it for $50 per month

    Wow, I have 3 siblings and I'm pretty sure my mom never spent that much in an entire month to feed us when we were growing up. I don't even have that much money to spend in a month.

    Like, what do all these people who spend a couple hundred bucks a week or more on food actually buy in terms of groceries? Maybe it's just because I've always been poor, but I can't fathom spending that much on food.
  • sgv0918
    sgv0918 Posts: 851 Member
    I spend over $500 a fortnight on food for myself and my family (2 adults and 2 kids). There is no way I could do it for $50 per month

    Wow, I have 3 siblings and I'm pretty sure my mom never spent that much in an entire month to feed us when we were growing up. I don't even have that much money to spend in a month.

    Like, what do all these people who spend a couple hundred bucks a week or more on food actually buy in terms of groceries? Maybe it's just because I've always been poor, but I can't fathom spending that much on food.

    exactly this...my daughter jokes about surviving college no problem because we were so broke when she was growing up. We lived on cheap crap. Hence my weight problem
  • ladykat2330
    ladykat2330 Posts: 33
    I'm on the dole at the moment so now how hard it can be eating healthy and budgeting. My tips are as follows:
    1.Beans and eggs for a good cheep source of protein and you can get tins of beans from the supermarket value range for like 10p (sorry I'm British but I believe that's about 5 cents).
    2. For your veggies avoid the supermarket and find your local green grocers its about half the price and twice the quality.
    3. As other posters have said make things like chilli's curries, lasagne etc and portion them up and freeze those portions.( I have still got some of last months chilli in the freezer!)
    4. Have no shame in buying the value ranges from supermarkets. My Granddad worked for a packaging firm and the only difference between them and the normal brand is the colours on the packaging. That is how they make the cost cheaper not the ingredients of the actual product. So those value tinned tomatoes are the same thing as the supermarket brand ones just with less pretty packaging!
    5. Get to know the spice rack, as the same meal can be made to taste totally different with a little dash of this or that!

    On the plus side since I've been poor I buy a lot less snack junk (Crisps, chocolate biscuits etc) so this has actually really helped my weight loss! (You have to find the silver lining). I wish you the best of luck with it!
  • brighteyes31143
    brighteyes31143 Posts: 87
    bump
  • steadk
    steadk Posts: 334 Member
    plant a garden!

    This!! You can plant so many things!! Celery, green onion, reg onion, garlic, lettuce, spinach.. these are all easy to grow, and most come back without having to do much. Also tomatoes, potatoes..options are endless. Also, i would suggest buy somethings in bulk when you have extra money to do so, especially if items are on sale and with a coupon.

    ETA: shop at an aldi or save a lot.. discounted grocers.. We shop at aldi, and get about 2 weeks worth of food for 80-90.. for 3 adults and a baby
  • californiansun
    californiansun Posts: 392 Member
    I spend over $500 a fortnight on food for myself and my family (2 adults and 2 kids). There is no way I could do it for $50 per month

    Wow, I have 3 siblings and I'm pretty sure my mom never spent that much in an entire month to feed us when we were growing up. I don't even have that much money to spend in a month.

    Like, what do all these people who spend a couple hundred bucks a week or more on food actually buy in terms of groceries? Maybe it's just because I've always been poor, but I can't fathom spending that much on food.

    I can never ever imagine spending 500 a month on groceries. I will never do that. My parents would spend about 200-250 dollars on food per month for 4 people.
  • NoMoreFatTony
    NoMoreFatTony Posts: 22 Member
    My wife and I try to cut cost by making a few things. We make our own bread, bagels and tortillas. As others have said, we will make big meals and freeze to use later.
  • gatorento
    gatorento Posts: 79 Member
    Find out if your supermarkets have slightly damaged fruits and veggies - often hardly any damage, but greatly reduced prices. A few bruises or dents are easily dealt with, and the cost savings are enormous!

    I have often purchased large quantities of just-over-ripe bananas, took them home, and did one of two things. Both options really extended the shelf life of foods, and enables me to have more nutritious foods available:
    1. peel, break into thirds, store in large zip-locking freezer bags - use for smoothies: they are excellent in smoothies! Good for 1-2 months in freezer.
    2. peel, slice (2-3 mm thickness), and dehydrate. Store your delicious homemade banana-chips in freezer to maximize shelf-life. Good for up to 4-5 months if frozen.

    Dehydrating works for vegetables really well, too: you can use dehydrated vegetables in soups and/or add to bean dishes. (Crumbled vegetables can be surreptitiously added to dishes to increase nutrition and taste, and even family members who "hate" veggies won't complain. :)

    Dehydrators made specifically for the purpose of drying foods out are the most convenient way to dehydrate, but if you can also dehydrate foods using your normal oven. Set oven at the "warm-up" temperature (150F). Remove when pliable, and before they become crispy.

    Tip #1: use a cookie sheet as a drying rack.
    Tip #2: spritz some vegetable oil onto drying rack before putting fruits/vegetables on it to make removal much easier!

    Good luck!
  • awisegirl84
    awisegirl84 Posts: 82 Member
    bump
  • dollipop
    dollipop Posts: 379 Member
    I spend over $500 a fortnight on food for myself and my family (2 adults and 2 kids). There is no way I could do it for $50 per month

    Wow, I have 3 siblings and I'm pretty sure my mom never spent that much in an entire month to feed us when we were growing up. I don't even have that much money to spend in a month.

    Like, what do all these people who spend a couple hundred bucks a week or more on food actually buy in terms of groceries? Maybe it's just because I've always been poor, but I can't fathom spending that much on food.
    Those people who spend $100+ a week aren't so ethnocentric to assume everyone they chat to on here is also from the US.
    For those of us who don't live in the US, the relative cheapness of your food / living expenses / wages just aren't real to us.
  • californiansun
    californiansun Posts: 392 Member
    I spend over $500 a fortnight on food for myself and my family (2 adults and 2 kids). There is no way I could do it for $50 per month

    Wow, I have 3 siblings and I'm pretty sure my mom never spent that much in an entire month to feed us when we were growing up. I don't even have that much money to spend in a month.

    Like, what do all these people who spend a couple hundred bucks a week or more on food actually buy in terms of groceries? Maybe it's just because I've always been poor, but I can't fathom spending that much on food.
    Those people who spend $100+ a week aren't so ethnocentric to assume everyone they chat to on here is also from the US.
    For those of us who don't live in the US, the relative cheapness of your food / living expenses / wages just aren't real to us.


    Still doesn't take away the fact that this post could help everyone, no matter where they're from. :D

    This post was made for tips in general. I guess I should of made my post more clear, I just didn't think it'd be that big of a deal.
  • californiansun
    californiansun Posts: 392 Member
    Find out if your supermarkets have slightly damaged fruits and veggies - often hardly any damage, but greatly reduced prices. A few bruises or dents are easily dealt with, and the cost savings are enormous!

    I have often purchased large quantities of just-over-ripe bananas, took them home, and did one of two things. Both options really extended the shelf life of foods, and enables me to have more nutritious foods available:
    1. peel, break into thirds, store in large zip-locking freezer bags - use for smoothies: they are excellent in smoothies! Good for 1-2 months in freezer.
    2. peel, slice (2-3 mm thickness), and dehydrate. Store your delicious homemade banana-chips in freezer to maximize shelf-life. Good for up to 4-5 months if frozen.

    Dehydrating works for vegetables really well, too: you can use dehydrated vegetables in soups and/or add to bean dishes. (Crumbled vegetables can be surreptitiously added to dishes to increase nutrition and taste, and even family members who "hate" veggies won't complain. :)

    Dehydrators made specifically for the purpose of drying foods out are the most convenient way to dehydrate, but if you can also dehydrate foods using your normal oven. Set oven at the "warm-up" temperature (150F). Remove when pliable, and before they become crispy.

    Tip #1: use a cookie sheet as a drying rack.
    Tip #2: spritz some vegetable oil onto drying rack before putting fruits/vegetables on it to make removal much easier!

    Good luck!

    Wow, thats an amazing tip! Thanks!!!!
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    Its great you are trying to do it on your own. You might try and supplement from a local food pantry. It is there for you.
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