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

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  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
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    Man I spend that weekly on chicken breast alone... I'll need to read this later. Bump.
  • kayemme
    kayemme Posts: 1,782 Member
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    has this site already been mentioned? http://plantbasedonabudget.com/
  • californiansun
    californiansun Posts: 392 Member
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    Do you have an Aldi grocery store in your area? They have great prices on all kinds of food, produce, milk, eggs, meat, etc. They are cheap!


    That's only a back east thing, I looked! :(
  • californiansun
    californiansun Posts: 392 Member
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    Hi! I commend you guys on your savings habits. I have a tight budget myself and tips always help.

    I did want to bolster a few members' confidence. A lot of people seemed dismayed that they were spending $100, $150 or $200 a month on groceries. Those who are able to spend less and feed themselves-kudos, but a lot of these plans are not realistic for everybody. Take a gander at the link below from the USDA (forgive me if someone posted this already).

    http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/FoodPlans/2012/CostofFoodJan2012.pdf

    This is a guide to what a person should be spending on food. There are four plans: thrifty, low cost, moderate cost and liberal cost. Thrifty is the basis for SNAP and food stamp programs. So look at the thrifty plan. For example, women 19-50 should be spending around $203 a month with all meals eaten at home. If you are spending less than that and eating enough then congratulations on your budgeting and couponing skills. Just don't feel crazy if you are spending $200 a month to feed yourself. You should pat yourself on the back for that too. : )

    http://www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsavings/plan/foodspendingplan/


    Also check out this other link. A food cost calculator with tips on cheap eating. Their numbers vary from the chart but are pretty close.

    http://www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsavings/

    Love the thread.

    200 dollars is what I have left over to spend every month, I spend half of that on gas alone. I would NEVER buy 200 dollars worth of food, but I do understand people have different needs! :)
  • kkerri
    kkerri Posts: 276 Member
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    Vegan on the Cheap is a great cookbook.
  • MayraAle88
    MayraAle88 Posts: 9 Member
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    Bump!
  • sllida
    sllida Posts: 115 Member
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    bump
  • coug3tt3
    coug3tt3 Posts: 9 Member
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    bump
  • Cgirlish
    Cgirlish Posts: 263 Member
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    I found a new trader joes ... so happy
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
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    I found a new trader joes ... so happy
    so glad you found one, love TJ's!:love:
  • DeeVanderbles
    DeeVanderbles Posts: 589 Member
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    I'm going to have to come back to this thread when I get home from work and take notes. :P You guys are awesome.
  • creativeweighs
    creativeweighs Posts: 7
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    honestly, don't purchase bread. you DON'T need it. You can get your whole grain needs with things like lentils, barley, etc. Make lots of soup. Canned beans are great, cheap and full of protein. Don't purchase meat if you are on that tight of a budget (it's super expensive). Frozen veggies are just as good as fresh if you steam them. Dairy is also expensive. Bananas and apples are relatively inexpensive compared to other fruits.

    The cheapest way to cut back on grocery costs is to go vegan and get your protein/iron needs from beans
  • misschubbybutterfly
    misschubbybutterfly Posts: 75
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    I live in Clovis too!!
    Do you shop at the 99 cents store ever? I only ever shop there and at the farmer's market downtown. For a family of 3 we spend about $200 a month on food. The 99 cents store in our city always as super awsome deals on name brand food all the time. I bought Tazo Organic Green Tea (the ones in the glass bottles) 4 for a buck! They always have the lean cuisine meals I take for lunch! I JUST bought some Fiber One Oat bars 2 boxes for $1 and 4 packs of Dan-O-Nino for $1 each.
    I go to the (( centss tore and see what they have an plan meals arround that.

    When we had a membership I also went to Sam's Club. The one in Fresno has fresh chicken breast $1.99 a pound. It comes in huge packs, but for $11, it's all we need for the month, so if it's just you then you'd be set for a while!
  • Tropical_Turtle
    Tropical_Turtle Posts: 2,236 Member
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    Where the heck do you live? I want to move there....(In reference to getting all that for such LOW prices!!)

    Fresno/Clovis, CA :)

    lol that explains it - everything is grown down there. No wonder I am envious of the prices!
  • ❤lindsay❤dawn❤
    ❤lindsay❤dawn❤ Posts: 443
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    *BUMP*

    : ))
  • malliexo
    malliexo Posts: 76 Member
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    I saw you're in CA. Do you have a Sprouts grocery store? They have the cheapest produce. I like Costco for meat because it will last forever. You can get 6 frozen salmons for $11 so $1.83 per serving.
  • bluevwgurl
    bluevwgurl Posts: 220 Member
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    bump
  • squidgely
    squidgely Posts: 29 Member
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    Just checked out the currency converter and the prices for food in Australia seem very similar to England. I find it hard to keep the food bills down and to eat healthy. The more healthy foods I put in my trolley, the higher my bill but with two toddlers too, I can't afford to scrimp on good quality food. A box of 6 eggs costs about £1.59. A cheap rotisserie chicken is about £5 pounds. Any tips for cheap meals that family would also enjoy would be very welcome!
    Sarah x
  • StrongerJess
    StrongerJess Posts: 185 Member
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    Bump to read later
  • mightyminerva
    mightyminerva Posts: 145 Member
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    Tofu is yummy in almost anything!

    This is a website with a load of recipe ideas using "real food" (not processed, fruits and veggies). If nothing else, I'm sure it can give you some recipe ideas and you can modify them to fit your budget.

    http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/real-food-resources/#dinner

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