$20 a week.

oooh, chili!

Dried beans, rice, in season fruits and veggies, oats, eggs..

First off look for sales, make HUGE batches of stuff and try to buy generic brands when they're cheaper. I'd use the $20 to buy:

2 dozen eggs--have an omelet for 1 meal.

baby carrots and make some hummus--like $2-3 for enough to last the week

pound of beans, pound of frozen onions and peppers, can of stewed tomatoes, and a pound of ground turkey--all about $6-8 and will last for 1 meal for the entire week

container of oatmeal--$2-3 and will last the week

few pounds of bananas

1 loaf of bread

1 jar of peanut butter

A big bag of rice will last a long time. Canned tuna and salmon, especially on sale. You can heat up the canned fish and put it on a bed of rice with some lemon pepper. Fresh veggies in-season and on sale. Eggs.
Any way you look at it though, $20 is gonna be a little tough for a decent week's worth of food.

Find a farmer's market. You get whatever is in season and it'll be both good and cheap.

Hey,

Not sure if its possible or not but if you were to think in terms of 80 a month instead of 20 a week then you may be able to get more for your money that way...buy in bulk, do a ton of prep ahead etc.

Crockpot Turkey Chili! It makes a TON of food, enough to fill a 5 qt crockpot or can be made on the stovetop in a 6 quart stock pot, and it freezes well in individual portion sizes to be used over the course of a month.

1 lb ground turkey, sautéed on stove top until all pink is gone & then added to crockpot or stockpot (omit this for vegetarians)
19 oz can black bean soup (I use Organics brand from Pavilions, but any will do, some of these are very "onion" heavy and have an overpowering flavor, so read the ingredients list - the higher on the list the more of the ingredient)
16 oz can vegetarian baked beans
15 oz can kidney beans rinsed/drained
14.5 oz can chopped tomatoes in their own juices (I use fire roasted tomatoes because of the extra flavor - its not spicy, just flavorful - sometimes I blend this in the blender so there aren't any chunks)
15 oz can drained whole kernel corn
1 small can of mild chopped green chili
1 small can of tomato paste & half can of water (after emptying can, fill with hot water half way, gently shake or stir to get the last of the tomato paste out and pour into crockpot)
1 bell pepper chopped (microwave for 2-3 mins to help soften) - I have used all colors of peppers in various batches of this dish and all have tasted great
2-3 stalks celery chopped (microwave for 2-3 mins to help soften)
2-3 large carrots chopped (microwave for 2-3 mins to help soften)
3-4 cloves garlic minced

Mix spices together before adding to the pot:
1/4 to 1/2 tbsp roasted chipotle chili powder (can use regular chili power)
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil

Usually, between each thing I add I stir the pot so that everything incorporates easily. Cook in crockpot for 4 hrs on High, stirring a few times. Or, cook on on stovetop over low-medium heat, stirring a occasionally to prevent burning at the bottom for 2-3 hours, then on low to keep warm. Great served over rice or with cornbread and its even better the next day.

Michelina frozen lean dinners are a $1 a pop. Not too shabby.

I boil some chicken and cut it into cubes. First night I do a chicken rice vegetable soy sauce number. Next night is chicken salad, Then you can make an easy chicken tortilla soup that makes many many servings for less than $6 bucks.

I 10 oz can of chicken
2 cans of chicken broth
1 can of black beans drained
1 can of black olives drained
1 can of rotel
1 can of corn
some oregano,cilantro
dump all in pot heat and stir

put some chips in the bottom of your bowl and pour it on top. add sour cream or cheese whatever.

that tuna thing above mentioned is great I just add a can of cream of mushroom soup. also can substitute tuna for lean hamburger meat. its yummy.

you an divide up portions in containers and freeze so you don't have to eat same thing everynight.

I use to eat on that budget it got pretty fun getting creative. I have a bunch more let me know if interested.

Hope the $20/wk is a temporary thing. I live on a fixed income and I watch my grocery budget closely. I would have a hard time with a $20 budget. For protein, how about eggs, tuna, maybe cottage cheese, peanut butter, and some meat that's on sale. A loaf of bread for sandwiches and French toast. Russet potatoes with cottage cheese.....something green like spinach for salads with eggs or in omelets. Lentil soup with carrots is a favorite of mine and very filling. Canned pineapple for the cottage cheese maybe. I usually buy a pound or so of meat that is on sale and some fruit that is in season.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

Hopefully it's just you you're feeding on $20! I would absolutely purchase a month's worth of groceries:

- Frozen meat. Chicken/fish $6 each bag. Cheaper cuts of beef (stew) $5 or pork loin chop $6 = $23
- Dried beans (Black/Pinto/Kidney etc) $3
-Sweet potatos (lower GI then regular potatos) $4 Lettuce (not gourmet, just iceberg for cheap salads) $2
-Frozen Veg (Broccoli, beans, spinach, okra, carrots, corn, peas, onions, peppers) Great Value: $1-2 each = $11
-Frozen Fruit (Berries - $3-6, .peach/pineapple etc $4
-Canned tomatos
-Tub of yogurt
-Eggs

If you're a bread eater i'd get a loaf of that and freeze. I'm not into processed stuff but if that's easier then do what you need to.

G'luck!

I know how troubling it can be trying to do this! I second the chicken tortilla recipe above, it's similar to my own and will feed my SO and I for a week!

If you have an Alberstons near you, they are AWESOME for stocking up on meats. They have a buy one get 2 for free so you'll walk out with three sets of meat, and usually have chicken, lean pork, and lean steaks on this sale. They also usually have a buy one get one for free if you browse their meat and poultry departments. .

What I do is usually buy the meats in one grocery trip because a lot of their items tend to be more expensive, and then the veggies and other groceries the next trip.

Beans... You can also get a bag of frozen chicken breasts for like $6. And that could last a couple of weeks. also for fresh fruit and veggies, try a local farmers market or if you know anyone who has a garden, they might give you some for free. I give away our extra veggies from our garden.

Melann, I must go shopping in your neighborhood. No chicken breasts, frozen or otherwise, for $6.00 (unless you meant $6.00/pound) here in Los Angeles.

We don't have Aldi's here, but we do have 99-Cent Stores (aka Dollar Stores). You can get a somewhat decent assortment of canned stuff there. Some even carry produce.

Another budget food: ramen noodles. Sometimes you can pick up a six-pack of Top Ramen for a dollar. Good to use with leftovers. One downside: the seasoning packet is loaded with sodium. Use sparingly, if at all.

I would eat as little meat as possible. Look for local grocery stores. In my area they always stock farmers market veggies and I only buy what is in season( right now yellow squash, corn, and eggplant are really cheap in my area). I take care of my mom (and I'm super cheap) and she can't have very much cholesterol so we eat very little meat. I use whatever veggies are in season and frozen ones when they go on sale. Try not to shop at Walmart as they are not very cheap in the end for food (unless you have coupons). Maybe it's just in my area but the produce really sucks there too.Try to look for any helpful coupons. Dollar Tree (or any 1$ or less store) always has some awesome canned options (but keeps on eye on them as some things are not a good deal). Try buying bagged rice, a very little can go a long way, throw in some seasonal veggies and some chicken bullion and cook it up in a skillet. Beans are super cheap and good for you too ( and you can do the same thing in a skillet). If you live on the coast seafood can probably be found very cheaply at a fish market. Use lettuce (like red leaf or green) instead of bread or tortilla and have a nice crunchy wrap. It's usually around .40 cents where I live and it will last you all week. Tuna and hot dogs are always super cheap. Having salad for dinner can be pretty inexpensive if you work it right and use sale veggies. I feed three people, four animals, and purchase cleaning supplies and toiletries on a 120$ bucks a week and I don't really cut coupons. I just keep an eye out. You can do it, you just have to be a bit crafty.

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