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$100/grocery budget for the week. what would your menu look like. i have general guidelines set up like breakfast will be cereal and milk, sometimes oatmeal. total of $10/week, including milk. i have targets of $10 for dinners, with one night of leftovers and clearing out the fridge. that leaves me $30 for lunches and snacks. please give me your best suggestions for foods for lunch, dinner, and snack. tia.
60 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]thanks. i either don't like chili or have no idea how to make it well. it always tastes disgusting. maybe i'll start getting more cookbooks and getting a better recipe. thanks for the suggestions.
[ Reply | Options ]Sure! (Saute onion and green pepper in olive oil, add browned meat, can of crushed tomatoes, large can of pinto beans, small can of kidney or black beans, 2 table spoons of cumin, one of chili powder, salt and pepper.)
[ Reply | Options ]NP: no need for cook book (extra purchase) use: epicurious.com, allrecipes.com and recipezaar.com
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I find trader joes expensive and I never find anything I want there. I know, I'm the odd ball.
[ Reply | Options ]I completely agree with you. My DH thinks its geared towards urban dwellers who don't cook.
[ Reply | Options ]I used to feel that way, but it took several visits to really get to know the place. Things like organic canned beans, catsup, oils, etc. are definitely cheaper than at supermarket. Their meats are expensive because many are organic, but their dairy is well priced, eggs, frozen foods, etc. all cheaper and when I get $100 bill at TJ's my cart is much more full than it is as a regular supermarket.
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Pasta is one the the cheapest things you can buy. Pasta with pesto- sometimes we add a little cut up chicken or tomatoes. Pasta with tomato sauce- sometimes we add a splash of cream and a half cup of parmesean cheese to give it some oomph. Pasta with fresh tomatoes, olive oil, fresh mozzarella(expensive though) and basil. Pasta with avocados, lemon juice and tomatoes. These all can be eaten as leftovers for lunch.
[ Reply | Options ]^^Breakfast could be whole wheat toast with peanut butter or oatmeal, plus some fruit. I find cereal is very expensive, does NOT fill up my kids, they cruise through a whole box in 3-4 days. Those oatmeal packets are much heartier.
[ Reply | Options ]op: thanks for the suggestions. i also find that cereal doesn't last very long. but it does satisfy my dcs. i have one dc who likes oatmeal but the packets are fairly expensive. i called quaker recently and asked if they can make an instant oatmeal in a container where you could just scoop out however much you wanted and add the seasonings separately. that would be great for us. but i need to start making more kinds of pasta. it is inexpensive but i always end up making the same kind so i don't make it that often.
[ Reply | Options ]I'm pretty sure you can just put regular Quaker oats in the microwave with some water/milk, just like the packets (that's how we cook the packets also.) I'm not sure if they're much cheaper though. I agree with the poster below about the roast chicken too. I doubt a family of 5 can get more than two meals out of one chicken, but even roasted at the store, they're only about $7. Make some Jiffy cornbread and a bag of salad, and I think you can keep it under $10. This is a good post, btw. It really gets people thinking.
[ Reply | Options ]funny i didn't think of that at all. we used to not have a microwave and so i'd have to go and make a whole pot of oatmeal. we do have a microwave now but i'm not in the habit of thinking to cook with it. you're right, i can just make regular oatmeal in the microwave and then add honey or brown sugar.
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oatmeal takes five minutes to make, and you can add your own stuff. the instant is just sheer laziness.
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I agree with regard to both cereal and PB. Cereal is very expensive (although much cheaper at target) and pb has way more protein. whole grain bread/toast with pb and a banana is a really solid bfast for dcs and you.
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we have had a 70$ a week fod budget for more than a year...here is how I do it..buy a whole chicken and roast it and take all the meat off the bones..you can use the meat for 2or 3 meals. Home made Pizzais cheap, a pasta dish(Eg pasta Bolognese), frozen veggies, a pot roast with lots of potatoes. never buy juice, never buy water, never buy cereal, indivually wrapped anything, buy in bulk, picnic, Mark Bittman "Best Recipes from Around the World" is a great cookbook and most of the recipes dont cost much, garden, buy an icecream machine for treats
[ Reply | Options ]For a healthy cheap meal I'm a big fan of rice (brown is best but white OK) and grilled or sauteed veggies like zucchini, squash, asparagus, carrots, mushrooms, snow peas, etc. If you want protein throw in some chicken.
[ Reply | Options ]Buy boxes of Quinoa, Whole Wheat Cous Cous, Dry Lentils and beans (high protein), frozen berries and fruit to add to yogurt for extra vitamins, loose grain multi-grain hot cereals, frozen broccoli (last longer, high vitamin, cheaper), get one large chicken and make a soup - the meat and soup (in large pot) can last 3-4 days.
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This is a great recipe, I make it about twice a month and double the amount each time, since the leftovers are a great lunch: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/BLACK-BEAN-AND-TOMATO-QUINOA-238939. FYI: I don't put the butter in, and instead add extra vegetable oil, and what really makes it great is that I add in about a 1/2 cup to a cup of chopped up feta (there's cheap feta at Whole Foods) to add a bit of salt and creaminess. The recipe is AWESOME, husband and DS both love it.
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In "The Man Who Ate Everything" he has a section on feeding a family of four on what you get if you are on assistance. He really researched it. I'd check that one out.
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it is a very interesting book. He has a whole section on the science behind how to make the best mashed potatoes. Why some people like one bottled water over another and if you like one (ie Poland Spring), others you are more likely to like versus if you like another (Evian) which others you are more likely to prefer.
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People magazine has a feature each week from chef's for meals nder 10 dollars. I find tacos are an inexpensive meal. You can buy chop meat in bulk and have hamburgers or meatballs later in the week. Sausage and peppers with rice is also relatively inexpensive. You need to plan your weekly menu by what is on sale at the grocery store. I agree with the above poster about cereal. It is on sale all the time at CVS for $2 or $2.50 a box.
[ Reply | Options ]smaller portions of meat, more beans, rice, and fresh fruit and veg. can the snacks, and anything that is prepared foods. (snack could be a boiled ear of corn, or peanuts, fruit, and the like - crackers and peanut butter)
[ Reply | Options ]Western Beef is the cheapest grocery I've seen in the city. You just have to be careful to pick the good quality items, b/c some of it is very unhealthy/fatty. If you like cereal they have generic brands that are 1.99 and you can't taste the difference. Also agree on the whole chicken. Lot's can be done all the way down to boiling the remains off the bone and making a broth. I'll find a website for you, u can also make your own laundry detergent very cheaply and that cut down your grocery bill.
[ Reply | Options ]http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm but there are tons other websites too
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I love the food network website for recipes because they give you the user ratings. The new food network start does a meal for 4 under $10 (shes on at 12:30 on Sundays but you can find her recipes on line) and sandra lee also does one giving tips on whats cheaper, etc. Does your family like sloppy joes? Super inexpensive and I make two skillet at the same time and freeze the extra skillet for another night. You can buy day old bread because I toast it anyway. And $100 a week is probably quite the challenge. Congrats on doing it and good luck!
[ Reply | Options ]From scratch pancakes/waffles,Toads in holes,oatmeal,scrambled eggs/toast for breakfast. Make a big pot of curry, lentils, beans, pasta sauce, rice and rotate these for lunches/dinners. eg: burritos,pasta casseroles(add fresh colorful produce),tuna or white meat poultry, a fritatta or omelet for dinner, kigfish or albacore fish&chips, potatoes, roasted squash, tofu stir fries.
[ Reply | Options ]ok im indian and we're known for our money saving techniques. try to cook food from non-developed countries, they generally have cheap dishes. like indian people eat a lot of lentils and rice, mexicans eat beans and rice, bengalis eat fish and rice....all are really cheap and yummy combos of carbs and protein.
[ Reply | Options ]Two cheap meals that I do a lot for my family: pasta with greens (saute garlic and onion with some chili flakes, then toss in a chopped up bunch of swiss chard until it wilts, squeeze in the juice of a whole lemon and finally toss with pasta and cheese) and Italian eggs (toast thick slices of bread or french bread, top with tomato sauce, then fried eggs, then a sprinkling of parmesan cheese). Both are filling and pretty healthy and cheap... also, we've got a slow cooker, so we sometimes toss in boneless chicken breasts, a can of black beans and a jar of black beans -- cook for a few hours and eat over brown rice or inside tortillas.
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