# If you had $20 a week



## wildflowerjenn (Jul 14, 2003)

for a grocery budget, what would you buy and what would your meal plan look like? Assume that you have a crockpot and a breadmaker.


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## Defenestrator (Oct 10, 2002)

How many people am I feeding on my $20?

Do I get to use veggies from my garden?

My family of three eats on about $75 per week, so we aren't too far away from this amount per person.

For breakfast and lunch -- peanut butter, whole grain bread (homemade if I had the time), homemade waffles and pancakes, eggs, fruit, milk, some cheeses.

For dinner, an emphasis on fresh, in season veggies, grains, beans, some meat, veggies/sauces/salsas that I have canned from summer produce, fruit I have frozen/canned from summer produce. Fish a couple of times per month.

Budget busters include seafood (because it is yummy), too much meat, too much cheese, prepared foods, and out of season veggies. If I avoid these things, I can eat really really well on $25 per person.

A few things that help on the vegetable front. I belong to a CSA, I have a garden where I grow stuff that I can can, and when I want a large quantity of something, I will sometimes go to the farmer's market at closing time and buy everything the farmer has left at the end of the day for half price (or occasionally less). This is great for getting things like strawberries for jam.


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## wildflowerjenn (Jul 14, 2003)

Great ideas for someone who has a garden!!

Its winter -- so no garden veggies available.

You're feeding two adults and two toddlers.


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## lab (Jun 11, 2003)

I wish!

I don't know how to make a little food!

I just can't play - my kids are too big and eat too much. I don't remember how to feed two toddlers! My grocery bill is unbelievable! I'm going to have to get a job to afford to feed them.

We would probably eat loads of fruits and veggies, and have to have a garden. Of course, it is more expensive to eat fruit and vegs!
Beans - lots of beans!

Ok - I'm getting serious, let's see - for breakfast - eggs and toast, oatmeal or grits (southerner here)

Lunch - sandwiches and applesauce - (grilled cheese or peanut butter)

Supper - grilled something - probably fish and broccoli

You know - I can't do it! I think I've probably gone over already!

maybe someone else can try!


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## Mona (May 22, 2003)

beans beans beans!!!!!
you can do mexican, soups, and entrees with beans. and the dried ones are so cheap.
rice. also very cheap, and can be used for mexican, soups and entrees as well.
umm.... soups using frozen veggies on sale... or using leftovers.

i would hit the local food bank, if you have one, for some assistance...


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## Defenestrator (Oct 10, 2002)

Ok, $20 for four people is pretty lean. Lean enough that I would be filling in the holes at the food pantry.

Is it possible to get enough money together to buy certain things in bulk, like a 50lb. bag of flour?

Make bread, pancakes, waffles, etc. Eat eggs for protein in the morning. Powdered milk can be less expensive than fresh for use in recipes.

I would make soup in the crockpot. If you are non-veggie, you can get hambones, oxtails, shanks, etc. cheaply to make soup stocks. Beans, pasta, potatoes, etc. can help make nice hearty, filling soups. Chili is a good thing.

I think that anytime you get into the rural/peasant food of a culture, you get food that is more affordable. That could be the omlettes of France or the lentils of India or the rice dishes of China. Depending on the kinds of foods your family likes to eat, you could do rather well by exploring these kinds of foods.

I know the last thing you want to do is spend money, but I have a great cookbook called Extending the Table. Maybe you could find it at the library or buy it used. It is a cookbook entirely focused on conserving food/energy resources, and was written by Mennonite missionaries who had travelled around the world. There is a lot of delicious food in there, and most of it is very cheap to make.

Good luck!


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## EFmom (Mar 16, 2002)

I'm pretty frugal and shop very carefully, but I cannot imagine feeding a family of four on $20/week in the winter.

Obviously, some of what the others have said--pasta, beans, bread, rice, pancakes. Also, a lot of polenta and other cornmeal based items.

Produce is going to be a killer. Even potatoes are going to be tough on that little. Maybe cabbage, onions and carrots, and the occasional bag o' fruit that happens to be on sale.

For meat, about all that would work is to buy the occasional loss leader ham or turkey and portion it out in the freezer, assuming there is one for very occasional use.


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## darkstar (Sep 8, 2003)

We have an awsome fruit market here that has organic produce for CHEAP. I can usally buy 3 big bags of veggies and fruit and great bread there for 15-20 dollars







With a big bag of rice and lentils, we would be eating well. Stir-fry, indian food, lentil soup, buritos. Lots of beans, rice and lentils are the key


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## corrie43 (Mar 9, 2003)

I would say ramen noodles and generic mac and cheese. Fill in with anything that's on sale. Drink lots of water.

I will edit this because I know everyone here is very nutrtion minded, but seriously I have lived on this kind of stuff when I was really broke, I took ramen noodles and boiled them up , used only half the seaoning packet and added frozen broccoli and peas, and it made a meal for 2 for about 50cents total. Mac and cheese is .25 a box on sale here and I do the same thing, add peas, corn and broccoli for a meal that feeds myself and two kids for about $1 for the whole meal.

If I bought plain pasta and real cheese it would actually cost more. I would only do this in desperate times, but I feel $20 a week is desprate.

I would love to buy fresh fruits and veggies all the time and organic everything, but I would spend over $100 a week doing that. I look forward to reading this whole thread and getting ideas, because we really need to cut down our food budget and don't want to resort back to ramen noodles....

Corrie


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## bonbon mama (May 16, 2003)

I would say to find an Aldi's or Sav-a-lot and a food bank or a St. Vincent de Paul Society (Catholic churches have these--call the rectory) and get on their list. Also, find the bread thrift stores and hit your fresh air markets when its about to close so you can make an offer on produce past its prime.

Coming from a family of 12 children, I would say...bean soup, veg chili, chicken soup made with cheapest chicken, pancakes, french toast with powdered sugar on top, scrambled eggs, popcorn, rice, peanut butter, oatmeal, and only buy the BOGO items or loss leaders at the grocery.


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## anythingelse (Nov 26, 2001)

I would order a $20.00 food box from a place like --
http://www.dandylion.org/page10.html

because IME there is no way otherwise where we live -- I would have enough food to feed my big eaters for 60.00 for the four per week, otherwise they would be starving

we have a deepfreeze to store off season & a garden and it does not go far enough


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## AmyB (Nov 21, 2001)

Here's the plan I used to follow when I was poor:

ESSENTIAL:
Lentils
rice
crisco
flour
baking powder
Yeast
milk powder
sugar or honey
spices/salt

EXTRAS:
non-instant oatmeal
Peanut butter
onions
potatoes
carrots
cabbage
sunday chicken
eggs
apples/oranges
Jam

Menu:
Breakfast: eggs, oatmeal, pancakes, or rice pudding
Lunch: soup or peanut butter sandwich + fruit or baked potato
Dinner: lentils/rice or biscuit w/gravy or veggies on rice or soup+ biscuits.

Get the rice, lentils, flour, sugar, oatmeal, shortening, milk powder in bulk so you don't have to buy every week.

Make bread. Chicken dinner once a week, boil the carcass for soup stock. Also save all veggie scraps for stock. Soup can be fancy or plain depending on how much cash you have for extras. Make homemade noodles or dumplings out of egg+ flour. Make cookies to keep sweet tooth happy!


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## Mothernature (Jun 10, 2002)

I have a few questions before I try to answer. Do I have to start from scratch? ie. build a pantry, Or are there things I already have to work with? Are there any food sensitivities we're working around? Can I eat at my parents for Sunday dinner?

Here is the key to eating cheaply. Plan, plan, and plan some more.

1. Make a menu.
2. Clip coupons (only for things on your list)
3. Check circulars for sales
4. Shop somewhere that they have price matching and bring your sale ads

Potato soup
Onion soup
rice and beans
lentils
pasta
canned tomatoes
greens (I can get collards, mustard, turnip or kale for$.79 a bunch)
corn bread
french toast
pancakes
muffins
oatmeal
sandwiches
canned tuna
peanut butter

I'll keep brainstorming


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## SoHappy (Nov 19, 2001)

I'd go for nutritional value over "dollar value". Skip anything premade. Mac N Cheese and Ramen do nothing for your body, with the exception of some protein in the cheese powder and a few vitamins in the enriched noodles. Analyze your bodies' needs and hit someplace you can buy in bulk (restaurant warehouse, co-op, etc.) Look for protein, whole foods, and richly colored veggies. If you see something cheap in the bulk bins, look online for recipe ideas before you buy a bunch.

A giant bag of beans and a giant bag of brown rice will last for several weeks. Sweet potatoes. Carrots, we can get a 25lb bag for around $4 here and they last a long time. Some spinach, kale, chard, whatever's in season and on sale. Oatmeal. Sunflower seeds in bulk bins are pretty cheap and good add-ins. Popcorn (in bulk, popped on stove) for snacks. If any neighbors have citrus trees I'd offer to pick the fruit in exchange for keeping some of it. Basics like pasta, flour, eggs (make fried rice with egg!), corn meal. Any cheap produce you see (well, except iceberg lettuce.)

I bake an entire bag of potatoes at once (saves gas). When they're cool I stick them in the freezer for 1/2 hour. Then I shred some, cube some, and slice some, and stick them back in the freezer. They're ready for hash browns, adding to soup, or oven-baked fries. The beans can be cooked in one big batch then frozen in 2-cup portions for use in burritos, soups, etc. A pot of brown rice can be used plain, in soups, spicy (for Mexican dishes or Asian stir-fry) or sweet (hot breakfast cereal, pudding). I make a bunch of whole wheat waffles at once, freeze them on cookie sheets, then bag them to keep in the freezer.

Make breads and rolls.
I say only check the circulars for basics, the rest is a bunch of premade crap. Coupons are good for toiletries (like free toothbrushes, my favorite!), but the foods rarely offer true nutritional value. Save the money on the toiletries and spend it on whole foods. Sure, if you can get some things practically free by combining couponing and sales, go for it, but try not to base your diet on these high sugar/fat/salt things.

Make pizza, it's so cheap and fun. Don't throw any food away. Stale bread, make croutons. A few tablespoons of leftover veggies or rice or beans goes on a salad or in the freezer until you have enough for your next soup. That little bit of cereal can be crushed and used as a coating for something. Almost any leftover can top a salad, even a little mac 'n' cheese. If you open a can of tomato paste and don't use it all, freeze spoonfuls in blobs then store them in the freezer so you can pull out a tablespoon or so as needed. Make your own salad dressings. When the kids are sick of water, stick to concentrated 100% juices and use lots of water, since you're really after the flavor and nobody really needs that much juice anyway.

I could go on and on. We live in the 4th most expensive area in the nation. I have many tricks up my sleeve!


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## lab (Jun 11, 2003)

WOW SoHappy! I am bowing to your greatness!


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## raleigh_mom (Jan 11, 2004)

I currently feed 2 adults, 1 3yr old, and 1 baby on $40/week. That's up from $30/week a couple months ago. Coupons are a huge part of this - I match coupons to sales to make a lot of food cheap/free. This week I got lots of frozen veggies, including stir fry veggies. I got free dish detergent. A bag of organic rice. The dreaded WalMart supplied soda (for upset tummies), graham crackers, peanut butter, bread, frozen waffles, hamburger for DH and carrot sticks. One of our stores has a bin for clearance fruit and veggies that are very slightly bruised, etc. , so I got a big bag of apples for $1. The help for me is that I shop in quantity when I find a good deal. I have a ton of free pasta in my pantry and a full freezer. I found Gardenburger items on sale and got them for .90/each using coupons a few weeks ago. I now have 15 boxes in my freezer.

I am rambling, but the point is it is actually possible to do this.


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## AnnMarie (May 21, 2002)

With 3 adults and 4 kids in the house I think we'd starve. I'd probably buy potatoes, carrots, green beans, beans, rice, and some fruit. If I had enough I'd buy a vegetarian meat replacer product.


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## heket (Nov 18, 2003)

Quote:

_Originally posted by Vanna's Mom_
*I would order a $20.00 food box from a place like --
http://www.dandylion.org/page10.html*
How in the world did you find this place? I wish I knew of it sooner (living in SoCal myself...)

Nissa


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## anythingelse (Nov 26, 2001)

many homeschooling familys form co-ops through support groups to buy in bulk, community garden etc.. most have single income familys, our Catholic ones have typically 3 or more kids to feed so this is not uncommon.


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## AnnMarie (May 21, 2002)

Quote:

_Originally posted by heket_
*How in the world did you find this place? I wish I knew of it sooner (living in SoCal myself...)

Nissa







*
I wish we had a place like that here. That's a lot of stuff for the money!


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## fragglzmom (Apr 26, 2002)

A few more additions to all these great ideas! (Except the ramen and mac/cheese suggestion...where's the nutrition??)

Find a local family farm that sells eggs by the dozen. There's one near me (and I live in the desert!) that sells them for about 1.00/dozen. Eggs are a MUST, unless you're vegan, of course!

Don't buy ANY convenience foods, and that includes canned beans. You can make so much more if you buy dried beans...all you need is water and a little seasoning. Garbanzo beans are my current favorite.

Check out markets for food that you normally might not, such as a Mexican grocery store (I live in SoCal, so these are really common here.) for cheap treats like good tortillas, beans in bulk, and cheap produce.

Go for strongly flavored cheeses so you don't have to use as much. Goat cheese, feta cheese, smoked cheddar and mozzarella, etc.

Discount stores like Big Lots, The 99Cent ONly store, Dollar Tree, etc. sometimes have great buys on things like organic foods. I think regular grocery stores have a hard time moving these items, so they send them to the discounters.

Make every bite filling and nutritious. Use spinach for salad instead of iceberg. Use ONLY whole grain foods, even for pastas and rice. Make your own bread and pizza crust. I recently learned to make pizza, and I was ashamed at how easy it really was.

GL!


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## SoHappy (Nov 19, 2001)

Ah, Leah, a woman of my ilk!

Okay, you all know I don't do the kind of food or products found in the big supermarkets. I really don't like all the chemicals and crap going into our foods and household products and am actually sad that people support the corporations that are fattening our children and ruining our bodies and planet.

That said, for those of you who do shop in these places I feel obligated to tell you about Teri's List.
If you visit: http://www.thegrocerygame.com/index.cfm?
you'll see what I'm talking about. It's a system you subscribe to where they use a database to track all the sale prices and coupons. They do the work, and the subscribers get the list. They concentrate on stockpiling when prices are lowest. People who subscribe say they save a ton. They offer a trial subscription, then it's $10 every 8 weeks. If you try it, let me know how it goes for you. But don't tell me what you buy, especially if it's something like Rice-A-Roni or Clorox.







:


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## Touch of Sunshine (Mar 24, 2003)

First off, i need to ask, is there nothing else in the house? I'd recommend shopping in your freezer and pantry first. And add things to stretch.

Myself, I just finished shopping for a family of 6 and the bill was about $40 Canadian(ok it was more than that cause i got some junk food for family pj party that we do on the weekends, but if I was in a pinch, I wouldn't get those at all, so the essentials were $40, but with treats it would be like $40USD.). HOWEVER, I have a fully stocked freezer and well stocked freezer, veggies, frozen apples(from my apple tree), frozen berries(from my mom) we have cerals and oatmeal, cream of wheat, cream of rice, sonny boy, 7 grain cooked cereal, crackers, baking needs(flour, yeast, baking powder, sugar). We bought a 1/4 beef and 1/4 pork. My family likes basic foods, meat, potatoes and veggies.

So, for my $20, I'd get 20 lbs potatoes, bulk veggies from the produce store(cheap cheap, if I'm willing to blanch them ,they often through stuff out at the end of the day if it's not "prime", cleaning blanching and immediate freezing I can get free or next to free. fruits and veggies). I'd make sure there was flour in the house.

20 lbs potatoes, vegetables, Carrots, milk, eggs, butter(well, for tight budget no name margarine), on sale cuts of meat.

You know, I don't know what else I'd get? You really have me thinking.

This is a really thought provoking thread for me. Thank you.

I agree get the most nutrition for your $ is best. While we do get some packaged foods(like MAYBE once a month), and not enough organics, i think we eat mostly whole foods.


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## gurumama (Oct 6, 2002)

Here in MA you can get a 50 lb bag of potatoes for $5 at a lot of the small farmstands that are trying to eek out a living during winter. That'll help.

This sounds a bit odd, but go to a freebies place on the web, like http://www.fatwallet.com or http://www.volition.com and find the "freebies" section. You go to various websites and get completely free samples of various products. Over the years I've gotten free diapers (1 or 2 at a time), tampons, razors, soap, spice samples, power bars, soup samples, coupons for free items, etc. On your budget, this would really help. Set up a "junk" email account at yahoo.com or hotmail.com and use that as your email address when you register for samples, so you don't get inundated with junk.

Check out the SHARE or SERVE network in your area. You volunteer 2 hours per week somewhere in your comunity, then get a bunch of food for $15-17 once a month. They have veggie options if you'revegetarians. Here's the one for New England: http://www.servenewengland.org/


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## gurumama (Oct 6, 2002)

Here a link for info on freebies:

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/categories.php?catid=22


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## moss (Feb 7, 2004)

Well, if you're talking freebies....

http://www.dumpsterworld.com/index.php


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## Korwynne (Feb 18, 2004)

another couponing website that is free (for some states) is www.cutouthunger.org

I made a soup that was really cheap and made a lot..

it was a can of progresso minestrone (it was on sale for 99 cents and I had a 50 cent coupon which doubled made it free), a can of tomatoes (we don't really care for them, so I used crushed), a can of beans (I used mixed beans), I added chickpeas, a box of frozen spinach, and some frozen corn.

You could make it cheaper by using dried beans and chickpeas.. tomatoes, spinach and corn if you have them from your garden or whatever.. it made about 10 cups and I very easily could have extended it by adding more veggies. You'd need to add a little more liquid if you don't used canned tomatoes and veggies as you dump the liquid in as well.

I also have a recipe for tacos that includes shredded potatoes in with the meat.. it extends the recipe a lot and is a lot more filling as well. My family won't eat homemade tacos any other way anymore.


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## mimie (Mar 7, 2003)

DH and I have been trying to eat on about $20 per week lately. We usually spend more like $30. We have a well-stocked pantry. We eat a lot of:

-Eggs as a protein source. We buy them on sale. Recently I got 36 eggs for $2 with a buy-one-get-one free coupon
-Fresh veggies - we buy what is on sale. Last week it was spinach and broccoli - my favorites!
-We skip cheese unless it is on big sale.
-We don't buy organic anymore








-We buy rice in bulk at the Asian market
-Whole chickens - bought on sale. A small chicken in the crock pot is dinner one night, with leftover meat for sandwiches for lunch, and then yummy chicken soup the next night.
-We bought lots of diced tomatoes at Costco. It came out to about 50 cents a can. I use them to make sauces for pasta or rice (just add onion, garlic, and spices, cut-up chicken if you have it). You can even poach eggs in a tomato sauce - it's very good, and a nice change from scrambled.
-Cereal on sale. We got two huge boxes of store-brand cereal for $1.50 each. It is very filling and has lots of vitamins.

We buy bread when it is on sale, because it is often cheaper to buy than to make (unless you can shell out to buy flour in bulk, which we haven't been able to). But when it is not on sale, we make it at home.

The main thing that saves money, I think, is that we only eat twice a day. Cereal and milk in the morning, and a complete diner (protein, veggies and a starch). Since we do have a nicely stocked pantry, we're able to snack if we need to - we still have some crackers and dried and canned soups, dried fruit. When our pantry runs out, we'll be spending more.


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## heket (Nov 18, 2003)

Quote:

_Originally posted by mimie_
*
-We don't buy organic anymore








*
Isn't that always the way? The first thing that has to go is what's good for you. It makes absolutely no sense to me that what was once considered "a peasant diet" is now the gourmet fad...







:

How come no one told me back when I was an unnnoticed, unpopular, and poor kid that I was actually a trendsetter...









Nissa


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## lactationlady (Feb 16, 2004)

I found this thread and wanted to resurrect it as we are looking for ways to really cut back on food expenses so that I don't have to go back to work full time. Anyone have any suggestions they want to add?


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## momto l&a (Jul 31, 2002)

Sohappy







I could only wish I was creative as you

I dont think our family could survie on 20 a week


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## Mylie (Mar 15, 2004)

It can be hard and frustrating too.But I have learned to be as frugal as I possibly can because most weeks I only have 20 to 25 dollers to spend on food.Here is some tips I can offer to you..

See if you can find any dented can stores.I always shop there first to see what they have.This is where I get cereal(99 cents).canned fruit(2/1.00),bagged rice(50cents),juice if it is cheap enough(99cents),choc.chips(99cents) and peanut butter(99cents).This is stuff I just picked up the other day at my dented can store.The 2 cans of pears I drained the juice(keep) and blended it with some cinnamon for a big jar of hm cinnamon pearsauce.The juice from the cans was enough to make 9 hm pear popcicles in my popcicle molds.

I then went to savealot and bought a big bag of chicken thighs on sale for 2.99.Enough chicken for 3-4 meals.Hamburger was also on sale in bulk.So I bought 3 lbs of it for 2.69.I have enough to make a meatloaf and a batch of meatballs.At a local gas station they sell 15 pound bag of potatoes for 2.99.I got one of those.I got a bag of flour at save alot for 79 cents.a gallon of milk for 1.99 on sale,2 dozen eggs for 2.00,2 boxes of noodles 2/1.00.AT the local houches they have a day old bin of veggies I check out every week.I got carrots and celery for 50 cents each.I also got a bag of shredded cheese on sale(4 cups) for 1.50.

THis is my menu for the week...

Chicken Noodle Soup(I make a big pot and freeze at least 3 dinner bowls for later use)
Meatballs and fried potatoes
BAked Chicken and mashed potatoes
HM Mac and cheese and peas(I had a can in pantry)
Chicken Fried Rice
Meatloaf and baked potatoes
Cheesy Scalloped potatoes and biscuits

I make my own bread and biscuits.We eat leftovers for lunch and eat eggs,oatmeal,pancakes or waffles or cereal for breakfast.Pancakes and waffles are homemade.It is plain and boring but at least we aren't hungry.Once a month I budget for a 10.00 pizza from dominoes or Papa Johns.I spent just under 25.00 this week.I look for easy simple ingredient recipes on the net.PM me if you are interested.Our menu varies from week to week and sometimes we do eat a lot of chicken and rice and potatoes but I vary how it is cooked.Hope this helps.Love Mylie xx


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## Persephone (Apr 8, 2004)

I actually have about $25 a week ($100/month) for groceries. Here is what I buy: dried beans, rice, flour, tomato sauce, whatever meat is on sale, cheese (sliced and shredded), butter, milk, lemon juice, peanut butter (the natural kind), whatever juice is on sale, whatever cereal is on sale, frozen berries, frozen veggies, and from the farmer's market, tomatoes, onions, peppers, celery... etc. until my money runs out. This lasts two people for a month.


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## miss_sonja (Jun 15, 2003)

I spend too much on groceries. We're doing fine $ wise, so it's not a pinch on our finances, but I *know* I could spend less, and that we'd probably eat more healthily as a result. And, that $ could go for other things (or just savings).

The only way I seem to be able to save is to stay out of the store. I'm an impulse buyer. If I could figure out a way to budget for the groceries, to perhaps set an amount and set it aside in cash and only use that, well, that might work.

Again, great thread! Thanks for ressurecting it!


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## Mothernature (Jun 10, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *miss_sonja*
I spend too much on groceries. We're doing fine $ wise, so it's not a pinch on our finances, but I *know* I could spend less, and that we'd probably eat more healthily as a result. And, that $ could go for other things (or just savings).

The only way I seem to be able to save is to stay out of the store. I'm an impulse buyer. If I could figure out a way to budget for the groceries, to perhaps set an amount and set it aside in cash and only use that, well, that might work.

Again, great thread! Thanks for ressurecting it!


I think the answer for you is to start menu planning. If you make out your menu for 2 weeks before you go shopping and check your pantry/freezer/fridge for ingredients you already have, you can just buy the ingredients on your list and stick to it much better. Just don't forget to plan for snacks too or you'll be tempted.


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## flminivanmama (Nov 21, 2001)

this thread is great! lots of good info


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## xenabyte (Jul 16, 2004)

I started a reply to this last night, but it was so long, I deleted it...









So here is a shorter version (not by much though):

I grew up eating on some pretty slim pickings. There were 8 kids, two adults, and the odd cousin or two that would sometimes stay with us.

Now days, my own family has the finances to afford some 'splurges', but I still try to cook like my momma did (with some exceptions); I use Whole Wheat Flour and other Whole grains and 'Rapadura' an organic whole food sugar to try to nutritionally maximize every bite of food, even if we're on a tight budget. We have three adults (my dad lives with us) and two children (one toddler that eats like an adult/horse and a BF baby).

My mom baked baked baked! She bought flour and sugar in the 25-50 lb size bags and stored it in a sealed container (you can buy 'spin' top seal buckets at a pet store, that hold up to a 50 pound bag). Sometimes you can get those large, white plastic buckets from a restaurant that has to buy sauces in bulk, they usually throw them away. Can't hurt to ask for a few!

Mom always had salt, pepper, garlic salt, grits and oatmeal and canned tomato products. We bought cheese and butter in bulk when it was on sale, and froze it. (Butter freezes great, so does cheese).

We always had eggs on hand: Egg salad sandwiches, hard boiled, added to potato salad, scrambled, fried, on toast, for baking cookies or little cakes when we had the other ingredients, etc.

We ate LOTS of soups, mostly hodge-podge combinations of whatever was on hand and cheap or on sale. Mostly flavored with salt pork or 'meaty bones' for flavor or plain vegetable soups (potato, onion, carrot, etc). Chicken or stew meat was a treat.

We had beans and rice more times than I care to remember, but we LOVED mashed, seasoned beans with home made tortillas! We also loved it when she would make home made pizza!

I buy whole grains in bulk now (which is actually really cheap over time) and grind it fresh for maximum nutritional value...but you need a grinder or access to one. You can buy pre-ground, but most pre-ground whole grain products sitting on a shelf already have lost alot of nutritional value and all those wonderful oils are starting to go rancid!







:

However, if you have a blender, there are some options for doing small batches of whole grains, fresh! I have come up with some easy alternative recipes using fresh, whole grains, (and some of them only using a blender) if you are interested.

My favorite cheap, super nutrious thing is making 'Ezekiel Bread'. It's a combination of wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet and spelt. There are many recipes online, just search on 'Ezekiel Bread.' It is basically so nutrionally complete, you could practically live off just this and water! My toddler (2.5 yrs old) ate an entire loaf with honey and some butter on it! I guess he liked it! It's from Ezekiel 4:9 in the Bible. There are not portion sizes given or other instructions, really, so it's up to a bit of interpretation. So I kinda combined it with my 'sourdough' version and it came out REALLY nice and lasted longer (stayed fresh) much longer than most versions I saw online.

Next, is my 'refridgerator dough' that is always ready to make pizza crust, hamburger buns, little bread loaves, or calzones. It's super cheap and easy to make, even if you have to use unbleached white flour, by soaking the initial batch overnight to 'sour' it, you increase the nutritional value. Also you should really soak most whole grains or whole grain flours to neutralize certain chemicals in the bran that can irritate your digestive system and it also maximizes the nutritional value as the 'germ' will start gearing up for growth and the vitamin and mineral content shoot through the roof! (But that should be another thread on sprouted grains and seeds...)

Rather than make this thread way too long, I will post the Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes, Ezekiel Bread (My Version), and the 'Refridgerator Pizza Dough' and Homemade Tortilla recipes in another reply, if anyone is interested. I also have a 'rib sticking' chicken soup recipe that my family loves! (geez, these are all my family cooking secrets that I have never told anyone before!)










If for nothing else, Y2K got many folks to buy a bucket of whole wheat berries, 'just in case'...hehe...and then we all had to figure out what in the heck to do with that bucket! You can store whole wheat berries (unground); it won't start to lose any nutritional value for a LONG LONG time (there are stored grains being tested that are still nutrionally sound, going back 30 - 50+ years).
God Bless and I hope your financial situation improves to start building a 'Basic Pantry' it really helps stretch the budget dollars!

Gah, and I said this was the 'short' version! Sorry!

Heather (xenabyte) Cooking is one of my passions!

SAH Momma to Alex (1/22/02) and David (2/29/04 LEAP DAY) and happy wife to Trent.

My Favorite Quote, because it's my DH's favorite Quote: "A Happy Wife, is a Happy Life"


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## LavenderMae (Sep 20, 2002)

Heather (I'm a Heather too) Please, please start a thread with those recipes!!
You all are giving us some great suggestions , very helpful thanks!!


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## xenabyte (Jul 16, 2004)

Ok, I started a new thread, called Good Eats with Wheat. The first recipe was long! I think I broke a sweat writing it!









It's my Refridgerator Pizza Dough one. It's the longest one to describe, and I PROMISE I'll try to write shorter ones. But it's hard to describe something you grew up doing 'by feel'. Half the time I don't measure, so I had to actually make up a batch and MEASURE it as I was going along!

Anyway, enjoy!

I'm making a glass of iced tea, before I write any others...heheh

Heather (Xenabyte)


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## jessicafairy (Mar 8, 2004)

Are you on WIC? If you've only got $20 a week for groceries I'm sure you qualify. That will get you milk, cheese, eggs, juice and cereal (carrots & tuna if you are breastfeeding and cereal & juice for babes 6 months +) In my area WIC also gives farmers market coupons (I think $10 per person) during the summer months. It doesn't sound like much but with milk at nearly $4 a gallon here it sure helps!


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## luv2*b*mom (Mar 24, 2004)

Lots of dried beans!! The possibilities are endless with beans!


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