topic Re: Food Budget in Community Chat

Food Budget

Rose429 — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 13:21:34 GMT

Hi, with the cost of everything, my budget is stretched to the max. I am trying to cut back what I spend on food. I am not a big red meat fan but like chicken and turkey. Any advice to keep costs down? I do not have a Costco or Trader Joe's close. I also do not eat out. My costs for electricity when up to $330.00 a month and that took a big piece of the budget. I need healthy meals that can last a few days. I do not mind eating leftovers for 3 or 4 days. Thank you

Re: Food Budget

geezerette — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 13:33:30 GMT

Dried beans and lentils are a good (and economical) protein source--if you can tolerate them.

I make up a big pot at one time and then put in smaller containers to freeze, then take out when desired. Each small container will last me a few days. Can be eaten plain or embellished with various veggies or in recipes.

Re: Food Budget

DrakesMomma — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 13:43:22 GMT

Do you have an Aldi near by? Where I am meats are about half the price of the regular grocery store. Eggs are often $1 or $2 cheaper a dozen, too.

Re: Food Budget

JeanLouiseFinch — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 13:46:27 GMT

Eat more eggs! They're the perfect food and great source of protein.

Re: Food Budget

QVCkitty1 — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 13:54:14 GMT

Look for a good deal on chicken and put it in the slow cooker with a jar of salsa. You can make several meals with the shredded chicken for instance tacos, enchiladas, and quesadillas. You could also serve it over rice with cheese.

Re: Food Budget

Meowingkitty — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 14:03:11 GMT

Crock pot*****

Chili

Pasta Fajoli Soup

Chicken with either a jar of salsa or green chili sauce, and potatoes or tortillas

Chicken with Cream of chicken soup, noodles, rice or potatoes

Mac and Cheese

Eggs

Re: Food Budget

jlkz — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 14:20:31 GMT

@Rose429

To build on @JeanLouiseFinch 's post, try serving the eggs between waffles, either home made or frozen. This is a special treat I tasted at a Wawa chain gas station / fast food place. Add a little maple syrup too !

Also, try a vegetable dinner plate: farmer's market, frozen food section, or even vegetables you froze at the height of their season. Quick microwave and dinner's on.

Fresh corn: remove husk and brush; slice off the kernels into a big microwaveable bowl; add some butter pats; mike for about 5 minutes and stir. Repeat until the kernels are almost done. Cool; bag for freezer ( individual pouches ). When desired for dinner, place in small bowl and mike for 2 minutes and keep checking until desired bite.

Take advantage of summer's bounty...it will make your winter meals, whether as a side or part of a vegetable plate.

Re: Food Budget

lynnie61 — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 14:25:50 GMT

Tuna, casseroles, soups. Eggs, a simple quiche, I get several meals from these. Rice, pasta and beans. I do watch the sales for ground meat and chicken, pork. Maybe visit a food pantry that could help with canned goods, etc. Maybe that can leave other $$ for meat. I know several people that the pantry is a godsend to them with higher costs of everything. And many are on a fixed income.

Re: Food Budget

redbird — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 14:27:37 GMT

The key to saving on meat or poultry is to use it as an ingredient rather than an entree. Google recipes that use chicken or turkey. You will find casseroles that use cubed or shredded poultry along with other ingredients that stretch the meat such as pot pies. casseroles, or noodle dishes. Ground beef can be used in many dishes such as casseroles, chili, spaghetti etc. google recipes to see what you like. Ham slices can be added to scalloped potatoes to make a main dish or ground into ham salad. meats can be used in main dish salads. Eggs , beans, and even whole grains are also sources of cheaper proteins. Fans can allow you to keep the air conditioner at a higher temp saving on that electric bill a bit.

Re: Food Budget

4kitties — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 14:28:07 GMT

Just a few shopping tips to save money. They may or may not work for everyone though.

I shop early in the day. 8:00AM or so. I go directly to the meat section and see what is marked down because the item is on its last day of sale, I see great buys on meat and poultry all the time. If I buy I cook the item that day or put it directly in the freezer.

I also see some good prices on other grocery items in the clearance section of each different grocery store I frequent. Sometimes a box may have a crushed corner and they mark it way down. The other day I saw big boxes of cereal for half price and the boxes were barely crushed. Wasn't cereal I use, but someone will get a good buy!

Always get the store sale flyer and buy items when on sale or are offered as loss leaders. If you have room, have a small pantry or stash of items you know you use frequently, and buy them on sale in anticipation of use.

I always keep an eye on my Walmart when they reset an area of the store. The last time they reset the laundry detergent/cleaning products aisle I got great buys on name brand detergents. Bought enough to share with my girls too!

All trash cans in my house are smaller and I can use the plastic bags from stores as liners. These bags are free and I never have to purchase trash bags. It gripes me to buy something just to throw it away!🤣

Re: Food Budget

Zhills — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 14:36:03 GMT

I never use my big oven in the Summer. Oven heats the house so AC has to run more to cool it! I have a small toaster oven that cooks everything I need to cook.

The one thing I don't skimp on is food. I buy good food but never waste any food.

Always shop the sales and use BOGOs.

Re: Food Budget

Meowingkitty — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 14:43:00 GMT

Check out various websites like budgetbytes.com.

Re: Food Budget

KailaS — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 14:53:01 GMT

I so hear you. I just got my new lease. Rent is going up another $130 a month in September. A few years ago I cut streaming services, then cable, then memberships, etc.

The last two years I have cut back on my food budget. I am good at saving food, using leftover veggies at the end of the week to create a veggie platter, to turn into soup, or even to add to stew or chili. A few pieces of chicken add flavor to broth or are cut up with leftover lettuce, carrots, and celery for a big salad. Two pieces of bacon are added to eggs, milk, cheese, and vegetables for flavor to become a crustless quiche or a frittata. I try always to inventory what I have so it can be used before it goes bad. But I am lucky. I am alone, do not mind leftovers, and always am freezing small containers of food, clearly labeled, so that I know what I have. It does not hurt that besides loving to eat, I also love to cook.

Re: Food Budget

Still Raining — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 14:53:19 GMT

Sometime ago, coming from a different angle, I discovered that processed food is a major culprit for expense. Check your old receipts.

Plastic bottle? Cardboard box? Crinkle plastic? Even some canned goods. These types of products drive up your bill.

Re: Food Budget

magicmoodz — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 14:56:43 GMT

Not by design--it just seemed to have happened naturally, but we have for the most part become vegetarian/pescatarians. With summer's bounty of fresh vegetables, it came quite naturally.

The host of a dinner we attended recently served as a side Ina Garten's Orzo Arugula salad. I have since made it twice. This salad can exclude what you don't like and include what you do and it keeps very well in the refrigerator. All that is needed is a hunk of baguette!

Another good summer dinner: 1/2 tomato basil tortilla spread with whipped cream cheese. Top with sliced cucumbers, matchstick red, orange and yellow mini peppers, grated carrots, diced tomatoes, cilantro and arugula. Roll up and secure with a pick. Again, you can use whatever veggies you enjoy. Serve with more sliced cucumbers, mini peppers and hummus.

Re: Food Budget

Rose429 — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 15:12:44 GMT

Thank you so much everyone for ur ideas. I will make use of them. Definitely getting my crock pot out and going to Pinterest for some recipes. Thanks again

Re: Food Budget

ALRATIBA — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 15:50:58 GMT

What has been a money-saver for me .... buying most of my staple canned goods from Amazon via subscription. There's a 15% discount on most of the subscription items. Also - personal care items and other toiletries.

(Our local supermarket has senior discount Tuesdays ... 10%)

Only things I get from the supermarket are produce and perishables.

Re: Food Budget

PA Mom-mom — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 16:08:46 GMT

@Rose429 I agree with @4kitties . I look for the "Manager Specials" in the meat department. When it comes to beef, it's actually better if it's a little old. It becomes tender as it ages. I just made the WW Favorite Vegetable Soup, which is loaded with cabbage, and I added some sausage that was on sale. It makes a huge pot for very little money, so you can freeze half of it in quart or pint containers.

Re: Food Budget

We rescue cats — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 16:25:30 GMT

I try to buy ground beef when it is on sale or from local sources, this is a good time for it. My dietery restrictions are such that I have to watch carbohyrate intake so I need to substitute for rice, potatoes and pasta-the items that stretch so many meals, or prepare it to keep more resistant starch in my diet.

We love things like goulash, casseroles and soups. I just hate the oven at this time of year.

Re: Food Budget

CelticCrafter — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 16:28:22 GMT

We save a lot of money going to Aldi and Lidl for our pantry staples, dairy and produce, chicken and flounder.

We won't buy beef, pork or other seafood there so need to go to the regular supermarket for that. We wait for a sale and stock up.