Groceries on a Budget

[shinyhappypeople]

To clarify: this isn't an emergency (food bank/food stamp) situation.  Our income is fine.  The month of June contains the following expenses: (1) summer camp for younger DD, (2) summer clothes for both, (3) Father's Day, and (4) county fair.  That adds up to $$$, and I'm trying very hard to avoid using our credit card.  We can do it if I go Frugal Ninja on our grocery budget.  

 

Thank you to those of you who mentioned ethnic grocery stores.  We have a lot of them here, but I've never actually checked them out.    

 

My budget for groceries is $650 (see!?  that's why I'm embarrassed, it should be a no-brainer to feed 4 people for that!!) and includes things like TP, cleaning supplies, etc, but I doubt if we spend more than $20-30/mo tops on non-food stuff.  

 

I really want to challenge myself to go lower, though.  Realistically, how low could you (or do you) go on your groceries?  

 

Edited May 29, 2016 by shinyhappypeople

[SparklyUnicorn]

Just FYI, according to the USDA, a portion of meat is 1 oz. 

 

 

Meat is part of the protein group & a serving is considered 1 ounce of meat, poultry or fish, ¼ cup cooked beans, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, or ½ ounce of nuts or seeds.

Adult women should have 5 oz of protein TOTAL per day. http://www.choosemyplate.gov/protein-foods

 

I don't think you read that correctly.

[Lanny]

I got home from the supermarket a few minutes ago. The discount, on Wednesdays, for Fruits and Vegetables in that store is 20%   That's where I/we do most of our grocery shopping.  Walking past FAB Detergent, for the Washing Machine, FAB is the only brand we buy, when I looked, it was obviously at a much lower price today. That wasn't on the list, but I bought a bag and it will be available, when our SAMSUNG washing machine needs it.  Another budget item is Cell Phones. We have  probably saved A LOT of $, since we switched to Prepaid cell phones.  I think the next time we go to the USA (probably to Orlando, next April, for the Star Wars Convention) I will get (before the trip) one or 2 SIMS for US MOBILE.  They seem to have the most flexibility, of the companies I've looked at so far.   There are ways to reduce costs,   but it can be difficult to find them.  

[shinyhappypeople]

So, according to USDA Food Plans: Cost of Foods our grocery budget (when you subtract non-food products) is very close to the "thrifty" plan.  So, clearly it CAN be done.

 

Several of you mentioned meal planning.  Do you literally plan every meal, every snack, every beverage?

 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

To clarify: this isn't an emergency (food bank/food stamp) situation.  Our income is fine.  The month of June contains the following expenses: (1) summer camp for younger DD, (2) summer clothes for both, (3) Father's Day, and (4) county fair.  That adds up to $$$, and I'm trying very hard to avoid using our credit card.  We can do it if I go Frugal Ninja on our grocery budget.  

 

Thank you to those of you who mentioned ethnic grocery stores.  We have a lot of them here, but I've never actually checked them out.    

 

My budget for groceries is $650 (see!?  that's why I'm embarrassed, it should be a no-brainer to feed 4 people for that!!) and includes things like TP, cleaning supplies, etc, but I doubt if we spend more than $20-30/mo tops on non-food stuff.  

 

I really want to challenge myself to go lower, though.  Realistically, how low could you (or do you) go on your groceries?  

 

I spend around $800, but don't put a whole lot of effort into spending less.  This is for all meals for 4 people and some non food items.  So $650 is probably not too painful.  One thing for me though is I'd rather cut elsewhere than get too draconian with the food budget unless I really had to. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

So, according to USDA Food Plans: Cost of Foods our grocery budget (when you subtract non-food products) is very close to the "thrifty" plan.  So, clearly it CAN be done.

 

Several of you mentioned meal planning.  Do you literally plan every meal, every snack, every beverage?

 

For me I only plan dinner.  The rest is stuff I tend to have available for breakfast/lunch.  I aim to make larger amounts of dinner to have leftovers for lunches (especially for DH to take to work).

[kwickimom]

So, according to USDA Food Plans: Cost of Foods our grocery budget (when you subtract non-food products) is very close to the "thrifty" plan.  So, clearly it CAN be done.

 

Several of you mentioned meal planning.  Do you literally plan every meal, every snack, every beverage?

 

When I plan every single meal I save the most and waste no food (for snacks I buy 5 snacks and they can pick one each day so its not like I say you have to eat an apple on Monday) 

 

For breakfast I will write- eggs and sausage, pancakes and sausage (2), waffles and eggs (2), biscuits and gravy (2) so thats 7 meals. I know how much each person usually eats and then I figure out how much sausage we will use, etc. I pre make the pancakes, waffles and biscuits and freeze or frige them and pre make the sausage pattys (or buy premade frozen if on sale) and that way everyone can pick what they want for the day but they only get each breakfast as many times as listed. We save the biscuits and gravy for the weekends usually. 

 

I do lunch and dinner the same and I list 2 items to bake on the weekends. 

 

I stick the list on the frige and we can choose what we feel like eating that day. 

Edited May 29, 2016 by kwickimom

[frogger]

I will say the biggest savings will vary locally. I pay pretty much 0-2 dollars per pound for salmon due to the fact we get it direct from the river or ocean. The only reason I say up to $2 is because there is a little gas and equipment involved. Most of the recipes in the websites and that SNAP program recipe book that was posted would be way more expensive than the estimated cost since anything with fresh fruits or veggies is expensive where I live. Try a three dollar avocado versus a road side stand in California where I bought 25 avocados for $5. We went nuts over the fruit and veggies when we went camping down there.

[SamanthaCarter]

Good thread. OP I don't think you can drastically reduce your budget in a long term way in just a month. I do however think that slashing costs for only one month duration is really doable. Especially if you have staples already in your kitchen that you can work with and worry about replenishing later. 

 

I'm watching this thread. Can we talk about make versus buy? I'd be interested in hearing experiences on that. From a cost perspective primarily (because it kind of goes without saying that for a lot, if not most things, homemade tastes better).

Edited May 29, 2016 by SamanthaCarter

[Ali in OR]

For just cutting costs for one month, my strategy would be no Costco trips (we do them every 6 weeks, so generally 2 out of every 3 months), eat down freezer and pantry inventory, no popsicles/frozen treats, no snacks stuff like granola bars. I would mentally plan to spend more time baking to make up for no store-bought snacks (muffins, etc).

[kwickimom]

Good thread. OP I don't think you can drastically reduce your budget in a long term way in just a month. I do however think that slashing costs for only one month duration is really doable. Especially if you have staples already in your kitchen that you can work with and worry about replenishing later. 

 

I'm watching this thread. Can we talk about make versus buy? I'd be interested in hearing experiences on that. From a cost perspective primarily (because it kind of goes without saying that for a lot, if not most things, homemade tastes better).

 

I think making versus buying is the easiest way to save. What I love most is that it cuts your grocery list down to a basic list of staples so it is easy to keep a pricebook and easy to shop. The less I have to keep track of, the easier it is to keep the grocery bill down. Its then easier to stock up if anything is on sale. I did at one time have the costs broke down like they do on the Budgetbytes website and almost all my homemade stuff is as cheap or cheaper than store bought and is way healthier. So even if I am just breaking even I consider it a win because there is no extra junk in the food and therefore it is more filling and we eat a little less and have leftovers to eat for lunch, which snowballs into saving more money. If I am stocking up when things are on sale, I am almost always saving money. 

 

When I am 100% in, I don't even ever look at at any convenience or processed foods. I have all the baking staples and I can make a variety of pancakes, waffles, biscuits, muffins, doughs....etc. I started out learning to make one or two things until it was easy and then I try and do a few new things here and there. Pizza dough and biscuits take me no time at all and have become automatic- I use Money Saving Mom's freezer pizza dough recipe and one batch makes us four large pizzas. Then I buy $1 jar of sauce, $1 pack of pepperoni and I always have shredded cheese (I buy big blocks from Sams and shred and freeze). Just doing this saves us on eating out pizza. 

 

At first it doesnt seem worth it with the time it takes to make everything, but swapping out one or two things until they become easy helps a lot and now it doesnt seem like extra work. 

[hornblower]

I don't think you read that correctly.

Well, if so, then there are others reading it like that. If you eat 5 oz of meat at one serving, that's an avg woman's entire protein needs for the day. They don't care how you spread it out. 

 

https://www.sharecare.com/health/usda-myplate/what-serving-meat-plate-model

 

"swers (2)

• Follow
  Joan Salge Blake, MS, RD , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered on behalf of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

  The "meat group" is now called the "protein group" in MyPlate. According to the USDA, a serving is considered 1 ounce of meat, poultry or fish, ¼ cup cooked beans, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, or ½ ounce of nuts or seeds.

   

  Adults should have 5 to 7 ounces of protein daily depending upon their needs

 

Edited May 29, 2016 by hornblower

[Um_2_4]

I need to do this in June, so the 1st thing I am going to do is make a pantry/freezer list of what I have and what basics I need for the month (butter for sure, maybe rice).Then I list up meals from that. I'm trying to do one run a month for non-food items (this month it's garbage bags, detergent and swiffer). 

 

The big factor this month is Ramdan will start, so in some ways that lowers my cost (no snacks, except the twins, only breakfast and a big dinner), but in other ways it raises it (dinner parties, and I like to fix the favorites for my kiddos). DH has a big work project this month so will be working 60+ hours/week, so he may not feel like entertaining on the weekends anyway  ;) . Maybe we can go to the masjid for some Ramadan dinners  :D , plus that means no dishes for me.

 

I would recommend checking out the ethnic markets (we have 2 big middle eastern markets here) and outlet type stores. I get 100% whole wheat bread, no HFCS brands for $1@ at the outlet (buns too).

 

Prepping in advance helps me. My plan is too use our 6 week break to not only lesson plan, but to also prep some meals/ingredients for the freezer. It costs more the month you do it, but hopefully saves the next few months as you use up the meals.

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Do you follow this advice? 

 

I'm sure most people don't eat 1 oz of meat for any meal.  An ounce of chicken is about 30 calories worth of chicken.  Why bother? 

 

I don't put a lot of stock into the govt's advice regarding food.  I doubt I'm alone. 

 

 

Well, if so, then there are others reading it like that. If you eat 5 oz of meat at one serving, that's an avg woman's entire protein needs for the day. They don't care how you spread it out. 

https://www.sharecare.com/health/usda-myplate/what-serving-meat-plate-model

"swers (2)

• Follow
  Joan Salge Blake, MS, RD , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered on behalf of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

  The "meat group" is now called the "protein group" in MyPlate. According to the USDA, a serving is considered 1 ounce of meat, poultry or fish, ¼ cup cooked beans, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, or ½ ounce of nuts or seeds.
  
  Adults should have 5 to 7 ounces of protein daily depending upon their needs

 

 

[hornblower]

Do you follow this advice? 

 

I'm sure most people don't eat 1 oz of meat for any meal.  An ounce of chicken is about 30 calories worth of chicken.  Why bother? 

 

I don't put a lot of stock into the govt's advice regarding food.  I doubt I'm alone. 

I don't eat meat at all so not exactly. 

 

I do consider macronutrients, yes.  

 

As far as the USDA, they botched the recommendations. They had a great scientific report and then the industry got into it & pressured changes. 

[regentrude]

Can we talk about make versus buy? I'd be interested in hearing experiences on that. From a cost perspective primarily (because it kind of goes without saying that for a lot, if not most things, homemade tastes better).

 

Bread! Baking my own is definitely cost effective. We don't like the cheapo wonderbread; what I bake is the equivalent of an artisan bread that would cost $4+ per loaf in the store.

 

And any baked goods, cakes, cookies, muffins.

Edited May 29, 2016 by regentrude

[SamanthaCarter]

.....I did at one time have the costs broke down like they do on the Budgetbytes website and almost all my homemade stuff is as cheap or cheaper than store bought and is way healthier. So even if I am just breaking even I consider it a win because there is no extra junk in the food and therefore it is more filling and we eat a little less and have leftovers to eat for lunch, which snowballs into saving more money. ....

 

See for me, if it's breaking even I don't consider it a win. I feel lie I could be doing other more valuable things with my time. That and it tastes better, so my family eats MORE of it! Gah. 

 

I make our bread and our pizza (dough/sauce) and our baked goods. I'm really undecided about yogurt. We really eat very little of the flavored yogurts because the good whole milk lower sugar variety is just super expensive. But when I make it people eat it like it's going out of style. So still not sure if it was worth my time. LOL. I've tried crackers before. Not worth it. I think I just need a suitable alternative for crackers. 

[kwickimom]

See for me, if it's breaking even I don't consider it a win. I feel lie I could be doing other more valuable things with my time. That and it tastes better, so my family eats MORE of it! Gah. 

 

I make our bread and our pizza (dough/sauce) and our baked goods. I'm really undecided about yogurt. We really eat very little of the flavored yogurts because the good whole milk lower sugar variety is just super expensive. But when I make it people eat it like it's going out of style. So still not sure if it was worth my time. LOL. I've tried crackers before. Not worth it. I think I just need a suitable alternative for crackers. 

 

LOL. My kids get stuffed on 2 pieces of my pizza, whereas a store bought they could eat a half or whole pizza!!!

 

I work on prep until it is taking me very little time so I'm not wasting any time for the things I feel really worth it. I also ration everything- if I make yogurt they can only have one per week so I am only making it once a week. It takes me like a total of 5 mins to make my pizza dough and I make a double batch and freeze it, at the same time I make my yogurt. I can now overlap my prep and get 2 things done at once and also freeze extra stuff so that I am not having to do a lot of prep every single week.

Edited May 29, 2016 by kwickimom

[SparklyUnicorn]

See for me, if it's breaking even I don't consider it a win. I feel lie I could be doing other more valuable things with my time. That and it tastes better, so my family eats MORE of it! Gah. 

 

 

 

I hear you.  Everyone goes crazy over homemade bread here.  CRAZY.  I doesn't last an hour after it is done.  So at that point it's only a snack and not something I can have on hand. 

 

And then it's time consuming and difficult with the weather sometimes.  In winter it doesn't rise without intervention.  In summer I don't want to turn on the oven for that long. 

 

I do have a bread machine, but the loaves baked in it are a strange shape so I don't really like it. 

[regentrude]

I hear you.  Everyone goes crazy over homemade bread here.  CRAZY.  I doesn't last an hour after it is done. 

 

I encountered a similar problem when I started baking and found that I have to change the timing: I need to make sure the bread comes out of the oven after dinner, LOL. Otherwise, my family will eat an entire loaf immediately.

But still, if they eat the bread for dinner, that was an inexpensive meal.

 

ETA: I did not really find it time consuming, though. I mean, yes, it takes a while for the bread from start to finish, but no more than 10 minutes of hands-on time; the rest of the time I can do something else.

Edited May 29, 2016 by regentrude

[kwickimom]

I hear you.  Everyone goes crazy over homemade bread here.  CRAZY.  I doesn't last an hour after it is done.  So at that point it's only a snack and not something I can have on hand. 

 

And then it's time consuming and difficult with the weather sometimes.  In winter it doesn't rise without intervention.  In summer I don't want to turn on the oven for that long. 

 

I do have a bread machine, but the loaves baked in it are a strange shape so I don't really like it. 

 

Bread is one thing I don't make very often because we only use it for sandwiches and I cannot make a good sandwich bread to save my life. I just buy Wonderbread at the Dollar Tree. If I make a loaf it is for a meal and everyone would only get 1 slice. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I encountered a similar problem when I started baking and found that I have to change the timing: I need to make sure the bread comes out of the oven after dinner, LOL. Otherwise, my family will eat an entire loaf immediately.

But still, if they eat the bread for dinner, that was an inexpensive meal.

 

ETA: I did not really find it time consuming, though. I mean, yes, it takes a while for the bread from start to finish, but no more than 10 minutes of hands-on time; the rest of the time I can do something else.

 

Yeah ideally I'd time it when nobody is home.  My husband is a bottomless pit!

 

Well time consuming.  In winter I have to deal with it being too dry and cold in here.  So I have to turn on the oven, put in a pan of hot water, turn off the oven, get it in there, check on it.  Sometimes that doesn't work so well.  I'm just saying I have to do stuff to make it outright work.  And right now it's perfect for this weather wise, but then that also means turning on the oven to bake it.  House is old and cranky. 

 

If I wanted to get serious about it, I'd break down and buy a different bread machine. 

[SamanthaCarter]

Any experience with tortillas? I've been tempted to try it on my electric pancake griddle. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

I've only tried the corn ones.  Definitely not cheaper, but tastier. 

 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Well, I shouldn't say that.  They probably are cheaper.  I just don't eat them enough to make it worth my while.

 

 

[shinyhappypeople]

Any experience with tortillas? I've been tempted to try it on my electric pancake griddle. 

 

I used to make my own flour tortillas.  I had trouble getting them as thin as store bought ones, but they are so much tastier and not really difficult.   We get cheap flour tortillas from Costco ($3ish for a few dozen tortillas).  But just writing about homemade flour tortillas is making my mouth water.  Seriously, warm from the pan, homemade flour tortilla spread with a little butter and cinnamon sugar  :001_wub:

Edited May 29, 2016 by shinyhappypeople

[SparklyUnicorn]

I used to make my own flour tortillas.  I had trouble getting them as thin as store bought ones, but they are so much tastier and not really difficult.   We get cheap flour tortillas from Costco ($3ish for a few dozen tortillas).  But just writing about homemade flour tortillas is making my mouth water.  Seriously, warm from the pan, homemade flour tortilla spread with a little butter and cinnamon sugar  :001_wub:

 

There you go.  Now you know what you are having for snacks this month.  :laugh:

[Ali in OR]

Any experience with tortillas? I've been tempted to try it on my electric pancake griddle. 

 

We make flour tortillas because dh needs to be low sodium (actually he just needs to hit the recommended target of 2300 mg/day, but tortillas and bread products are higher than you would think). So this is a lower Na recipe, but very easy.

 

3 cups flour

1 tsp low sodium baking powder

1 cup warm water

1/4 cup oil

(I sometimes add a little salt 1/4-1/2 tsp)

 

Whisk dry ingredients together. Add water and oil and mix in mixer for a few minutes (with bread dough hook). Heat a cast iron skillet on medium heat. Divide dough into 8 (burrito size) or 16 (taco/taquito size). Roll out on floured board, place in hot skillet, flip when you see air bubbles.

Edited May 29, 2016 by Ali in OR

[TX Native]

Some lower cost 'stretch' meals that we eat listed below.

 

A huge pot of chili with lots of beans and veggies used with frito pie for one meal. I buy the generic corn chips and put lots of shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes on top. I might make chili mac and cheese or baked potato topped with chili other meals.

 

With spaghetti, I add in lots of chopped colored bell peppers, zucchini or eggplant, onions, and spinach.

 

At least once/week, salad is our main course. I will rotate types. One salad with bacon, apples, walnuts, raisins, and goat cheese. Another salad with chicken, mandarin oranges, chow mein noodles, slivered almonds and PB/soy dressing. On the rare occasion we happen to have steak, I will slice the leftovers and put on a salad with diced tomatoes, homemade croutons, shredded carrots, and cheddar cheese. I often make a Greek style salad with homemade hummus and pita bread. Last, but not least, I make salmon cakes from canned salmon and place on top a bed of spinach or lettuce. These are filling meals for us and not too expensive.

 

Once/week I either make a chuck roast or pork loin in the crockpot. I use lots of potatoes, onions, carrots, and celery. Leftovers for this stretch for a couple more meals if I add rice and/or a side salad.

 

I often cook a huge pot of black beans in the crockpot to serve with taco salad, nachos, rice, or veggie quesadillas. Chicken optional.

 

Eggs, eggs, and more eggs. I will eat them here or there. I will eat them anywhere.

[DawnM]

I used to make my own flour tortillas.  I had trouble getting them as thin as store bought ones, but they are so much tastier and not really difficult.   We get cheap flour tortillas from Costco ($3ish for a few dozen tortillas).  But just writing about homemade flour tortillas is making my mouth water.  Seriously, warm from the pan, homemade flour tortilla spread with a little butter and cinnamon sugar  :001_wub:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Victoria-85008-Tortilla-Press-8-Inch/dp/B00HWEIKZO/ref=sr_1_2?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1464555883&sr=1-2&keywords=tortilla+press

[Annie G]

OP, when you make dinner, are there usually leftovers? If so, are you eating all the leftovers or is food being tossed? That was a huge area for me- I learned that I need to either cook JUST what we need or be very diligent about eating leftovers.  Otherwise a lot of food was wasted.   Getting that under control saved me a bundle. Occasionally I have to refocus that effort- I do get off track sometimes. 

 

When we're really trying to watch our spending OR limit our calories, I make sure to plan two 'splurge meals' a week. Dh is fine eating cheaper or lighter meals when he can count on me fixing two 'good' meals for him every week. 

 

 

[knoxinsox]

Bread is definitely worth it for me and I always plan to have 1 loaf hot with a meal.  $16 gets me a 50 lb bag of unbleached flour at Winco, plus I get bulk yeast and 10 lbs of WW flour as well and that lasts about 2 months.  I make either 5 loaves of bread every week or a double batch of sandwich rolls/cinnamon rolls, most often the 5 loaves of bread.   I use a Bosch mixer so bread or roll dough is very hands off.   5 loaves x 3 something = 15ish per week = $60ish per month store bought vs. $10ish homemade.  But out of that flour, I might also make a cake, 2 batches of cookies or brownies, quick breads if I have leftover bananas, cream puffs, etc.  So I only consider the cost of the bread really.  My people are used to homemade and don't eat it as much as if were a once in while treat.  I don't buy store bought cookies, cakes or rolls, but I know the mark up is huge, and its definitely worth my time.

 

Tortillas--I have tried and tried and while they are good, they are not worth the work, plus I need the tortilla bags to store my homemade bread.  LOL  Maybe I should try again.  Pie crust is something i buy also.  

 

We also make homemade chocolate syrup--a quart of it is 50 cents or so and 5 minutes watching it boil on the stove. 

 

[kiana]

One thing that I try very hard to do is to think about whether it actually makes sense to try to save on a specific item. For example, whether I save 20 cents on something that I buy once every 3 months, it is not really worth bothering about. Something like frozen vegetables, on the other hand, where I eat large quantities of on a daily basis, I stock up every time that they are on sale. Saving 20 cents per pound doesn't sound like much but when you multiply that by at least 10 pounds per week, it starts to add up. So I'll make a special trip to the store (the flyers are all online here) if something specific like that is on sale (I do have a chest freezer).

 

Learning how to do leftover magic is also very useful. For example, almost any leftover meat or vegetable can be chopped up and put into a soup, and homemade biscuits to go with the soup are quick and easy if you have a food processor (they are also quick without but take a little time to learn how to do quickly). Leftovers can also be chopped into an omelet or souffle, or chopped into a white sauce which can be served over pretty much any starch you like. Joy of Cooking (at least, my edition) has a fairly decent selection of "what do I do with leftover x?" Becoming vigilant about using your leftovers is also useful. If you tend to stick stuff in the fridge and forget about it, a whiteboard near the fridge is useful, so that you can have stuff like 'mashed potatoes, went in on day x' 'chicken carcass, went in on day y' to remind you what needs using up without just standing there staring into the fridge.

 

If your kids will eat them, lentils or other legumes are filling and nutritious, and also super easy in a fix-it-and-let-it-cook way.

[eternalsummer]

Do you follow this advice? 

 

I'm sure most people don't eat 1 oz of meat for any meal.  An ounce of chicken is about 30 calories worth of chicken.  Why bother? 

 

I don't put a lot of stock into the govt's advice regarding food.  I doubt I'm alone. 

 

I think many people, especially those eating relatively healthfully, probably only eat 5-7 oz of protein daily.

 

A reasonable serving of protein at dinner is 4 oz or so; if you have that plus an egg for breakfast and salad/soup for lunch you're around 5-7 oz.

[eternalsummer]

Bread! Baking my own is definitely cost effective. We don't like the cheapo wonderbread; what I bake is the equivalent of an artisan bread that would cost $4+ per loaf in the store.

 

And any baked goods, cakes, cookies, muffins.

 

One of our mainstays when we were eating eggs still and were very poor was banana bread; it was just flour, baking powder (I think, forgot how I made it exactly), sugar, canola oil, eggs, and bananas.  Super easy to make, super cheap, easy to take to school or work, highly caloric plus some protein.

 

When we were poor in NZ we did something similar: I learned how to make scones (flour, butter (we were still eating dairy), salt, sugar, baking powder, dates (cheap in NZ)).  Also good calories and kept/traveled well.

 

OP, I could feed a family of four for a month for $100 if I had to.  It would not be fun.  Reasonable would be $400. (that would be more like what I mentioned before, with veg. and occasional apples and canned tuna, etc. - $100 would be beans and rice and oatmeal).

[kwickimom]

I think many people, especially those eating relatively healthfully, probably only eat 5-7 oz of protein daily.

 

A reasonable serving of protein at dinner is 4 oz or so; if you have that plus an egg for breakfast and salad/soup for lunch you're around 5-7 oz.

 

 

 

Nobody I know eats this way. I eat healthy (Paleo AIP right now, but usually unprocessed) and I eat way more protein than that. My kids would starve if thats all the protein they got and would load up on carbs which would not be healthy. 

 

Most people I know eat protein at all 3 meals and definitely more than 1-2 ounces per meal. 

 

I know no one that just eats 1 egg for breakfast and no other protein. I am not saying no one eats like this but if I polled 100 people that know, I don't even think 1 person would say this is how they eat. I find this to be extremely low protein. 

Edited May 29, 2016 by kwickimom

[eternalsummer]

I do, but maybe that is because we don't eat factory farmed food?  I might have an egg with breakfast if we have eggs (we only have one supplier, so it is variable), or one link of sausage.  We don't eat dairy at all.  For lunch generally 1-2 oz of protein if it is a proteiny lunch, and certainly not more than 4 oz or so for dinner.

 

The kids will eat nothing but lunch meat and hot dogs and cookies if we have them :)  generally we run out of that pretty fast, though, so they end up eating apples and carrots and pretzels and avocados and peanut butter and maybe dinner leftovers (some fish).

 

I don't know that more protein would be bad, but it is expensive and I don't find it hugely necessary.

 

We are also pretty small people, though, I should note.  We're all short!  Sometimes I forget, since there's no one tall around to compare ourselves to :)

[Ali in OR]

Nobody I know eats this way. I eat healthy (Paleo AIP right now, but usually unprocessed) and I eat way more protein than that. My kids would starve if thats all the protein they got and would load up on carbs which would not be healthy. 

 

Most people I know eat protein at all 3 meals and definitely more than 1-2 ounces per meal. 

 

I know no one that just eats 1 egg for breakfast and no other protein. I am not saying no one eats like this but if I polled 100 people that know, I don't even think 1 person would say this is how they eat. I find this to be extremely low protein. 

It's probably pretty close to how I eat. I know that 3 oz of meat at dinner feels just right to me. I eat baked oatmeal for breakfast--MFP says my recipe has 9 gm protein per serving. MFP says my typical lunch has 12 gm protein. And I would agree that it is harder to go low-cost with a high protein diet. Obviously you should hit minimum protein requirements, but from what I read most Americans tend to get way more than they need. You can stretch the budget much further if everyone gets 3 oz of meat at dinner instead of 6.

[fairfarmhand]

One thing I do when feeding teens items that need to be stretched (like taco meat and fajitas) is to mix the meat with the beans at the stove. That way nobody can hog all the meat and leave everyone else with nothing but beans.

[Serenade]

From the American Cancer Society: "For example, the amount of meat recommended as part of a healthy meal is 3 to 4 ounces – it will look about the same size as a deck of cards." [3rd graph down]

 

http://www.cancer.org/healthy/eathealthygetactive/takecontrolofyourweight/controlling-portion-sizes

 

This is what I had always heard as well -- a meat serving should be about the size of a deck of cards. The idea of a 1 ounce serving of meat is ridiculous.

[hornblower]

From the American Cancer Society: "For example, the amount of meat recommended as part of a healthy meal is 3 to 4 ounces – it will look about the same size as a deck of cards." [3rd graph down]

 

http://www.cancer.org/healthy/eathealthygetactive/takecontrolofyourweight/controlling-portion-sizes

 

This is what I had always heard as well -- a meat serving should be about the size of a deck of cards. The idea of a 1 ounce serving of meat is ridiculous.

 

That's not really what it's saying. It's distinguishing a protein serving & saying the avg woman needs 5 protein servings / day and 1 oz of meat = 1 protein serving. Also equivalent are 1 egg, 1/4 cup cooked beans etc. 

 

You can have 3-4 'servings' (ie things that add up to 3-4 servings of protein) in one meal & 1-2 in another. Or you can have 5 in one meal. What you should not be having however is 6 at dinner, 4 at lunch and 3 at breafast....

 

The DASH recommendations from the Heart & Stroke foundation are 2 servings or less of meat & they define a serving as 3 oz

Edited May 30, 2016 by hornblower

[Serenade]

<shrug> I guess it's a matter of interpretation. Also from the page, bolding mine.

"3 oz. meat = size of a deck of cards or bar of soap (the recommended portion for a meal)

[gardenmom5]

btdt.

 

buy basics.

no or *extremely* minimal prepared foods. (e.g. not even yogurt.)

no juices (which are often heavily laden with sugar)

 

cooking from scratch is healthier - and cheaper (and often tastes better.)

 

frugal gazette by amy dacyczyon

    link goes to some of her recipes.

 

tightwad gazette and frugal gazette have good ideas on how to slash a budget.  she is also known as the frugal zealot.

[AimeeM]

I am by NO means a health-nut, and we love pasta, but that seems terribly unhealthy. Only allowing snacking on the carbs/leftovers? 

I get needing to cut the budget, but...

Many of the things I have done have already been mentioned.  The Tightwad Gazette says to make lots of the starch (pasta, potatoes, etc...) and only allow 6 ounces of meat per person (about the size of a chicken breast).  If her kids were still hungry, they were welcome to have as much of the starch as they need/wanted, but they only could have 6 ounces of the meat.

 

Her snacks were always leftovers.   Hungry at 3pm?  Heat up the leftover potatoes or pasta or rice.  Add spices or whatever, but no snack type foods.

 

She said once her son was lamenting not being able to have those small .25 bags of chips in his lunch at school.  So, she told him he could earn the .25 and buy it himself.  So he did.  I can't remember what chores she had him do.  In the end, he decided that bag of chips wasn't worth the effort and never complained again.

 

A couple of great resources I have come across:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Family-Guide-Groceries-under-Month-ebook/dp/B00703HTGS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1464523187&sr=8-1&keywords=family+guide+to+groceries

 

She has a website:

 

http://www.budget101.com/downloads.php?do=cat&id=2

 

[Cinder]

I am by NO means a health-nut, and we love pasta, but that seems terribly unhealthy. Only allowing snacking on the carbs/leftovers? 

I get needing to cut the budget, but...

 

It's been awhile since I've read her book, but I think they were allowed fruit and veg because they grew a lot of their own and could get good deals as well. Same with oatmeal--cheap. She refused to buy single-serve snacks or even just bags of chips, crackers, cookies because the price was too high per serving and these provided no nutritional value. She did bake cookies but I distinctly remember she didn't do chocolate chip cookies because chocolate was expensive.

 

Really, the main thing I got from reading her book is that saving money takes work, and I overspend partly because I'm just too lazy to put in the effort. :o

[SamanthaCarter]

It's been awhile since I've read her book, but I think they were allowed fruit and veg because they grew a lot of their own and could get good deals as well. Same with oatmeal--cheap. She refused to buy single-serve snacks or even just bags of chips, crackers, cookies because the price was too high per serving and these provided no nutritional value. She did bake cookies but I distinctly remember she didn't do chocolate chip cookies because chocolate was expensive.

 

Really, the main thing I got from reading her book is that saving money takes work, and I overspend partly because I'm just too lazy to put in the effort. :o

 

Yes, or not willing to give up the simple luxuries like chocolate and tortilla chips and sparkling water.  :unsure:

[Cinder]

Yes, or not willing to give up the simple luxuries like chocolate and tortilla chips and sparkling water.  :unsure:

 

That's the other part.  ;)  Though I could give up chocolate--I prefer vanilla or lemon flavors--but not tortilla chips.

 

But the buying-store-cookies vs making my own part? And the meal planning vs not having ingredients so I'll just grab a couple deli sandwiches and worry about meal planning tomorrow part? Yeah. Speaking of which, I need to go make a grocery list. :D

[Guest2]

<p>Well, if so, then there are others reading it like that. If you eat 5 oz of meat at one serving, that's an avg woman's entire protein needs for the day. They don't care how you spread it out. https://www.sharecare.com/health/usda-myplate/what-serving-meat-plate-model"swers (2)

• FollowJoan Salge Blake, MS, RD , Nutrition & Dietetics, answered on behalf of Academy of Nutrition and DieteticsThe "meat group" is now called the "protein group" in MyPlate. According to the USDA, a serving is considered 1 ounce of meat, poultry or fish, ¼ cup cooked beans, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, or ½ ounce of nuts or seeds.Adults should have 5 to 7 ounces of protein daily depending upon their needs

This is what our nutritionist recommends.... A 3-5 oz serving once a day.We have homemade yogurt for breakfast ( greek or regular for smoothies) , fruit for snacks ( 3 x a day),a big salad and starchy carb for lunch ( potato/ sweet potato/ rice based) and meat or fish for dinner with veggies and wild rice or quinoa. Most of my family's food intolerances have been cleared up eating this way. I never thought it would be filling enough but it is. We do eat all organic though, so I am still working on how to budget for that.

Edited May 30, 2016 by Silver Brook