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snoangel
Nov 29, 2006, 6:46 PM
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Ok, here goes. Starting January, I am putting myself on a strict budget in order to quickly reduce my debt. I've tentatively allocated $150 per month for food and I was hoping I could get some ideas from you all on how to make this work, without eating PB&J for every meal.
Things to note:
*I either climb or run almost every day.
*Female, 5'4", athletic build.
*I could afford to lose about 10-15lbs, but am not looking for a weight loss diet. I want to eat healthy, but still enjoy my chocolate now & then.
*My alcohol comsumption is included in my "entertainment" budget, not food. 
*I am NOT a great cook, so simplicity is key.
*I would like to go out to eat once a month, if possible, but not neccessary.
Thanks in advance for all of your input. 
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hangerlessbolt
Nov 29, 2006, 6:52 PM
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Breakfast:
Cereal & milk
Egg beaters and toast
Lunch:
Tuna
PB & J
Dinner
Chicken & rice
Add lots of veggies...they're not too expenisve...stick to water and/ or add cheap flavoring.
Stay away from Starbucks!!
Eat over at a friend's/ family member's house
Hit up the "day old" store
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devils_advocate
Nov 29, 2006, 6:54 PM
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Wow, $150 in a month... I can drink that in a week no problem.
Man that seemed so easy in college, I couldn't imagine living on that type of food budget. And you want to go out once a month?? Guess you have to define "go out". I can easily blow half of that in one sitting... mmmmm hamachi.
You already know the answer. You want to live that tight, you're looking at PBJ, ramen, rice, potatoes, pasta, pancakes, low grade meat, etc.
Good luck, i don't envy returning to that lifestyle. Good food is just too damn tasty.
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GunksMonkey
Nov 29, 2006, 7:00 PM
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Crock pot chili can be filling and cheap to make. Also bake/fry stuff instead of microwave. For some reasion I find that when Microwaving stff that can be either baked or fried it just isn't as filling.
Meat Managrs Special is your friend.
Really shop around for your food. BJs is good for some stuff but their meats is on the average side as far as price goes, although their prices on cheese and bannanas is good. Check out Trader Joes they have great prices on what they sell. If you can afford to get a part time gig with they they give employees 10% off, or at least they used to when I worked for them.
Find a man who will cook for you ;)
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GunksMonkey
Nov 29, 2006, 7:04 PM
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Too bad you live in SD
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devils_advocate
Nov 29, 2006, 7:12 PM
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GunksMonkey wrote: BJs is good for some stuff
Yes, that could certainly add to your food budget. Plus cut down on the chicken and eggs you would need to purchase.
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reno
Nov 29, 2006, 7:20 PM
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Learn to make soup. Not from the can, but homemade.
For example: For Thanksgiving, we bought a 16 pound turkey. It fed the group, with leftover turkey meat. I carved off the extra meat, which is enough for 6 sandwiches or so. Then took the carcass, tossed it in a stock pot with water, a whole onion, some chopped carrots, chopped celery, two bay leaves, salt and pepper. Slow simmer for 4 hours. Remove bones, bay leaf, and the onion. Add a bag of egg noodles, let simmer another hour.
I now have 4 quarts of turkey noodle soup in the freezer (ziplock bags.)
Cost? $13.00 for the turkey, three bucks for the veggies, and a buck for the noodles. Seventeen dollars total, and it made dinner for 7 plus 6 sandwiches and 4 quarts of soup. Or, if you prefer, 20 single person meals.
Granted, nobody wants to eat turkey noodle soup for every meal, but it does keep well in the freezer.
FYI, you can do the same with ham (i.e. make ham and bean soup... use Great Northern Beans,) or chicken (instead of noodles, use white rice,) or beef (beef and barley soup.) Same premise behind them all.
Chili can be cheap, too. Pound of ground beef, couple cans tomatoes, onion, green pepper, and couple cans of beans. 6 quarts of chili for $12.00 or so.
(This post was edited by reno on Nov 30, 2006, 1:12 AM)
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lisamariewillbe
Nov 29, 2006, 7:24 PM
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yup soup is the best cheap person meal without losing health. Only comparable is ramen noodles and that is not good for someone.
I make alot of lentil soup, its cheap as hell. I need to make some more soups as my freezer is empty.
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caughtinside
Nov 29, 2006, 7:24 PM
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Rice dishes!
Learn to make risotto. It's cheap, easy and delish.
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maww
Nov 29, 2006, 7:42 PM
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Well I don't eat meat so my monthly grocery bills are always under $150.
Try making stuff in bulk and freezing servings for later (lasagna is good). Spaghetti is cheap..but get the whole wheat noodles and it should fill you up longer. All whole grains are usually cheap and excellent. Brown rice (NOT instant!) and veggies are always yum and cheap.
And yes soup is great. Can you bake your own bread? Bread, soup & cheese is a great meal. Buy blocks of cheese for cheaper overall cost (not those pre-cut Kraft cheese chunks).
Any chance of buying your produce at a farmer's market? Sorry didn't check to see where you live-not possible for me right now but summer & fall it's available. Usually cheaper than the supermarkets.
And if you can grow any food yourself, give it a try. That is so much cheaper and tastier. :)
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littlebilly
Nov 29, 2006, 8:12 PM
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I'm not in a position where i'm really watching my budget so i don't know what it costs a month, but i eat a lot of rice and beans and lentils which are easy to get cheap in bulk. tub of miso paste and some hot water and you have a great base for endless options. i like onions and carrots, which are rather inexpensive and toss in some tofu now and then. skip meat whenever possible
bulk oatmeal is good too, "season" with fruits if it is too bland for you.
also flavor is expensive. seasonings are usually made of a lot of salt and sugar, which we all don't need that much of (esp. sugar).
but most importantly: don't compromise your health with a unbalanced diet. it's better to spend more money on healthier food and cut costs in some other category of life.
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boadman
Nov 29, 2006, 8:16 PM
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I lived for 4 months on $80 a couple of years ago. It entailed hitchhiking, camping out, and eating beans and rice. Black beans, rice, hamburger and vegetables is just about the cheapest meal you can imagine. I think about $5/week is attainable if you buy your ingredients in bulk.
snoangel wrote: Ok, here goes. Starting January, I am putting myself on a strict budget in order to quickly reduce my debt. I've tentatively allocated $150 per month for food and I was hoping I could get some ideas from you all on how to make this work, without eating PB&J for every meal. Things to note: *I either climb or run almost every day. *Female, 5'4", athletic build. *I could afford to lose about 10-15lbs, but am not looking for a weight loss diet. I want to eat healthy, but still enjoy my chocolate now & then. *My alcohol comsumption is included in my "entertainment" budget, not food. *I am NOT a great cook, so simplicity is key. *I would like to go out to eat once a month, if possible, but not neccessary. Thanks in advance for all of your input. |
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snoangel
Nov 29, 2006, 8:31 PM
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Thanks you guys. These are all great suggestions. I guess I'll be learning to cook a little in the process.
The good thing is that I eat relatively little meat, love soup and live in San Diego so there is a farmer's market year round.
I'm actually getting really excited about this change as I have a feeling I will end up healthier because of it. Currently, I eat way too much processed food, so making things from scratch will be a welcome change for my body, I'm sure.
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flying_dutchman
Nov 29, 2006, 8:38 PM
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i could live on $37.50 a week. Course' in Canada that's like $45 a week. More then enough for that once a week food shop.
Easting out, ya, i could blow half my weeks budget right there and loose the title of 'dirtbag climber' in the process. Good choice putting alcohol in a seperate budget.
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neuroshock
Nov 29, 2006, 8:39 PM
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for what it's worth... even back in high school i was about 6'0" and 155lbs. when it was swim season, i was swimming/lifting/running 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. when it wasn't swim season, i was training/competing in martial arts at least twice a week at 1-1.5hrs.
growing up, my diet for dinner consisted of what mom cooked, which was mainly stir-fry type dishes. rice is cheap and you can buy a large bag that will last you a long time. last i looked (i've been eating out a lot these days) pork and chicken weren't crazy expensive. by that, i mean the boneless breasts found at Jewel/Dominick's/Von's/Safeway/Cub Foods, not the more expensive organic stuff at Whole Foods. slice up the chicken, cook it and toss some veggies in (broccoli and celery? carrots? etc), salt, pepper (get creative with seasonings for flavor) and serve over rice.
not sure how expensive it is, but mom also used ground beef for the above on occasion. however, instead of grabbing the ground beef, she'd pick a cut of meat (sirloin?) and ask the people to trim off the fat and grind *that*.
lunch was usually a sandwich on wheat bread of whatever had coupons in the sunday paper or whichever deli meat was on sale the last time she went shopping. the cheese was bought in larger blocks (didn't go bad before we consumed it because i'm the oldest of 4...). add in a few crackers and juice and i was set.
breakfast was usually cereal w/ skim milk (just because we were weaned off of 2% at an early age) and a glass of OJ.
oh, and if you learn to make fried rice, you can always do that, too. leftover rice from the night before, frozen mixed veggies, and a little meat. works for lunch and/or dinner.
all simple, filling, and i was never short of energy when training.
(of the above mentioned foods, i think the most expensive things were juice, cheese, and red meat)
well, i hope that at least gave you some ideas. good luck and let us know how it goes?
-mike
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reno
Nov 29, 2006, 8:41 PM
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snoangel wrote: Thanks you guys. These are all great suggestions. I guess I'll be learning to cook a little in the process. The good thing is that I eat relatively little meat, love soup and live in San Diego so there is a farmer's market year round.
You're set..... veggie soup is uber easy: Chop veggies (carrots, peas, corn, celery, onion, cabbage. Add some barley, too), put in large stock pot, add water, salt and pepper, and slow simmer for 6 hours. Done.
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GunksMonkey
Nov 29, 2006, 8:48 PM
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Ahh you just need to look in the right places.
I am starting to look at my food budget now seeing as how I am moving out and need to start cooking for myself again. At least I will be able to return to the flair of flavor that my soon to be ex wife so lacked in. I meah come on everyone knows that you sautee the onions first before you add the peppers when you are making saussage and pepers/stir fry.
Stir fry is good stuf. YOu can make a lot of it for dirt cheap.
Where I live I can still buy potatoes 5 bucks for fifty pounds, even though they are not the best for people to eat you can sustain yourself on them for a while. If they start to go bad you can alwayf ferment them, and make vodka
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snoangel
Nov 29, 2006, 8:53 PM
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lisamariewillbe wrote: In reply to: San Diego so there is a farmer's market year round. Ill be in San Diego in December, pm me and we will do lunch. Ill show you how to get free french fries at McDonalds 
pm'd you. I have to say I'm actually a little worried as to what I'll have to do for these "free" fries.
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organic
Nov 29, 2006, 9:15 PM
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Tuna fish
pasta
Pasta is super cheap $1 for 32oz? A can of sauce $1. for a normal person this provides at least 3-4 meals for all of $2. The key to eating cheap is to buy in bulk. When I had two male roommates we bought 20 hamburger patties for $8. They were not the highest quality but that provided a lot of meals. Drink lots of water cause it will fill you up. Eat less snacks and more meals. Decide what you are going to buy before you go to the store!
Drink lots of coffee it helps supress the appetite and be really busy. Often times I don't have time to eat because I make myself so busy!
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brent_e
Nov 29, 2006, 9:33 PM
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i manage it, sno, with a little help.
things i buy (not always weekly, though):
chicken thighs ~$4
green beens ~2-3?
bagel + bread ~$5
1 red pepper ~1
tuna ~1.50?
cheese ~6
eggs ~3
that's about 24 bucks a week so I suppose to hit your 150 you could add a bit. That's not including oatmeal, wild game and fish that we catch/hunt, and the fact that i eat at my parents house 2 days a week. So, really, i think you can do it pretty easily.
very hungrily
Brent
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climbsomething
Nov 29, 2006, 9:41 PM
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Pasta, oatmeal, more pasta, breakfast cereal, PBJ (actually, I skip the PB and just have the blackberry jam), rice, beans, soup and water. Couscous when you're feeling feisty. Butter, garlic salt, and taco sauce must be somewhere in the fridge too. Yeah, it sucks, but note that at least there's no ramen in there. I can't cook and I can't prepare meat because I'm really inept. So really, staying in a budget was easy, if boring.
I used to have such a wee food bill before I took in a man. He eats like he has a damn tapeworm! But he's also a good cook and he does contribute $, bless his heart.
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