oh yeah, sailor’s post reminded me about cereal. Even though it’s getting more expensive to buy a box, per serving it’s still a good deal. Especially if you eat something like Total that is loaded with fortified goodness.
I had morning sickness for 18 weeks when Cranky Jr was brewing. I hardly ate anything, but if I could get a bowl of Total Raisin Bran down at some point in the day, I worried less about what I wasn’t getting the rest of the time.
It’s fast, it’s easy, it’s cheap.
Total brand cereal? I buy cereal in bulk for a fraction of the price.
erislover, I do not know what your situation is but if you are working full time and do not have $60 for groceries it may be that you need to revise your entire budget, not just the groceries. It seems you are trying to go from ordering out a lot to starving. maybe something in between would be more reasonable. It is difficult to say without knowing the rest of the picture but I can tell you I am one who has managed to make an art of doing the most with the least.
your choice of…
canned baked beans on wholemeal toast
porridge oats/breakfast cereal with fortified milk
brown rice, can of tomatoes (unchopped are cheaper), frozen peas, kidney beans (bung it all in a pan, boil, voila - pretend risotto)
pasta n’ cheese
All of the above contain fibre, carbs, protein, vits and minerals.
Using real butter to spread and fry with saves money, but will probably wreck your ateries (I don’t use salt or sugar in cooking, so I’m thinking swings and roundabouts)
A big soup or stew will last all week if you keep topping it up with water, and can be made from whatever you have left in the fridge or cupboards. Cheaper still if you boil bones for stock (not that you’d want to, but it does save money, and tastes good).
Buy supermarket own brands or generic food, go for 3 for 2 offers, buy in bulk. Don’t look for your normal brand of food, look for the cheapest.
If you aren’t good with quantities make food that can be eaten cold for lunch next day.
And if you aren’t good with timing when to cook things, make paellas, risottos and stews with all the ingredients in one pot. It saves on the washing up too.
Try to buy vegetables fresh, and with enough onions, chillis and garlic almost anything tastes ok.
Also, if you eat meat;
buy mince instead of proper cuts, streaky bacon instead of back bacon, poultry with the bones in (a turkey leg costs about £1.50 in Ireland, and feeds me for 3 meals)as it’s cheaper than boneless, and buy meat in bulk and freeze it.
also, if you can face it, eat liver (iron, vitamn A, protein) which is VERY cheap (about 20p a portion), and can be fried with onions and garlic to improve the taste.
The cheapest of all is tripe…but I’ve never been desperate enough to go there.
I’ve been living the student life all year, and sucessfully managing to eat on a budget of about £30 a week ($50) for food.
Granted, you might not want to eat the food i’ve been living off, but it’s got all the minerals, vitamins, and major dietary requirements covered.
Oh yeah, and save enough money for a bottle of cheap wine each week. drink it while you eat, and the food will taste bearable.