Monthly food budget for 1 during inflation

I’m doing just fine on $200 and feeling like I’m not wanting for anything. That said, I price compare frequently and I use Target and Walmart shipping (both free over $35) which helps out - their prices are significantly cheaper on many items than my local grocery store and it shows up at my door.

I’m an eldergay on a fixed income so any savings tips you have are appreciated.

R2, I don't know how old you mean by eldergay. But my advice would be to focus on nutrition as well as cost. What's the sense of penny-pinching on food if you're feeling like shit, overweight, etc.

Meal plan / shop on a weekly basis. Do batch cooking / food preparation.

$250 might be stretching it a bit thin... My solo food budget is $300 per month. But that includes the occasional takeout.

$250 a month would just give me barely adequate eating for the month. The killers are things like EVVO and fresh fruit. Forget smoked salmon or desserts. Since the pandemic belt tightening, I get cake mix and canned icing for cupcakes. Maybe a mini coffee cake. No more ice cream. Even whipped cream has gone up so a simple desert of fruit & whipped cream is a real luxury. A pint of heavy whipping cream is like $6 now.

I concentrate on hamburger meat (which I make into delicious meatballs usually served with EVVO & pasta & which can last maybe 4 meals) and chicken (which if I serve as chicken piccata can extend a half a breast into 4-5 meals). Frozen green beans, pasta, maybe potatoes as side dishes. I go through lots of butter and lemons.

I also get cheap bread and make toast with peanut butter for breakfast with a tangerine & coffee. Delicious. Sometimes that makes a quick and easy dinner with 2 pieces of toast. LOL!

Eggs are still pretty cheap and I love eggs - omelets, french toast, hard boiled eggs for egg salad, scrambled, fried.

So buy up eggs. peanut butter, cheap bread if all you do with it is toast it or make French toast, pasta, rice.

Walgreens has great prices on things like Jif peanut butter, oatmeal, pasta, instant oatmeal and other staples. Even Whole Foods has regular great sales on things like hamburger meat. Their pasta prices have continued to stay rock bottom like $1.69. Their milk and eggs are normal prices - their milk is $2.79 half gallon while my local little mart is $3.69 half gallon. Outrageous.

If you're near one join savings programs like Walgreens. I was never a Walgreen's shopper until later in the pandemic when I started venturing further from home and discovered their great prices compared to my little extortionist nearby mart. Mayo half the price.

Is it time to start seeing if I qualify for government programs and assistance - do they still have any of that cheese left? LOL!

I love my Senior Pass for mass transit.

These threads don't take into account the different food prices, depending on where you live.

R6, that goes without saying but thanks for the reminder. Hell I see what I consider significant price differences in different store in the same section of my city.

I never comparison shopped before for prices but I do now.

I spend about a $1000 a month for 3 (which includes liquor) so that sounds about right.

I buy all my meat/fish/household items/liquor at either Costco or Sam's which saves a lot. I really only go to the grocery store for vegetables and fruit.

One of those Costco chickens lasts us three days.

Geeze I spend $600 a month for one. And I shop the weekly ads. Indian Wells CA.

I'm up to over 200. with delivery from Costco and it's the most I've ever spent.

I've gone through my economy tips before but here goes. I do beef no more than once a week and it's either ground beef or flank steak. Rotisserie chickens are a huge bargain provided they're not pumped with solutions. Buy one or two--make stock, chicken pot pie, chicken salad, chicken enchiladas. Tuna and pasta; fried rice; omelets, pierogi or blintzes are frequent dinners. salmon cakes made like crabcakes, JLeftover meat becomes hash with root veggies.

I try to buy organic meat, chicken, egge--as much as I can afford. Leftovers, ramen, soup, protein shakes for lunch. Whenever I can freeze something as individual ice cubes, I do--oveerripe pureed bananas, caramelized onions, stock.

I find Aldi's bagged salads to be a good deal and not loaded with crap. More economical than daily salads. Love coleslaw and use both broccoli and the regular mix in soups and other kinds of cooking. Leftover bread becomes crumbs. I try to save produce other than lettuces before they go, and use a dehydrator. I can add them to soups and ramen bowls.

Aldis is great for imported cheeses. It takes a while to have a fully stocked pantry (spices, grits, grains, nuts, flours pasta) and kitchen (instant pot, power blender, food processor, air fryer). but it's worth it.

Hope this helps.

Air fryers for the win!

[Quote]Geeze I spend $600 a month for one. And I shop the weekly ads. Indian Wells CA

Ignoring prices, I spend the same, R9. At 80 years old, I eat what I want.

r9, you need to drive to Cathedral City and shop at Food 4 Less. The prices there are about 1/2 of Ralphs or Vons. Yes, the clientele is about half Latino - get over it.

[quote]Their milk and eggs are normal prices - their milk is $2.79 half gallon while my local little mart is $3.69 half gallon.

At the Walmart closest to me, the milk is $1.97 for a half gallon.

Could one of you gentlemen enlighten the rest of us as to the following:

In OP's image/link, up the back, I recognize the carrots way over on the right. Next to them, either limes or lemons. But what in the living fuck are those long, dark green bumpy things next to the limes/lemons? I'm thinking either a type of cucumber or a hot and dirty sex toy. Or both?

Planning and buying your food for the entire week is a lot cheaper than going to the supermarket every day.

I calculated that I save enough to justify having it delivered.

r15 Those are bitter melons, used a lot in Asian cooking.

I grocery shop once a month, ShopRite™ and Trader Joe's™. I drop about 300 between the two, that includes regular groceries, things I'm hoarding and high ticket items like vitamins/supplements. At about the next 2 week mark, I make one trip for whatever perishables I'll need to carry me to the next major buy, maybe 40 bucks. It's been like that since Covid came to stay.

Do yourselves a favor and invest in a fruit/vegetable washing liquid, Trader Joe's™ has a good one. Washing your fresh produce not only gets rid of God-knows-what, but extends their useable life significantly. You'd be amazed how dirty the washing water gets after using it on just a few items. Yuck!

I manage with 200-300/monthly.

Yep, fruits AND vegetables included. I save lots of money by buying food for two weeks twice a month.

I meal prep for two weeks, don’t worry about what’s for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, as it’s already made, and just waiting to be heated up and/or served.

I don’t eat red meat nor much chicken. I stick to Salmon. Cutting out the red meat is a money saving move and a healthier option, as well.

The above being stated, please keep in mind I’m not a fat whore who gobbles everything in sight on week one, so this helps tremendously. I even end up with left overs, as sometimes, I just cannot finish an entire salad or meal.

The thing I can no longer afford to do, as of late, is to buy something like an occasional steak, or even some junk food on a craving whim. Sometimes, I want cheesecake just for the fuck of it, and that’s no longer something I can afford to do, when budgeting for gas, car maintenance, car insurance and housing.

And forget about buying an awesome jacket or a nice pair of jeans on a whim. Those days are over. Thankfully, I’ve got plenty of clothes and can even get rid of much of it, and still have enough for a lifetime, but the point is… things are tight for most Americans right now.

R17 Thanx!

R17 I never heard of a fruit/vegetable washing liquid, but now I will look into it.

Every day is a school day, eh?

Life is better since I started my own garden, bought two nanny goats for milk and four chickens for eggs and meat.

But I'm having trouble growing enough flax for my summer linen suits.

$250 is doable with meal prep and price comparing!

Five words, r2...reduced price baked goods rack.

You strike me as being loom adept, r21.

[quote] Yes, the clientele is about half Latino - get over it.

Not everybody needs to "get over" Latino clientele. Clutch your pearls, take a deep breath, and head into the store. Geez.

"There are commercial vegetable washes available, but some are made with synthetic chemicals and the ones that aren’t are hardly worth the cost given how easy it is to make your own with items you have around your kitchen. Besides, some research shows that certain commercial vegetable washes are no more effective than tap water."

What?

You think I'm gonna eat that gahbage?

Brown rice and vegetables.

Keeps you lean and clean for the big and mean.

-sidewink-

Check your neighborhood alleys.

Y'all need better paying jobs.

Bronze Age Gay— you have intrigued me about the Trader Joe’s fruit and vegetable soap. Where in Trader Joe’s do you find it? Thank you!

I’m reading up on the washing of vegetables as well.

r25, my words were directed to someone who claims to live in Ranch Mirage, a very white and privileged community of the Coachella Valley. I've known quite a few people there who would avoid a store that was mostly frequented by Latinos. (Not for any good reason, merely because they are "other" and often on a lower rung of the economic scale). My words were meant for people who would avoid a store for a reason like that.

r31 They sometimes have a display of it in their produce section, and it is always available in the aisle with their household cleaners/detergents and paper goods. I haven't bought any in some time(it is one of my hoarder stash) but I see online it's now over $10.00 a bottle, it was always somewhere between 3 and 5 bucks in-store. I'll have to check what they are charging on my next shopping trip.

The liquid wash is made from citrus peels, so at least it sounds environmentally friendly. A little goes a long way, the recommended use is one tablespoon per quart of water.

For soft items(berries, greens, etc) you let it soak for 20 or 30 seconds(I agitate it somewhat) then rinse thoroughly. For firmer things(tomatoes, apples, stone fruit, melons, citrus, etc) I'll use paper towels or a soft brush to clean each item, again, rinse thoroughly. I use two bowls and a colander to make it easier to transfer the produce from the wash to the rinse bowl, this is especially helpful with berries.

Happy bubbles! 🛀

I'm at about $300-$350 a month, and that's also with the expense of my $50 a month water delivery.

The problem isn't just the budget. When you have three jobs to keep you barely afloat, you don't have much time to visit several supermarkets to take advantage of their sales, cook and store your dinners in the fridge or freezer, and have it ready when you're hungry at your job. It makes it more likely that, in a pinch, you buy something from a fast food restaurant or a bakery, and that will cost 'ya in terms of managing your food budget.

Time management can be as much of a bitch as the food budget.

$750 a month for one, but I buy crazy ass shit. I'm going to start shopping at Walmart the next few months and see if that changes anything.

We get our produce at the local Asian market. I shop at Winco or Grocery Outlet. Target when we feel like spending a bit.

my iced venti latte is $150 a month. so there that. then exwife had me buy a dozen eggs for $ 5.99. im fasting today- other than the iced latte.

I would be curious to see how much food the buyers with high food costs throw out. If you're throwing out a ton of fresh vegetables (which are pretty expensive right now). that's money down the drain. Also if you cook your portions of meat and then throw away the leftovers after a few days, you have wasted your money. In a well-managed kitchen, very little food is thrown away, because the buyer has bought exactly what he knows he will eat up in a certain amount of time.

[quote]Surely I can still manage on $250, right?

[quote]I’m doing just fine on $200 and feeling like I’m not wanting for anything.

Why did you ask, then?

I have high food costs compared to most posters and I don't throw out much at all. If something's (e.g., produce) about to go downhill, I'll make a point to use it up.

I throw out things that simply don't taste good (kind of rare, though). Technically, I could go back to the store and get a refund, but I rarely do that. Examples of things I've thrown out: yogurt (Icelandic Provision skyr). (Yes, I'm frou frou about yogurt.) I also threw out some Emmenthaler cheese I got from Costco.

This article states 2022, but I wonder when in 2022 because it was written because food prices have really spiked up in the last few months as inflation worsens this year. Therefore the food budgets listed are useless.

When I first started doing grocery delivery during the pandemic, I was averaging about $160 per week for two, which included my partner's pricier protein drinks and bars.

Things have gone up so much that it's more like $200 per week now, and we often can't find the meat we want so the price doesn't even include meat.

Restaurants are worse. We had a huge sushi order this weekend that was the exact same as an order from last October. In October it was $79, Saturday it was $126.

We don't throw much out, if it can be frozen it will be and saved for later. That said, I did have to recently go through crowded pantries to clean things out and found a few breakfast bars, some popcorn, and Kraft Spaghetti Dinner I'd completely forgotten about and which expired August 2020. Oops.

So, if a couple used to spend $160 per week for groceries and now spends $200, what per cent increase would that be? The reason I’m asking is that the numbers we are actually spending on food doesn’t match the published price increases in the articles I’ve been reading ..

I was told there would be no math on this quiz!

I asked Google and they said it was a 25% increase.

I've never found the news reports of 4% increases to be reliable. Right now I'm about to hit BUY on a purchase of canned tomatoes online where I get the best price, they were $41.23 for a 12-pack last year, they're $45.84 right now, which is over 11% increase. That's a lot more close to the kinds of increases I've been seeing.

My houseboy upped the monthly provisions budget to 2000 for the two of us. That includes booze but no cigarettes. I think he's overcharging me or perhaps feeding that exciting young soldier who rides naked bareback through the gardens under the moonlight.

[quote]Surely I can still manage on $250, right? I have access to a well priced produce store, stop & shop and Costco - as well as Trader Joe’s. Thoughts?

Yes, $250 a week is very manageable though that doesn't go very far at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.

R45 $160-$200 is a 20% increase.

It's a 25% increase.

58yo swgm, New Orleans here. Weekly Basics are pasta/rice/potatoes/beans dishes, oatmeal/grits, multiple fresh fruits/vegetables every day every meal, Red meat/ground beef once a week only, fish/tuna/sardines 3 times a week with veggies/pasta/crackers, dented canned soups on markdown, bakery markdowns. Splurges or eat out options are occasional local seafood poboys, Chinese beef broccoli with fried rice/egg rolls and crab Rangoon, local Italian pizza or Lasagna meals. Recently Lots of festivals and invites to crawfish/crab boils are free food, so don't count moneywise. Also, there are online YouTube budget meal videos with costs/preparations. My cash money food costs per month is probably less than $300, but I basically eat what I want and not really complaining here, although I know it's tough economic times for some... I also regularly hoard the basics thinking 8-10 weeks ahead, especially during hurricane season. I like being prepared, I'm one of those people. Also, I don't waste food, I don't drink, smoke or drug, so there's that savings as well. Please don't hate me because I'm responsible minded, and it works for me. :-)

R50, it's 25% increase. Increase from160 to 200 is 40 difference. 40:160, or 40 into 160 is 1/4th, 1/4th equals 25%, thus a 25% increase. Thank you Mrs. Buvall in 4th grade math. :-)

Mine is at least $300.00 a month...sometimes a little more, if I treat myself...like filet mignon, for example. It's basically what I've spent all along...don't pay attention to the prices too much. I buy what I need.

I'm taking this as an opportunity to eat healthier and cook at home in bulk using whole foods—mostly vegetables, beans, and grains—and eating from a particular recipe for three or four meals.

The NYTimes Cooking website and various nutritionist sites have a lot of great recipes for plant-based soups and stews that use healthy fats like olive oil, which makes them filling.

I'll make a mushroom stew, a cauliflower soup, or a veggie chili that costs me like $6 tops and is good for three or four meals. On the side: A chunk of crusty bread from Trader Joe's, salad from a big bag of greens from Target ($3 for three servings), or half a bag of frozen broccoli ($3 for two servings).

I'm losing my taste for meat as I get older, which helps keep the bills lower. I used to get sushi a couple times a week as a treat. But that is one area where shrinkflation is definitely in play—every Japanese restaurant near me is now slicing sashimi half as thin as they used to while charging the same price. So I make my veggie stews I find online for $2 a dinner instead of $25.

Vegetables or fruit that's starting to turn goes to the compost. So...nothing goes to waste.

Holy shit, food is cheap in USA. I spend about 400 dollars a month on food.

[quote]So, if a couple used to spend $160 per week for groceries and now spends $200, what per cent increase would that be?

Sweetie, you can't do simple math? Bless your little retarded heart.

If you have a Lidl or ALDI add them into your rotation. You can find good deals at both.

R59 I live in inner London and have 6 supermarkets on my high street, so I shop between them all as they are practically on my doorstep. Recently an Aldi opened up and I notice a big difference in prices, they are much cheaper on many items. Also I find the quality to be very good so I am buying about 70% of my shopping there these days.

You can save a lot if you buy expired food. Its just a "best by" suggestion, the food doesn't magically go bad at the stroke of midnight.

Stirfry and curries are your friend for stretching chicken, scallops, shrimp and flank steak. I also do ground pork and chicken for fried rice and thai larb.

If you can stomach prepping veggies on the day you buy them,, you can use half over the next three days and freeze half for the rest of the week, Lettuce, tomatoes, zucchini and cucumbers are the exception. I also dismantle the rotisserie ch ickens and throw in edible veggie scraps and do a stock, which I boil down and concentrate.

I'm stiill stuck on the guy who can't splurge on a cheesecake. There's got to be a solution to that.

Muffins and quick breads are hard to screw up and work for breakfasts with yogurt.

At the end of 2 hours work (longer forr the stock} you have chicken parts and shredded chicken, chicken stock for sauces and ramen, veggies for most of the week and a quick bread or muffins.

Then plan five meals, giving yourself the weekend off. - I would pencil in BBQ chicken, chicken salad, grilled cheese and tomato soup, shrimp and grits, and maybe a burger cooked on cast iron. Buy the best quality you can afford; otherwise, you'll lose interest.

R62 I want to come live with you. This plan sounds fiscally responsible AND delicious!

Thank you, R63. You are so kind. The cooking shows and youtube videos have had an effect on me. Being very organized and figuring out the order of things to make really saves time. I read recipes carefully and line up all my ingredients.

After I have the week's groceries home, I would get the muffins going first (flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla, oil, and fruits and nuts.) Let the oven heat while you're getting things out. You can blend the batter with a spoon--mixer not necessary.

Then I would dismantle the chicken and dump the bones in the stockpot. It's probably time to take the muffins out.

Then I would prep the veggies; use a chopper or processor if you have them. Throw the veggie scraps in the pot with herbs and seasonsings. Add any veggies left over from last week. Add water and heat almost to a boil. skimming crap off the top. Stow the prepped veggies in the fridge and freezer. You're set. Stick half your scallions in water so they can grow.

Carrots, peppers, onions and celery are staples. Everything else depends on the price and season. I do different slaws in preference to salads because they have more longevity. Check over one or two grocery ads to figure out which meats and produce are on sale.

I never cook to stock my freezer and I do try to turn over the inventory in a month. Freezers are where foods go to die.

If you start getting bored or feel like it's a job, take a week off. See this as pampering yourself, not drudgery.

And it's okay to grab convenience foods if they're good and they save time. Don't burn yourself out.

I am soo tired of cooking. With these prices, whatcha going to do, though?

R65 go to Popeye's!

Popeye's. Rip off. Bucked of dark meat and some biscuit will probably set you back a Grant(fifty bucks).

Here on the east coast of Australia our usual fruit and veg supplies have been washed out by months of constant rain from a strong La Nina. Inland hasn't been so bad, so dryer weather crops are doing great (grains and root vegetables mostly) but everything from Aubergine to Zucchini has doubled or tripled in price and my low carb diet has got very expensive. I was in Alice Springs last week and was shocked to find fruit and veg there less expensive than Sydney. All their groceries have to be shipped in over 1000 miles from either Adelaide or Darwin.

I am a big fan of canned wild salmon and canned sardines in water. I used them for a lot, pretty much any need for protein. Plus sardines are smaller fish so less of a mercury risk. I buy them via Walmart or Amazon subscribe and save.

Peanut butter, baby. The dog likes it, too.

R68 Wasn’t there a huge drought over there a short while back, one of the worst in Australian history?

I know R71 - I feel like quoting Dorothy McKeller's "I Love A Sunburnt Country" Pretty much every Australian kid learns this off by hear around age 7, because that's reality. It kinda steels you to the reality of living with a highly unstable climate.

My Country – I love a sunburnt country The love of field and coppice, Of green and shaded lanes. Of ordered woods and gardens Is running in your veins, Strong love of grey-blue distance Brown streams and soft, dim skies I know but cannot share it, My love is otherwise.

I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges, Of drought and flooding rains. I love her far horizons, I love her jewel-sea, Her beauty and her terror – The wide brown land for me!

A stark white ring-barked forest All tragic to the moon, The sapphire-misted mountains, The hot gold hush of noon. Green tangle of the brushes, Where lithe lianas coil, And orchids deck the tree-tops And ferns the warm dark soil.

Core of my heart, my country! Her pitiless blue sky, When sick at heart, around us We see the cattle die – But then the grey clouds gather, And we can bless again The drumming of an army, The steady, soaking rain.

Core of my heart, my country! Land of the Rainbow Gold, For flood and fire and famine, She pays us back threefold – Over the thirsty paddocks, Watch, after many days, The filmy veil of greenness That thickens as we gaze.

Dorothea Mackellar

I'm going to have to start doing that, r69. For some reason that I can't fathom, canned tuna does not sit well with me anymore. It happened all of a sudden and it happens with various brands. It was a go-to cheap protein for me but I can't eat it anymore. I do love sardines and anchovies though, and will try some canned salmon as well.

20, a brand of produce wash that's been around for over 20 years now is Fit

If you're just cooking for yourself, I would suggest portioning off your meats in separate zip loc bags into single serving portions as soon as you get home from the store and toss them in the freezer. That way you can just thaw a little at a time as needed, instead of thawing out a whole pack of meat and trying to use it all up before it goes bad. Aside from something like a roast, I do this for all my meats from ground beef, to chicken parts, to pork chops... Then I just take a portion out the day before and put it in my fridge to thaw out overnight.

For the person that brought up cheesecake earlier, a classic no-bake cherry cheese cake is super simple to make and uses very few ingredients.

Not a bad suggestion, R75

I spend over $1500/month on food. I know it seems crazy but while I often get food to go for my evening meal from restaurants (approx. $15), I also cook my own breakfast every day and utilize Freshly/Factor type delivery sources for my lunch most days.

What the heck am I doing wrong?

Skip the expensive lunch and bag your own while your cooking your breakfast. Assuming that you do not work from home.

r30 You all.

Learn alot of mexican recipes they can stretch meat for far it shocking. Ex: taco's , burritos. I learned mole and chicken mole is great . One breast of chick will make approx. 6 rolled meals. And delicious

When I make beans in the crockpot, I freeze a few portions to have on hand for tortillas later on. Same thing when I do a pork shoulder. I freeze the meat with some of the juices and crisp it up in the oven for carnitas.

[quote]One breast of chick will make approx. 6 rolled meals.

What the fuck does this even mean? You can make 6 meals out of one chicken breast? Are you the real Darfur orphan?

Their Mole chute is full of dust and cobwebs.

Actually, if I wasn't so lazy, I'd make the mole.

Between oatmeal and peanut butter, nobody should go hungry. Oatmeal is great with fruit. It's great with peanut butter (or a scoop of protein powder).

Oatmeal with peanut butter and a spoonful of fig jam is terrific.

What crazy ass shit do you buy, R37?

Oatmeal with prunes a la Greg

[quote] Oatmeal with prunes a la Greg

Wow, R88, you are so incredibly clever. Like a little boy or girl in first or second grade. You must have many admirers.

Here is my tip for shopping. I am always looking for buy one / get one deals in the supermarket, and then I stock up in a way that will last for some time. Last week I saw a big bag of chicken quarters, they were charging about ten dollars for the whole thing -- a super deal. But I hesitated, not sure if I had enough freezer bags and space in my freezer. I thought, "I can come back later and get these."

Dumb move on my part. Whenever there is a great deal on meat, people will snap those up fast. They have not had those chicken quarters in the meat case since that day, and I have asked several times.

IF YOU SEE SOMETHING YOU LIKE AVAILABLE AT A DISCOUNTED PRICE, BUY IT THEN AND THERE AND DON'T WAIT.

Sorry Greg, but I like prunes, and it was meant as a compliment… So, Never mind…..

ramen all day

Cooking for one is challenging. And I hate waste! I’ve become pretty skilled at how to freeze things. I use plastic wrap made to use in the freezer called Freeze-Tite. I love rye bread from a local bakery but I only fuse a few slices before it goes bad. I hated wasting all that bread so I started freezing 2 slices together and then wrapping with freezer plastic wrap and then foil. I then label it. It works great! I do this kind of freezing wrapping method with most things. You just need to plan ahead a few hours and a lot of things you can defrost in a cold water bath pretty quickly.

Trader Joe's has increased prices 30- 40 percent. TJs never has sales. Even Whole Always Overpriced Foods runs specials and offers sales.

Just know that it isn't your grocery store that is price gouging you, it's the manufacturers who sell to wholesalers who then screw over the grocery stores that pruchase form them

purchase from* them

Breakfast:"Oatmeal & raisins/fruit; Lunch: Soup and crackers, a salad; Dinner: Beans & rice, occadional treat of red meat/potatoes; fish (salmon, tuna, etc) with vegetables. Varied greens with bright color sides, fresh fruit each day. Inflation hasn't broken me, my weekly food diet stays about the same with slight variations, I've been doing this for over 20+ years, I don't skimp on food, I eat what I like with Occasional seafood/roast beef poboys, Chinese food, Italian food or pizza, several times a month. I think I'm doing alright... :-)

[quote] I stick to Salmon. Cutting out the red meat is a money saving move and a healthier option

Salmon saves money? I had to cut out salmon - which I love - cause it's so expensive. Good quality hamburger meat at Whole Foods (often on sale) about $3.50 lb. Make meatballs and it really stretches it and it's delicious.

The diff between Albacore chunk tuna and that slightly cheaper cat food-like tuna is enormous. A good tuna salad is always welcome.

At my little local market, eggs now over $4 vs. not that long ago mid $2+ and not even special eggs. Cheese has become outrageous, and I love cheese.

Eggs was always a go-to meal. I love eggs.

[quote] $250 a week is very manageable though that doesn't go very far at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.

Are you crazy? For one person? Does that include a lot of alcohol and Buche de Noels or something?

I know it saves money but I cannot bring myself to eat produce or meat from Walmart, the quality is so bad to me...

beans & rice. some greens from the yard.

R100 I feel the same way about meat from Ralph’s or Pavillions.

I got a three-pound rump roast at Tom Thumb, on sale for $3.49 a pound. Roasted it a 225 degrees F to an internal temp of 134F. We had a roast beef dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy last night, and cheese steak sandwiches for lunch today. Both delicious,. Enough left for another roast beef dinner and maybe another lunch. It was under $12.

Pensioner here. Started going to the food pantry at my church. Saved 50% on my monthly budget.

R102 truthfully I only eat meat dairy and produce from my local natural foods store. They have a lot of stuff from local farms so it's the freshest I can get and the quality is twice as good. They even grown herbs and some vegetables in the back of the store. Not cheap but great flavor and because it's so fresh it lasts forever in my fridge.

[quote]I only eat meat dairy

Is that like milksteak?

[quote] Pensioner here. Started going to the food pantry at my church. Saved 50% on my monthly budget.

Oh no! I have to start going to church again? Damn I thought I has escaped in my late teens?

^ There's no free lunch bub.

My husbear does the food shopping and he manages to keep it around $150/week for two. We still eat steak and fresh fruits. We haven’t eaten out since 2020. Eating out in the US is a waste of money and that was before Covid. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve dropped $500 on a dinner in a good restaurant before but now I feel like fast food prices are the same as a regular chain used to be. I’m not spending $100 at Applebees. That’s ridiculous.

R86 that sounds delicious! What kind of oatmeal do you use? Steel cut?

[quote]chicken (which if I serve as chicken piccata can extend a half a breast into 4-5 meals)

Only if you are eating two bites per meal.

How do y'all survive the flatulence that comes with eating beans? I find it unbearable

I can eat two chicken breasts per meal. Wth?

r112 There are several ways of preparing beans that cut down or eliminate their flatulence-producing factors. Soaking dried beans for 12 hours in water, followed by a thorough rinse and then cooking them in fresh water seems to be about the best way to begin to solve this problem. And then, there's always Beano™.

People's reactions to the components in beans that cause flatulence varies widely. Many get used to them if beans are eaten regularly.

Some beans are gassier than others, soybeans are supposed to be the worst. There are lists online to help you find those that may be lower in gas production.

And now for a groaner of a joke: Why won't an Irishman eat more than 239 beans? Eating one more would be too farty.

With the rising cost of meat, my niece, who is a nurse, has gone to a plant based diet. She replaces the meat often with garbonzo (chick peas) beans. Now, I'm starting to cook them, although so far, I'm making three bean salad with garbanzos and adding that to my garden salads.

If you have an Instantpot, just throw 1lb. dried beans in and add 2 cups water(won't pressurize/cook without water). Use #3 setting(pressure cook setting) which once pressurized will cook beans for 35 minutes. They turn out perfect. I use the pressure cook button only when using the Instanpot. It is simple and cooks everything, including whole chickens.

Sign up for the electronic coupons with the grocery store . If they have a rewards card get that too. Always look for buy one , get one free . Buy bread when it's 2 for 1 and freeze a loaf . For beverages like soda pop , buy when a holiday weekend is approaching, its almost always on sale . Our Jewel will sometimes have the 2 liter pops for sale where they have 8 for 88 cents each. It isn't usually Coke and Pepsi but the Dr Pepper and Schweppes and off brands are usually a good deal. If you drink bottled water , buy the store brand . It's almost always less expensive. I have a bad shoulder and no car , so for heavier items like cans of soup or 40 packs of bottled water , I have them delivered. At Walmart, I buy the sugar free drink mixes for like 1.50 each. Way cheaper than the brand names. Buy green bananas and two or three that have already ripened. By the time you eat the three that are yellow , the green ones will catch up. When strawberries and blueberries and blackberries are 2 for one , I freeze them . Then you will have fruit when it's out of season. If you like the things like Twinkies, look for the sale and freeze those too. I like Progresso Soup so I buy that at Walmart . It's a dollar cheaper than the other stores. Same with items like jello pudding and jello individual cups . I buy the store brand for cereal and oatmeal . Half the price usually .

R114 I love cooking beans now! I learned during the pandemic. I have always done the 12 hour soak but last month I tried the quick soak. You bring the beans to a boil for five minutes and then turn off the heat and keep the lid on for an hour. Then cook as usual. Man I was so gassy! Doesn’t happen so bad when you soak them for 12 hours. At least to me.

i always rinse off the bean bubbles. i think of them as the farts.

I have my monthly budget down to 125.00 for just me. Costco rotisserie chickens are a lifeline, I get six meals out of one chicken. I buy bulk rice, one dozen eggs per week, one day old loaf of bread per week...it's all in the planning.

I've been finding good prices at Target (food, incl. produce). It's a further drive (and more crowded) than my usual stores. If I can get there early (before it's crowded), I like to do a food shopping run there.

I spend about $175, but I cook most everything from scratch and am vegetarian, using only a a few dairy products. I eat well, but I'm thrifty by nature. For instance: I buy store brands only, use store eCoupons whenever possible, and get a Kroger 10% senior discount on the biggest order of the month.

R121, do they ask for ID when you use the senior discount since as a DLer, you must always be mistaken for 25?

Prices at my store seem to be going down a bit on fresh produce

I try to stay out of Costco because every time I go I always spend over a hundred bucks.

[quote] "chicken (which if I serve as chicken piccata can extend a half a breast into 4-5 meals)" : Only if you are eating two bites per meal.

First, I'm a woman so maybe my stomach needs less. Further, I thinly slice cutlets like you'd do with veal - admittedly I am slicing them pretty thin. But after flouring them and sauteing them in butter with a squeeze of lemon, they are good sizes portions. I also have made myself eat more slowly and savor my food. Like my mom would remind me when I'd shovel food in. I serve it with mashed potatoes or a pasta which I sauce with the delicious drippings left in the pan (chicken, butter, flour - and maybe some added wine). Add green beans and it becomes a comfort meal.

I've found just 2 eggs hard boiled make enough egg salad for 2 sandwiches. Sometimes all I add is small amount of chopped onion, mayo and squeeze of lemon. Until I ran out of curry I'd add a bit - but my damn little market ran out ages ago and still hasn't restocked it. Is there a shortage of curry in the world?

Bon appteit!

Went to the store today and was shocked at the price of eggs.

Try Hungry Root!

[quote]Surely I can still manage on $250, right?

Absolutely, as long as you are looking at the weekly ads and buying things on sale and/or are going to somewhere like Walmart or Costco.

I don’t even think I spend more than $200 a month on food and my kitchen is stocked with food.

[quote]Went to the store today and was shocked at the price of eggs.

I was so happy that Kroger had 18 count cage free eggs on sale this week for only $2.97.

My Jenny Craig bill is $200 a week plus I have to buy 3 servings of fresh fruit and at least 2-3 servings of fresh vegetables a day plus a daily Greek yogurt etc at the grocery store.

R130 WTF?! So you basically spend over $800 a month on food for one person?! Wow, you really could save a lot of money if you just learned how to cook.

I know how to cook but I enjoy the convenience, portion control, variety and nutrition I get with Jenny Craig. Soon I will begin their maintenance program where I prepare all of my own meals using sensible recipes and weigh /measure my food.

This is a good thread. Thanks OP.

There’s a Mennonite blow-out store a few miles away, next to an Ollie’s. I buy a lot of canned goods from both.

I used to go to Wegmans a lot but it’s now one of the priciest stores in town. Sometimes it’s more expensive than Whole Foods.

My best luck recently is good old depressing Food Lion. The produce isn’t great but it has everything else I need. The shopping experience is so glum.

What’s been railing me is work lunches. I still want to get take-out every day and it’s killing me. Yes, i know about prepping. It’s just a huge nope from me.

[quote]I don’t even think I spend more than $200 a month on food and my kitchen is stocked with food.

That is really good. Eggs went up $2.20 a dozen at my little neighborhood grocery store. They are now $4.49.

I can't do it on $50 a week unless I cut out a lot of things I love. I use EVVO as my pasta dressing and I have to use it more sparingly than ever. Maybe I can find a cheaper one that tastes good.

[quote]I have my monthly budget down to 125.00 for just me. Costco rotisserie chickens are a lifeline, I get six meals out of one chicken. I buy bulk rice, one dozen eggs per week, one day old loaf of bread per week...it's all in the planning.

Bulk rice, day old bread? If you're doing that kind of planning, I'm surprised you need to spend $500 a month.

It sounds to me like you aren't planning very well.

R134 I should mention that I live in the suburbs where things are cheaper, so that’s probably the reason $200 is doable for me. If I only had neighborhood grocery stores to buy from where everything is more expensive, it would be a lot harder for me to make $200 stretch.

R119 Oooops! Sorry!!! I swear I read "weekly".

$125 per month. Bravo! I should be doing the same.

Yes, 18 large eggs have gone up two dollars.

I’m so tired of buying groceries. I do it but I’m tired of it!

[quote]I’m so tired of buying groceries. I do it but I’m tired of it!

Me too! I dread each time I have to go to the grocery store. It’s so boring and such a chore.

I love TJ's. It's a pleasure to shop there. I spend about 300$/ month. NYC

R141 the one here in my college town is a nightmare. It’s like a group stupid inside with clueless coeds and older folks who act like they’ve never seen such a thing. Add to it a screwed up parking lot and minuscule floor plan and I don’t know what the f they were thinking.

I will say the employees are so nice.

Buy one can of organic soup

But one cucumber

Buy a big tub of plain Fage yogurt

Buy a banana

Buy some good med roast coffee

That’s all you fucking need!!!!

Jesus, people, all you need is a bow and arrow and you can hunt squirrel and rabbit. A hunting license is only $15.00 per year, you lazy bums. Campfires are free. You can forage for wild onion and mushrooms. If you aren't hunting your dinner you need to learn some life skills, ya lazy bums.

Where in the hell have you been r144??!

I ❤️ you!!

R144 I don’t know about you but I enjoy chasing my food before I cook it.

If the zombie apocalypse comes, I better make sure I'm pretty enough to join a survivalist's harem, because I can barely hunt a good sale, let alone food.

Trader joes seems hit or miss these days!!

I haven’t bought food for years! It’s amazing what you’ll find in dumpsters especially outside restaurants.

DollarTree sold a dozen eggs for 1 dollar. The price is now 1.25 for a half dozen

R149 is a "freegan"

I’m in the NYC and wish I had access to both ALDI & Lidl. I’ve been to both in other states and liked them very much.

Some people are making a huge profit off this - I'm not convinced that all this inflation is justified by the state of the economy and the higher costs to the system that provides and delivers food to our tables. Maybe I'm wrong but I'd like to see a thorough analysis of why and how the increases are justified.

R153, I can tell you right now that it's not your local supermarket making more $. I personally know it.

R154, but could it be the wholesalers?

I eat only ramen these days. I chase it with a generic multivitamin. Then jog because who can afford gasoline? I shower in the local park fountain. It's almost perfect in it's dysfunction.

I'm in Metro Atlanta and it has really become very expensive. I'm trying to get my food budget down to $250 a month. Now I used to shop two or three times a month but I had a tendency to "stock up." It was pretty wasteful and expensive. Now I have decided to shop once a week and try to keep it under $35. It's working out well so far. Fortunately Farmers' Markets really help, but with fresh produce you have to be careful not to overbuy. I cook on weekends and freeze meals so I have something during the week. I do a lot of my own cooking, don't eat out more than once or twice a month and usually breakfasts. . I don drink except on special occasions. Because of COVID my friends and I take turns hosting one another a few times a month for game night or movies or watching sporting events.

R155, even the wholesalers are paying more and they're passing that on to the stores. It is really tough right now. Keep in mind the wholesalers have trucks delivering and those needs lots of gas.

onto*

I was an ambitious cook when this thread started but now. post back injury, I'm doing the minimum--latte and toast for breakfasst, flatbread and hummus for lunch or tuna or egg salad, Knock-off of nongshim black ramen for dinner with poached egg or pasta or risotto. or baked potato with veggies.

I don't eat out much at all, less than once a week, and I'd say I spend about $300 a month on food.

I try to shop sale items and make a lot of peasanty simple dishes. I do buy smoked salmon if I want it, I dont punish myself.

Here you go!

The above was disgusting but useful for people who are totally broke. Sympathies to them.

Here's an easy way to do it. Green smoothies for breakfast with greens, protein powder, fruit or bananas, Homemade soup for one meal a day--you can make bone broth and add veggies, beans or grains. Then freestyle for one meal a day.

I spend three times that amount on food every month. I live in a major city and I do buy mostly organic and non-GMO foods because I've had so many health problems but 🥺🥺🥺.

OP, I'm curious, what do you eat to live on such a reasonable/modest food budget?

The woman in R162 got all sugars and protein, plus a cucumber. The potatoes and bananas will give her a huge amount of potassium, but there's no vegetation.

If she had diabetes, that would be impossible.

A person could survive on such a diet for many years but inevitably would develop major health problems from nutritional deficiencies and from the carbohydrate overload. She wouldn't be able to metabolize the carbs by working out a lot and remain healthy because she'd have a huge caloric deficiency.

[quote]I do buy mostly organic and non-GMO foods because I've had so many health problems but 🥺🥺🥺.

Science has proven a thousand times that there are zero added health or nutritional benefits to organic produce, or non-GMO foods. None. Before you assert they are better for the earth or soil, that is not true either. You're just getting a high buying bespoke food.

SNAP is getting me thru.....Cha-Ching!!

[quote] I was an ambitious cook when this thread started but now. post back injury, I'm doing the minimum--latte and toast for breakfasst, flatbread and hummus for lunch or tuna or egg salad, Knock-off of nongshim black ramen for dinner with poached egg or pasta or risotto. or baked potato with veggies.

R160, sorry to hear about your back injury. Your meals sound pretty good, exp. considering your back injury. I love Nongshim Black ramen. What's the knock-off?

TIA.

R166 No. Organic and non-GMO foods have the same nutritional value, but they are still less likely to be harmful because they significantly reduce exposure to pesticides and herbicides, which are strongly associated with neurological damage including cognitive problems, as well as with incidences of cancer.

The problem with GMO foods is not the engineered DNA. The problem is what the DNA is engineered to do and the effects of that. Most commercially available GMOs were engineered by Monsanto-Bayer or companies like it to be 'naturally' pest resistant. Because they are resistsnt to insects, they don't attract insects. Because they don't attract insects, there are no insects to eat weeds that grow among them, and the weeds are far more difficult to control. As a result, GMOs that don't require the use of pesticides require A LOT of herbicides. They are usually saturated in herbicides—usually glyphosate/RoundUp. This is a neurotoxic and carcinogenic chemical.

Monsanto-Bayer sells RoundUp as well as GMO seeds. The company now has engineered its patented crops not only to be pest resistant but to be more resilient in the presence of glyphosate, and so more glyphosate is used than used to be used. It is a toxic substance and it's now prevalent throughout our diets.

The jury is out on how toxic it is but it absolutely causes neurological damage and is definitely associated with cancers.

The company that manufactures it invests a lot of money into promoting it as safe, of course. It patents both the seeds and the chemicals needed to treat the plants.

And even if a person doesn't care about their well being or chooses to believe eating large amounts of chemical herbicides poses no health risk, there's still an ethical human and economic concern tied to these plants. Monsanto-Bayer is in the business of extorting and extinguishing small farms through its business model. Farmers who use patented crops can't harvest their own seed and plant it in the fall; they have to re-buy the seed from Monsanto the next year. They have no choice other than to pay because the crops do self-sow to some extent, and Monsanto sends assessors to farms to genetically test crops and if *any* patented crop grows in a farm's fields, the farmers have to pay the full cost of seed to Monsanto every year. There have been cases of farms being put out of business because even though they never bought Monsanto seed, some plants in their fields had the Monsanto patented DNA—most likely spread by birds or other animals—and the courts ruled in favor of the megacorporation and the farms went bankrupt because they were unable to pay licensing fees on a product they never bought, likely because they could never afford it.

The GMO business model is to make tons of money for huge multinational chemical companies at any cost to anyone.

From 2016:

[quote] To accommodate changes in GBH use patterns associated with genetically engineered, herbicide-tolerant crops, regulators have dramatically increased tolerance levels in maize, oilseed (soybeans and canola), and alfalfa crops and related livestock feeds. Animal and epidemiology studies published in the last decade, however, point to the need for a fresh look at glyphosate toxicity. Furthermore, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer recently concluded that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans.”

[quote] We conclude that: (1) GBHs are the most heavily applied herbicide in the world and usage continues to rise; (2) Worldwide, GBHs often contaminate drinking water sources, precipitation, and air, especially in agricultural regions; (3) The half-life of glyphosate in water and soil is longer than previously recognized; (4) Glyphosate and its metabolites are widely present in the global soybean supply; (5) Human exposures to GBHs are rising; (6) Glyphosate is now authoritatively classified as a probable human carcinogen; (7) Regulatory estimates of tolerable daily intakes for glyphosate in the United States and European Union are based on outdated science.

The quote below is from 2020, Journal of Immunotoxicology.

I said above that I avoid GMO foods as much as I can because I've had a lot of health problems. I have a supposedly rare disorder called mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) that causes anaphylaxis regularly and spontaneously, which can be deadly, and it is classified as an acquired immunological disorder. The anaphylaxis is caused by dysfunction of the autoimmune cascade system. If you recall early on in the COVID pandemic when most people died, they died in most cases because of out-of-control cytokine cascades. Cytokines are part of the immune system that cause inflammation; in the case of my disorder and in the case of COVID, they can cause so much sudden inflammation that people can suffocate, their hearts can collapse or abruptly stop, and permanent damage can be caused to blood vessels.

Glyphosate, the herbicide also sold as the brand Roundup, can cause this same phenomenon through high levels of exposure, and we all ingest high amounts now specifically because of GMO foods.

Most literature about glyphosate/Roundup discusses its "probable human carcinogen" status. The one below investigates its detrimental effects to the immune system.

I take four antihistamines and an antileukotriene inhibitor every day to control my immune system, and I get monthly injections of a biologic drug to modify my immune system and prevent anaphylaxis; the injectable drug costs $60,000 a year. Risking health by saving money on food is a kind of Russian roulette that can lead to extreme medical expenses in the future, not to mention pain and suffering and extreme lifestyle changes.

[quote] This review details the effects of glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides on fish and mammal health, focusing on the immune system. Increasing evidence shows that glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides exhibit cytotoxic and genotoxic effects, increase oxidative stress, disrupt the estrogen pathway, impair some cerebral functions, and allegedly correlate with some cancers. Glyphosate effects on the immune system appear to alter the complement cascade, phagocytic function, and lymphocyte responses, and increase the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in fish. In mammals, including humans, glyphosate mainly has cytotoxic and genotoxic effects, causes inflammation, and affects lymphocyte functions and the interactions between microorganisms and the immune system. Importantly, even as many outcomes are still being debated, evidence points to a need for more studies to better decipher the risks from glyphosate and better regulation of its global utilization.

OK! We get it!

Doubtful, R172.

People seem to look away when presented with evidence GMO foods are likely toxic, always claiming that people who avoid GMOs are anti-science and have a false belief that genetic engineering is dangerous. That's a fallacy.

GMO foods most likely present serious health risks, and it's not because of modified DNA being consumed; it's because they are modified to require huge amounts of poisonous compounds added to them, and this indirect link has made it easy for the company that sells them to keep saying "Look over there!" while giving politicians heaps of money to ignore these major health concerns.

ocd?

That’s nice, but many of us don’t have the luxury of buying overpriced “organic” food.

I understand, R175.

It's sad that the number-one cause lf bankruptcies in the United States is healthcare for major illnesses such as cancers and acquired chronic conditions.

In countries with socialized medicine, at least people who eat poisons all their lives can access affordable medical care.

Of course, most European countries still ban genetically modified foods and are criticized by the U.S. for it. I wonder what their incentive could be. If their governments weren't obligated to pay for people's medical care, I'm guessing those countries would be more welcoming of GMOs and heavy use of herbicides.

People are now allergic to foods humans have eaten for thousands of years. What has changed? Think about it.

R177 I am one of those people. I've developed many severe allergies over the past 15 years. I am allergic to dairy and shellfish...?! I grew up eating shrimp at least once a week, and my immunologist says that shrimp, crab and lobster could be fatally dangerous to me based on my blood tests. I grew up eating tons of dairy; it's a big part of my ancestors' diets. Now I am mildly allergic; I don't have anaphylaxis, but eating it causes full-body edema/swelling. It's bizarre.

Of course, farmed shrimp are basically grown in disease-ridden sewage ponds, and so I am not surprised they are unhealthful, but wild-caught local shrimp still evidently trigger allergic response for me.

And all dairy causes the same reaction for me, whether organic or not.

There's a new acquired red-meat allergy being spread by ticks that almost killed John Grisham and is becoming rapidly more prevalent. The ticks have a protein in their saliva called Alpha-Gal that triggers an immune response in some people that causes delayed anaphylaxis anytime they eat red meat.

Like a lot of people who have acquired it, Grisham kept ending up in the hospital for symptoms of anaphylaxis without any idea of what was making him sick because he would eat a burger or steak and then many hours later not be able to breathe.

R169, it always pissed me off when half-assed news reports about organic vs. non, focused solely on "nutritional value" like most of us who buy organic don't know it has zero to do with nutritional value and everything to do with (hopefully) avoiding most pesticides used for conventionally-grown produce.

Went to the store yesterday - since 2 weeks ago. Peanut butter up from $3.79 to $4.29. Favored breakfast bun up from $2.49 to $2.99. Those are big hikes. Not to mention the eggs which have gone up in the past 2 months from $2.29 dozen to $4.49.

Spent $85 and didn't even get everything I wanted. For one person.

If you dent the cans you can ask for a discount. Just bang them together or bang them on the floor.

[quote]No. Organic and non-GMO foods have the same nutritional value, but they are still less likely to be harmful because they significantly reduce exposure to pesticides and herbicides,

Stop reading from "Natural News"!

There is ZERO measurable difference in "pesticides" found on any regular produce versus organic produce. "Organic" does not mean and never did mean "pesticide-free" at all! You are just retyping widely held misconceptions you read on mommyblogs! It is not as if the truth isn't at your fingertips!

I buy for flavor.

The organic carrots and onions I buy are juicer than the standard versions found at my local supermarket chain. The difference is enough that the extra cost is worth it to me.

I cook, so I know the difference.

I don't see any difference with most other organic items though.

But nothing I get here compares with the fruit and vegetables I was used to buying in Italy.

Organic celery always looks skinny and tough, though.

The only thing I buy canned is tomatoes. Or tomato paste or sauce. Period. Nothing else. Certainly no canned vegetables or fruit.

This is not meant to seem condescending, but I think if you focus on eating healthy and cooking more you will spend less on food. I buy milk and oganic eggs. I buy fesh vegetables especially things that don't spoil too fast like broccoli and brussel sprouts. I get fresh bread whole grain multi grain from the bakey for $3.99 a loaf. I make my own salads. I don't use cold ceeal, but I buy bigboxes of oatmeal. I use lentils, cannelini beans, nothens Good quality Olive oil. Chicken breasts, salmon fillets, and stuff like that. I spend about $45 a week. I eat well. I'm just saying we need to curb our impulses and try not to be wasteful. I buy cleaning products every 4-5 months, at Home Depot and try to get generics. If I need over the counter allergy meds or something I always buy the generic.

Making soup is easy, fun, low cal, great for meal prep, and a good way to use up any leftovers in the fridge. Also very cheap and healthy and satisfying. Soup stretches food a long way and is a nice hot meal. Use veg, beans, whole grains or pasta and spices. Make your own. Don't buy canned!

We’ve had to cut back on the caviar and champagne. It’s hard times.

You can’t just keep talking about soup being a great healthy cheap meal and not give examples of what types of soup.

The main thing I used to spend money on was snacks. So Chips, pretzels, speciality crackers, etc. convenience foods, and cookies. Cold cereals. All of them are expensive.

Look. Go to your bank account at the end of a month and calculate how much you spend on food. Then start cutting back. People think eating starchy, filling carbs works. But unless you are underweight, don't. Thee's all kinds of ways to get aound the snacks thing. I buy a stack of the smalle con totillas and cut them in quaates, then fy them to make my own. They' eally good too. They taste fesh. A bag of pita bead cut it in small pieces dizzle olive oil and seasonings and bake it in the oven. Baked Pitas with Hummus? Delish. And any time box cakes are on sale I get a couple. Because you can make cookies out of them and it's very convenient.

R182, that's not true. You do in fact get fewer pesticides with organics.

I find organic milk lasts SO much longer than non-organic. The sell-by dates are so vastly different.

R186, I appreciate your suggestions, but the problem is you cannot get all you are talking about on that amount of money. You just can't. Not where I am and not unless I traveled to a number of stores.

That's the problem if you are on a tight budget. You can't travel all over to budget shop. That just defeats the purpose of saving money. Sometimes you are stuck with what is nearby.

Chicken breasts, salmon filets will run you at least $15. That's a big chunk of your $45.

fos, he is.

and "organic" does not mean no pesticides!

unless you want beetles in your squash for extra protein.

Look we should be saving a bundle now because the Farmers Markets are thriving. We can be taking advantage of them until the end of October. Fo one peson, it seems like $45 a week for groceries is reasonable. But it wouldn't include take out or restaurants. It would be for the house.

The Farmers Markets in DC are more expensive than the stores. What utopia are you living in?

$45 is hilarious. Yes we know it doesn't include restaurants or take out. Are you even including milk or butter? Who do you think you're talking to? 6th graders?

HOW 'BOUT WATER AND OIL?

'R''U A CUNTGRADER?!

I'm getting a hybrid for my next car. Until then I'll be planning my errands and taking mass transit when I can.

YOUR HOLE IS A "MASS TRANSIT!"

R186 Your chicken breasts and salmon are going to take up almost all of your $45.

R189 He did.

“Use veg, beans, whole grains or pasta and spices. Make your own.”

R203 I just bought a 6 pack of chicken breasts (2 breasts in each package,) at Costco for $24.00. I aleady had three 6 ounce fillets of Alaskan Salmon in the freezer. Two months ago I got a pork loin and cut it into pieces large enough to get two or three meals out of each piece. I also have a chuck roast in the freezer I will portion into probably 6 meals and freeze. See, the trick is to plan so I'm not buy the meat all at once. Right now I have several small containers of chili in the freezer and a batch of spaghetti sauce. So when I go to market I will get some fresh vegetables, eggs, bread, and salad stuff. I have brown rice and dried beans in the pantry. I'm good.

$1000-$1200 a month but it is getting hard. The only thing I make at home is coffee

R205, Costco? Like I said, traveling to budget shop is a luxury. Planning does not create more money. I stretch food pretty far and I am incredibly creative but prices are just outrageous.

I see the food bank it your future.

^^^ or what was that SNAP thing people mentioned. Can I just SNAP my fingers and get more food? I could do that.

[quote] For one peson, it seems like $45 a week for groceries is reasonable.

It does, for a normal size person. The inflation at the grocery store is terrible, but while I was shopping today, I was thinking how much worse it would be for obese people who eat several pounds of food a day. I don’t think they could live off of $45 a week.

I sure hell can’t!

I do believe it's the "Convenience Factor" that messes up the budget. And the fact we indulge ouselves, especially with snack foods. We just have to be smarter with how we satisfy ourselves. And if you put youself on a budget and become frugal, you will be able to enjoy eating out or ordering in once in a while. But honestly if you eat out more than 3 times a month with dinner, drinks,etc. you are going to blow the budget. And the Starbucks ritual has to go. Starbucks should be an indulgence, a treat, not a daily habit. The thing I realized about myself, is that "pennies make dollars." So maybe I spend $15 a day on Starbucks. Or I eat out at lunch time. Maybe I will stop for a drink after work three times a week...It adds up. And we need to pay attention to those small things. Which is why at the end of every month I review how much I have spent. I check my credit and debit cards to calculate the damage. I don't have the luxury to ignore anything right now. I'm looking at some huge medical expenses coming up soon with dental work.

[quote]I buy a stack of the smalle con totillas and cut them in quaates, then fy them to make my own. They' eally good too. They taste fesh.

R191, your R key has run away. You might want to put up some Missing posters around the neighborhood.

SNAP = the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, aka food stamps, that is given to impoverished people in the United States, in case anyone here is not American. People who qualify for the program based on a low income are given a monthly (weekly?) allowance of money to buy groceries.

I can do $100 a week but it’s not red meat or seafood usually. Those are now luxuries. I buy Chicken & pork chops on sale when $1.99 or $2.99lb. Romaine, radishes & cukes for lunch salad with chicken on top, soup in the Fall/Winter.. Aldi is great for eggs, yogurt, basic fruit and veg, pantry staples. I’ll ask my friend with a costco membership to let me tag along 2x a year for coffee, otc meds/vitamins & Kirkland gin & vodka. I wish I had a grocery outlet but they don’t exist near me. I grow my own basil, peppers & tomatoes and in summer will splurge on burrata and bacon.

Bought some Triscuits at Safeway two days ago. I just noticed the expiration date is today. That ain’t right…

Triscuits don’t expire.

But I might R217

To the people who have recommended sardines...

Seems like a good idea, but what do you do with them? Pasta alle sarde, but what else? Thanks.

[quote]SNAP = the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, aka food stamps, that is given to impoverished people in the United States, in case anyone here is not American. People who qualify for the program based on a low income are given a monthly (weekly?) allowance of money to buy groceries.

It's also a system abused by certain communities: Russians and Hasids in NY

R215 I have a Grocery Outlet about three minutes away. We shop there often.

My challenge: In two days I will be out of bread and eggs. I can go to Publix and grab both. But will I ? Because I have yet to go into a grocery store and just buy those two items. It never fails I will remember something else. or I will impulse buy or WTF ever and end up spending a lot more $$ than I planned. And it seems dumb to get delivey for two items.

R5, what in blazes is "EVVO." Did you mean EVOO -- extra virgin olive oil? Are you that pretentious in addition to being rather dim?

inflation is a worldwide problem. How is this a President Biden issue?

How much are you spending on food for the 4th of July celebration?

Im buying a hot dog and a bun.

Costco all beef hot dogs $1.50 with a drink. So you buy 20 of them a couple of bags of chips two large tubs of guac, and a case of beer, a flat of soft drinks and a flat of water. Get some ice cream and cupcakes at the Costco bakery, and you got a party for 10, without spending more than $120. Tell siomeone to bring potato salad and baked beans.

R207 Costco offers delivery for grocery and household items. You don't need a car or to travel.

Costco seems like the place to be!!

If you're spending 600 for one you aren't budgeting or you don't cook.

I've cut my grocery bill in half with Costco. Not just with food but paper towels, toilet paper, laundry items, all that shit is 50% cheaper in bulk and you can obviously keep it for years if you had to.

There's a reason Asian women shop there!

I spend $800 for 1 per month and no, I am not a fat whore. Produce and vegetables are expensive with a quick shelf life. I make green smoothies every day. Like R230 said though, I don't cook. I get these pre-made meals for 180/20 meals which isn't obscene for fresh meals. 360 on that and then all the odd and ends. Food is expensive and I'm not a foodie who likes expensive foods. I can see why poor people are fat. Good produce is not cheap and it's not as filling as starches that are cheap to feed a family.

I spent $110 for holiday food for 6.

Try these tips.

The solution OP= the dumpster behind wendy's.

R234 I just read that article. With the exception of #1 to make a plan, and #5, about buying organic, the rest is bullshit.

#2 was a good tip, too. Shop the sales.

That's pretty much the only way I buy meat now.

What good is a list where so many of the suggestions are so fucking obvious? I mean, "Shop the sales?" Really???????

I do not understand how people can just throw their hands up and decide "I don't cook!"?

Quit being so helpless and learn to put some simple meals together! I have a friend who makes a decent salary who never cooks because, "I'm not cleaning this kitchen, it will get greasy". He also uses Solo cups to drink out of at home, similar reasons!

I don't mind shopping, cooking or cleaning because the amount of time spent is actually very reasonable, but I refuse to use paper plates or plastic cups at home. How wasteful and depressing!

Oh, I'll use a paper plate for something simple like pizza or a sandwich. I agree though, cooking is the only way if you're concerned about what you eat. You control the ingredients. You can find a lot of good stuff on You Tube. I remember, the first time I tackled chicken tikka masala, which is a popular Indian dish (created by a Brit) I went on You Tube and put my laptop on the kitchen counter so I could get coached through it. It turned out pefect. And Ina is wonderful. The Baefoot Contessa cookbooks saved my life. I lilke the creativity of cooking. Usually I will cook enough on the weekend to not need to do anything during the week except reheat things. It's become a routine.

I understand people who don't want to cook because of the cleanup. I'm still procrastinating about last night's dinner dishes, which will be 2 dishwasher loads, because I used two pots and a skillet and their lids. That's the whole bottom shelf of the dang dishwasher!

OK fine. If you hate to cook, go to Costco and get frozen and prepared foods. I bought thei ravioli lasagna bolognese and cut it into 6 portions to freeze. I also bought fully cooked, fozen lamb shanks. You buy shit like that once a month, or once evey two months, and then all you need are some vegetables and a salad. It does save money.

Since the pandemic SNAP has increased over a 100 extra dollars more a month. That has been wonderful. Yesterday I bought 4 boxes of Breyers Chocolate Truffle Ice Cream. I used to be worried about the extra benefits ending but it has been over 2 years. Walmart is one of biggest benefits of SNAP and you know they have plenty of lobbyists making sure the extra monthly never goes away..

Welfare queen.

R244 = Billionaires are Corporate Welfare Queens. Go ask Elon and Jeff how much in taxes they pay. Zilch.

244, here. I agree. Round em up.

[quote] OK fine. If you hate to cook, go to Costco and get frozen and prepared foods. I bought thei ravioli lasagna bolognese and cut it into 6 portions to freeze. I also bought fully cooked, fozen lamb shanks. You buy shit like that once a month, or once evey two months, and then all you need are some vegetables and a salad. It does save money.

Yes, but these are not the healthiest of items. Maybe once a week for lasagna or heave foods like that, but some people don't want to cook. If you are single and live in a city, cooking is not always convenient. Someone should make a better prepackaged home cooked meal service out there for $12/meal.

R219, this recipe got rave reviews. It's pretty simple.

Why do people always post NY Times articles? They are paywalled.

I very consistently spend $310 a month on food. Last month--having bought nothing I don't normally buy--my grocery bill was $580.

R250 the same thing is happening to me! My average was usually about $320, and now it is $560. I'm in Metro Atlanta. Right now the Farmers Markets are really helping, but still.

Instant Pot with air fryer cover -- hardly have to use oven to heat up the apartment. Lots of easy, relatively quick meals with flexiblity to use Instant Pot cover (pressure cooker, slow cooker, saute, etc.) or air fryer (air fry, bake, etc.).

How much food do you guys end up throwing away?

My mom was a good shopper, but I noticed she ended up throwing stuff away, as well.

I'm not that great at bargain shopping, but I don't throw that much away.

My husband does the shopping and he spends around $150/week which is just over $600/month for 2. We eat well, fresh produce and steak at least 2 to 3 times a month. We buy in bulk at BJs and get the rest at Hannafords here in MA. Everything is made from scratch and our vegetable/fruit garden helps a lot. Things have definitely gone up but you can still economize if you look for deals.

I have a house sale dehydrator, which was someone's unwanted wedding gift. I had some baby peppers that were soft but not rotten, and just chopped and dehydrated them for use in ramen bowls. Yes, the electricity has a cost but it's fairly reasonable. I never use my oven. I could have pureed them in a blend for a sauce.

You can grow scallions if you don't cut the bottoms off. Plunk them in a glass of water and snip as you need them.

Keep bread in the freezer and, as everyone knows, make it into crumbs when it dries out.

Lots of recipes for no-knead bread, stand mixer not required. They do take a couple of days to develop gluten.

Auntie Fee always has great recipes, especially if you need to feed a crowd on a budget.

Auntie Fee had a major potty mouth on her. Every third word was a four lettered one. She sure could stretch a food budget, though.

Monthly food budget: $2,500 est. per person in my household.

Bullshit

I love Mexican food, but can't imagine making it at home. The best I can do is put some chili in a tortilla and cook it on the panini press.

Buy one rotisserie chicken. Shop for tortilla soup, chicken alfredo and chicken fried rice. If you make enough for two, you'll have three lunches. Buy white rice, chicken broth (or make it with the chicken carcass, a can of black beans, a can of corn, tortillas, jalapeno, can of diced tomatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, soy sauce for rice, pasta for chicken, frozen brocolli, alfredo sauce (cream cheese,garlic, parmesan) and toppings for soup. That leaves you with three lunches and three dinners. Do something easy for breakfast--protein drink, toast and egg, cold cereal. i would throw in some coleslaw, which is $2-3 a package. You can do a buttermilk dressing by adding lemon juice to milk. Add dried dill, onion powder and garlic powder and you have ranch dressing,

You can change out the tortilla soup for a ramen bowl. If you feel like making a pizza with a prepared crust, that will get you through a few more dinners and lunches. Pizza dough at Trader Joe's is about 2 A really great pizza is some sort of white cheese and onions carmelized slowly for hours..

I didn't cost this out, but if you have a reasonably stocked kitchen, this should run about 50. YMMV. Obviously not for those who are flat busted and you have my sympathy. I've been there.

I meant, three lunches as well as three dinners.

$0. It’s all from dumpsters and tastes GOOD!

R248, R249, I'm sorry, I hate when people do that, too, then I went and did the same thing. It came up for me last night, and I don't have a subscription, so it didn't occur to me not to link it.

In any case, I googled the title of the recipe and the exact recipe came up on a different site. This one should work.

I meant to tag R219. I'M R248.

I live near three supermarkets and only shop for loss leaders. If it isn't a loss leader I don't buy it. Lately I been eating a lot of watermelon.

It seems a lot of posters have success saving money with very strident meal planning and prepping at least 4 days ahead. I’m envious (not being sarcastic). The question I have is what happens when you prep something ahead of time and then when it’s time to actually eat it, you’d rather barf cause you just don’t want it now? Sometimes I don’t know what I want for dinner several days ahead of time.

This is why the meal prep doesn’t work well for me. People will clutch their pearls at this; but, I defrauded a lovely piece of salmon in the fridge one morning to have that evening for dinner. By the time dinner rolled around I would have rather poked my eyes out than eat it. Then I have to either force feed it to myself or eat it the next day which usually doesn’t happen because I’ve got other fresh shit I have to eat before it goes bad that is already prepared from the rest of my meal prep. I’m exaggerating a bit here but I just can’t make it work. Any tips?

That's why God made dogs.

I pick meals I like I alwaysfeel free to shuffle things around and freeze what I made if I don't want to eat it that night. If I didn't want the broiled salmon for dinner, I'd cook it anyway and make it into salmon salad or salmon cakes.

Farmers Markets near me are a rip off. I only buy from them because the window for fresh fruits and veggies is so small in Ontario and they are so delicious. But I am very careful not to buy more than I can use up fairly quickly and it’s more of a treat in the summer Vs regular thing for me. I learned eventually to avoid all the side distractions at these markets too like the 7 dollar locally made pepperoni, or baked goods, or 6 dollar strawberry rhubarb jam, hot pepper jelly, farm sunflower bouquets etc etc.

“local” fresh fruits and veggies I meant at r270. So much more flavour than the rest of the year!

$350 a month. Hannafords has great buys and isn't shit like Market Basket.

"I defrauded a lovely piece of salmon in the fridge "

Are you the Bernie Madoff of the Chicken of the Sea? Probably autocorrect, but it was cute!

THe othe weekend, I defrosted 4 packages of chicken breasts to prepare two or three different meals. I marinated some in yogurt garlic oregano and lemon . I marinated some in teriyaki with lots of garlic, basil, and red curry paste for Thai Basil chicken. I made a few cutlets to bread and make chicken parm. By the time I finished cooking eveything I wanted nothing to do with chicken. So I bagged individual sevings after cooking it, and I froze it. Now if you don't want somethiing you have aleady thawed, just cook it and refeeze it. I have done that with Salmon and it was fine. This is not a problem. Right now I have pasta sauce and several meals in the freezer. I have choices. But the trick is to cook. Inflation is high. Food costs money. Meal planning is essential. and then, cook.

[quote]Any tips?

Seek professional help, R267.

What's on sale in my neck of the woods are berries and one store has six-ounce portions of swordfish, cod, wild salmon and ahi tuna for 5.50. Buy the fish and freeze; gorge on berries.

R273 thanks! It was an autocorrect but after I posted and noticed, it cracked me up so I decided to not do the obligatory second post apologizing for it.

I’ve been having half of a Tic Tac for lunch instead of a whole one.

Yesterday I dug out of the freezer a covered up and lost pound of ground chuck package dated Jan 11. Price $1.79.

Same store today sells that at $4.29.

In just SIX damn months.

This really depends on where you live. There are people living in rural areas, for example, that are extremely limited to what stores are available to them within a reasonable driving distance. I, on the other hand, live in a largely middle/middle-upper class suburb where there are plenty of stores for me to choose from - both large chains and smaller locally owned stores.

I typically find the best prices - particularly on meats - at the locally owned stores. One example would be that I was just at Giant Eagle the other day and they wanted about $12 for a large (9) pack of chicken thighs. I could get the exact same thing and same amount of thighs at my local grocer for less than $5 any given day of the week.

Another one, which is a fairly large grocery store that specializes in Italian products, has absolutely amazing prices on fresh produce. They also have a huge selection of spices and seasonings which they apparently buy in bulk and individually package them for individual sale super cheap. Their huge selection of spices also eclipses even the biggest grocery chains in my area.

I only cook for myself, but I can stay under $250/mo. Even more so if I finally start using up all the meat in my freezer as well as my stockpile of pantry ingredients. All I would need to get are a few fresh ingredients like some bread, vegetables, milk and eggs.

I find whole foods has way better prices on spices than other major chains. (Canada). Enough to make a difference too.

Well I buy in bulk at Costco and what I try to do is stagger it so I don't blow up my budget. For example, I'm not going to buy my household poducts like toilet paper and laundy detergent on the same shopping trip as I do my meats and poultry. It helps keep my spending for the month down to a manageable level. It's scay to see how quickly you can blow through $75 and feel as if you haven't really bought anything. Once I get what I need from Costco I try to buy "as needed" my Milk, eggs, bread, and produce.. I use Farmer's Markets when I can. With all that effort and planning I am still fighting to keep things under $350. Some advice for the coming winter: Buy bread and wheat flour and yeast because there will be serious grain shotages. Get cereal too. They won't start highlighting this for a while, maybe October, but by then it'll be too late.

[quote]I only cook for myself, but I can stay under $250/mo.

The thread title specified "monthly food budget for 1," not two or more. But maybe some people have been ignoring that, and maybe that's why some people have said their monthly food budgets are upwards of $600.

I feel like I am such a careful shopper and I don't know how you all spend 250 or less for one person for a month. Maybe eldergays start to eat like birds? I work out, am a swimmer, and need about 3500 calories a day. The one thing that I have not explored is Costco which maybe I need to. I don't cook (and I don't want to), but maybe things like those bags of cooked chicken breasts, etc, might be a way to save money.

Some people use meal services, eat out, include alcohol in their estimate. Most specify if they're buying for two. Divide by two.

NYT has a newsletter with a five-dinner-a-week menu with recipes. The theme this week was using up leftovers and staples. The recipes were frittata, a vegetarian bibambap with fried egg, pasta with ricotta and herbs, shrimp salad rolls, rice noodles with ground pork and veggies.

I suspect my 300 dollar monthly budget is low because I don't buy meat. For protein use beans instead if you can. I buy pretty much what I want.

I made a big pot of soup yesterday that turned out really great...diced onion, celery, carrots, cooked for awhile, added garlic, stir for a minute or two, add 8 cups veg stock, 2 can cannolini beans rinsed, 2 cans diced tomatoes, handful of elbow pasta, bag of fresh baby spinach, whole lemon squeezed...couple bay leaves, thyme, 2 tbsp worst sauce...I'm a little out of order there, but you get the idea. I'll eat on this for a few days, healthy and pretty cheap.

I live in NJ and have been craving Jersey tomatoes for weeks. Supermarkets don't have them. Found a farmer's market and I picked out three nice ones. The cost was $7.50. I thought that was really high especially because I'm used to good prices at these stands.

waiting for mine to ripen, r288.

Not the way I wanted to lose weight. Haven't yet, but soon.

[quote] It's scay to see how quickly you can blow through $75 and feel as if you haven't really bought anything.

I’d sure like to know how you escape Costco for about $75. I would pay good $ to learn that talent. I love Costco but that place blows my whole monthly budget.

R291 I had some very specific items I wanted at Costco. I went in, got them, and checked out. It's rare for me, too, but I did it.

Quite often there are great fast food coupons that come in the mail weekly. I only eat fast food if I have a coupon or a deal an app. Yesterday. McDonald's had a Big Mac for $2 on their app. Burger King and others come out with great deals regularly.

Fast food coupons are very helpful. I get tons of them in the mail. I usually give them to the landscapers, and I know with contractors, they love them.

Look. There are going to be grain shortages as soon as this Fall. Look for the price of bread, cereal, and flour to go up. So IMo it may be wise to buy extra and freeze it. Wrapped properly it should last for a couple of months. And cereals. right now, if they go on sale, check the expiration dates and buy extra. I got ten pounds of oatmeal and intend to use it for baking, as oat flour, as well as cereal, and cookies, and WTFever. Buy some dried beans too. And brown rice.

Looks like you have some boring eating habits R295, oatmeal, red beans, Brown rice, yuck!

^don't be mean, we're all here to share.

Don't worry. Inflation is merely transitory.

I eat a lot of seafood. Mostly fish like tuna. Never have to pay for it. When she recognizes me, I get it for free.

R296, actually I'm a very good cook. For example....In the past week I made Thai Basil Chicken from scratch...it's easy. And I made pulled pork. I slow roasted my pork, then prepared a killer BBQ sauce to go with it and homemade red skin potato salad. Delish. My Chicken Tikka Masala with brown lentils is to die for.

Dinner for two was almost all from my pantry except for fresh veggies. Spicy peanut noodles The veggies: onions, red pepper, carrots, celery, broccoli, zucchini, frozen peas: The sauce: peanut butter , rice vinegar, honey, garlic, ginger, sambal oelek (chili paste}, lime juice ( 6 for a dollar), honey, sesame oil, thinned with a little chicken broth and run through the blender. Rice noodles, which I had. This works hot or cold the next day.

Use fresh veggies for stir fry if you can.

I only eat brown rice and vegetables.

I only eat Caviar Omlettes...

You can make your own coconut-banana bars if you have a popsicle mold. Aldi probably has the best deal on ingredients.

I wonder how many people living in major city centres are saying a full month of groceries only costs them 150-250.

That would be a great accomplishment where I’m from. And the farmer’s markets are more expensive than the grocery stores.

That's a subsistence diet. Mostly starches, not much meat, the cheapest fruits and vegetable. Never eating out.

Agree r306. Never say never I suppose, but I would really struggle on that. I am being much more careful though now to avoid buying too much fresh food that could go to waste and avoiding takeout.

I'm finding things in my freeze I didn't realize I still had. Many of them are still edible.

OK. Hee's my plan fo Jully and fo the foeseeab le futue. I am all stocked up on cleaning poducts, toilet pape and toweling. I can make it until January. My goal is to simply replace what I use in order to keep the supply up. That leaves me with toiletries and food. I buy produce, chicken, fish, vegetables, eggs, and dairy. Oatmeal and pancake mix. I don't do a lot of take out and I don't eat out more than 2-3 times a month. If I can maintain this I will be able to stay within my budget from now until January.

FUDGE costs nothing !!!

Two of us (husband and me) spend about $20 per day eating at home. So our combined monthly food budget is around $600. For single person, it would be roughly half this. I must say, we can blow $250 on any given night when we dine out with friends which isn't that infrequently.

[quote]That's a subsistence diet. Mostly starches, not much meat, the cheapest fruits and vegetable. Never eating out.

I wish the question posted by the OP had been clearer as to whether it was asking for a monthly "food budget" including, or NOT including, food purchases in restaurants, whether the person eats out once a week, three times a week, or almost every day.

That's a good point, but it's interesting to get different perspectives. I'd say I can eat decently for 12. a day, handsomely for 20. a day and miserably for 5 a day, exclusive of restaurants, which throws everything out of whack. And, of course, booze, which is somewhere between food and entertainment.

[quote] I find whole foods has way better prices on spices than other major chains. (Canada). Enough to make a difference too.

I buy my smoke paprika from Whole Foods.

I spend $450 or so per month.

I try to go to Costco maybe 1X per month. I stick to my list there, mostly. I actually hate shopping at Costco, but they do have some good deals.

I go supermarket (incl. Target) shopping about 1X per week in addition to the Costco.

Yes, I do cook. Mostly vegetarian food.

Flour can be refrigerated or frozen to extend shelf life. Whole grain flour goes bad easily, especially in the heat. If you are a bread or pizza maker, ,buy yeast in bulk and freeze it in little bitty jars, it will last you for years.

Fast food has great deals sometimes and you don't have to cook.

BBC suggestions: pasta or ramen, soups, beans (garbanzos). sweet or white potatoes, eggs.

That's the story for inexpensive entrees.

Oh, and rice-based entrees.

You have a small container of rice left over from your Chinese takeout order? I make this rice pudding with half and half instead of heavy cream and it's very good. (I know this should go in the frugal thread but this thread is active)

I make fried rice with vegetables.

I love rice pudding.

I try to budget and always overspend.

It’s pretty bad. I going to start going to the food bank. I try to buy staples and canned goods at dollar stores, then ALDIs, then a regular grocery store for some produce I don’t have to buy in bags….

What a blast from the past. My health and circumstances have changed since I posted almost two years ago, and now I purchase most of my food. I might have a latte for breakfast, an egg and toast mid-morning, a bowl of soup for lunch and a light entree for dinner--tuna with pasta, baked potato with cheese, chicken and rice.

Don't feel pressure to cook but enjoy it when you do. Slow down when you eat and really taste your food. Keep your meal planning flexible and have a back-up if you don't feel like looking. Use fresh ingredients and enjoy every meal as a form of self-care.

Salud.