$30 a week

[markio26]

in the summer and winter times.. i can spend under $25 a week on groceries, we use our stockpile... in the spring and fall, we are busy working on other projects, and do not have alot of prep time.

[shelbylovesmelby]

*bumping*

what great recipies OP!

I can live on $30 a week for groceries so long as the expensive items like meat are already stockpiled in the freezer & I think that's pretty good for a family of 4

[ggbwg]

WOW i have not checked back on this thread for a while, MAN GLAD I DID!!! Nice recipes and nice comments thank you. Well alot has changed since then. My budgeting has increased and i am going to have to go back to the basics. We're at $100 -$200 every 2 weeks. What changed so much hubby switched jobs has longer hours leaves me no time to cook or do errands and we have a 6 month old now. Laura

[Beckiboo]

I just couldn't do it! I could not feed my family for $30 per week! I'm impressed by your ability to shop and cook so frugally!

I do have an idea for a cheap snack. Did your kids ever have those frozen uncrustable sandwiches? They serve them at our school as the alternative "hot lunch" choice, instead of plain old peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Well, the kids say the uncrustables are pretty yucky, but I found a recipe on-line and they LOVE IT!

You simply spread two slices of bread with peanut butter, and then add jelly on one slice, but only in the middle. We use jelly, marshmallow fluff, or chocolate hazelnut filling in the center. Next put the sandwich together, and the peanut butter edges will kind of seal, keeping the filling inside. Then put each one in individual ziplocs to freeze. I actually have the kids make them up (ages 8 and 12), and it provides them with a filling snack later.

The chocolate hazelnut filling is costly, and maybe the individual ziplocs. But this is a great use for bread that might be leftover to get stale. Or we often make up extra sandwiches when bread is on sale. My kids prefer to eat them frozen, although occasionally they will take one to school for lunch.

[jamiefic]

That's great! I do about $50 a week and try to plan meals around sale items. Where do you shop to get those prices? Just curious!

[Aleta]

The article reads $30 a week and the thread started in 2005. It's now over 3 years later. I wonder what the original poster is paying weekly today?

[belic3000]

Betty Crocker Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix $1.99
$1.00 COUPON $.99

WHITE LILY PLAIN FLOUR $2.99
$2.99

(2) Ortega Taco Shells $1.64
$.75 COUPON $2.53

1 lb. Pinto Beans $1.19
$1.19

Jello Pudding Singles (6 pack) $1.49
$1.00 COUPON $.49

Hungry Jack Maple Syrup $3.49
$.50 COUPON $2.99

(5) Wyler's Grape Mix $.20
$1.00

Montery Jack Block Cheese (8 oz) $3.49
Store Coupon 1.50 $1.99

(5) Dannon Yogurt $2.99
(5) Store Coupons 1.50 (5) Coupons $1.00 $.95

Gallon Milk $2.35
$2.35

1/2 Gallon Chocolate Milk $2.45
$2.45

(3) Orange Juice $7.17
(3) Store Coupon 1.50 $2.67

Helluva Good French Onion Dip $2.19
Store Coupon 1.50 $.69

Total $48.03 $23.28


This is at Piggly Wiggly. Normally. The milk and chocolate milk would be hot tab with store coupons, but not this week.

[Madwand]

$30 bucks to live on for a week.

I would buy:

Lots of beans and rice.
Tuna Fish
Milk
Oatmeal
Bread
Turkey from deli
Ground beef
Spagehti
Potatoes

I could live a week on these things for a long time.

[ThriftoRama]

Two favs at my house:

Vegetarian Chili
2 large cans of dice tomatoes
2 cans kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can chick peas
1 can pinto beans
1 onion
Sautee onion, add all canned items and simmer on low. Add chili powder to taste. It keeps well for leftovers too.

And Pizza Boats
1 loaf french bread
mozzarella cheese
pizza sauce
SLice open french bread. cover in pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 until hot and bubbly.

[KatieNK]

Here is a great link to the USDA website where they plan out 2 weeks of thrifty and healthy meals, along with the recipes and a shopping list

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publication...RecipeBook.pdf

It is really neat! Some of the meals do not appeal to me, but the others are great ideas for cheap meals that are also very easy to make and are good for you. Sometimes I just pick out a few meals to make and it helps make weekly meal planning really easy.

[brianj]

Originally Posted by catlover15

I wish my the grocery store I shop at had such low prices. Where do you shop?

That's what I want to know.

[mommyof4]

Originally Posted by KatieNK

Here is a great link to the USDA website where they plan out 2 weeks of thrifty and healthy meals, along with the recipes and a shopping list

http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publication...RecipeBook.pdf

It is really neat! Some of the meals do not appeal to me, but the others are great ideas for cheap meals that are also very easy to make and are good for you. Sometimes I just pick out a few meals to make and it helps make weekly meal planning really easy.

Good link. Thank you.

[cicy33]

Until recently I had no problems keeping my bill down to very little. But things changed and due to another person in my life we now have to keep the salt content down, the fat content down, and all that. I have continually been shocked at the amount of salt in food. A lot of so called normal foods we can't have due to the salt content alone. Campbells soup is a big one. Loaded with salt. Unless you buy the healthy request and it is so nasty I can't stomach it. No savings if you can't eat it. I need to learn how to make soup without adding all the salt. Any suggestions. I hate beans but he doesn't so we do cook them with a low fat ham. more salt than I would like but i have to do what i can. A few things we can no longer eat: Hamburger helper, Beef, (we eat ground turkey), rice a roni, pasta roni, water added pancake mix (betty crocker makes one that isn't too bad but still have to limit), pot pies, frozen dinners (even the "healthy ones") all loaded with salt. I was so amazed when i started ready labels. I had no idea how much salt I was eating. We don't drink soda. i only drink water, he drink juice and water. no tea is made at home. We do eat fish, chicken, but eventually you run out of recipes.

[snafu]

Try site like www. cooks.com for their simple to make soups and entrees. Buy a small crockpot/slow cooker and you can make delicious, healthy meals ready to eat when you return home.

Mrs. Dash spice mix is available without salt and adds flavor to whatever you choose to cook.

[cicy33]

I do use Mrs. Dash, it has been my saving grace. I can have salt, he can't. But I am trying to be supportive! besides it is probably not good for me either. I have also noticed and this is on more than one item, if the item is low fat, the salt content is higher. weird

[SavingNut]

Wow that's amazing. The best I can do is 80.00 and I only have 3 mouths to feed although my husband probably counts for 2 1/2. haha
I like to make breakfast meals for lunch or supper to save on cost plus it's fast to prepare.

[whitestripe]

I budget $120 a week for DF and I, but this includes all grocery items (toilet paper, cleaning items, toothpaste, moisturiser, etc).
I am assuming that for the $30, this does not include things like spices that are already in the pantry?
I cook too much of a range of things for dinners that I would not be able to plan everything to be under $30. Sometimes we have salmon which costs $15 just for the fish!
But if I were to truly buckle down, I would buy around $20 worth of vegetables from the growers market, a bag of dried beans, tinned tomatoes, pasta and some rice, along with some yoghurt for breakfast and a loaf of bread (i get bread for free so this does not factor into my costs) I would have a stirfry with rice one night, make up a batch of vegetarian mexican chilli beans and have that with salad and baked potato one night, then rice the next night. Then I would probably have a vegetable sauce with the pasta, and the next night roast vegetables with salad. I would make a batch of soup for the next night, with beans and pasta in it. I could probably use that for lunches as well, and then for the last night I would have toasted sandwhiches with leftover roast veges inside. DF would have toast for breakfast and I would have yoghurt and banana.

[RedThunderBird]

Originally Posted by Madwand

$30 bucks to live on for a week.

I would buy:

Lots of beans and rice.
Tuna Fish
Milk
Oatmeal
Bread
Turkey from deli
Ground beef
Spagehti
Potatoes

I could live a week on these things for a long time.

I like this one too ===

[Couponers United]

I (after a lot of work!) have gotten our weekly grocery bill down to $30 per week for a family of 6. This includes food, and health/beauty aids. The one thing NOT included in my $30/wk budget is DIAPERS/WIPES. I have 4 kids ages 8,6,2,1 and my dh and I! Im a huge coupon user :-) I stockpile during sales :-)