$20 for Groceries.... What would you buy?

[My English Castle]

lotsa pasta

I'd buy eggs, pasta, tortillas, apples, frozen oj, milk, and some nutritious frozen veggies.

Make a couple of pizzas from scratch. The dough is easy once you get the hang of it, and I'd make a trip to the bakery thrift store to buy some day-old bread if you're not making your own.

Put that tax return in the bank and challenge yourself to do it despite getting the money. Since you know you've got the money, it won't feel so desperate.

[Thrifty Ray]

I'm not quite sure how someone can make the jump from an expectant mother asking for ideas for responsibly stretching $20 so that she can feed her family... to a judgement that she shouldn't have another child.

This website is here to HELP each other...not judge.

I raised 3 children on my own for a couple of years when I was younger...and often had $20 or less to feed them....and they turned out happy, wonderful adults---(who I am confident would never judge someone the way the OP was judged here!!)

Sorry...but this one struck a nerve.

[threebeansalad]

Homemade soup is a great way to mix together what ever odds and ends are in your pantry. Add in some toasted bread and you'll have a filling meal. For an inexpensive soup base use canned diced tomatoes mixed with water or just use bouillon. The latter is high in sodium, so I won't recommend this as a long term solution. Throw in rice, pasta, veggies, lentils, beans, whatever and adjust with seasonings. Of course, you can also make your own stock / broth from scratch, but this can take a few tries to get the hang of. Top with grated / shredded cheese.

I haven't seen lentils or dried beans on any of the lists thus far. Lentils are a staple in our house, although I typically buy canned for other beans.

[Thrif-t]

I know the OP already has a solution but for anyone else...my mom used to make fried potatoes and pork n beans (fried the potatoes then threw the beans in to warm 'em up) and fried potatoes and scrambled eggs, two filling cheap meals, that I find myself sometimes making fridays since we're in lent and don't eat meat.

[Daylily]

After all the suggestions that were made here, I'd almost like to see if I could do a week for $20. The problem is that my freezer and pantry are well stocked so it would be difficult to know whether I was truly limiting myself to $20 for the week. Still, I should get in the habit of cutting back since I've been unemployed for 3-1/2 months and who knows when I'll get a job.
I also read that blog of the person who spent only $30 for the entire month. That was impressive but I could never live on that diet. For one, I suffer from celiac disease (no wheat, barley, rye, oats) so I'd never be able to eat regular bread or regular pasta. My bread and pasta cost 4-10 times what the regular stuff does.

[th_tan]

I notice that someone mentioned soup packets 7 for a $1.. I don't know where you can get those, but soup never fills me up!!

I currently reside in Delaware, we don't have taxes here ....However the grocery stores here always have 6 soup packets for a dollar, but they were on sale, 7 for a dollar for the last week or so. They are perfect to have to breakfast/lunch, I usually make 2 soups for each meal, dinner I'll have some chicken and rice or something, depends what I have available.

[starving_student]

I'm not quite sure how someone can make the jump from an expectant mother asking for ideas for responsibly stretching $20 so that she can feed her family... to a judgement that she shouldn't have another child.

This website is here to HELP each other...not judge.

I raised 3 children on my own for a couple of years when I was younger...and often had $20 or less to feed them....and they turned out happy, wonderful adults---(who I am confident would never judge someone the way the OP was judged here!!)

Sorry...but this one struck a nerve.

Struck a nerve or not Young children and pregnant women should not be fed out of RAMEN. If you can't afford kids don't have them....

I am not judging th original poster as I don't know her, nor her situation, nor anything. But I keep my point that young children should not be fed ramen and canned veggies that's all....

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Struck a nerve or not Young children and pregnant women should not be fed out of RAMEN. If you can't afford kids don't have them....

I am not judging th original poster as I don't know her, nor her situation, nor anything. But I keep my point that young children should not be fed ramen and canned veggies that's all....

I agree, I guess the cable would go first or something.