TOTALLY GEEKED!

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

$100 a week

I know what to do_sometimes · Frozen Sucks!

Absolutely, but there are only two of us.

Southern_Belle · Nothing's Impossible

It can be done. Shop the sales. Plan ahead.

Domestic Engineer · Guru

There are 3 of us and that is my average. So it's definitely doable. It takes planning and learning your stores sales schedule.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

There are 6 of us.

I know I can do $125 - $150 a week.

jlbear71 · Guru

It is just me and DH. Feed us for $100/week? Absolutely and it would be wonderful. $50/week. Yes. I could probably go as low as $35-40/week and still eat relatively healthy. Not a lot of snacks and no desserts. Just the basics.

Now if you include toiletries and other stuff? Yes, I could keep it in the $100/week. Hell, I used to do $150/month for the two of us. The biggest key is shopping the sales and bulk for certain items. No I don't mean supersized bulk like Sams Club but more like buying whole carrots instead of baby and utilizing farm stands or produce markets instead of grocery stores.

Here is part of a paper I did on feeding one person for a week with $20. I would update it now to be around $30-40. Add in a jar of PB, jelly and maybe some eggs and you have a decent, basic meal plan.

Okay, now back to that $20 for a week budget. With careful planning, shopping and creative cooking, one person can eat for a week on about $20. I am going to assume that you have a basic pantry and some basic cooking skills. First, the key tip is to plan meals around one key food. Prepare that food in a larger amount than you would usually use the first night. Then you can use it for entirely different recipes later in the week. This isn't the same as eating leftovers, since you are making entirely different meals.

Shopping! Let’s start off with your main item for the week, one whole chicken. You can get a chicken on sale for about $.99/lb. Try to get the biggest one you think you can handle. I try for one about 5 lbs ($5.00). Add in some onions ($1/lb), a bag of baby carrots ($1) and some celery ($1.50). Throw in a box of pasta ($1), a can of refrigerator biscuits ($1) and a few potatoes ($2) and you have most of your dinners and probably a few lunches in there too. Round out your meals with a bag or two of salad ($1.50).

For the first meal, roast your chicken with some Italian seasonings, one onion, a third of the carrots and some celery. Bake a few potatoes along side of it. Only eat half of the meat at most. Clean the rest of the meat off the bones. You should have at least 3.5 cups of leftover meat.

Don’t throw away any of the bones or skin yet. Put them in a stock pot or slow cooker and cover with at least 3 quarts of water. Simmer for several hours to make a flavorful broth. Strain and let the broth cool. Skim any fat off the top.

Take one and a half cups of chicken and make a chicken pot pie by thickening some of the broth you just made for gravy. Use some of the carrots, potatoes and onions. Top them with the biscuits for an easy crust. This should make enough for two meals. Freeze one for later.

Take half a cup of meat, dice up a little of the veggies, mix in some mayo and you have chicken salad sandwiches.

For the final meal, use the remaining chicken and broth to make soup. Sauté up the rest of your diced veggies (celery, carrots and onions). Cook and add about a third of a box of noodles as you are serving. This soup should be enough for 2 meals. Now that is a frugal meal plan.

Fort Worth Mom · Mod/Penguin lover/Princess!

lilyofcourse wrote:
There are 6 of us.

I know I can do $125 - $150 a week.

I'm sad to say this. But, we couldn't do it.

Mostly because, I don't figure out, what we spend, just on food.

For us, and the pets. It all runs together.

And, so do the paper products, cleaning products, cat litter, health and beauty aids.

When I figure out our spending, Walmart, Kroger, Costco, Central Market, Trader Joes, PetSmart. That is one category. (And, the Rx food, for Huey, that all the cats have to eat.)

We spend between $1500 and $1600 a month.

That covers food, pet food, cleaning products, paper products, and health and beauty aids.

ETA. I stopped by the Vet's today, to pick up more of the Rx food.

One 17.6 pound bag of kibble, and one case of, 24-3 ounce cans of cat food, cost $92 and change.

Having a cat with urinary problems, is expensive.

The bag of kibble, will last 4 or 5 weeks.

We don't dare buy the less expensive stuff. Huey would get sick. And, the Vet bills are worse. Not to mention the pain it would cause him.

I will do without something else, before I would quit buying the Rx food for Huey.

-- Edited by Fort Worth Mom on Friday 9th of December 2016 07:45:33 PM

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

Very interesting.

Way back when it was just me, my ex, and Caitlyn, $100 a week was all I had for everything we needed after rent and bills.

I bought diapers, food, and any cleaning/hygiene we needed.

I made my own baby food. It was cheaper.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Have you checked a local church who might sell the Angel food Ministry? They sell a box of food that anyone can buy that has assorted goods and meat, etc.

Here's my advice. Buy a big bag of rice. And, for $15 you can get a rice cooker. I use mine all the time. So simple. Makes great rice. I got one at Walmart. You don't need the fancy one. Just one with the Cook switch. I buy big bags of frozen veggies. So easy to take a small piece of chicken and saute and slice it with some frozen veggies and serve over rice.

One of my cheapest meals is picking up a turkey breast at the grocery store. Our meat dept sells a split turkey breast. You can feed several people on one of those split turkey breasts.

Cooking a whole chicken is very cost effective as well. You can eat that for several days and then use the carcass to make stock and soup.

To save money on meat, i always slice my meat before serving. If i want to make steaks, instead of buying 5 steaks, one for everyone, i might buy 3. Cook them, and then thin slice it and plate it. You would be surprised but that is plenty of meat when you do it that way.

Momala · Great cook-happy wife-superb fisherman

Back in the '70's, I used to feed 8 (2 adults, 6 kids ages 9-16) on $200
a week, plus we always had extra kids over for dinner. I used my freezer
extensively, and bought all my meat from a huge meat market. DH had
an arrangement with our local supermarket manager - we'd clip coupons
that the store carried (even if we didn't use the item) and hand the manager
an envelope with all the coupons, and he'd deduct $20 off our bill. It was a
win-win arrangement - we got the money, and he had more coupons than he
would normally get. I knew my store layout completely, and would make my
shopping list according to the aisles - never had to push a heavy cart back and
forth for forgotten items.

Today? Sure, but I look forward to preparing meals that DH likes. I don't
want to skimp on him. Its good that we both like many of the same things,
so I can be creative with items that are on sale, such as chicken (whole, thighs,
breasts, wings when they are on sale for $.99), pork chops, and some cuts of
beef (but never meat cut up for stew!). I never have to buy fish, because we
have an entire (small) freezer devoted to the catfish we catch.

Sometimes I prefer to buy frozen veggies, rather than fresh. They've been
picked and frozen at their peak, and they are easy to use for portion control.

If you find fish or shrimp on sale, here's a hint on how to freeze these items
without worrying about freezer burn. Lay your fish filet flat in a shallow con-
tainer, and cover it with cold water. If you have more than one layer, put a
sheet of wax paper between the filets. Make sure the filets are completely
covered with water. Freeze flat. If you are using shrimps, nestle them in
one layer (neatness counts here!), cover with water, and freeze.

The science behind doing this is simple. If it is exposed to air, the fish will
get freezer burn, but if it is deliberately covered with water, the water will
protect it! Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, or under cool running
water for a quick thaw.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

Yes. Easily. It just takes meal planning around what is on sale.

FNW · Guru

Prices for meat and veggies are better at Asian markets. And the food is more fresh so it lasts longer.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

When I was growing up, the most we bought at the store was things we couldn't grow or raise.

Flour, sugar, meal (although we did grind our own corn for a while), that kind of thing.

My goal is to see if I can and how practical it is.

Granted, I have a lot of time, so I know I have an advantage, but this is me challenging myself.

I'm going to try to feed 6 people, 3 meals a day, for $100 a week.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

I already cook most meals.

jlbear71 · Guru

What do you use for meal planning? I have a spreadsheet I could email you that is pretty detailed andd includes tabs for daily, weekly and monthly.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

My memory of what gets eaten.

LOL...

I don't have any real method to my madness.

I'll PM my email.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

Feeding 6 adults will be challenging. I always forget to include your parents in that equation and only think of you and the kids.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

It should be interesting.

I also have to work with mom's dietary restrictions.

Lexxy · My dog name is Sasha, too!

I know, not helpful but since I haven't been able to post, I want to chime in. I spend about $200 a month on just me but that includes cat food for 4, laundry, dish & toiletries like shampoo, soap, TP...etc.

Good Luck with your experiment!

jlbear71 · Guru

So, maybe we can help. What are all the dietary restrictions for everyone? Break it down by person.

I so understand restrictions. DHs family is full of them.

Just a few to note. This is not all.
DH is allergic to shrimp and lobster - iodine.
SIL#3 is celiac and allergic to dairy, poultry and soy.
BIL#2 does not eat red meat and is allergic to anything with corn including corn sryup. Do you know that is in almost everything?
DH, BIL#1 & 2 have sensitivity to garlic.
DN is allergic to all seafood, nuts and legumes
BIL#3 is very low fat and a pescatarian.
SIL#1 cannot have anything with seeds
MIL is on blood thinners and cannot have greens.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

Mom is diabetic.

Mom, dad, and I have high blood pressure.

I am anemic.

WYSIWYG · Guru

I haven't been worried about a budget for a while, but I think I could easily manage $100 a week, if I'm not already at or below that level now.

FNW · Guru

I, too, would like a copy of that spreadsheet!

jlbear71 · Guru

Spreadsheet sent! If you have ideas for improving it, let me know. I have updated and changed it so many times over the years to better suit what we are doing.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Could you just post that! Or maybe send it to me too!? biggrin

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

However, i don't plan 3 meals a day. We don't eat 3 meals a day. I rarely eat breakfast. The kids skip it too. On days we don't it is cereal or dippy eggs and toast and juice.

For lunches, i buy a pack of sandwich rolls and then make up a bunch of sandwiches and individually wrap them and put them in the fridge. Then it makes for easy grab and go.

For dinner, if i want to ensure that leftovers get eaten, i will plate the dinner and cover it and put in the fridge for an easy meal. Yeah, i know, i spoil them. But, it isn't as appetizing if everything is in a separate container. And, we save money buy packing leftovers for lunches. However, too many leftovers tend to not get eaten so i am careful to not cook too much.

For my freezer, we actually have 2 refrigerators. One in the house and one in the garage. I love having the extra fridge space, especially at holiday time. I am not a big fan of freezing a lot of meals. I hate unthawing things and i think that freezing the meals often affects the taste of the meal. So, i don't freeze meals. I do freeze meat. I don't like to freeze too much meat but i always have some frozen chicken breasts or fish on hand when i don't have time to cook. I bought a big pork loin and i broke it down into about 15 pork chops and two roasts.

just Czech · Give Me Grand's!

I think you can do it, Lily. Three of you (your kids) eat school meals, don't they? Or do you pack a meal for them daily?

We have two adults and we feed four grand's at least three meals a week for less then $100.00 a week. My average is about $70 a week.

There is a lot of good advice being given here.

I always buy sale and none name brand items, even for toiletries and cleaning products, some cleaning products I make myself.

Meat will be the biggest expense. Buy chicken on sale and freeze it. Same with other meats if you are not going to use it that day.

Good luck and you can do this. :)

jlbear71 · Guru

For anyone who wants the spreadsheet, PM me your email address.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

I really think if you focus on healthy more than expense, you will meet both goals. My goal was to learn to become a better cook and do more scratch cooking knowing exactly what ingredients were in my food. My goal was to cut down on eating out, buying convenience foods and prepared products full of additives. Once i cooked more, i kept breaking it down. Most of what i cook now is easily prepared but fresh and not a lot of crappy additives.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

I'm going to try this for several reasons.

1. Lower food cost. I've always been able to stay in a budget but I want to see how low I can go.

2. I'm disabled and can't do a lot of standing and prep work anymore. I want to be practical for others with dexterity and stamina issues.

3. I need a challenge.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

You don't have to stand to prep food. Just do it at the table.

FNW · Guru

My handy dandy choppers help, too.

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

Yep. Lots of ways to more easily do prep. Food processors, a good sharp knife, box graters, etc.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

I'm looking for good coupon sites.

Anyone know of any?

Lady Gaga Snerd · Guru

I never did coupon much. I never could remember to take them! lol

jlbear71 · Guru

Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
I never did coupon much. I never could remember to take them! lol

This was always my problem too.

jlbear71 · Guru

Talk to me about what cooking appliances you have. Slow cooker, pressure cooker, rice cooker, dutch oven, food processor, chopper.

The more I know what you have to work with, the better I can help.

What are the favorite things to eat? to cook?

Are there foods that are not eaten?

Do you have any routine meals? I know that for DH and I, we try to have certain nights for certain foods. Example, trash pick up is Friday mornings. We either eat leftovers or have seafood on Thursday nights so it does not stick up the can.

FNW · Guru

I never remember to bring coupons either.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

Appliances: 2 crock pots, oven, stove, microwave.
I have very little cabinet space.

I use a hand mixer for creaming potatoes and that kind of thing.

I have a small, 1 cup, chopper/processor. It's new, my old one gave up the ghost. The new one is too powerful. It turns everything into puree. So I don't use it much.

I have a ninja top blender thing.

I don't use it much, it isnt practical for us.

If you check out the "Let's eat" thread, you'll get an idea of what I cook.

I know how to cook, build flavor profiles, create a meal.

I do tend to use my oven more than my crock pot. Although I do have a roast, potatoes, carrots, and onion working in the crock pot now for supper.

As for routine, I try to keep things rotating over 2 weeks.

Like this roast, I will not make another for 2 weeks.

Taco soup is a hit, but pretty much anything I cook, gets eaten.

I try not to have much leftover. To me, it ends up being a waste. But when I do, it's usually just enough for 1 or two to take to lunch or mom to take to mawmaw.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

I can remember coupons, and with the customer cards I can load coupons on there.

They deduct automatically when I swipe or enter my number when I check out.

Vette · Owl drink to that!

jlbear71 wrote:
Talk to me about what cooking appliances you have. Slow cooker, pressure cooker, rice cooker, dutch oven, food processor, chopper.

The more I know what you have to work with, the better I can help.

What are the favorite things to eat? to cook?

Are there foods that are not eaten?

Do you have any routine meals? I know that for DH and I, we try to have certain nights for certain foods. Example, trash pick up is Friday mornings. We either eat leftovers or have seafood on Thursday nights so it does not stick up the can.

We do the same thing with the trash thing, we always have chicken the night before the trash goes out because the raw chicken package really reeks after not too long.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

When I make chicken, I squirter a little Dawn dish soap on the packaging before throwing it out.

It helps.

I also pour a little baking soda in the trash bag when it's half full.

chef · Guru

I average $20-$30 (sometimes less) per week for our family of 3. Stock up weeks tend to be in the $50 range. I have the prices of frequently bought items memorized for both Walmart and Winco. I love Winco's bulk section, especially for spices. I've spent less than $10 on spices since Winco opened near me. I can fill up my container of garlic powder for a quarter. Same for onion powder. Last time I bought thyme, it was 13 cents for a large bag. I filled up my container and had some left. I recently discovered their garlic pepper and love it.

I shop Costco for tortillas, salad mix, and eggs. Tortillas are $4 for 40 8-inch tortillas. Salad mix is either $3.79 or $3.85. I don't know why but they switch between those two prices. Eggs have been averaging $4 for 5 dozen.

I keep lots of pantry staples on hand. I always watch for sales. Pasta is on sale again at Albertson's. This time it's 79 cents per box of Barilla pasta when you buy 4. I plan on replenishing our pasta supply. I get 2 pork loins per pack at Winco, usually for $4-$6 per pack. I watch for markdowns on meats. I love scoring a good deal on a pack of meat just because the sell by date hit. I portion it out and freeze it.

I meal plan and plan for leftovers. Leftovers sometimes don't get eaten but they usually do.

chef · Guru

To avoid stinking up the trash can ... Put stuff that stinks (meat trays, for example) in a grocery bag and take it out right away. We put anything that can rot in a grocery bag and take that out nightly. Only things that won't stink up the place go into the trash can. Except when the bag is almost full. Then we don't bother making a separate bag for stinky stuff because the big bag will be going out soon.

I know what to do_sometimes · Frozen Sucks!

I always have one night's meal be "breakfast" . I make omelettes with onion and spinach,, sometimes asparagus. Dd likes tator tots with the omelette and occasionally I will make breakfast sausages or bacon. I make enough bacon that I can use on salads or in sandwiches during the week. It's an extremely inexpensive meal and it is nutritious.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

lilyofcourse wrote:
I'm looking for good coupon sites.

Anyone know of any?

Do you use southernsavers.com?

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

Lawyerlady wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
I'm looking for good coupon sites.

Anyone know of any?
Do you use southernsavers.com?

No. I have never used any coupon site.

Thanks. I will check it out.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

I know what to do_sometimes wrote:
I always have one night's meal be "breakfast" . I make omelettes with onion and spinach,, sometimes asparagus. Dd likes tator tots with the omelette and occasionally I will make breakfast sausages or bacon. I make enough bacon that I can use on salads or in sandwiches during the week. It's an extremely inexpensive meal and it is nutritious.

I love breakfast for supper.

I make it now and then, but not often.

The kids are not big breakfast food eaters.

Lawyerlady · On the bright side...... Christmas is coming! (Mod)

lilyofcourse wrote:
Lawyerlady wrote:
lilyofcourse wrote:
I'm looking for good coupon sites.

Anyone know of any?
Do you use southernsavers.com?

No. I have never used any coupon site.
Thanks. I will check it out.

It's actually a site devoted to shopping around deals, and includes links to coupons with the ads for all the major southern food stores and others.

lilyofcourse · My spirit animal is a pink flamingo.

Ok.

I have Flipp and Retailmenot.

I'm going to look into this one, too.

There are so many sites, it's confusing.