$30 a week

[brianj]

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]

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/Publications/FoodPlans/MiscPubs/FoodPlansRecipeBook.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]

avoid canned, prepared foods

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.

[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 :-)

[WesternHemlock]

$10 per person for food a week and no pantry, hmm.

63 packages of ramen noodles
3 lbs frozen peas&carrots/corn/broccoli
2 lbs of pork loin or whatever is in the markdown bin

I'd only do this in an absolute emergency.

[jadet]

$10 per person for food a week and no pantry, hmm.

63 packages of ramen noodles
3 lbs frozen peas&carrots/corn/broccoli
2 lbs of pork loin or whatever is in the markdown bin

I'd only do this in an absolute emergency.

$10 per person for food a week but 50% increase on medical bills

[Harlem]

Nice job dude! Keep it up.

[Permanent Temp]

30 a week can be doable for me but only if the pantry is well stocked. I don't eat meat and my husband will just eat whatever I make. For the past month Ive been making it on about that much.

[techgirlable]

You guys are inspiring! Theres only two adults and a baby in our house and I feel like we spend $100 a week at least!

I have to get my butt into gear and start spending more thriftily!

[techgirlable]

Awesome! Some great recipes to try -I spend far too much on recipes so this is an inspiring thread!

[thomasm]

With us we only feed 4 people. 2 adults and 2 kids. Sometimes grandma as well. Thanks.

Wow that's impressive