As many of you know I am a student, so finances are tight. I am on unemployment as well, but still have a house to run off of what used to be a full time salary. We all know this diet can be expensive with the fresh produce, meat, etc. all the time.
Any tips, secrets, etc??
(**I haven't been on here in a while so if someone else posted something along these lines, I apologize.)
I hear ya, our grocery bill has quadroupled! It's hard to find the money sometimes so I rely on what's in stock at the house when $$ is tight.
Stock up on stuff you can freeze or doesn't spoil when it's on sale.
My grocery store has "brown bag" day. You go in and fill the the bag w/ meat & the entire bag is 10% off.
Go to the grocery store more often - a couple of times a week. Only buying what you've run out of, especially produce. I only let myself buy what I actually know I will eat in the next couple of days.
Find cheap subsitutes for the LAWL products: I buy the 100 calorie snacks for a starch, SlimFast High Protein shakes for 1 protein + 1 starch.
I use frozen meals every day for lunch at work. I buy whatever is on sale that week, usually like 3 for $5 or something. And I stock up on my faves when they are on sale.
Frozen fruit has been a recent find for me. I was spending tons of money on fresh fruit that wasn't even that good b/c it was out of season here. I use the frozen fruit in my smoothies, especially strawberries and blueberries.
Costco and a small (really cheap) chest freezer in my apartment garage have been the best money savers. I can buy bags of frozen veggies and fruits, chicken breast, etc. I spent about $150 for the freezer and it has already paid for itself. Doesn't work for everyone because of space for the freezer but it has been a life-saver for me.
Aldi is fantastic, and no the food isn't sold past it's expiration date. They just can sell stuff cheaper because they limit the number of brands they sell, don't spend much on advertising, don't do fancy displays, and you have to bring or buy your own bags (a few cents for paper and a few more for heavy plastic tote bags).
Except for lettuce, onions, potatoes and a few others, the produce isn't always cheaper than larger grocery stores, and the selection can be very limited.
The quality of the products are excellent. In fact, the store has a double money back guarantee, if you're not satisfied with a product for any reason. Once we took back a mustard because the safety seal was broken, and we just wanted an exchange and they gave us two-fer.
Nicole- I do have an Aldi. I have this (misconcieved I am sure) notion that it's food sold after the expiration date, etc. so I never go there.
I used to feel the same way. It is a real store...not like big lots or the dollar store
Wanna know a secret? Aldi is a German store. It is one of the few successful German companies here in the U.S. Many of the foods you can find there are German. When we went to Germany last fall.......our guide told us that Walmart failed in Germany becuase of Aldi. It is their main grocery store there.....and we all know how the German's are known for their quality products. Also, our guide now lives in the U.S. and he told us he shops there because they have German products.
I totally agree with what Kaplods has said. And, I too, never used to go there.....but then they built a brand new one.....and it is the closest grocery store to my house.....so I was somewhat forced by convenience to go there.
You can't buy everything you need there....but here a few things I ALWAYS buy there, and as a matter of fact, will now make a special trip there for:
Fit and Active Frozen Strawberries
Fit and Active low fat vanilla yogurt
Bananas
these three with a bit of splenda and some crushed ice and splenda make a fabulous smoothie
Fit and Active mini rice cakes
Any cold cereal
Any type of snack crackers, including saltines
Any frozen vegeatbles
Milk
Butter
sour cream
Eggs
Sugar and other basic baking supplies
In season produce
I am not a fan of their cheeses, but I am from Wisconsin...so I hold my cheese to a high standard.
I also tend to go there during daytime, as it is way less busy. I get to shop with all the other Grandmas I used to have a negative feeling about it too......until my Germany trip.....and until they built one near my home....and until I started seeing my receipts. Groceries are sooo expensive right now. Everyone likes to save money
XOXO
Last edited by Mama Nicole; 04-01-2008 at 04:47 PM.
Reason: had to reaarrange my paragraphs.....I know...NERD ALERT
While it can be tough to diet on a budget, you should also do some quick math to figure out how much you used to spend on crap food like take out and fast food..
The problem with the frozen meals and the 100 cal. packs are the ingredients.. Sure, they may be lower in fat or calories, but what are they high in? Sodium? preservatives? You gotta be careful.
Buying in bulk has been the easiest for us.. Wally Mart has bags of frozen chicken breast that keeps well, and costs less than buying the typical packages of 4 breasts on the meat shelf. The frozen fruits are a great idea too..
I'm a Costco fan too. I buy pork tenderloin and chicken in the bulk pack and then come home and portion and label. I also try to stock up on fresh fruit when it goes on sale and then spread on a cookie sheet and freeze it and put it in baggies to use for my smoothies. Applesauce and yogurt are my 'treats' and I also look for whole wheat pitas or wraps on sale.
The biggest thing that helped me save was preplanning my meals. I keep a sort of pantry list on my freezer and then try to find recipes using up the foods I have in there. I make my grocery list from that and I find that way I only have to go grocery shopping for the few fresh items I need and don't buy things I don't really need that are impulse buys.
I, too, have never been to Aldi. They just built a brand new one here in town so maybe I'll have to check them out. When I look at their ads they seem to be very reasonable on their prices. If they weren't so far out of my way I would probably go there for certain items. Thanks for the heads up on them.
Low-Budget Secrets
I used to have a negative feeling about it too......until my Germany trip.....and until they built one near my home....and until I started seeing my receipts. Groceries are sooo expensive right now. Everyone likes to save money
So good to see you!!!! I was pleading for your appearance the other day 
