Hello feathers! I'm on a really tight budget these days and am struggling to keep my grocery bill down and my fridge full of healthy food. Right now it feels like I pretty much survive off of miso soup, eggs, and kale. What's on your weekly list? How do you keep it in check price wise?
I avoid much in the way of grains, and sometimes I have trouble affording quality proteins without relying too much on beans, which feel a little starchy to me. I wish I could say I'm buying salmon and blueberries every week, but for me it mostly looks like this:
dry beans
sack of onions
sack of carrots
kale
salad greens
carton of eggs
Nancy's yogurt (ahhh an addiction)
jalapenos
garlic
cilantro
whatever fruit is on sale (grapefruits right now mmmm)
walnuts
a cruciferous vegetable
Then I'll buy either tofu, chicken thighs, or lean steak as needed for the week (about four times)
My grocery list is huge since I shop for 6 people.
But, I can list things that would still be on my list even if I lived alone.
baby spinach (or frozen spinach)
salad greens
red lentils (dried)
pintos (dried)
chickpeas (dried)
1% milk (for coffee, bread making, and yogurt)
cottage cheese
feta cheese (a little goes a long way in salad)
frozen berries
fresh fruit, whatever's on sale that week
carrots
onions
garlic
broccoli
tomatoes
cilantro
red or green peppers
whole wheat flour (for bread and tortillas)
basmati rice
eggs (when I can deal with eating them)
small quantities of nuts and seeds and raisins (for making granola)
oatmeal (granola)
dried coconut (granola)
veg oil
maple syrup
balsamic vinegar
dijon mustard
Hey!
I live alone and am gluten free! Here is my list!
Perrier
Orange Juice (I cut the juice 25% juice 75% perrier)
Bok Choy (asian vegetables are super cheap and delicious in stir fry)
Arugula
Lemons
Zucchini
Asparagus
Canned Tuna
Red Lentils
Store brand rice crackers
President's Choice Blue Menu tzatziki *might be a canadian thing
President's Choice Blue Menu Black bean dip * ^
Eggs
I have a Hubby and two small kids, but I won't post the stuff that they eat and I don't (e.g. cheese poofs and marshmallow peeps lol). I avoid grains except rice, and we try to eat paleo most of the time. My "healthy" grocery list generally includes:
- Romaine lettuce
- Spinach
- Berries of some kind
- Apples
- Nuts of some kind
- NutThin crackers (love those suckers)
- Rice bread (I can't give up sandwiches)
- Tomatoes
- Coconut oil
- Ghee or butter or both
- Boars Head deli meat/cheeses (not the healthiest thing to eat, but convenient for me)
- Nitrate-free uncured bacon
- Whole chickens (if on sale). For someone on a budget, these can be had relatively cheap and freeze well.
I buy most of my meat at the meat market, and generally buy:
- A beef roast
- Few steaks
- Ground chuck (we eat this by the truckload: burgers, spaghetti, chili, meatloaf, meatballs...)
- Ground pork (for Asian meatballs)
I keep backyard chickens, so my eggs come out of my yard. lol
Some notes on budget shopping:
- I buy meat on sale always. I keep it in the freezer until I need it.
- I pre-cook a lot of foods. Like, I pre-cook ground beef and then freeze in baggies. When I want to make chili, I just pull it out of the freezer, add the stuff, and I'm done. No PITA of browning the meat.
- I buy in season. I like organic stuff, so we eat few berries throughout the winter (then it's mostly apples). But when summer comes, we'll eat more because they'll be cheaper.
I live in another country so prices can't be compared but when I lived on a tight budget I had to get creative also .
A few things that weren't mentioned yet:
- Canned chickpeas (if you invest in a jar of tahin you could make your own hummus!)
- Red bell pepper for a snack
- Whole wheat udon noodles (just use half a portion when I stirfry veggies)
- Cucumber, lots and lots.
- Peanutbutter
How I dealt with not having a lot of money was really stretch out the good stuff I bought. I have greek yoghurt with half a fuji apple for breakfast. Fuji apples are expensive, but I just use a bit less. The greek yoghurt is the same. I just use half a portion. Added bonus is that I eat less because of it. But I don't notice it. I realised that I used to portion based on what I thought a serving should look like. But now that I've changed that, I notice it doesn't matter much to me if I am done with my breakfast after 8 bites or after 12... if you know what I mean.
My grocery list is kind of bad but i'm working on it:
Raw and frozen broccoli
Frozen spinach
No salt added green beans
94% fat free popcorn
Seaweed
Lettuce
Fresh salsa
Ground turkey breast but I'm going to try out ground chicken breast because it's cheaper
Seltzer water
Plain Greek yogurt
Dry roasted peanuts
No sugar added fruit bars (Popsicles)
Bottled water
Reduced fat cheese
Eggs
Frozen fish
Price wise I keep it in check by foregoing some of my snacks and buying the essentials in bulk on sale so I don't have to worry. Also I will eat the same meals over and over again.
Last edited by liliesinmycereal; 03-25-2012 at 12:26 AM.
God boyfriends and the crap they eat! I live with mine and three other male roommates, and it can get tough. I swear their (lean, of course) bodies are mostly made of triscuits, beer, and quesadillas.
for my self ... (because I too have one of those boyfriends who can eat anything and does not gain a pound lol at least he's very supportive and does his own grocery shopping and cooking so I can stick to my diet)
Bell Peppers
Broccoli
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumber
Garlic
Green Beans
Kale
Leeks
Lettuce
Onion
Spinach
Tomatoes
Zuchini
Skim Milk
Eggs
Cheese
Frozen Chicken Breast and Haddock Filets from Costco
Post your grocery list!
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