Hey everybody!
I'm just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for eating Core on a (very) tight budget. DH and I are experiencing a very tight money situation right now, and I am concerned that I will have to bend on the Core rules. Unfortunately, processed and prepackaged foods are cheaper! I know that there are some ways around this, I'm just kind of feeling down and out about it right now.
Anybody have any ideas or suggestions? Thanks!
Melissa, hubby and I are retired so I understand your dilemma. I shop at Walmart where they have the best prices on beans (.42 a can!), and SF/FF pudding, large boxes of brown rice, chicken broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and some Core soups. I get my whole wheat pasta from SuperKmart. I'd buy it at Walmart but mine is not a Super one with alot of food. I buy things on sale, stock up, and use coupons. After a while you'll get the hang of what you use in everything and be able to buy ahead. I make lunches (like polenta pie) and cut them up into individual servings and freeze them for later use. I also shop at Sam's club for Splenda pour and packets, and for boneless skinless chicken. All I really buy at the regular grocery store is fresh produce and whatever I can't get at the other cheaper places. That's my best advice. Good Luck!
We're on a budget too and here's how I make it work - plan, plan, plan. I make a menu plan each week. As I make the menu, I look at what meats I have in the freezer, and try to build around those. (I buy meat when it's on sale and freeze it.) I also try really hard to work leftovers in to subsequent meals. Like, if I make chicken breasts for one meal, the leftovers will go in to chicken salad. You can also buy a whole chicken for cheap and make it last for days (look for "rubber chicken" recipes). For lunches, we have leftovers. For breakfast, hot cereal is inexpensive. Produce is pretty pricey, but I do splurge on that a bit. But I make sure to choose what's in season, so it's a lot cheaper. We manage here on a grocery budget of under $75 a week, and that's for our family of 5. (Granted, 3 of those 5 are children, but it's still not too bad!) Oh yeah, and for the kids, I buy sandwich bread at the bakery outlet store and freeze it. And we have a garden, some fruit trees, and a grapevine, so in the summer we have cheap produce.
I think you can eat inexpensively on Core...all it takes is planning. It's like putting together a puzzle. What ingredients can I buy a large, cheaper can of, and use twice? Or what leftover thing (like taco meat) can I make into something else the next day (like taco salad?)
Budgeting has become something of a hobby for me lately - I like seeing how much we can squeeze out of our paycheck.
eat lots more beans and grain and cut back on meat. I save money being on Core, I swear, because dinner can look like: black beans and rice with salsa and avocado. None of that costs very much at all.
Are you in any position to have a garden? It might be a way to exercise and get some "free" vegetables down the line. You could also take a look at some ethnic cookbooks from the library. Indian and Asian cooking uses lots of vegetables and can be done with cheap ingredients.
The problem I find with Costco and similar places is that they sell everything in such huge quantities. Maybe you could find someone to split things with?
I may be in the minority but processed foods and prepackaged foods are much more expensive than whole foods.
Buy your lean meats in bulk and make packages up yourself.
Buy canned veggies, frozen veggies when they are on sale and stock up.
Buy fresh veggies and fruits in season when they are cheaper. For example corn was 5 for a dollar at Fry's so I bought 20 or 25 ears...cleaned it and froze it.
Buy bulk dried beans and grains...always cheaper.
Thanks everyone, I hope that these suggestions have been helpful to others besides just me.
Kathy, thanks for keeping your fingers crossed. I appreciate your suggestions.
Vickie, thanks for adding your info. I think you're right, part of my problem is that I don't have "regular" meals down that I really like to make. I will be looking for those .42 beans though!
Angela, $75 a week!! You really are my new Core hero!! I think that a lot of my problem is that I am VERY bad at planning. I am a procrastinator who does not consider dinner until I'm driving home from work...not the best time.
Kally, I like your dinner idea! And you're right, meals like that are nice. Bad thing is dh usually wants some meat. But he will learn to cope.
Cher, I would LOVE to have a garden. Unfortunately we are renting in the city where there is no yard to call my own. One of these days this will definitely be an option for me!
Kelly, thanks for your ideas. I like the idea about freezing corn, I would probably never think to do that. I know its cheaper to cook from "scratch" I guess I just meant that white rice is cheaper than brown, produce is high, etc.
I am so used to eating Rice a Roni (on sale for .69 this week!) and veggies, things like that. Super cheap and easy to cook. I'm going to have to learn how to plan like Angela. I need a course in meal planning. Thanks everyone!
Prepackaged foods are anything but a budget item. Figure out what is in the package and how much you are paying for each item. It's extremely expensive.
I had to "stock" my kitchen and it was a little expensive. I didn't have anything. Today I am going out for "meat." I hope that the remaining couple of weeks will be a little more cheaper.
Eating Core on a Budget
You really are my new Core hero!! 
I think that a lot of my problem is that I am VERY bad at planning. I am a procrastinator who does not consider dinner until I'm driving home from work...not the best time. 
Thanks everyone!
