You can modify this to fit a tight budget. I have had to. The main thing is to focus on the fresh produce when you can. Also, there are Farmer's markets still and will be until fall.

I have found that apples stretch a long way even though they are a little high. That is my mid afternoon snack almost every day.

Also, you don't have to go for the more expensive cuts of meats. If you are fortunate enough to have or know someone who has a deep freezer you can shop the sales too. I understand some grocery store chains have some good sales on meats.

Someone asked me if this could be done as a vegetarian. I think, I might consider having more "meatless" meals moving forward. It couldn't hurt, could it??;)

I have been eating more meatless lately. It's just easier with DH gone, as he is the big carnivore in the house.
I also just found a good recipe for Top Round Steak, which is inexpensive and goes on sale frequently. It tends to be tough, so I don't llike to get it, but I had to cook one that was in the freezer that defrosted and I tried a new method that came out very tender. I'll post the recipe later.

kaplods, we have been reading the same stuff. I love my Tightwad Gazettes and the Good Food Cheap. I've got another I really like - the More-with-Less Cookbook: suggestions by Mennonites on how to eat better and consume less of the world's limited food resources, by Doris Janzen Longacre. I think Amy Dacyzyn recommended this one.

Loriann, it might be worth your while to take a trip into Ithaca every once in a great while. The Co-op there (Greenstar) has tons of great deals, especially on bulk foods. It's like an SBD candy store as far as choices, go, and some things are tree-mendously expensive compared to Wegman's nature's market, but others are incredibly good deals. Their bulk aisle is huge and they have tons of great deal on nuts, grains, granola, WW pasta (they even have WW alphabet pasta!), etc. I think it could be worth a visit, if it's not that far for you...I forget how far it would be from Canandaigua. :?: I truly think you should check out Wal*Mart for some things. I go there regularly though I am generally a Wegman's shopper. I get a big container of organic FF greek yogurt for about $4.60, while it's nearly $6 at Wegman's. We can get very fresh cilantro at WM for $.49 to $.79, while it's almost always $1.99 at Wegman's. At Sam's Club, I can get an absolutely ridiculous deal on boneless pork chops (i.e. pork tenderloin, cut into chops). They sell it sometimes for a dollar and change a pound in a very big piece. You can ask them to cut it for you in whatever thickness you want for the chops. I end up with weeks and weeks worth to put in the freezer for under $10. It's amazing!!! :love:

I do think eating on SBD can be more expensive some times. But I eat out less and that more than makes up the cost. Plus, I think it's worth it. Though, when I go to the local Weis store and see people shopping with food stamps and getting food that I know isn't really healthy, it makes me SO sad. :cry: I saw a man once getting two small pies for his lunch. We all know what that probably did to his blood sugar. It's just so sad that the cheap food is what's most likely to lead to bad health...though as our many bright Beachies have pointed out, there are lots of cheap ways to eat healthy.

BTW, I'm in love with beans...so I'm glad they're cheap! I made these crockpot beans the other night and just doubled the recipe, so it nearly overflowed my crockpot! But the beans are delicious and I had so much that I was able to save a huge portion in the freezer for later. Yum! :T

I made a cassoulet type dish (a french comfort dish, baked beans with some meats, usually including pork sausage and duck or goose), substituting one chicken thigh quarter and a link of chicken polish-style sausage for the pork sausage and duck. The dish was mostly assorted beans, slow cooked in a crockpot. It was so good, and extremely cheap, and South Beach friendly.

The pot was so huge, we froze half and still had several days worth of meals (and the whole pot had under $4 worth of ingredients).

Stews, soups, and casseroles can often be made very cheaply in comparison to "hunk o' meat and vegetable" meals. Old-fashioned oats are probably the cheapest breakfast, but eggs are pretty cheap too. There are alot of expensive South Beach friendly cold cereals, but alot of the old-fashioned "plain" cereals both hot and cold are much more economical.

I remember a recipe for "instant oatmeal" out of regular quick cook oats (like Quaker in the round box). I think that you put it (dry) in a blender or food processor and pulverized it. Another person (in Tightwad, I think) recommended putting milk or water and qick oats in a glass bowl in the fridge at night, and then microwaving it in the morning.

A lot of "cheap" foods require advanced planning, but not really a lot of extra time, really just more forethought. Once it becomes a habit, you hardly notice.

thank you all for your help! I'll be looking at veggetarian meals for next week! I might be able to stretch what I have into next week as well, with only picking up milk!

Good news! I just called the auto loan company (capital one) to ask about rescheduling payments, lowering them. They couldn't do that, but what I DID find out, is I'm a payment ahead of myself! I don't have to pay this month! woo hoo! That couldn't of come at a better time! :). With the cost of The Dr,. and hospital, this is a blessing!

:cheer: You needed some silver lining in your life this month! :grouphug:

We are lucky to have a Sam's Club in our town and they sell these huge 4lb bags of mixed frozen veggies that are great. Somehow they never get freezer frost and cook up and taste like fresh. Many a day I put two handfulls of them frozen in a tupperware container and heat up in the microwave at work and throw a .5 cup of shredded cheddar on top or have a small dish of cottage cheese with them.

As far as protein, we also get 5lbs of ground turkey at Sam's club for $9 and when we find albacore canned tuna on sale, stock up on that. Tuna can be added so brown rice, or on top of a salad or made into a sandwich for lunch.

Beans, I use them a lot too; many morning I have a .5 cup of beans and shredded cheddar on top. Or leftover brown rice from dinner with 1/4 cup of beans and 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar.

Good luck, but I think you can find some ways to get most of what you need and not break your budget. Just think of the alternative ............. :D