I have finally caught up all my bills, and paid back that dreaded cash advance place! Now, I don't want to have to get another cash advance, and I have exactly $152 left for food. Could you feed 2 people for 4 weeks for $152? I am looking for any suggestions for some good meals a cheap cheap prices! P.S. my husband is a meataholic and "must" have meat everyday.... this isn't even $40 a week! Help!
Hi Farrah! You can do it! I know you can! You just need to start clipping coupons! Don't wait for the Sunday paper. Go online and print them off girl! You should start by making a list of what you like and then search those brands for coupons. If that is too pricey then buy the generic in store. I know you can buy some meat at good prices. Ask the butcher what is on sale and they will show you what you can work with. Look in the discount section at your bakery for discounts on bread and rolls and buy produce that is in season for cheaper prices. Check out CouponMom or Freebies4Mom so you can find more coupons. I have faith in you! It will happen!
Well, that's $38 per week, but if you can buy some things in bulk you'll save more money. I can feed 3 adults on $38 per week, but that's 2 meat eaters and 1 vegetarian, and we meat eaters don't eat it every day. The thing with meat is that for one thing most people eat more than is healthy in a serving, so portion control is healthier and saves money. A serving of meat is 3 oz - the size of a deck of cards. Some budget stretchers for meat - make tuna cakes or salmon cakes with canned fish, or make them like meatballs and serve with pasta; buy a whole chicken on sale, have roast chicken one night, chicken salad the next night and make soup for the third night with the carcass and what's leftover of the chicken. I just bought a whole chicken on sale for $4.60 so that would be a little over $1.50 per meal. Instead of serving a whole piece of meat, shred it and serve smaller amounts on top of dishes, like shredded pork or beef on top of noodles with vegetables cooked in soy sauce. Eat meat as an appetizer instead of a main dish. Make a hearty vegetarian dish for the entree and serve just a couple of meatballs or grilled prawns as an appetizer. Make the meal into courses to make it special. Appetizer, salad, main dish, fruit. For non-meat savings - beans, split peas, lentils are your best friends. Cheap and very healthy. Oats for breakfast are also cheap and healthy. Buy whatever produce is in season and on sale. Make black bean tacos and put just a little shredded meat on them for your husband. You'll stretch the meat you buy a long way like that. Make a mostly vegetarian lasagna with just one layer with some hamburger in it. Plus, you can freeze the leftovers and have them for a meal on a busy night in the future.
I agree with what everyone has said I would definitely buy things in bulk and buy some “filler foods,” like potatoes or rice. Look at making meals that last more that one day (Spaghetti, Lasagna, etc); pasta is also another good alternative, sloppy joes too! It can be done with some good budgeting and meal planning! Good luck!
The best thing to do is plan your meals using similar ingredients so you can buy them in bulk. Then try to find ways to save on those items, like coupons or comparing prices. Mariaandrea has some really good tips. There is a website called Hillbilly Housewife that has a lot of good ideas and recipes that you can try. Here's a link to her emergency menu but check out some of the other information on the website. I have got some really good ideas from there.Log In
I agree with Steph. There are MANY online sites that give free coupons for you to print and clip right in the comfort of your home. You could get hundreds of dollars of food for much less than it's worth if you have your coupons. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at how much coupons can help you especially with your husband loving meat so much. So, you could focus your coupons on discounts for meat. You can also try going to an actual meat market vs a Walmart or your local grocery store because the meat at a meat market is usually cheaper and you can usually get more for your money because it's cut right there in the store. Best of luck to you! I know you can do it!
Wow! Thanks for all your support. I am already looking into the coupon situation. I am determined NOT to get a cash advance! A.K.A selling your soul to the devil. If I can manage not getting a cash advance I will finally be done with them. Next month should be smooth sailing. I also found another online gig that will give me a few extra bucks a week.....I will do anything at this point NOT to fall the the cash advance again.
Congratulations on paying all of your bills and the cash advance store. You can certainly live on $152 worth of food for four weeks (I even think you can have left over money as well). One place you have to find efficiencies is in your meat budget. Sure, your husband "must" have food, but if all he wants is meat for the next four weeks and nothing else, then he can have it. Your best option is to split your meat budget in half or the meat itself in half (if you buy a chicken breast, chop it in half). One best way to save money, is to have the type of meal a few times in the same week. My fiancee and I buy the jars that consist of Thai and Indian sauces. We make this three times a week and stuff the dishes with a lot of veggies and half of a chicken breast. This saves us a lot of money because we don't spend money on a bunch of different meal styles in the week. Cut down on the bad snacks, such as chips, bottles of coke and others. Instead, purchase bags of baby carrots, purchase beverage alternatives (or just drink water) and head over to a bulk store, like Bulk Barn, where you can buy healthier snacks (unsalted pretzels, peanuts, etc.). I hope this information helps.
Well done for getting out of debt. You can do this, as well as giving your husband meat every day. Use ground beef, and make chilli, but put in extra kidney beans and tomatoes to stretch it further. I also add sliced mushrooms to chilli for more bulk. Serve it with rice and tortilla chips one night, and with a jacket potato and salad the next night. Serve up a large jacket potato and a huge salad, and your husband won't realise he has a smaller than usual serving of meat. Buy bacon pieces, and make a big pot of vegetable soup, adding the bacon pieces for meat and flavour. You can also make a cheese and onion quiche, or a cheese and potato pie and add bacon pieces to that as well. There are lots of ways to make a little meat go a long way.
I can't believe how helpful and supportive you all have been! I really appreciate all of your help here. Well, today is the 7th, 1 week down and 3 to go! I still have $100 left. I have stocked up on Rice, veggies, and Milk. No snacks, no soda, ugh .... now thats a punishment! Now I just have to get meat and some fillers to get through the next 3 weeks. BTW, please just say no to cash advances! They are like selling your soul to the devil I tell you!
Ahhhh just found a new Aldi that opened..... woo too!!! I can actually afford a snack or 2 now lol. Thats right I only sent $25 there today! I love the stock up store. I could it in the nick of time. After that I have $50 left for the next 2 weeks and counting........
Don't forget pasta as a filler food. You can throw some cubed meat in for your husband but be really sparing with the meat and voila! A nice, cheap meal. I hope this is still working out for you! Like others have said, I think it is completely doable! Just keep clipping coupons. Good luck
Lots and lots of great ideas in this thread so far so I don't want to repeat too much. Specifically for the meat bit, whenever you're at the grocery store, always check for their discounted meats. They're not always great, but often times you can get really cheap cuts for half the price, just because they know the meat will go bad in a few days. That means you still have a few days to use it, though, or freeze it. You'll be able to get steaks, ground beef, pork chops, etc, for a fraction of the cost and still keep him happy without breaking the budget. Don't be afraid to buy a whole chicken and boil or roast it. You can get several meals from a single bird.
If you happen to live somewhere there are Fresh & Easy stores you can save tons of money. Everyday they have a section of the store where they put all of their items that are going to spoil within the next two days. It is all half off! When I was in college I used to just swing by every day and pick up what I was going to eat, I saved tons of money and their food is generally pretty healthy.
I know you can do this and yes; cash advances are like selling your soul! All the tips on this thread so far are great and right on the money. There is something that a few people do down here in South Florida but I have never done myself. There are organizations down here (as well as just random people who want to help) that visit supermarkets, delis, restaurants, etc. at the end of the day to pick up the food that is left over to be thrown out and take it to shelters and homes of those in need to help feed them. You can try visitng some of your local places for left overs that are still in good condition. Most of this food is fine just cannot be stored until the next day because it will be inedible. That's really the only other thing I can think of.
Before I did that, I would visit a food pantry. My mother used to do this when we fell on hard times growing up, and the selection now is much better and healthier than it was back then. I've gotten even fresh vegetables from pantries during hard times.
I know it sucks to not be able to drink sodas. But you can buy a box of National Cup 100 teabags at Walmart for $1. It takes 4 teabags to make a 2 quart pitcher of iced tea. If you like unsweetened iced tea that comes out to $1 for 25 pitchers of iced tea. If you like sweet tea, that's 3/4 of a cup of sugar per pitcher, so you'll need a $2.50 5lb bag of sugar to make 25 pitchers.
Check out the sales pages. You can often find meats really cheap. I know I picked up about a 5 lb chicken the other day and this will make three meals. So you have three meals out of one buy. Then you have quite a bit of meat left over. So you just have to make sure you shop around smartly for the products you are getting.
Of course you can feed 2 people for 4 weeks with $150! It comes out to around 6 dollars per day. if you buy food in a larger size, it's usually very cheap. Avoid eating at fast-food restaurants, because those are more expensive than buying food sometimes. I would look for coupons (as some of the other members of the forum have said) and use those as much as you can. Keep in mind, you're not feeding a team of football players, just you and your husband. You can do it!
Yes, that should be possible. The key to it is to bulk everything out. When making a chilli, for example, use less minced beef and more kidney beans, tomatoes and other veg so it goes further. Serve it up with plenty of rice. You get the idea. When it comes to snacks, why not make some of your own flapjack? It's probably the easiest thing in the world to make, and cheap too, all you need is butter, demerera sugar, rolled oats and syrup.
