I am testing a theory that you can feed a family of 4 on $125 a week, so I am looking for healthy cheap meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.
We have 4 kids (one is a baby, so he doesn’t eat table food yet), and our grocery bill is $125 a week or less. You can save a lot of money by not buying pre-made stuff. I usually don’t buy any mixes (except brownies, cause I like boxed brownies better than mine). I make homemade pancakes and waffles, double the recipe and freeze extras. Same goes for muffins and cookies. We eat a lot of fruits and veggies… if you don’t go to a farmer’s market, and you are serious about eating healthy and saving money, try to find a farmer’s market in your area. We eat a lot of apples, bananas, grapes, and any other fruit that is on sale for snacks. Buy popcorn that you pop yourself for a healthy, cheap snack. As far as healthy, inexpensive meals goes: I make veggie stir fry and rice – chop up any combination of carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, peppers, onions, stir fry with olive oil and your choice of seasonings. You can do a lot with pasta that is cheap, but pasta does have a lot of carbs. We like veggie spaghetti – stir fry fresh mushrooms and peppers in a little olive oil, add a jar of spaghetti sauce, and serve over spaghetti. Make homemade breadsticks and a salad, and you have a nice meal! We don’t eat much meat, because meat is expensive! Beans are another way to eat cheap, you can get dried beans for not too much and do a lot of different things with them. I buy all groceries at Aldi (discount groceries), farmer’s market, and a few things at Walmart that are cheaper than Aldi. I think the big keys are to stay away from preprocessed stuff, watch prices on stuff – pay attention to how much it is per unit (oz, etc)… it is not always cheaper to buy a bigger size! Also, try to only go to the store once a week! Plan your menu for the week, make a list accordingly, and only buy what you have on your list unless you see a great deal on something you know you will use. That is a big key! It’s easy to overspend when you go into the store 3 times a week! Another thing, don’t go shopping when you are hungry – it’s easy to pick up extra stuff when everything you see looks good! I hope this helps!
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WOW!! Good luck. You can buy chicken in bulk and then prepare many meals from that. Protein is key!!
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Eggs go far (breakfast, sandwhiches for lunch, omellettes for supper), spaghetti for supper with leftovers the next day for lunch fried up, you can buy a whole, cooked chicken from the grocery store and make club sandwhiches for supper then use the bones to make a soup, you could make homemade pizza’s on flatbread, or buy a thicker "pizza crust" in the bread section, shepherds pie can be had for supper with leftovers the next day. Shop smart, look for deals, and I think it can be done! Have fun!
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Yes you can. I believe people on food stamps get around 500 dollars a month for a family of four. It would be stretching it, but it’s possible.
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We have 4 kids (one is a baby, so he doesn’t eat table food yet), and our grocery bill is $125 a week or less. You can save a lot of money by not buying pre-made stuff. I usually don’t buy any mixes (except brownies, cause I like boxed brownies better than mine). I make homemade pancakes and waffles, double the recipe and freeze extras. Same goes for muffins and cookies. We eat a lot of fruits and veggies… if you don’t go to a farmer’s market, and you are serious about eating healthy and saving money, try to find a farmer’s market in your area. We eat a lot of apples, bananas, grapes, and any other fruit that is on sale for snacks. Buy popcorn that you pop yourself for a healthy, cheap snack. As far as healthy, inexpensive meals goes: I make veggie stir fry and rice – chop up any combination of carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, peppers, onions, stir fry with olive oil and your choice of seasonings. You can do a lot with pasta that is cheap, but pasta does have a lot of carbs. We like veggie spaghetti – stir fry fresh mushrooms and peppers in a little olive oil, add a jar of spaghetti sauce, and serve over spaghetti. Make homemade breadsticks and a salad, and you have a nice meal! We don’t eat much meat, because meat is expensive! Beans are another way to eat cheap, you can get dried beans for not too much and do a lot of different things with them. I buy all groceries at Aldi (discount groceries), farmer’s market, and a few things at Walmart that are cheaper than Aldi. I think the big keys are to stay away from preprocessed stuff, watch prices on stuff – pay attention to how much it is per unit (oz, etc)… it is not always cheaper to buy a bigger size! Also, try to only go to the store once a week! Plan your menu for the week, make a list accordingly, and only buy what you have on your list unless you see a great deal on something you know you will use. That is a big key! It’s easy to overspend when you go into the store 3 times a week! Another thing, don’t go shopping when you are hungry – it’s easy to pick up extra stuff when everything you see looks good! I hope this helps!
References :
my family of 3 gets like 140 a month in food stamps and that lasts us like 10 or 11days
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