Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I am soon joining the ranks of the unemployed. I worked for my current company for over 6 years and they have eliminated my position. I am frantically looking for another job internally, but have gotten no calls back. It's a mess there. I won't miss the company, but I will miss the paycheck and benefits.
However, I am a saver and have been all my life. I am prepared for job loss. Aside from my mortgage and living expenses, I have no other debt. I purchased my car with cash last year.
I've trimmed back pretty well over the last few years (no cable TV or satellite as an example), but now I am now looking at ways to eat more frugally and spend less on the grocery part of the equation. It's just me I have to worry about. I live in a suburb, do not have a garden (or land suitable to grow my own food). Therefore I need to continue to use the grocery store and farmer's markets.
In my budget I am allotting $150 per month to eating out, specifically for job hunting or networking purposes. Like meeting a network contact for lunch and treating them, if necessary. That's the maximum, and I expect to spend less each month for that.
I was spending $250+ per month on just grocery items for myself and I want to bring that down to no more than $200 a month (and less if possible). With some of you frugal folks and your great ideas I should be able to accomplish this.
No, I don't use coupons because most of the items are for packaged foodstuffs and high sugar items. I try not to eat those things. Also, I don't subscribe to the newspaper so I don't get the coupon section. But maybe I should? I will never be one of those who buys boxes of macaroni & cheese and other high carb items because I cannot eat high carb things (due to diabetes).
So I guess I need frugal eating for someone who wants to eat as healthy as possible, aiming for a fairly high % of protein, while enjoying the occasional snack or dessert, on a budget. I will cook to be more frugal, and I can follow a recipe, if it's not too complicated.
Last edited by lottamoxie; 07-24-2011 at 12:35 PM..
I'm sorry you are losing your job, but glad you have prepared.
One thing that we have is mashed potatoes and carrots, you boil them together, mash them and put them in a casserole dish and bake, until the top gets a little cruchie. You can also add bits of cheese or left over veggies or anything else you can find in the frig. We like it because it's fast, can be made ahead, the main items comes out of the garden, and it's a good way to use that last spoon of green beans that would other wise go to the hogs.
Shop the sales - when something is on sale, buy a bunch and store it - canned goods, frozen meat, etc.
Is there a 'Dent 'n Sell' grocery store in your area? Sometimes called a Grocery Outlet store. Great place to get canned green beans and frozen broccoli, sugar-free jello, sometimes cheese, sometimes meat, sometimes fresh produce. Have to know your prices though. 99% of the stuff I got wasn't even dented - but the labels were in French, LOL. Came from Canada when they couldn't sell it!
Also look into a local church or group selling a box of food once a month - they usually have an all-meat box for $20 to $25 that can last a single low-carber a long time. (Something like Angel Food Ministries, I never used them, but I have used local churches - the unemployment office had a flyer with a list of them in my area)
Farmer's Markets are too expensive for me while on unemployment. So were eating out for lunches for contacts. Stick with coffee at a Denny's.
And years later (employed), I still shop at the Grocery Outlet
I would buy a turkey every month and roast it. Take all the meat off the bones and portion and freeze. Make a good soup with the carcass. Again, portion and freeze. Use whatever veggies you want in the soup. Turkey is high quality protein and no carbs. I also shop for turkey ham and if I can find it for a reasonable price I buy that too. It used to be really cheap until people caught on that it's quite good. Pork butt is another cheap source of protein. Cook it in the crockpot till it is falling off the bone. Then drain it and scrape off any remaining fat. Shred it with 2 forks, season, portion, and freeze. You can probably eat beans once in a while, do those in the crockpot too. Don't add salt till the beans are done.
Dreamfields makes a really good low carb pasta. Most low carb breads are very expensive and don't taste great. I do breadless sandwiches on lettuce or cabbage leaves.
Look for Hispanic/Asian grocery stores. Many times their prices are better and they have more choices than other stores. Learn how to use spices. A pot of beans or soup can be a delight or a punishment depending on how it's seasoned.
I was spending $250+ per month on just grocery items for myself and I want to bring that down to no more than $200 a month (and less if possible). With some of you frugal folks and your great ideas I should be able to accomplish this.
So I guess I need frugal eating for someone who wants to eat as healthy as possible, aiming for a fairly high % of protein, while enjoying the occasional snack or dessert, on a budget.
Our grocery budget (including cleaning supplies, household paper goods, batteries, light bulbs, etc.) is $200 for the two of us. Most of the times we spend less than that, and we eat in 99.99% of the time.
My wife does not have any true recipes that I know of, but she is very good at creating healthy meals out of little scraps, odds and ends.
She often opens a package of Ramen (minus the spice packet because it contains too much sodium), cuts up some green onions, adds bits of vegetables and tomatoes, grates some ginger and lemon rinds, dribbles some sesame oil, and stirs in some fresh herbs (from the pots -- we don't have ground to grow anything.) The result is a large plate of noodle vegetable (for the lack of proper name) that would last us two days.
She makes pesto twice a year and freezes them individually in Dixie cups. An investment of $52 (yes, I added up the cost) in supplies would give us 3/4 gallons of pesto, which translates to hundreds of meals in all shapes and forms. You could easily spend half of the cost for the same amount of pesto -- my wife would cut corner on many things, but she refuses to substitute or use lesser quality ingredients for pesto.
We like quinoa, which is very high in complete protein (nine essential amino acids) plus iron and magnesium. Quinoa costs a little bit more than other grains, but its filling capacity is much greater so a smaller serving goes a long way. I understand quinoa is high in carb count but with lower net carb or digestible carb.
For a few slices of bread, she makes a large plate of bruschetta with grilled vegetables or just tomatoes and basil.
We eat Vietnamese food, Thai food, American (southern, but not deep-fried) food, but above all, Italian food. She cooks our pasta dishes the way all Italians cook in their homes: quick and simple. Sage and butter. Garlic, olive oil, and chili pepper. Garlic, tomatoes and basil. Garlic, olive oil, and grated parmesan. Sausage, when we use it, is not the main ingredient. You may not want to have too much pasta, but the general idea is a good dish is not made of many ingredients.
When we buy meat and fish from Costco, she divides them to the exact two-or-three-meals portions, so she only needs to cook a few times each week, and we also know where our grocery budget stands at any given time.
Last edited by Ol' Wanderer; 07-24-2011 at 03:49 PM..
Fresh vegetables are great for flavor and texture but honestly I think frozen are probably just as good nutrition wise. By the time fresh are picked and travel to you and unpacked and displayed they have been losing nutrition. They probably get frozen faster helping to keep the nutrition.
My point being...don't shy away from frozen vegetables vs. fresh. Dame for frozen fruit for smoothies especially if you can buy the frozen fruit on sale.
I am soon joining the ranks of the unemployed. I worked for my current company for over 6 years and they have eliminated my position. I am frantically looking for another job internally, but have gotten no calls back. It's a mess there. I won't miss the company, but I will miss the paycheck and benefits.
However, I am a saver and have been all my life. I am prepared for job loss. Aside from my mortgage and living expenses, I have no other debt. I purchased my car with cash last year.
I've trimmed back pretty well over the last few years (no cable TV or satellite as an example), but now I am now looking at ways to eat more frugally and spend less on the grocery part of the equation. It's just me I have to worry about. I live in a suburb, do not have a garden (or land suitable to grow my own food). Therefore I need to continue to use the grocery store and farmer's markets.
In my budget I am allotting $150 per month to eating out, specifically for job hunting or networking purposes. Like meeting a network contact for lunch and treating them, if necessary. That's the maximum, and I expect to spend less each month for that.
I was spending $250+ per month on just grocery items for myself and I want to bring that down to no more than $200 a month (and less if possible). With some of you frugal folks and your great ideas I should be able to accomplish this.
No, I don't use coupons because most of the items are for packaged foodstuffs and high sugar items. I try not to eat those things. Also, I don't subscribe to the newspaper so I don't get the coupon section. But maybe I should? I will never be one of those who buys boxes of macaroni & cheese and other high carb items because I cannot eat high carb things (due to diabetes).
So I guess I need frugal eating for someone who wants to eat as healthy as possible, aiming for a fairly high % of protein, while enjoying the occasional snack or dessert, on a budget. I will cook to be more frugal, and I can follow a recipe, if it's not too complicated.
I cook like this for one family member. Go for complex carbs. Look them up by glycemic index (not hard to find). Beans work; I think soy, lentil and kidney are the lowest on the index. Then, add in a small amount of meat. Lentil soup is good, so is chili and edamame (soybeans) are cooked and can be eaten even to just snack on.Go for the first 2 dry and soak overnight and the 3rd frozen.
And you can purchase them, I think -- separate from the newspaper...
So you can see what you're missing -- and if they will make a difference for you. I know a lot of people that really "clean up" on personal products and cleaning supplies and the food sort of comes in free that way.... and any little bit helps.
Lottamoxie, you got some great tips here. I feed two people on about $300 a month with an emphasis on healthy dining, so $200 for one is do-able. I get the grocery ads from my four favorite, close-by stores (one is a farm market, others are supers). I mark the good buys that are things I actually need/will use (milk, eggs, salad stuff, fruit, canned goods, frozen entrees are always on sale at one or another of these stores). Then I get a blank sheet of paper, fold it in quarters, and make four grocery lists. I attach my coupons, put the list in my purse, and whenever I am passing by one of my four stores I pop in and get JUST WHAT IS ON MY LIST. It sounds time consuming, but I'm in and out quickly -- no strolling the aisles buying willy-nilly. That's what kills a budget AND time. I'm the same at Costco. I stick to my list.
I save a lot by cutting out desserts. I keep sugar-free pudding and frozen topping on hand and if I get a sweet tooth I eat that. I buy pretzel sticks and animal crackers for snack attacks. Always keep something on hand, but limit the possibilities. Then you can't tell yourself you have to go out and get "a treat." But you'll get bored with what's on hand and so you'll only eat it if it's really a crisis.
Soup is great for budgets and it can be super-healthy. I always keep Costco chicken broth in the pantry. I make chicken with brown rice and kale, beef with vegetables, and white bean chili regularly. Costco has a recipe on the package their frozen tortellini comes in that is super easy. I try other recipes based on what's on-hand. On the Cooking Channel Website you can search recipes by listing ingredients. Soup also freezes well and a big container of it makes a great, inexpensive gift for people you want to treat -- everybody likes soup.
A slow-cooker is also the budget eater's friend. Make a big batch of something, eat it once, and freeze the rest individual portions. You won't get sick of something that way and you'll always have stuff on hand for quick microwaving.
I also make a big batch of meatballs regularly and freeze. They can be eaten in sandwiches or put in soup as well as with pasta. I second Yellowsnow's tip about Dreamfields pasta. It tastes GREAT (not like whole wheat pasta) and is low-glycemic. Just be careful not to overcook it -- it cooks faster than regular pasta. I get mine at a Kroger-owned store.
Things I keep on hand that I find are usually priced best at Costco: Cheerios, juice, cheeses (feta and Parmigiano-Reggiano -- don't worry about the big container, they keep forever), turkey breast, rotisserie chicken, frozen tortellini, good bread. Their steak flautas freeze well and can be put in the toaster oven with a little cheese on top and served with bottled salsa. Quick and tasty. When I bring home my rotisserie chicken I clean it immediately and package the nice breast pieces and the little chunks separately. Then I just pull what I need out of the fridge for multiple meals -- little chunks can go in soup, a crock-pot dish, or quesadillas, big pieces go on salad or in sandwiches.
All the best to you in your job search. You're doing everything right -- I hope it gives you good karma. Good luck with your health, too. Keep us posted about how things are going for you.
Last edited by Jukesgrrl; 07-24-2011 at 04:55 PM..
Reason: grammar
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
.
