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what can I say, I like eggs and I don't like to pay a lot for them.
I understand. I used to buy the cheapest eggs possible. I LOVE eggs, so much that I'll pay 30-40 cents per egg for pasture-raised. It's worth it if you don't want to support torture. The eggs do taste better, too.
But, If I needed to keep my grocery budget down to $35/week I probably just wouldn't buy eggs very often.
I don't know how much of this to buy, and am limited in what I can eat due to allergies. i.e. no pastas, breads, etc.
What other tips do you have? Any sneaky ways to save money in the grocery stores, without arguing over vegan vs. non-vegan options? Thank you.
I have one word for you: HUMMUS
it's so cheap and easy to make at home and OH so satisfying.
tahini (which is a paste made from ground sesame seeds) is a little expensive,
but you only need a few tablespoons to make hummus--with a can of chickpeas, lemon juice, a clove of garlic, and salt.
or you could use olive oil instead of tahini. it's much better with tahini, tho.
i even made it with just lemon juice, garlic, and salt before. the zero-fat version.
a can of chickpeas is about 75 cents,
or you could cook your own (they have to soak overnight).
Last edited by AguaDulce; 02-28-2014 at 02:30 PM..
ANDI score is a nutrient/calorie grading system. So, basically you don't want to rely upon it that much. The foods at the top of the list are all going to be very good for you but pack almost no calories. For example, if you wanted to get 1,200 calories a day from Swiss Chard, you'd need to gnosh through 14 pounds of the stuff. You can't do that on $5/day. Lentils on the other hand are calorie dense, roughly 7x as dense. So a pound of lentils has roughly 2/3 the nutrient value as a pound of swiss chard, has 7x the calories, and costs about a third as much. They're actually very nutrient loaded but have a relatively low ANDI score since they're so calorie dense.
On the other hand, it's great for other things. Like sweet potatoes or regular potatoes. Both are calorie dense, but sweet potatoes have way more nutrient value.
anyone interested in cheap, highly nutritious food should look into organ meat. Liver in particular is perhaps the most nutritious thing you can eat, nature's multi-vitamin. To top it all it is dirt cheap, much cheaper than muscle meat.
List can go on and on, and when you consider these items, keeping your 'food' bill at $35/wk is next to impossible.
If things are that tight, consider the following
Laundry: a must, no way around that, but you could check out the possibility of making your own IF it is cost-effective; replace fabric softener with 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar in your rinse water (buy it by the gallon at Target/Walmart); hang your synthetic clothes to dry rather than putting them in the dryer to reduce static.
Cleaning: vinegar, baking soda, & dish soap are pretty much all that's necessary to do basic daily cleaning.
Paper: toilet paper is a must (use coupons, look for sales); replace paper towels with rags; use toilet paper to blow your nose; replace your paper napkin with a kitchen towel you already own.
Garbage bags: re-use plastic grocery sacks rather than buying trash bags, otherwise put it directly in the can; set aside empty non-recyclable chip bags or liner bags from packaged foods (like cereal boxes) to contain small amounts of messy garbage.
Health & beauty: stick with the absolute basics, shampoo and soap.
Laundry: a must, no way around that, but you could check out the possibility of making your own IF it is cost-effective; replace fabric softener with 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar in your rinse water (buy it by the gallon at Target/Walmart); hang your synthetic clothes to dry rather than putting them in the dryer to reduce static.
Cleaning: vinegar, baking soda, & dish soap are pretty much all that's necessary to do basic daily cleaning.
Paper: toilet paper is a must (use coupons, look for sales); replace paper towels with rags; use toilet paper to blow your nose; replace your paper napkin with a kitchen towel you already own.
Garbage bags: re-use plastic grocery sacks rather than buying trash bags, otherwise put it directly in the can; set aside empty non-recyclable chip bags or liner bags from packaged foods (like cereal boxes) to contain small amounts of messy garbage.
Health & beauty: stick with the absolute basics, shampoo and soap.
Just remember to include these costs in your weekly grocery budget.
Just remember to include these costs in your weekly grocery budget.
It depends on how you've defined your budget categories. My grocery budget does not include household cleaners, toilet paper, laundry soap/detergent, or health & beauty products. Although others may include these items, the OP specifically asked about food, so that's how I originally approached her question.
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