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I don't think you're spending a huge amount, but your repertoire is pretty grim. I can't throw too many stones because I don't cook and also ate out or ate PB out of a jar when I was your age, but now that I'm married with a wonderful husband who cooks daily for me, I am horrified by your diet of TV dinners and no vegs. Really, you like NO veggies? Not an ear of corn? Or a couple of carrots to munch on? How about celery to dip in PB? You can make a great Chinese stir fry with a few veggies, season it and serve it over rice, and wow, will it ever taste better than a Hungry Man dinner. Or, as someone else suggested, pasta -- tons of great pasta dishes cost next to nothing and taste much better with correct seasoning. Here's the thing: once you know how to season dishes, and make the initial investment in spices like tarragon and cumin and whatever, you can't go back to the frozen dinners; they're just horrific.
Also, why are you buying a couple of pounds of ground beef a week? Do you make burgers or something? It doesn't seem to go with anything else in your list. Maybe if you added some beans and rice and corn and turned it into chili? That would be great.
I can see the deli meat/cheese/bread and applaud the fact that you seem to brown-bag it for work or school. But unless you insist on buying roast beef, you can almost always get a better deal than $8 on deli meat by buying whatever the deli department's special sale item is (ham/turkey/salami or whatever; usually $3 or 4 a pound. Can't think you'd need more than that in a week; but maybe you take big sandwiches and you're buying two pounds?). Here's a thought - buy a pack of chicken parts next time they're on sale - breasts are almost always way overpriced, but chicken thighs are almost as good -- roast them in the oven, you'll have dinner the first night and fresh chicken sandwiches the rest of the week. You won't spend anywhere close to $8 on that. Just do me a favor and throw something green on the plate.
Now, as to others in your household stealing your leftovers, that's really the problem here if you really want to spend less and eat better (not that the latter point was part of your original question; I grant you that). If you can stock up even a bit when the store has great deals, you can save more $$. But not if someone's gonna scarf it all. That blows it all up.
So great job in thinking about these things, in not going for Mickey D's every day at work -- just try to branch out even a little bit at a time with a new recipe here and there, hoard some staples (in your room if necessary -- LOL), and you can really feel better about what you're spending and what you're eating. Added side benefit: girls ADORE a man who knows how to cook.
The $4-$6 I spend on ground beef is usually only a pound and a half or so, usually 85-90% lean
The $8 I spend on sandwich meat isn't always roast beef, Oscar Mayer sells 1 lb packages of sandwich meat (usually ham or turkey) for $4 a package, and I buy two. I like to have different meats on my sandwiches
I eat at McDonald's maybe once a week, and sometimes if I have a little extra money, I'll buy a sub at the deli in the grocery store I work ($7 for a foot long) but that is not often. When I order those subs, I'll usually order them with some lettuce, pickles, and onions
Is that a reasonable enough budget and amount of food for me, or could I do better?
It starts with an inventory.
An actual paper and ink sheet with EVERYTHING you ordinarily have
or want to have in your pantry, refrigerator and freezer.
Then (like with a spread sheet) extend each of those items to a "par" level...
and then the typical price you pay for each item... and extend that. Tally it up.
Tuna, 6oz cans 6 ea $1.89 per $11.34
The next step is frequency of replacement. How many times per month do you buy a thing.
Half gallons of milk or 2oz bottle of Tabasco sauce... how many times for each item?
Tuna, 6oz cans 6 ea $1.89 per $11.34 4 per month $7.56
See how much what you WANT costs. If it's affordable then maintain that.
Check prices, buy store brands, buy more when an X is on sale...
If it isn't affordable... cut items or cut coupons.
I notice from my own recordkeeping of groceries that fruits and vegtables are my high-cost category (unlike the thread parent I eat a lot of those). Makes me wonder if I can cut back on veggies and eat more processed/frozen stuff and it would be cheaper....
There are some simple ways to cut expenses. Buy washable containers for your sandwiches/lunch. Don't throw away your money on sandwich bags. Or at the very LEAST, buy your sandwich bags at a dollar store. Do you like iced tea? Much better for you than soda, especially if you don't use sugar and learn to drink it plain. Start cooking once a week. Make 2 dishes and portion them up for separate meals. You will eat healthier and for less money. Bake a chicken and make your own chicken salad or just eat it baked. How hard is it to set the timer on 350 for an hour? UMMM, just make sure you remove the neck and the little bag with the liver, etc, before you put it in the oven. When it gets cold, debone it and package.
For the long term, do yourself a favor and at least take a multivitamin every day. Put them next to your toothbrush so you will remember. And it will never hurt you to learn to cook simple meals you like. It doesn't have to be too time consuming. That chicken will bake just fine while you study, watch TV, or do your laundry.
^
yes, and I get the frequency of replacement aspect, too. Thats a key thing with my shopping, so I buy "just enough"...and some things cycle through faster than others....
^
yes, and I get the frequency of replacement aspect, too.
Thats a key thing with my shopping, so I buy "just enough"...
and some things cycle through faster than others....
But if it won't spoil and you're sure to still want it later (like the canned tuna)...
buy more when you can get it for less.
Some things you HAVE to buy fresh...
but really not that much side from veggies, meats and dairy.
---
The first tally is the thing to focus on.
You might be surprised to learn how much money some will have sitting there on a shelf.
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