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Old 02-18-2017, 05:31 PM
 
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Let's say you could only spend $10 on food for the entire week, what would you get?
You are only feeding yourself and have spices, condiments, oil, sweeteners, coffee, tea, water and dry baking ingredients on hand.
What's your shopping list? You can use the lowest price you've previously bought/seen the items
I would get
5 lbs potatoes $1.29
8 oz chive cream cheese 1.50
Pint of milk .59
Flour tortillas .99
Pinto beans 1.00
Lettuce or salad mix 1.00
Dry pasta .59
Canned tomatoes .33
Lentils .69
Rice .79
onion .33
Celery/carrots .50
Total $9.60
If I could find a lower price or coupons and free up a little more I'd add
1/2 dozen eggs

Pretty carb heavy. I guess if I was at the store at the right time, I'd swap some of the pasta/rice for the marked down vegetables and make a soup for a few days worth of food.
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Old 02-18-2017, 05:50 PM
 
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Or you could sit down and develop a reasonable budget for a healthy diet and live buy that.
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Old 02-18-2017, 06:15 PM
 
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Eggs,bread,peanut butter, cheese.

Scrambled eggs
Grilled cheese
Peanut butter sandwiches
Toast
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Old 02-18-2017, 06:16 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jlawrence01 View Post
Or you could sit down and develop a reasonable budget for a healthy diet and live buy that.
Chill out, it's just for fun. I can't eat like that long term. Party pooper.
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Old 02-18-2017, 06:19 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ccc123 View Post
Eggs,bread,peanut butter, cheese.
I would probably make bread from the pantry items but I'd have to get some eggs. Now that I'm thinking about it, I could probably get rid of the starches except potatoes and get some bone in chicken breast, vegetables and make better use of the pantry goods.
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Old 02-18-2017, 06:34 PM
 
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This could be a fun game,

but I'd include SOME MEAT, like on sale chicken, lean ground beef or something, you need some protein as well as carbs.

I'll have to check the sales paper tomorrow and get back to you.

ANd a homemade soup is good, but I don't want to eat soup all week, every week.

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Old 02-18-2017, 06:59 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by galaxyhi View Post
This could be a fun game,

but I'd include SOME MEAT, like on sale chicken, lean ground beef or something, you need some protein as well as carbs.

I'll have to check the sales paper tomorrow and get back to you.

ANd a homemade soup is good, but I don't want to eat soup all week, every week.

Yeah, I think bone in chicken would be good cuz you can get a few meals from the meat and use the bones for a broth and use it for soup or a sauce base.
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Old 02-18-2017, 07:18 PM
 
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I wanted to add that you can't use any free items except the listed. This includes your garden, any food bearing trees, hunting, things given to you, coffee creamer swiped from the gas station, etc
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Old 02-18-2017, 07:25 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hellob View Post
Yeah, I think bone in chicken would be good cuz you can get a few meals from the meat and use the bones for a broth and use it for soup or a sauce base.
Exactly what I was thinking/meant/and do.

One can roast a chicken for one or two meals, then debone it, boil the bones, wingtips, gibblets, and neck for broth for a soup; and boil the veggie discards separately for another {vegetable} broth for later use; and make chicken/veggie soup. The leftover veggies from the broth don't have much left, but could still be added to a compost heap. If there is still left over soup, one can thicken it with flour or corn starch for a chicken/vegetable stew.

Growing some herbs- even in a pot on the windowsill- can add an abundance of flavor!

3 types of meals out of one chicken and a few veggies!

I do the same with a chuck roast {or any marked down beef piece}. If you get it with a bone in, you can make a soup/stew base by boiling it {OR; use the veggie broth as noted above for a boneless piece}, then dice any left over roast and make a soup with veggies,and later a stew if any is left over.

Alternate the two and you have a week's worth of meals with just a chicken, a small roast and some veggies {a bag of onions, cellery, carrots go a long way}.

with veggies, Healthy. Cheap too!

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Old 02-18-2017, 09:20 PM
 
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Those prices vary greatly in different areas of the country. Also, people do have dietary requirements that can be unique.

You listed oil and spices, sweeteners, dry baking ingredients, and some more.

That means with a dozen eggs and some milk you can have bread, flour tortillas, cookies, cake, biscuits, sub rolls, pizza dough, dumplings, pasta. You can make mayonnaise. Milk is easily made into cottage cheese or yogurt.

I agree that chicken is likely the least expensive meat with the most flexibility.

Onion, celery and carrot are the basis of many dishes.

Eight bucks tops without even breaking a sweat.
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