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A bag of beans
A bag of rice
A box of oatmeal
A bag of popcorn
2 cans of tuna fish
A container of cooking oil
A container of milk
A shaker of Mrs. Dash
A little container of herbs/spices; buy a different one each week so you'll have a variety on hand
Plenty left over for the cheapest fresh veggies and fruits in season that week
The fact that the kid said he went to Taco Bell is the problem - when you're poor it's so much cheaper not to go near any kind of restaurant (unless it's to lift some packets of ketsup/mustard/relish to take home).
there are bread thrift stores that sell bread cheap!!
as many have said, buy chicken thighs or drumsticks at or below .99lb
buy cheap potatos, buy reduced veggies
buy the thrift store bread and make a lot - French toast,,buy eggs on sale they are cheap
look for coupons, and exploit them!!
go in the grocery stores in the morning,,,see what is reduced in each department
some stores sell dented canned veggies for .25 each
pasta is very cheap-look for pasta on the front page of the grocery store flyers ...for loss leaders
as one poster said.... start exercising a lot,,,drink lots of free water, be a minimalist, cut out all un necessary sweets , not just because you are poor, but because you are getting into shape- less of a chance on binging on a whole pie, or cake in a weak moment
i've seen some decent suggestions here, providing a person knows how to cook or is even willing to prepare simple items. I think some cannot or will not do this. I have been grateful I am able to cook, not so elaborately, but a person can survive, if able to prepare with an oven, toaster oven and microwave.
I know it is difficult, but half of it is knowing what to do. I spend a bit more weekly, but includes household, personal and pet needs, but is still not easy. I get some items at a market, others at Trader Joe's and some things at the 99c store. As mentioned, items like bread, tortillas, vegetables, fruit, beans, rice, some canned or frozen items, eggs, milk, juice, pasta, sauces, dressing, peanut butter, cheese, etc. Once there exists staples, condiments and spices, one can begin having some things available, since we don't necessarily buy the same things each week.
I buy Chicken breasts and ground Turkey, then divide it up into freezer bags. I'll make a burger or bake chicken and cut up the chicken for salad or sandwiches, or have mashed potatoes, stuffing, vegetables and always leftovers. Also, Egg or Tuna salad, which I put celery, onion and black olives in. I'll prepare Macaroni Salad or potato salad with vegetables, which is satisfying and is there as I want it. I'll make scrambled eggs with onions and bell pepper and have 1/2 a bagel with jam. Another is toast with peanut butter and banana. Green salads, homemade soup, chili, Lasagna, spaghetti. A Stir-fry with Bell pepper, onion, water chestnuts, pineapple - then put it over those crunchy noodles and rice. I can see that it could be tough for men, since they can eat larger portions and may want items like steak.
These are just some suggestions. I realize we sometimes want a little snack, too. My complaint is, I can get tired of just having to BE in the kitchen, doing dishes and cleaning up, then chopping and preparing - again. I will think..."OH, I have to go out there and come up with something.. " or it can be so boring to bother with and I will just have a banana.. some crackers.. lol.
These food prices are depressing. I need to move. A similar grocery stop for me last Friday was $40. Two loaves of bread, some fruit, some fresh veggies and milk. All of which will need be be replaced by Wednesday or Tuesday.
Pork roast 2-3lbs @ $6.00 (or whatever beef, chicken cut is on sale and under $2 per lb)
BBQ Sauce 1.00
Bread 1.00
Margarine (oh no, I'm one of those) 1.00
Eggs (18 count) 2.50
Potatoes (5-10lbs) 2.00
Carrots (2lb bag) 1.00
Bananas (2lbs- lots of bananas) 1.25
Seasonal fruit (pears are on sale for 19c per lb) 3lbs, rounded to - 1.00
Canned refried beans or whole beans x2@ 1.50
Tortillas 1.50
Milk 1.75
Oatmeal 1.50
Mayo 1.25
Meals:
Breakfast:
Oatmeal with seasonal fruit
Eggs and a slice of meat with some fried potatos
Or a banana
Dinner
Roast with potatoes and carrots
Steak (slicing off a bit of roast before cooking) with baked potato
Use leftover roast in BBQ pulled pork sandwiches
Snacks:
Carrots
Pears
Bananas
Hard boiled eggs and toast
There's nothing green in there. Sub some frozen peas or frozen spinach for the mayo (you wouldn't be using the whole bottle every week. Beans are $1 a can usually, and the lowest I've ever seen fresh fruit is $1 a pound, not 19 cents a pound. That price for oatmeal is high for seven breakfasts. Would five pounds of potatoes really last all week for breakfast lunch and dinner?
Loaf of bread: $1.25
Package of cold cuts: $2.50
Mayo/condiments: $2.50
Cheese slices: $3
Gallon of milk: $3
Cereal: $4
Potato chips/snack food (indiv. serv sizes) :$5
Total cost: $21.25
That's not a week's worth of food though.
1 loaf of bread has approximately 10 slices. That's 5 days eating 1 sandwich per day.
1 package of cold cuts at $2.50/package is probably around 1/4 pound total. That's enough for 2 sandwiches as long as you include two pieces of cheese instead of one piece on each sandwich. The rest of the 5 days-worth of bread you'd be able to eat toasted cheese sandwiches, with no meat.
I don't know where you're going to find mayo AND "condiments" for only $2.50 combined.
Basically you have enough food in your list to last 5 days of breakfasts and 5 days of lunches, with nothing for dinner and nothing to eat at all 2 days of the week.
That's also mostly starch, hardly any protein at all, and lots and lots of salt. If you ate like that you'd probably be very sick after a couple of months.
There's nothing green in there. Sub some frozen peas or frozen spinach for the mayo (you wouldn't be using the whole bottle every week. Beans are $1 a can usually, and the lowest I've ever seen fresh fruit is $1 a pound, not 19 cents a pound. That price for oatmeal is high for seven breakfasts. Would five pounds of potatoes really last all week for breakfast lunch and dinner?
OP asked what each of us would buy, feel free to make your own menu. To address your other points:
- Oatmeal is for a giant tub, more than one week.
- I buy canned beans every week (vegetarian in the family), they are 48-68 cents each
- I'm not assuming there is a stockpile of staples, this is right outta the gate which is why mayo was added, it's good for egg salad sandwiches which is something I enjoy
- sorry you haven't seen fresh fruit so cheap, I buy in season and 19c is what I saw yesterday.
- plenty of potatos for one person and portion control with a 5-10 lb bag of potatos. Not saying it has to be every meal. Personally I wouldn't bother fixing potatoes for breakfast, unless it was a weekend.
Maybe next week I would buy something green...if I could afford it. Since I wouldn't have to buy mayo, but once every three months, I probably could. With a limited budget, sometimes it sucks, but you gotta choose.
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