Hi everyone ! My name is Jay and I moved to Jacksonville a few months ago with my mother to help take care of my grandfather who is sick with Lewy Body Dementia . I’ve been struggling with finding a job and finding low priced meals. I’m just wondering if anyone has recommendations on cheaper grocery stores /Cheaper food in general. Anything is truly appreciated.

Maybe this doesnt belong here. Before i discuss the horrible tasting food... My budget food has pretty much been pizza from the grocery store. Maybe some pistachios here and there; some juice. I try to get some apples too because it fills me up. Heres how i know this is a problem. Ive lost 20 pounds in the last couple of months. Ive been rationing these "meals" for it to last me until my next paycheck. This is because i live alone and pocket at least $700 for myself (not including groceries) every month. Rent is $1300. Anyways.

I dont know if maybe its all the food recalls in the news thats changing the way im eating, but everything has been tasting horrible. A lot of things have been tasting grossly sour to me.

Im an engineer (not trying to be a gloater) but i like to at least "how and why" the possible issues at hand before jumping to conclusions:

1. I stopped lexapro suddenly a couple months ago... yes cold turkey. I had my entire mouth, including tongue, go completely numb a week after. I was thinking maybe it was withdrawls.

2. The food contamination crisis is literally making food taste bad?

3. The subconscious mindset of my food being contaminated making it taste bad

4. Maybe its my grocery stores fault

The list could go on and on, but I honestly just want to see if anyone else has maybe experienced this from withdrawals on an ssri or just if food has consistently tasted "off" the past couple of months.

Please dont assume im trying to rouse some conspiracy, for the love of god. Im looking for a discussion here.

...budgetarian.

🤷

Medical bills are piling up. Second child was born and was over six times more expensive even though it was a difference of two years and no change in our medical insurance. Just got another bill over $1000 from last year apparently. The maximum I can spend on dinners (two adults and a toddler) is $150 over the course of 15 days. Preferably I would like to spend less than that but like I said that is the absolute max. I'm looking for recipes that are cheap and easy enough to make (hard to cook while working and taking care of the kids, though cheap is what I'm looking for so I can put in extra work if needed). What are some tried and true recipes you use for your family? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

We have no dietary restrictions per say, but no canned tuna and preferably no beans though don't let that stop you from giving a recipe. We like to eat meat but are willing to just go with vegetables if need be. Right now I do breakfast casserole which has only a few ingredients (breakfast sausage, eggs, cheddar cheese, bread, ground mustard, and milk), various types of hamburger helper though we use ground turkey to save money, spaghetti with ground turkey meat sauce, and pad thai. I also throw frozen broccoli on a pan with olive oil and salt and bake it for a bit and it turns out good. We have an oven, microwave, blender, instant pot, rice cooker, and crockpot. I also look on budgetbytes website for cheap meals but wanted to turn to this subreddit to interact with people who can help directly. Again, I appreciate any suggestions you can give. We plan to meal prep on weekends to make it easier on us so dishes easy to cook in batches and freeze for later would work as well. Thank you in advance!

Walmart sometimes has older bakery bread on a discount, so I cut it into sandwich slices and freeze it. A loaf lasts me much longer since I'm not rushing to eat it before it goes bad, microwaving it for a few seconds thaws it and make it taste and feel just as fresh, and I feel like I'm always treating myself with "artisanal" bread!

I do this with all the bread I buy and it helps me have more variety in my meals and I'm not wasting as much food since I'm living by myself.

Every ingredient shows up in at least three meals, so nothing rots in a fridge. Nothing is assigned to a day, be creative and make whatever, whenever.

THIS WEEK $50 about $2.65 a meal

Rough prices from Walmart/Aldi, your store will differ a little.

PRODUCE

Mushrooms 24 oz - $4.00

Tomatoes 1.3 lb - $2.00

Salad greens 7 oz - $2.50

Cucumber 1 - $0.80

Avocados 3 - $2.50

Lemons 2 - $1.20

Bananas 6 - $1.30

MEAT

Chicken breast 2.6 lb - $7.80

DAIRY & CHILLED

Eggs 18 - $4.25

Heavy cream 1 qt - $6.00

Cheddar 1 lb - $5.00

Greek yogurt 32 oz - $4.50

Puff pastry 1 box (2 sheets) - $6.00

BAKERY

Bread 1 loaf - $2.50

THE ONE-TIME PANTRY (~$44, lasts about two months)

Rice 2 lb, pasta 2 lb, olive oil 17 oz, wine vinegar, onions 3 lb, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, dried herbs, butter 1 lb, frozen peas 2 lb, chickpeas 2 cans, honey, walnuts 8 oz

COOK ONCE chicken & mushroom pie (30 min, 4 portions, keeps 4 days in the fridge)

1. Fry the chicken with the onion until cooked through, 6–8 min.

2. Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their water, 5 min.

3. Pour in the cream, reduce until thick. Season well, then let it cool.

4. Line the dish with pastry, add the filling, scatter the cheese, cover with a second sheet.

5. Bake at 400°F for ~25 min until golden.

EVERYTHING ELSE IS ASSEMBLY

BREAKFASTS

Yogurt with honey, walnuts and banana × 4

Fried eggs with tomatoes × 3

HOT PLATES

Chicken with rice, avocado and cucumber

Creamy chicken and mushroom pasta with cheddar

Omelette with cream and cheese

Egg fried rice with mushrooms, peas and soy

COLD PLATES

Chicken with salad, tomatoes, chickpeas and lemon

Smashed avocado and chickpeas on toast (fried egg optional)

Salad with tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas, lemon and olive oil

Cheese and tomato on toast

If you don't eat meat, dairy or eggs, say so in the comments and I'll put together a version for you

Food Cost~

Costco white eggs- $4/24servings= $0.17 each
Aldi Bacon————- $4.50/16servings= $0.29 each
1 Medium Banana— $0.46lb= $0.15 per banana

Breakfast:

2 eggs= $0.34
3 Bacon= $0.87
1 sliced Banana= $0.15
Cost 🟰 $1.36

Total cost with ketchup=

$1.40

Nutrition:

Calories= 345
Fat= 19grams
Carbs= 27grams
Fiber= 3grams
Sugar=15grams
Protein= 23grams

-Cook bacon on low to medium low heat in medium nonstick pan
- Drain excess grease after cooking bacon and scramble eggs in same pan and leftover bacon grease.
- Slice banana and place in small bowl to keep seperate from heat of plate.

This holds me over and keeps me going from about 6am till my 9am snack.

Wanting to try some indian foods, just tried some chicken tikka masala from a gas station near me and it was amazing and I want more. Would love it if someone could also recommend a really good curry recipie and maybe some other spicy foods for someone that can handle a decent amount of spice.

That's how much the otter pops cost here. $4 for 80 of them. I can't find candy or anything else cheaper. Am looking for a small sweet treat to give to people in the winter.

Tips for super cheap home made sweets welcome. Especially if it's not just water and hfcs like the otter pops are. please remember packaging as part of the cost, though. Ziplock type bags eat away that cost. But if you know of a super cheap cookie recipe and I can just hand those out w/ a quarter of a paper towel, that might work.

quick edit: It has to be friendly to people with no/damaged teeth. So, things that are not hard to chew. It's for adults, most of whom have been through trauma and hardcore poverty.

I make lunches for my three kids (2 tweens and a 9yr old) and my wife every day. Bread has gotten so expensive, so sandwiches have become a luxury! I make homemade bread, but I can't keep up with demand, so some store-bought loaves are necessary. Sometimes I do wraps since tortillas are cheaper, but the feedback is that they tend to fall apart.

I would love ideas for filling, non-sandwich lunches where I can give them all the same thing. My family isn't particularly picky, and I'm a very proficient cook.

Thanks in advance!

ETA I'm in one of the nation's highest COL areas, in case some people are like "why is bread expensive??"

Equipment
* Range
* pot large enough to cook beans
* bowl to soak beans in (can use the pot you will use to cook the beans)
* stick blender or potato masher

Ingredients
* dried beans of your choice, though pinto or borlotti beans probably best choices (used borlotti beans). Used 1.4 lbs so not all beans went into recipe
* salt
* water to cover beans for soak and for cooking
* med onion, diced
* clove or 2 of minced garlic
* oil for sautéing (used bacon fat)
* cayenne pepper to taste

Instructions
* soak beans in bowl covered by 2” water for 8 hours - add a tsp salt to soaking water
* drain beans, rinse and place in the cooking pot
* fill with water to cover at least 2” water
* bring to a boil and vigorously boil for 10 min
* reduce heat and simmer in covered pot for 35 min
* check beans for doneness. If not cooked through, simmer for 15 min more and recheck. Add more time and water if needed.
* once done, drain beans but reserve the cooking water
* using same pot, add fat of choice and put on medium heat.
* add diced onions and sauté until translucent. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant
* add beans to pot. If you made a lot of beans, add what you want and reserve the rest for future use (making minestrone soup for the other half I saved)
* add cooking liquid back into pot to barely cover or partially cover cooked beans.
* add some cayenne (1/4 to 1/2 tsp), salt and any other spices you want (optional)
* cook on medium a few minutes until softened a bit further.
* use stick blender or masher to get desired consistency. I like some solid beans left in mixture
* turn down heat and cook down to preferred texture.

Rotisserie chicken from Costco but everything else is from Aldi.
Servings
Per
Food: Cost: container. Serving cost
Strawberries- $1.50. (4) 110grams- $0.40
Cheese- $1.50 (8) 1slice- $0.19
Sourdough- $3.50. (15) 1slice- $0.24
Spinach- $2.25 (8) 50grams- $0.28
Cucumber- . $0.88 (10) 20grams- $0.09
Italian dres.- $1.50. (25) 1/2 serving-$0.06
Costco Chicken- $5 (14) 3oz- $0.36
ADD $0.08 for olive oil*
Meal 🟰 $1.50

Thai-Inspired Chicken & Quinoa Crunch Salad

For the salad

1 large English cucumber, thinly sliced ½ head red cabbage, thinly sliced 1 large carrot, shredded 2–3 green onions, thinly sliced 1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped 1 cup mint, roughly chopped 1/2 cup cooked quinoa 1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded Chicken broth, optional, for cooking the quinoa and chicken For the peanut-lime dressing

3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter ¼ cup coconut aminos 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (or honey) 1 teaspoon chili crunch, plus more to taste 2–3 garlic cloves, minced Juice of 2 limes Pinch of salt

Might have left in the oven too long because it lost the crunch but still delicious. I found out the smaller ones were the hot and big ones were mild.

Ingredients
* one leftover chicken thigh - cut into fine cubes
* tortillas - your choice but we used taco sized (8” dia?)
* shredded cheese from the block - we used Colby jack
* spice mix: 1 TBS chili powder, 1 TSP cumin and salt to taste

Equipment: range top and skillet/pan large enough for making quesadillas

Instructions
* preheat pan and use cooking spray to avoid sticking
* when pan is hot, place tortilla on pan
* put cheese on one side, then chicken pieces and sprinkle seasoning with fingers
* fold empty side over onto filled side
* press down and “fry” for a minute, flip and one more minute (or as long to your preference)
* serve how you like them (salsa, sour cream, guacamole, etc)

I am pescatarian and have been awful at budgeting for pretty much my whole adult existence.

I'm going to be in a situation that is going to require me to not spend more than 80 dollars a week on groceries for myself.

Some low budget meals I've been thinking of are eggs, top ramen with egg, pasta... I don't really fuck with canned fish. Any words of advice?

A store nearby had a great offer on ground pork, so I decided that it was time for a fake wienerschnitzel!

It's pretty simple: just a breaded patty of ground pork roasted, potatoes in the oven, peas, and a butter with anchovies, capers, and lemon juice!

Remember to give the schnitzel and potatoes a good squise of lemon juice just before serving.

With that, I got a hop water! It's a great substitute for beer, without the sugars and alcohol, but it still has the freshness and hoppy flavor of a beer.

Here is the price breakdown:

Pork (150g): $0.78

Potatoes(350): $0.44

Peas(85g): $0.19

Butter (1 tbsp / approx. 15g): $0.11

Anchovy paste (1 tsp / approx. 5g): $0.20

Averaged out ~$1.84 per item, with things like pasta, cereal, fresh fruit and veggies, plenty of cheese (wisconsin lol), etc etc.

This includes a $10 off of $50 total.

I made this completely on a whim but I'm being so serious I have never had oatmeal that felt like a warm hug to my SOUL until I made this. You could probably make it all fancy or add a fried egg, but I just kept it basic and used a microwave.

I have no measurements, put your trust in whatever gods you follow and measure with your heart.

Ingredients: oatmeal, cherry tomatoes, milk, ramen packet (or chicken bouillon), italian herb seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, toasted sesame oil, honey.

I basically made oatmeal as you usually would with water, stirring in the dry ingredients to personal taste before microwaving. I cooked it till the oats clumped together firmly, then I took it out and mixed in milk JUST until it wouldn't absorb anymore (do that part slowly, you can easily overestimate how much milk to add). Then I added just a DASH of toasted sesame oil, chopped 6-8 cherry tomatoes in half before adding, stirred, and microwaved for 30 more seconds (so about 3 minutes total), just enough to get the cherry tomatoes warm but keep them crunchy. Then I did a light drizzle of honey on top for some sweetness, and oh my GOD was it good. A fried egg would've elevated it for sure but I didn't have one on hand.

(tagging this as breakfast but it can really work for either breakfast or lunch)

Both my gf and I are on a very tight budget. I only get paid monthly, and my paycheck is usually no more than $70. I have food stamps, and but my gf can’t get them yet because she is “legally” still living at her dad’s place and is not a full time student. We really want to start being smarter about buying food, but still want variety. Where would be a good place for us to start??

The Meijer near me in IN orders too much vegan meat and a week before will mark it down significantly. I make it a point to stock up on those weeks. Nearly $200 worth of food for around $14!

Just wanted to share our most recent grocery haul, because I was pretty proud of myself!! This all came from King Soopers (Western US version of Kroger). I shopped deals, including $5 off $20 on produce, BOGO, buy 5 or more for 99 cents each, etc. I also looked through the digital weekly ad for special sales I may have missed. Accidentally bought 2 cartons of eggs..lol..but for 30 free range eggs in the budget, not bad! The potatoes and pasta will be used to add bulk to meals. Excited to make a big batch of chili and use it on the pasta and potatoes!

My husband bought the 2 bags of frozen fruit for smoothies for $22, so the total came out to $144.

We shop for bulk protein @ Costco, because we can buy a 10 pound bag of frozen chicken for $30, as well as a rotisserie chicken for $5 that gives us protein for 5-6 meals (including dog tax). 😜

Fuel points combo: I try to plan my shopping trips to use the 4x fuel points on Fridays, so this was over 500 fuel points. I saved $12 on gas today. 🥳

I don’t know about all grocery store apps, but the King Soopers app is very worth it if you’re budgeting food!

Couldn't pass a steak markdown so I discovered this stir fry recipe that used peppers and onions. Served with hot rice.