I’ve seen various places around the web claim that in an emergency you can feed your family for only $10 or $20 a week. While I appreciate their intentions, I have noticed that they all assume you have certain supplies already on hand. In my experience this isn’t always the case. Forty-five dollars will seem outrageously abundant to some, while it will seem minuscule to others. It is the smallest amount I was able to come up with that will provide enough supplies to an empty kitchen to feed an entire family for a week. The servings are ample and a few adjustments allow you to increase the quantities from 4 servings to 6. Newly added nutritional information makes it clear that except for sodium, these recipes are nutritious and healthy. They are low in fat and cholesterol, high in protein and rich in fiber. To reduce the sodium you can use half as much salt and bouillon as called for in the recipes, and purchase store-brand reduced sodium canned vegetables instead of the regular variety.
You may also want to take a look at the ebooks and resources provided by Living On A Dime – their ebooks are well worth the small fee they charge for all the money saving tips and ideas that you will get out of them. I usually make up the money I pay on the ebook within less than a week (often in one shopping trip) from purchase. Take a look and see for yourself at LivingOnADime.com.
Menus
PDF File (right click; save as)
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Snacks | Nutrition | |
| Monday | Pancakes; Syrup; Orange Juice; Milk; Hot Tea | Lentil & Vegetable Soup with Dumplings; Milk | Pinto Beans; Onions; Hoecakes; Collard Greens; Iced Tea | Cinnamon Toast; Milk for Children; Tea for Adults | 1656 Calories; 33g Fat (17.5% calories from fat); 71g Protein; 275g Carbohydrate; 42g Dietary Fiber; 54mg Cholesterol; 3312mg Sodium |
| Tuesday | Oatmeal; Toast, Margarine & Jelly; Orange Juice; Milk; Hot Tea | Peanut Butter Jelly Sandwiches; Macaroni & Cheese; Carrot Sticks; Milk | Bean Burritos with Homemade Refried Beans & Homemade Tortillas; Fried Onions; Iced Tea | Plain Muffins with Jelly; Milk for Children; Tea for Adults | 1826 Calories; 50g Fat (24.1% calories from fat); 73g Protein; 279g Carbohydrate; 32g Dietary Fiber; 37mg Cholesterol; 2812mg Sodium |
| Wednesday | French Toast; Syrup; Orange Juice; Milk; Hot Tea | Batter Bread; Margarine; Spinach; Milk | Creamed Tuna & Peas over Rice; Garlic Toast; Iced Tea | Peanut Butter Tortillas; Milk for Children; Tea for Adults | 1771 Calories; 55g Fat (27.7% calories from fat); 76g Protein; 245g Carbohydrate; 12g Dietary Fiber; 187mg Cholesterol; 3213mg Sodium. |
| Thursday | Hot Rice in Milk; Toast, Margarine & Jelly; Orange Juice; Hot Tea | Peanut Butter Jelly Sandwiches; Macaroni & Cheese; Carrot Sticks; Milk | Black Bean Soup with Carrots, Celery & Onions; Cornmeal Muffins; Iced Tea | Cinnamon Toast; Milk for Children; Tea for Adults | 1737 Calories; 52g Fat (26.7% calories from fat); 61g Protein; 262g Carbohydrate; 20g Dietary Fiber; 51mg Cholesterol; 2631mg Sodium |
| Friday | Oatmeal Pancakes; Syrup; Orange Juice; Milk; Hot Tea | Leftover Black Bean Soup; Biscuits; Milk | Hot Dog & Veggie Stir Fry over Rice; Iced Tea | Peanut Butter Tortillas; Milk for Children; Tea for Adults | 1781 Calories; 52g Fat (26.1% calories from fat); 73g Protein; 259g Carbohydrate; 20g Dietary Fiber; 140mg Cholesterol; 3202mg Sodium |
| Saturday | Hot Rice in Milk; Toast, Margarine & Jelly; Hot Tea | Ramen Noodles with Carrots; Celery & Onions; Oatmeal Muffins; Milk | Butter Beans; Scalloped Tomatoes; Garlic Toast; Iced Tea | Biscuits & Jelly; Milk for Children; Tea for Adults | 1727 Calories; 52g Fat (26.6% calories from fat); 59g Protein; 261g Carbohydrate; 24g Dietary Fiber; 43mg Cholesterol; 3281mg Sodium. |
| Sunday | Pancakes; Syrup; Orange Juice; Milk; Hot Tea | Lentil Chili; Corn Bread; Baked Custard | Corn Fritters; Steamed Carrots; Macaroni & Cheese; Iced Tea | Cinnamon Toast; Milk for Children; Tea for Adults | 1796 Calories; 47g Fat (23.1% calories from fat); 70g Protein; 282g Carbohydrate; 28g Dietary Fiber; 247mg Cholesterol; 3527mg Sodium. |
| Averages for Week | 1756 Calories; 29g Fat; 69g Protein; 267g Carbohydrate; 25g Fiber; 108mg Cholesterol; 3140mg Sodium. |
Shopping List
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2009 Prices 2006 Prices Items 3.98
0.93
0.98
2.28
3.50
1.06
2.38
2.68
3.04
14.28
1.88
1.76
1.14
1.24
1.50
0.48
3.33
1.36
0.88
0.87
0.54
0.56
0.56
0.58
0.58
2.00
1.87
1.23
0.82
1.64
1.48
1.88
0.74
0.50
0.50
0.50
0.50
0.50
2.00
1.841.92
0.62
0.77
1.77
0.99
0.88
1.88
1.50
1.76
8.87
1.20
1.30
0.60
0.60
1.00
0.30
1.38
0.96
0.89
0.89
0.50
0.42
0.45
0.40
0.42
2.00
2.00
1.20
0.44
1.50
1.00
1.00
0.50
0.50
0.50
0.50
0.25
0.50
1.00
1.0010 lbs all purpose flour
3 pack of yeast
Baking Powder
Oatmeal
3 lbs long grain white rice / 5 lbs rice in 2009
2 lb bag of cornmeal
5 lbs sugar
Vegetable Oil
2 cans frozen orange juice concentrate
20 quart box of instant nonfat dry milk
2 pounds lentils
2 lbs pinto beans
1 lb black beans
1 lb lima beans
3 boxes Macaroni & Cheese
3 packs of Ramen Noodles
2 dozen eggs (2.5 dozen in 2009)
2 lbs margarine
1 lb hot dogs
1 28-oz can tomatoes
1 15-oz can tomatoes
15-oz can green peas
15-oz can corn
15-oz can greens
15 oz cans spinach
5 lb bag carrots
3 lb bag onions
1 bunch celery
6-oz can tuna
18-oz jar peanut butter
Jelly
Pancake Syrup
Vinegar
Cinnamon
Garlic Powder
Chili Powder
Salt
Pepper
Bouillon Cubes
100 Count Box of Tea Bags$70.37 $45.16 Note: The prices were gathered in February 2006 and March 2009 from Dollar General and Walmart. Your prices may vary. NOTES
If you receive WIC, Food Stamps or have food from a local food bank, you’ll be able to do much better than this menu plan. It is based on bare minimums.
There isn’t much meat in these menus. That’s because meat is expensive and beans aren’t. Beans provide lots of good protein for growing children and hard working adults. When beans are combined with certain other foods their protein increases. The amino acids in grains like flour, pasta and cornmeal or milk products cooperate with the amino acids in the beans to make an extremely high quality protein. Don’t worry about the lack of meat, there is more protein in this menu than you can shake an expensive protein bar at.
The milk may seem overpriced to some, but it is vital for growing children and mom’s who are pregnant, nursing or who may become pregnant. It is also very high in protein especially when combined with grains or beans (see above).
Orange Juice is served every morning but Saturday. The plan assumes 4 servings of 1/2-cup each for every morning it’s served. Orange Juice supplies Vitamin C and Folic Acid, once again, necessary for pregnant mothers and growing children.
In the recipes that call for buttermilk use regular reconstituted milk soured with a tiny bit of vinegar. This works just as good as buttermilk in cooking.
For the recipes that call for dried onion, substitute a small amount of finely chopped fresh onion.
For the recipes calling for fresh garlic, substitute a small amount of garlic powder instead.
To serve a hungry family of 6 you’ll need to make the following changes:
- Increase the flour to three 5 pound bags & bake 6 loaves of bread at a time instead of 4.
- Buy 3 cans Orange Juice Concentrate instead of 2
- Double the Macaroni and Cheese served for lunches making 2 boxes at a time instead of 1.
- Double the cans of Tuna, Peas, Corn, Greens & Spinach.
- Double the recipe for Creamed Tuna & Peas.
- Double the recipe for Corn Fritters
- Double the recipe for Lentil Chili, adding 1 more can of tomatoes to the shopping list.
- This will increase the total spent to approximately $51.
Daily Work
Sunday Night: Mix up the dough for Overnight Bread. Set it aside to rise. Mix up a gallon of milk and a gallon of Tea. Put both into the fridge to chill. Clean the kitchen. Go to bed.
Monday: Begin the week with a hearty breakfast. After the breakfast dishes are done, prepare the vegetables for Lentil Soup, and put the Lentils on to cook. Soak 2lbs of pinto beans in boiling water to cover for 1 or 2 hours. Half of them are for supper tonight and the other half for supper tomorrow. Punch down your bread dough which should be nicely risen by now. Divide it into 4 loaves. Allow it to rise for 1 or 2 hours and then bake. After soaking the pinto beans, boil them until tender and refrigerate. Reheat half of them for dinner and use the other half for tomorrow. Check the milk & iced tea supply, prepare more as necessary.
Tuesday: After breakfast prepare enough tortillas for dinner tonight and for 2 snacks during the week; 16 to 20 tortillas should be enough. Store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Prepare a dozen Muffins for snacks later in the day. Check the milk & iced tea supply, prepare more as necessary.
Wednesday: When preparing the rice, make enough for dinner tonight and breakfast in the morning. 2-cups dry rice, cooked in 4-cups of water should be enough. Prepare the dough for Overnight bread before going to bed. Check the milk & iced tea supply, prepare more as necessary.
Thursday: Soak the beans in boiling water to cover for about an hour or two. Simmer until tender. Prepare the soup as directed and chill until supper time. Divide the bread dough into 4 loaves and set aside to rise until doubled in bulk. Bake as directed. Check the milk & iced tea supply, prepare more as necessary.
Friday: Make enough rice for supper tonight and leftovers for breakfast in the morning. 2-cups dry rice cooked in 4-cups of water should be enough. Check the milk & iced tea supply, prepare more as necessary.
Saturday: Soak the lima beans in boiling water to cover for about an hour or 2. Simmer until tender and season as directed. Chill until supper time. Check the milk & iced tea supply, prepare more as necessary.
Sunday: Put the lentil chili on to cook and prepare the custard and cornbread to bake at the same time. Check the milk & iced tea supply, prepare more as necessary.
Recipes
|
Breads & Cereals |
| Old-Fashioned Low-Yeast Bread | Biscuits use margarine instead of shortening |
| Homemade Tortillas | Hoe Cakes |
| Pancakes | French Toast |
| Oatmeal Pancakes | Basic Muffins |
| Oatmeal Muffins | Batter Bread |
| Cornmeal Muffins | Corn Bread |
| Cooked Rice | Hot Rice Cereal |
|
Main Dishes |
|
Vegetables |
| Corn Fritters | Scalloped Tomatoes |
| Collard Greens |
|
Miscellaneous |
| Classic Baked Custard | Snickerdoodles |
| Perfect Iced Tea | Reconstituting Milk |
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I may be wrong about this, but it is my understanding that grains plus (beans/dairy/nuts) only make a complete protein if the grains are WHOLE grains. In other words, white rice, all-purpose flour, and degerminated corn meal will not cut it. If you can afford the modest price increase, I’d suggest reading your grain-based food packages carefully and only getting the ones that are whole-grain. Cornmeal packages should not say “degerminated”, wheat flour should be whole-wheat flour, and rice should be brown rice (not “polished” or white rice). Not trying to nitpick or be a “food snob”, just trying to help with the nutritional stuff.
sometimes even the slightest increase can seriously throw off a very poor budget. when your hungry, and I mean rationing food to your children “hungry”. you dont think about those things. Your just trying to get through the day.
I agree with Tina. Although I see what A_W is trying to say. If someone is on such a strict budget, they should at least see what they would be using the most and try to get that in a whole grain. If that’s not possible, I think at least doing brown rice instead of white would be a great start. Brown rice nowadays isn’t much more than white per pound and it fulls you up with just a little. It would especially make the rice in warm milk breakfast on Thursday much hardier and give you a great start to the day. Also, if you are on a strict budget and are smart enough to study your local grocery’s circular, keep a look out for the items that A_W mentioned. Especially around the new year, these things go on sale(new year, new you type deal). You purchase a few and then ration out how much to use. Maybe 4 totally whole gain meals a month. Hope this helps someone.
Actually, that is no longer considered true. Research has shown that your body can use the protiens without combining at all.
Thank you sooo much. I am a new mom and am looking for ways to stay organized and pinch pennies. I am interested in trying the powdered milk. Oh and for the girl that asked about the sweet tea…its a Southern thing!
I love this idea but we don’t live near a Walmart. We do have a Dollar Store so I took a notebook and a list and went to the local store and Dollar General and wrote down prices. The best I could come up with is 101.25 for 6 people. That is good but what do you suggest when all the powdered milk around here is 18.49 for 4 pounds and store milk is 3.50 a gallon. Where do you get the cheap powdered milk from? I’ve looked online and the prices are about the same when you include shipping.
Just Curious
Kerri
Hi, just let you know, you can take a gallon of whole milk and make 2% or 1% with it. I grew up across the street from a family run dairy. They add water to whole milk, skim is the only one that is actually treated differently to remove the fat. To make 2 gallons of 2%, buy a gallon of whole, pour half into another gallon jug, then top off with water and chill, so a $3.00 gallon becomes 2 gallons ($1.50). For 1%, split the whole gal 3 ways and top off with water and chill, you now have $1.00 per gallon milk, without the cost and ‘Burnt’ taste of powdered. I do it all the time, husband never complains. Hope it helps.
What a great money saveings tip, I am intrested in tying this…Thanks
Just an update, I tried adding water to my milk. I first prepared an 8 oz. glass for my husband to see what he thought, and it was a hit! Daddy said it tast just like 2%, so now we have a gallon of sweet milk, and a gallon of chocolate for the kidos to use with snack! This will cut the budget back about $4.00 – $6.00 a week as milk in my area is about $2.00 a gallon….Thanks!
That reduces your fat, and price, but also the protein and calcium, the reasons milk is included in the menu. I wouldn’t do this unless you have a plan to replace them from something else.
HA!!!!!! I LOVE IT!
I started doing this with whole milk and cutting 50/50…im single so i freeze a lot of it. So many people say ewww when you tell them, but it taste no different at all.
Also someone tried to swear up and down that 2 percent is produced differently.
In a town near our home, there is a co-operative dairy, and they sell powdered milk made from local milk for less than $1.50 per pound. (Last time I bought it, it was $1.25 per lb.) Check near you to see if you have a dairy that does the same thing – at the least, any dairies you call might be able to point you in the right direction.
What is the recipe for overnight bread???
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/familybread.htm … then scroll down for the low yeast overnight rise method.
FYI with the price of powdered milk these days it is almost as cheap to by fresh whole milk. 20 qt box = 5 gallons. A gallon of milk here is about $2.99 – so for $0.17 more you could buy the real deal.
We have Aldi here in WNY and it’s 1.45 per GALLON. Truly very lucky!
wow…where are you buying milk for $2.99 a gallon? we pay 3.67. I have four boys living at home and a hard working husband and we average three gallons of milk a week!…i’m gonna try the milk idea…wish me luck…my men love their milk…
Here in southern Nevada 2% milk hovers around $2.29 to $2.89 per gallon at Smith’s (owned by Kroger). It is usually around the same price at Walmart.
thats expensive milk! your really should try the half and half…i would consider myself a milk lover as well
Try a convenience store. My husband passes by one every day and has been buying our milk there for around $3.15 a gallon. It is $4.50 or so in the grocey stores here. At Aldi’s it is $2.22, but we are several miles from there and can only go occasionally.
I have shared this site with many of my friends. One summed it up perfectly when she said, “I love HHW! You feel like you can make a nice meal for your family with almost nothing!” Thanks HHW for teaching us to cook like our Grandmothers did!
I, too, have really been able to use these menus to help make meals for our family. Now that my husband has retired and I am the only one working, we are finding money tighter than in the past. It’s nice to have the menus already done and I can tweak them as it suits my needs. My husband is a diabetic and I have some early kidney disease, so we both have some special dietary needs.
Several points I would like to make-
1-I keep a running list on the fridge of items we need or have run out of. Then, I make up menus for us for that week before I go to the store. This is for our lunches – I bring mine to work every day and my husband makes his at home- as well as for any other meals for the week.
Before I leave the house on Saturdays to go to the farmers’ market (my first shopping stop), I check to see what I already have at home and only shop for those items that I have put on my list or need for our week’s menus. Rarely do I pick up anything not on my list but if there is an unadvertised sale of meat or something in the “marked down” meat bin, I may make an exception.
2-I have found that our local CVS sells spices – at $1 regular price or sometimes on sale for as little at $.79 each. These are large size jars that last me quite a while. If you want to mix some of them together to make an Italian seasoning batch, this is the place to find them.
3-I try to make at least one meal each week in the crockpot and try to plan so that there are leftovers to make another meal (different) later in the week. For example, I will cook a whole chicken and after one meal, will pull all the meat off and make barbequed chicken sandwiches with the rest. If there is still meat on the bones, I’ll put them in the freezer and save for a batch of soup on another day. Most likely will not have chicken 3 days in one week but it has been known to happen. With the chicken bones, I can add some leftover veggies and some pasta and have a great soup.
4-I also try to make one item that I can eat for lunch or breakfast each day. Last week I made a quiche on Sunday and cut it into several slices, some larger, some smaller. Two days, I brought it to work for breakfast, the other days, ate it for lunch. With some fruit or salad (I also cooked some kale on Sunday and brought that for my green several days), it was a great lunch. I warmed it in the microwave at work and with a cup of hot tea, it was wonderful and cheap.
Sorry to have gone on so long, but I wanted to let you know some of my “frugal” tips. Hope some of these will work for you.
-Maggie-
I just stumbled across this site as I was frustrated with how little we have for food as we have just recently taken a realistic look at our budget. Thank you for your time, effort and knowledge it is a blessing.
I just found this website. I think it is a great starting point for frugal meals. Lots of good ideas.
I have a few comments on things. Regarding powdered milk: I only pay $1.99 to $2.50 per gallon for fresh milk, so it doesn’t make sense to buy the powder. Plus, considering the taste, it wouldn’t get drunk much anyway so it would be money wasted. My husband and I both grew up on powdered milk, and hate it.
We have checked out the 4 different brand bakery outlets around here. Their prices are not much lower than fresh breads; only 25-50 cents per loaf. The cheapest I have seen there is $1 loaf. None of these stores are near any other stores I shop at, so considering the gas used to drive there, it is not worth it. My hubby does not like homemade bread for sandwiches, so we buy the cheap bread at Winco for 88 cents per loaf. I make bread for toast and all other uses. We do not buy any other baked goods.
I bought a big bag of yeast from Costco 6 yrs. ago and it is still good. It is kept in the fridge in a qt. jar. This type is granulated, not powdered, so it doesn’t dissolve as quickly. I always mix it with 1/4 c. warm water and 1/2 tsp. of sugar and let set a minute before adding it to the recipe.
I have found that outlet stores, no matter what their product, are not the bargains they used to be.
Regarding hamburger. When it goes on sale for around $1.00 lb. for regular, which is about every 3 months, I buy 15 lbs. I divide 5 lbs. into 1/2 lb. packs and freeze. I mix 5 lbs. into meatballs, shape into balls and freeze on a cookie sheet. When frozen, I package in groups of 6. The remaining 5 lbs., I cook up in 2 batches with 2-1/2 c. chopped onions and 2-1/2 c. thin sliced celery per batch. I drain well, then package in 2-cup batches and freeze. This is at least 6 months worth of measls for the 2 of us. The precooked burger and preshaped meatballs really cut down on prep time when preparing a meal. You can start browning the meatballs while still frozen; they will be thawed by the time they are fully browned.
The best deals on spices, beans, pasta, oatmeal, and farina (cream of wheat) can be found in the bulk section in stores that have them. I can buy those bottles of spices at the dollar stores for a buck, but they go bad before I can use it all up. They are not good quality to begin with; many have little flavor in them. In bulk, I can buy just a bit and use it up quickly. Last fall, I bought enough pumpkin pie spice for 4 pies for 15 cents. My oatmeal and farina are 49 cents per lb.
Marlene, I do something similar with large amounts of ground turkey, but I bake the meatballs till they’re cooked through BEFORE freezing them on a sheet pan. I heat the frozen meatballs in marinara sauce, barbecue sauce, mushroom sauce, or stroganoff sauce (don’t add the sour cream until ready to serve) on the stove or in the crock pot. Works well for us.
I love this website. I have a few ideas that may help some. Grow a garden. I have been keeping track of amounts of greens I have used from my garden and it is saving me about $15 a week (8×4 raised bed) and it isn’t produceing really heavy yet. As the season goes on we will not have to buy any produce at all. I have enough from our garden and plenty to can, dry and freeze. Find recipes here and other places online that are your own mixes. At my local store I can find good basic spices at fair prices, but pumpkin pie spice costs a fortune…I mix my own. I don’t let anything go to waste…like mentioned before use scraps to make stock. If you are like me and have a freezer of food use it. Need recipe ideas…type in what you have at http://www.supercook.com for recipe ideas. Last summer a neighbor had a glut of zucchini (like a bushel basket full), and was going to throw it out…I took it, froze it, and add it anything from breads to spagettie based meals. You can replace oil in bread recipes with beans (grind in food processor or blender). Try with half the oil and half beans. Favorite snack of my kids air popped popcorn. Also a free food for diabetics. Skip juice drink water and eat your fruit. Then you get all the nutrients and the fiber. Often frozen is cheaper than fresh. Frozen is often healthier as well.
Cost of powdered milk seems to be a recurring theme here…
And yes, for the most part, powdered milk bought at the grocery store doesn’t save you much money… that is, unless you have to go to the store to purchase more fresh milk. For most of us, it is just a break even sort of deal: because I have it on hand, I don’t go to the store and waste that gas money and I also don’t get tempted to purchase more stuff.
In the past, I have bought from a health-food co-op. They offered non-instant powdered milk and it was a good deal (actually less than fresh). The trick with non-instant is that it isn’t so easy to mix. However, it isn’t that hard either. To reconstitute you just mix using a blender and let it chill for at least 4 hours – not really that big of a problem. We generally didn’t use it for drinking straight but would mix it half/half with fresh, whole milk and no one noticed. Mostly we used the reconstituted milk for cooking. Now, I can get 1 gal. fresh whole or 2% milk for $1.79 at Save-A-Lot that is only 1 mile from my home and on the way home from work so it doesn’t make sense to keep powdered milk any more.
Re: the powdered milk. The advantage of it is that you can mix up just what you need without having to purchase fresh milk and keep it refrigerated. While this may not be a problem for those who consume a lot of milk, for me, it’s the perfect solution. I live alone and milk just goes bad if I try to keep it. I use powdered in every recipe that calls for milk. I just make it a cup or so at a time. Also, if you have a family, using fresh milk only for drinking and powdered milk for cooking would work out. I raised 5 kids doing that!
For my part, it’s always best to keep pantry items that have a long shelf life and lots of versatility.
If you’ve ever been to a food bank, you usually get a box of dried milk. I appreciate the tips.
I saw on Oprah, families that bought whole milk and then poured half into another gallon container and mixed both half gallons of milk with half gallons of water. Basically making 2% or skim milk. I haven’t tried it, but a friend of mine did. She said her family doesn’t mind it at all. And….it isn’t powered milk!!
wouldn’t this limit the calcium and protein?
I would say YES it limits the good stuff. They think all they are cutting in half is the fat but in truth they are cutting all nutrients in half and drinking water. I would say do this only if you are on your last gallon of milk and you see no money coming to buy more. If a person wants to save on milk, when my parents were laid off in the ’80s my mother would make up some powdered milk and mix it with the regular. Even a 1/4 gallon of PM would save some cost if taste is an issue.
Yes, it would. Better to keep the milk as it comes, IMHO.
My auntie has done this all her life. Co-incidently she’s the only one in my extended family to suffer from osteoporosis at a relatively young age. In my opinion it is not worth it.
any chance of coming up with a cheap vegetarian meal plan- no fish? im desperate and i love how youve done these emergency menus, im wishing my family could make use of them but we are all vegetarians. im not good in the kitchen and busy homeschooling so i dont have a lot of free time to figure out how you do such a great job with your stuff on this site… i would love to find a vegetarian emergency or just cheap menu on your site- id be willing to pay!- there are a lot of us out here. thanks for your wonderful site, it is helpful to us. blessings to you and yours!
Are hot dogs even meat?
the all beef ones would be considered meat….
I used some of the idees in this vegan meal plan already http://thefrugalvegan.wordpress.com/category/40cdn-32us-vegan-weekly-meal-plan-for-4/
hope I could help
@Elizabeth Smith – looking at just the shopping list and meal plan above, the only non-vegan items I see at a glance are the eggs, hot dogs, and milk. All of these are easily replaced with vegetarian alternatives. Instead of baking your own bread, you could just buy the cheap loaf of white bread at your local market (my local grocer sells theirs at 69cents frequently).
The most time-consuming portion of this particular emergency plan is the preparation and soaking of beans, which isn’t too terribly ‘hands on’. Is there something in particular in this plan that you see that isn’t vegetarian-friendly that concerns you the most?
Do you have any plans to make a “week two” menu? It looks like a person would still have flour, cornmeal, etc. leftover. For example, it looks like you could make polenta (a popular restaurant item these days) with a tiny bit of leftover fried onions, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cornmeal.
Also, you could easily use some of the leftover veggies in a stir-fry with a box of linguine noodles, which probably are about 69 cents. A sauce can be made with peanut butter, oil, and/or a tiny bit of orange juice.
How about buying a chicken to roast, then using the leftovers in another meal and also using the bones with a mirepoix (onions, carrots, celery) for a chicken soup? We can get roasting chickens at our local supermarket for about $5 total (not per pound).
I would love to see a “week two” menu plan. This gives me lots of ideas. I had never heard of having “fried onions” as a side dish. Wednesday’s lunch looks skimpy to me.
Week Two Supplies:
$6.00 – whole chicken (depends on weight)
$2.20 – can of cocoa powder
$3.33 – 2.5 dozen eggs
$1.38 – 2 boxes of spaghetti or linguine at 69 cents each
$0.93 – 3 pack of yeast
$1.50 – 3 boxes macaroni and cheese
$0.48 – 3 packages ramen noodles
$3.04 – 2 cans of frozen orange juice
$1.64 – jar peanut butter
$1.48 – jar of jelly
$3.50 – mayonnaise (this is a luxury item, you can make your own with the supplies on hand)
$1.00 – imitation vanilla extract
$1.58 – can of collard greens
$0.50 – dry mustard powder
Plus other supplies, like flour and sugar, from previous week.
$28.56 total
Recipe Ideas –
Thursday breakfast – fried eggs instead of rice in milk
Saturday breakfast – egg casserole with cubed bread, milk, carrots, celery, onions, a bit of garlic or mustard powder, salt & pepper – instead of rice in milk
You can still make the breakfasts listed with the supplies from the previous week (flour, salt, sugar, powdered milk, pancake syrup). You can also make chocolate pancakes. To drink, use orange juice bought this week. You probably still have tea and milk from last week.
Snack ideas -
add peanut butter and/or cocoa powder to make PB muffins or Chocolate Muffins.
Mix cocoa, milk, and sugar to make hot chocolate (requires a teaspoon of vanilla).
Wednesday lunch – make an egg salad sandwich – use 1 egg per person, a bit of salt and pepper, diced onions, diced celery if desired, and enough mayonnaise to make it spreadable.
Wednesday dinner – roast chicken instead of tuna & peas, save bones and cut off extra meat. Side dish of polenta made with cornmeal.
Friday dinner – stir fry of leftover veggies with chicken & noodles, make a sauce with either peanut butter or orange juice and some spices
Saturday dinner – chicken noodle soup made with bones, noodles, any leftover meat, and carrots, onions and celery. Any leftovers from the week can go in here.
Or, if you prefer, make a chicken salad mix with onions and celery, and a dash of mustard or garlic powder, and mayonnaise.
With the vanilla extract and cocoa powder plus your usual supplies you can make lots of desserts, such as fudge, cake, frosting, brownies.
I assumed you would have a bit of carrots and celery leftover from the previous week, as well as plenty of onions.
Save $3.50 by making your own mayonnaise from an egg, oil, mustard powder, and vinegar.
These are just my initial thoughts; I would love to see more from others!
Great job Kerisa!
Why buy a whole chicken? around here if you watch the sales you can often get leg quarters for less than a $1 a pound, sometimes as little as $.69 You have to buy 10 pounds to get that price, but hey that’s what freezers are for! (they are also not the best quality but especially for soups they work fine) I like dark meat better anyway!
I always buy whole chickens. I do not eat dark meat chicken-only white-but the hubs and older dd love dark meat chicken. I personally find chicken legs disgusting to eat but to each their own.
I always buy leg quarters. I don’t like them very well grilled or otherwise whole. But what I do is take the entire 10 lb bag and boil it (after skinning) till done. I add salt, pepper, garlic pow and onion pow. while cooking. I then have stock for soups, beans, cornbread, or what ever I want to add it to. I de-bone the chicken and divvy it up 3 ways and freeze. This chicken is great for dumplings, casseroles, pilafs, etc. and it taste just fine. I also divvy up the broth and freeze in Mason jars. If you follow these guide lines you should not have breakage: 1) Always allow broth to completely cool before placing in jars. 2) If using wide mouth jars have 2 inch head space. If using shouldered mouth jars leave a head space that is about 1 inch below the shoulder. So now we have cooked enough chicken for 3 meals in the amount of time it takes to cook for 1 meal, saving money on fuel for the stove and running the ac less as well. You can do the same thing with ground beef by browning, divvying, and freezing a large amt at one time.
We do the same thing. I always buy leg quarters unless I find whole chicken on sale for 79 cents or less. Leg quarters go on sale for 69 cents per pound about every other week somewhere. We all love dark meat though. I will often bake the entire 10 lb bag and make chicken salad for lunches or a casserole. Chicken and dumplings are a hit and I use much less chicken than if were serving baked chicken pieces.
Just a quick tip when making broth or stock: always add a teaspoon to tablespoon of vinegar to the batch. The vinegar pulls the calcium out of the bones, giving you yet another item that adds calcium to your meal plan for the week. Hope this helps someone.
I go to the deli counter late in the evenings(If I am out and about), it is later on weekends, you can buy the deli chickens for around 2.50-3.50 each they freeze well in emptied bread bags. They also make great quesidillas, with some left over cheese, tomato, beans.
Also a tip from my grandmother, put a large container in the freezer, put all left over vegetables in it, INCLUDE all liquids that you may drain out of the cans..Make soup!
If you have an Aldi’s near check them out for great prices on everything, they are my first choice for all grocery items, they do not have everything but I do not meed much else, just a few specialty items.
We have been on a tight budget for 10 years (since we got married) due to me being a stay at home mom of 2 kids. I spend around 135 a week and that includes all household supplies and kids supplies such as diapers.
My best tips are:
-Check grocery store flyers online and plan menus around the sales.
-When you find a good deal buy in bulk and freeze/store.
-Keep your menus simple. You really can make good food without lots of spices or extras.
-Pasta is CHEAP, even the whole wheat kind.
-Potatoes are cheap and you can make lots of things with them or stretch recipes with them.
-Breastfeed your babies if at all possible…formula is so expensive and breastmilk is sooo good for them. I bf both mine. I even pumped and put it in their sippy cups when they were cup training.
-Farmers markets can be a good resource if you have one near you.
I never bake my own breads or etc so buying flour, and baking supplies are a waste for us. Canned foods can be made delicious with some creative thinking.
We always eat a small breakfast, BIG lunch (think dinner for lunch) because hubby has worked 2nd shift for the past 10 years.He leaves at 2pm. We eat leftovers for dinner and hubby takes a serving of the big lunch to eat for dinner at work.
For our meats we use hamburger, ham steaks cut into 4 portions (on sale), thin sliced pork chops/tenderloin in place of thick pork chops , thin breakfast steaks in place of regular steak, bone in chicken breasts/legs/or thighs whatever is on sale. Bone in is MUCH cheaper. Check the sales papers especially on meats. Ingles usually has the best deals on chicken !
Melissa, Congrats on breatfeeding! That saves big bucks if possible. I want to give you a few more tips on ways to save on pampers, baby items, and even formula for many moms and moms to be.
Coupons, Coupons, Coupons!!! I pay anywhere from a few dollars to a few cents on baby and personal items. I usually pay under $5.00 for diapers and I have paid as little as $3 stacking coupons. often you can find coupons for BOGO free baby care items. Kroger and Publix which are super markets in my area have baby clubs, you can sign up and get store coupons and you can stack them with a manufactures coupon for additional savings.
Now when it comes to personal products like tooth paste, deoderent, kotex, shampoo, etc… I generaly pay pennies for these items. Kroger, publix, and Ingles doubles coupons so take advantage of this. A .50 cent sauve coupon doubles for 1.00 in savings and you can now get that item for free at Kroger due to their 10/10 deals. Wal-mart generaly sales it for .96 and by usig the coupon you can purchase it for .46 cents. The same thing goes with other personal products.
I sign up at website’s to receive free products and coupons. I have received free cans of formula by going to http://www.similac.com and other baby sites as well. You can do the same at kotex.com to get a sample product. Also visit http://www.couponmom.com for some great coupons!
I hope these tips help you save more money, and that your grocery bill comes down.
I had my daughter in 1989 and used cloth diapers up until she was potty trained. My husband was an E-4 in the Army and I stayed home with her until she was four years old and then I started working part time. Back then it was nearly unheard of to use cloth diapers. I figured I saved over $2,000 at that time, so I am sure it would be way more money today. I figured if my mom could use cloth diapers for four kids, I should not complain about using them for one. If you have a routine it also means no midnight diaper runs either. (I did keep one package of disposable on hand for babysitters). Being trained in the Army to fold his clothes my husband was the best diaper folder!
This post is well research and effective but I think it was applicable in year 2006 and 2009. Your $45 today for servings of 4 to 6 will not be sufficient right now. Hike increase of food from fresh to manufactured food items are happening right now in year 2010. The article writer knows how to make a menu planning and it can help to each family in budgeting their meals to save a buck or few. The main point here, is that even the prices of the food items mentioned in the article has increased, each family should learned and practice how to plan a menu for the whole week and this will be the based in buying all the groceries for the family’s food consumption for the whole week. As a result, instead of spending $60-$70 per day for the meal, this will be cut to $45-$50. So, start planning your menu for the whole week right now!
I have really enjoyed the tips from this site and also the emergency menu that is posted. Though this site draws people in by the low cost menu, it is really hard to purchase those items for $45 in the year 2010. I took the menu to my local Kroger and calcuated the price to come out with a total of $72.16. I also went to Aldi foods where this list totaled about $56.12, but as we all know when shopping at Aldi all item may be hard to find as their store is limited. For that price at Aldi I did get more canned items than listed, and purchased some frozen chicken. I was unable to find all the spices and cornmeal at my location.
I typicaly shop at Kroger, publix, a local meat market, and the farmers market. I have a budget of $200 a month and I generaly stay within my budget unless I find an item on sale and then I purchase in bulk. The $200 includes food, personal care items, and cleaning products, so I have to stretch every dollar to meet my families needs.
My tips for saving, and meal planning:
1) I always go through my pantry, fridge, and freezer before shopping
2) I sort through my coupons to see what I can use, and I compare them to weekly sale ad’s. (This takes about an hour, but saves $$$, this weeks grocery bill went from $130 to $55)
3) I make a menu based on what I have and I purchase items needed to make the complete meals needed for the month.
4) I shop bi-weekly, I find that I can buy more and spend less. The least amount of time spent in a store saves money. If I run out of an item I will stop only to get that item.
6)I also like to visit websites like cooks.com to find creative ways to make new dishes with the items I have on hand.
I love being a house wife, and though things are tight I am here for my family. Finding ways to save, and cut back are often my ways of contributing to my family. I will continue to use this site, and I hope to find more ways to cut back and prepare healthy meals for my family! This is a good starting point and it allows one to have staples on hand when facing a rough week or month…. Great site, Thanks!
I love this website! I am newly frugal just having quit my job and comming home again. I have stopped trying to keep up with the Jonses and am getting rid of our toys. They are just not as important as being with my babies. I love being home again. I have been working really hard at reducing expenses, especially our food budgets and would love to try some of the recepies but they are meat lovers and will not eat beans. I have tried many times but it is just a waste. Any inexpensive meat dish recepies?
WoW, being meat lovers is tough when livng on a budgt. I find that the cheapest meat will be bone in chicken, and chicken quarters, drumsticks, and thighs. You will have to skip out on boneless cuts unless they can be fixed into your budget. I do purchase boneless when it goes on sale for 1.99 per pound, or I buy the bone in breast at .99 per pound and debone it myself.
I typically get my meat from a meat market on a monthly basis, and this helps me budget wise. I prefer the quality I receive from the market. I do find the meat to be about the same price as my local publix, but also buying day old meat from the local grocery stores may help you budget better. Buying out of day old bins may help you get sirloin, cube steaks, and ground round at an affordable price.
When it comes to recepies I always go to the internet for ideas. One of my dishes that I like to make with chicken breast is what we call China Lady Chicken: feeds 4-5
CHICKEN PREP
– 3 breast washed and cut into strips or chunks
– 1 cup flour seasoned (salt, pepper, garlic salt, season salt, shake in covered dish to mix well, after soaking chicken in egg mixture, shake chicken in covered dish or bag until well coated in flour)
– 1 egg
– 1/2 cup milk (mix milk and egg in seperate dish, let chicken chunks coat in the egg mixture before placing it into the flour)
– 2 cups oil in a deep skillet for frying chicken (oil can be reused if cleaned and stored in jar)
SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE
1/2 cup pinapple juice (drain from can and save chunks)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar (if you feel it isn’t sweet enough add a little more brown sugar, the sugar makes it sweet and also a little thicker. Ths sauce is thinner than what you may be use to at a resturant, but it taste better than store bought!)
Serve the chicken over rice and add a few pinapple chunks to the dish! An easy and cheap meal for a family of 4-5. (about $1 per serving)
Rita –
Ground turkey and beef can be bought in bulk and prepped as burgers, meatballs, etc and frozen.
I’m also a big stew fan – cheaper cuts are yummy when cooked all day!
One of my favorite recipes is Brunswick stew – My husband and I ate this all week!
This is an old southern recipe whose origins are disputed (mostly because several towns want to claim it) but is undoubtedly a hunter’s dish – the earlier versions call for squirrel! We have a lot of squirrels here in Chicago but (thankfully) guns are outlawed, so the little critters have, so far, escaped the stewpot. This version uses the much easier to acquire, humble Chicken. Some people don’t like okra, but I say give it a shot the first time you make it – okra has a thickening agent that adds a nice heft to the stew and it cooks long enough that there shouldn’t be any texture issues that normally plague okra haters. Plus, its just a good southern thing to add! Perhaps my favorite thing about this recipe is how easy it is. Throw everything in a big pot, cook, eat. Enjoy!
1 Stewing Hen (6lb) or 2 fryers @ 3lbs each
2 large onions, sliced or diced
2 cups okra, cut (optional. I buy a bag of frozen)
4 cups fresh or 2 cans (1lb each) tomatoes
2 cups lima beans (optional)
3 med potatoes, diced
4 cups corn cut from cob or 2 cans (1 lb each)
3 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 Tb sugar (magic ingredient – do not alter!!)
Boil chicken in 2-3 qts water (for thin or thick stew) until meat falls off bone, about 2 1/2 hrs. You can cut the chicken up first if you want, but why bother? Remove the chicken from broth – don’t worry about fishing out all the little bits, just make sure you get all the bones!)
Add veggies to broth and simmer, uncovered, til potatoes are tender.
While veggies are simmering, and once hen has cooled, pull meat from the bones, dice it if you wanna, but I think shreds are just fine. Add chicken back to the veggies and cook til you’re ready to eat. Really, 1 hr or 4, this stuff just gets better with age. Its always better the next day and freezes well.
NOTE: If canned veggies are used, include juices and reduce water about 1 qt.
Love this sweet and sour Sauce recipe. I can see that this will work on other meat items as well. There is just something special about mixing pineapple and brown sugar that really enhances the flavor of foods. Thanks for sending this along.
Maggie
Ramen noodle casserole in the pan
1 pound of ground meat of choice (i use beef)
canned veggie of choice (family prefers corn)be creative!!!
2 packages of ramen noodles beef, pork, oriental flavor work best
method
fry ground meat add onion if you desire (DD doesnt like it so i omit this) and put one of the seasoning packets in the meat while browning. add the canned veggie in. Meanwhile set that aside. Boil the two packets of noodles in water until tender not mushy. Strain and add to the meat/veggie mixture. and toss. Cheap inexpensive meal.
ground meat $5.00 (if that)
ramen noodles .20 cents a package ( im guessing i buy em bulk)
canned veggies .50 cents
This feeds my family of 3 with leftovers for my hubby to eat the next day for lunch!
enjoy
I came across this book a few years ago,thought it may work along with the emergency menu.The title is Good Recipes for Hard Times by Louise Newton.It was publish in 1975, so it is out of print.It can be found usually at half.com or amazon.There are many low budget recipes and various menu plans with shopping lists.Some of the info is outdated but it is still a useful book. My husband and I are vegetarians.I was still able to adapt recipes and keep them inexpensive.I think being creative in the kitchen and growing some of your own food can help when you are on a budget.
Along with the coupon ideas above – do a Google search and search ” coupon match ups” to get a site where someone local takes the coupon inserts and the Sunday grocery ads and tells you which ones you can combine for some really good deals. Target is another great place to save, and often these sites will do household goods stores as well – Walgreens, etc. Coupons are fantastic!
I’m sure it’s been mentioned before, but check out a Dave Ramsey book from your local library – he’s got some great ideas about cutting the budget in hard times, and how to get out of debt.
Good luck!!
Southernsavers.com and couponmom.com are great coupon websites. I believe these sites may be what you’re refering to. They tell you how to match and stack coupons and what stores have the best deals for the week, one can also print FREE coupons from the site.
I agree, the powdered milk here in WNY is MORE than fresh. I still buy powdered though as well because the advantage is that it lasts much longer. Therefore for cooking I use the powdered, and for things where the taste will be noticeable I would use fresh. My family doesn’t “drink” much milk anyhow to be honest. Mostly it’s used in smoothies, pudding etc,…
where do I find the overnight bread recipe?
My family lives in Canada and where I live, it is much more expensive for food than other places. Example: A box of macaroni and cheese, $1.99and a small box of frozen fish is $9.99. If I want to shop for cheaper, I have to travel an hour to two hours away. I am a vegetarian and my taste buds don’t seem to aquire the taste of certain vegetables, or foods, like asparagus and other foods “fancy” like that. My family are finicky eaters and I am tired of eating the same things over and over again. It’s getting to the point where I just don’t want to eat. I try to make our meals as healthy as possible, but it is hard because of the cost of food and fear of food tasting gross. If anyone has any ideas to help my family with some great recipes that DO taste good and doesn’t have anything too weird in it, or any tips in general, that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!
Hard to know what would be weird or hard to get for you, but I sympathize. My husband doesn’t eat red meat or pork, so I’m always trying to find ways to find good veggie recipes. Here’s a fave:
Squash & Pasta Toss
pasta of choice – I like to use farfalle for this, but whatever
Summer Squash or Zuchinni – about 1/2 cup per person
Firm tofu, diced – about 1/4 cup per person
1/4 tsp fresh, diced garlic per serving
olive oil
basil (I grow my own because I use this a lot)
grated parmesan cheese
Prepare your pastas, during last two minutes of cooking, add squash.
heat olive oil in large skillet over med-high heat, when hot, add garlic, heat for 30 seconds. Add tofu. Cook, turning occasionally, til tofu is golden. Drain squash & Pasta, add to tofu, mix well, add salt, pepper & basil. Serve with a sprinkle of cheese. Simple and amazingly good.
I have 5 children and we are homeless. I can’t even remotely afford this. I have to feed 7 people on $40 per week, and it’s impossible. Already tried to get food stamps and was rejected. Working 12 hours a week already. What to do??
Amy you need to go to a local church to find out where a food bank is located. You should get at least some help there.
Oops, I meant to say working 12 hours a day, not 12 hours a week.
If you don’t mind me asking? What part of the country are you from and what type of work do you do and how many days a week to you work?
I realize this may seem like a ridiculous question but do you know of or have a frugal menu plan that is less carb-heavy? My husband was just diagnosed diabetic and I am carb-sensistive so we do eat a lot of lean meats and fish. Pasta and rice shoot his blood sugar up and do no good on my appetite. Any ideas? Thanks
By substituting whole wheat pastas, whole grains, and brown rice that should help a lot. Their added fiber content helps slow down the digestion and raises the blood sugar much slower and more evenly. They are also more nutritious.
Amy – Is there a foodbank nearby where you can get some food? Most of them here in Ohio only let you come once a month but you can get at least a couple of boxes of groceries or more since you have so many people to feed. Good Luck and stay strong!
I feed my family of 4 (2 adults, 1 teen girl, 1 teen boy) for $50.00-$75.00 a week (this includes pet food, cat litter, and all household items).
I can go lower when I need to. I use coupons, watch for sales, and plan my meals.
This is what we are having this week:
Monday: Chicken Fijita
Tuesday: Make your own pizza (we ate at my parents instead)
Wednesday: Grilled Cheese/French fries
Thursday: Grilled chicken/rice pilaf/corn
Friday: Smoked Sausage/spanish rice/ corn
Saturday: Something easy (Big fall clean weekend)
Sunday: Some kind of chicken in crockpot (still cleaning)
It looks like everyone here is really trying to save money on food. However, no one has mentioned my main source for cheap food which is discount / salvage food grocery stores. In our part of Missouri there are many discount grocery stores that sell groceries as well as cosmetics, health and beauty aids, as well as similar items. Many of the items are 50%- 80% off the regular store price. Right now at our local discount grocery store peaches and pears are .49 a pound, carrots are .39 a lb, potatoes are $2.99 for 10 pounds, ice cream is $1.50 for a 1/2 gallon and boneless ham is .99 a pound. I get a total sticker shock whenever I go to our regular grocery store. I also save money by canning foods that I find on sale. I just canned 20 quarts of ham and vegetable soup which will be so nice to have this winter when it is cold! To save money on canning I recently bought some reuseable canning lids from http://www.reusablecanninglids.com. These lids work great! From the testimonials at the website some people say that they have reused the same lids for years. If you do any canning at all I highly recommend these lids. I also have an All American pressure cooker which is absolutely the best kind. Mine holds 14 quarts, though they have one that holds 19 quarts too. Getting back to the discount grocery stores here is a link to the discount grocery stores in the U.S. http://www.andersonsmarket.info/directory. Some of the stores on the list could be out of business so it is best to call before you go. You can also find discount grocery stores by looking in your Yellow Pages for discount grocery, salvage food, salvage grocery etc. Also I have been to auctions that sell food. Many times the prices at auctions are even cheaper than the prices at discount grocery stores. Once when my kids were pre-teens I got a whole banana box of baby food for only $1.00! My daughter innocently asked who was going to eat it and I said we are. I think she feared we were going to sit and eat bowls of baby cereal for breakfast but actuaaly I added it to homemade bread for added nutrition and no one even noticed the difference. Once we also got for a few dollars a box peanut butter cracker Handy Snacks. We had 900 of them to eat up but it was good nutrition and it was a treat, for awhile anyhow. Also sometimes people have fruit trees whose produce they aren’t using. Last year my daughter and I found some apple trees where we were able to get free apples. We made alot of apple sauce and apple butter. Also here in MO many people have walnut trees whose walnuts just litter the ground every year and never get used. What a waste! Also in MN there was an outdoor flea market that came to town every Wednesday and they sold alot of produce. At the end of the day you can get much better deals because they don’t want to have to load it all up again. Also many of them kept boxes under the table to throw vegetables in that weren’t good enough to sell. Most people will give that away for free. It is great for feeding to your poultry or pigs. Also many supermarkets throw out old produce that you could get for your critters also. You may be able to get old produce at restaurants too, as well as buckets of old grease that can be clarified for soap making. Most supermarkets also have a Mark Down area for meats and vegetables. Almost all of my meat comes from the Mark Down section for a substantial savings. Our discount grocery store has a Mark Down section for fruits and vegetables where you can get deals like 4 cucumbers, 2 eggplants or 4 pieces of fruit for only .19! If people have a discount grocery store and they aren’t picky they will never have to be hungry. Even if you don’t have a discount grocery store you never have to be hungry if you learn to eat simple basic foods and if you learn to cook for yourself. I hope some of these ideas help someone.
We also frequent these types of stores. You have to know your prices though, because sometimes these places charge MORE than the regular grocery stores. We do find deals, that even with coupons we can’t beat.
Mark down bins at grocery stores are great as well. I find expensive breads marked down significantly. Produce I don’t find marked down. Typically they send it to the food bank and it gets distributed that day (because its typically a use it that moment or it goes nasty type of deal).
Regardless of the fact that prices vary from place to place, and have gone up since the last update– there are some basic ingredients that are cheapest in most places. My total expenses are generally higher than those in other parts of the country pay, but it is still the cheapest available to me.
* Oatmeal
* Grits
* Dry beans
* Rice (brown for nutrition if you can swing it)
* Cornmeal
* Frozen chubs of ground turkey
* Milk (I do cut this in half with water if I have to)
* Eggs
* Chicken leg quarters
* Tomato paste
* Pasta
* Flour (whole wheat for nutrition)
* Salt
* Sugar
* Cinnamon
* Garlic Powder
* Onion Powder
* Baking powder
* Shortening
* Salt pork or bacon ENDS (ends are half the cost of slices)
* Onions
* A few packages of frozen veggies
* Flour
* Ramen noodles (remove the packet if you are concerned with MSG)
* Cans of tuna
* Peanut butter
i wonder no one has thought of mixing mixing powdered milk with whole or 2% milk.
you still increase your milk, but do not loose the nutrition. i ealize this would cost more initally but it would stretch your milk bill longer. cooking with nonfat powdered is a great idea also, think of the calories you save over whole milk.
I find that casseroles are a heartier way to feed my family (hubby is a big guy with a big appetite)… You can either eat off 2-3 casseroles for the week like we do… or make 2 weeks worth of 7 casseroles and freeze half of each one…Here are a few suggestions:
‘Tater Tot Casserole’
LARGE bag of frozen tater tots, the huge 5lb kind
2-3 lbs ground meat (we use beef, use whatever’s cheapest for you)
2 cans cream of _____ soup (cream of chicken seems to be the cheapest where we live)
any vegetable you like, canned or otherwise, my husband likes corn and green beans
1-2 jars of cheese spread, cheese whiz or we use Ragu double cheddar on sale
ketchup
(optional) dry onion soup packet
fry meat while tots bake, drain mostly and add onion soup then cream soup, or drain completely and ad cream of soup. mix in veggies. add meat mixture to baked tater tots, then press into casserole dishes, top with cheese and rebake (350 for 20 minutes ought to do it), serve with ketchup, or top with fried eggs (like a beef hash for breakfast)… you can freeze some or reheat and eat all week long. One week we were in a bad way, ate this (with eggs), cereal, and PB&J’s for under 20 bucks!
Vegetable Lasagna:
*Bake ready lasagna (our store is 1.19 regular priced/non-sale)
*jar of alfredo (or homemade alfredo sauce) (using ragu on sale, $1)
*can of cream of _____ soup (whatever you like, but mushroom is overpriced or (again) make your own)) (60 cents)
*bag of frozen (or mixed fresh) veggies.. I like stir fry mixes that have no water chestnuts…. use whatever your family likes best but note that canned veggies tend to get waaayyy too mushy) ($1.33)
*bread crumbs and grated romano (cheaper than parmesan) cheese for the topping (it good to have these on hand for other recipes, but if you must buy them for the first recipe, you can usually get canned bread crumbs for 88 cents and a small jar of romano for less than $2… I’ve gotten as cheap as 99cents)
Total: $4.12 unless you need to buy the topping
thaw veggies, do not cook, just drain and chop. mix with cream soup. make according to package directions for a normal lasagna. layer alfredo, noodles, veggie mix, alfredo, noodles, remaining veggie mix, remaining alfredo, and topping. we eat off of this for 2 full dinners (served with buttermilk biscuits) or as a side dish for 4 meals. Also, leftover shredded chicken is very good in this… or canned chicken or tuna (drained and mixed with the vegetable mix).
Other suggestions: Frittata (breakfast for most of the week… eggs=cheap protein!!!!), Tuna noodle casserole, Chicken and dumplings, Hamburger soup/stew… recipes can be found online.
I also nurse my children and make home made baby food and baby cookies. Try this: mix rice cereal and juice into a thick dough, smoosh flat, cut into baby sized pieces, bake at 275 for 6-10 minutes depending on your oven, you might need to experiment…. Most baby food can just be pureed in any decent food processor (or even blender) adding a tablespoon of water at a time until the right consistency is achieved. Make a bunch, freeze in an ice cube tray, put fully frozen cubes in Ziploc bags thawing out 2 cubes or so for a serving size… great way to use up produce before it turns! (note: if you must cook a particular vegetable, steam with absolutely as little water as possible so as not to leech all the nutrients!!!) Baby food is absurdly expensive, but don’t cut corners with nutrition.
Sorry this was exceptionally long, but I type 120 wpm so I have a hard time being concise!
I haven’t seen it mentioned yet here…doesn’t anyone use the “More With Less” cookbook by Doris Longacre? It’s got some great, simple recipes that are based off using cheap ingredients and/or things you would grow yourself. Wonderful book. I realize it costs $15 if you were to buy it, but it has saved me a lot of money. The first time I read it, I got it at the library, so no charge!! It’s not just recipes either, a lot of great ideas.
Wow I LOVE that book! My father got me that book about 25 years ago, when we were newly married! Sooo many great recipes, and so thrifty!
It is still on my kitchen bookshelf after all these years.
What do you think of the recent Jamie Oliver series in America. Trying to change the eating habits of Americand was an uphill task.
I was amazed at the resistance to Jamie’s school dinners when it was shown here some years ago, but the effect on pupils behaviour and learning was astounding. Having said that, if I were confronted by an American preaching to me about my eating habits I might bea bit put out!
I am 71, mother of five and a grandparent, and rarely use ready made food, apart from ketchup and vegetarian worcester sauce, We eat a healthy diet based on fresh ingredients, so that we know what we’re eating. However I was a stay at home mum most of the time. Young families in england no longer seem to have the choice, with housing so expensive it needs two salaries to pay a mortgage.
I have cooked HBHW way for years and have switched to adding things like real butter and milk to our diet. I go to a local dairy and get milk from them. Full of fat, but also full of all the things that we need. I am betting, going to a dairy, you might be able to find one nearby, you could get milk for way less than store price, or even swap some time or something for milk (farmers always need help). We eat butter, milk, real cheese, and are healthier because of it. And all these refined flours are so much more expensive than whole grains: http://www.westonaprice.org
God Bless!
What a lot of great reading! I’m in New Zealand, on the other side of the world and possibly unknown by most of the contributors to this forum, but many of the sentiments expressed still fit.
Whilst not on a real budget, I have always shopped frugally and grown my own tomatoes, herbs, spinach and courgettes. Home baking is a great way to pad out a meal and there are some fantastic sites on the web (www.allrecipes.com and http://www.vegweb.com are a couple I use often).
I’m vegetarian, and have recently discovered home-made seitan (wheat meat). One cup of gluten flour (vital wheat gluten it’s called in the US, I think) makes enough ‘steaks’ to crumb or stirfry and feed a family of four for two meals. This site provides a chicken gluten recipe (hit the recipe tab). It’s lovely stuff and very inexpensive and meat eaters have no idea that they have been fooled with “vegetarian food”.
Good luck to all, and remember that Google is your friend when it comes to cheap meal ideas. (try the Australian or New Zealand Google version sometimes for different ideas)
I recently checked out a local dairy and fresh milk is going for $10.00 a gallon. Definitely cannot afford this. Promise Land milk is 3.17 a half gallon at HEB and WalMart, my baby drinks this and it does not constipate her.It is from Jersey cows and has 4% butterfat. Powdered milk is yucky. We have used it, but have to flavor it with chocolate or strawberry syrup for the kids to drink it. We pay 2.68 a gallon for Great Value milk or Hill Country Fare which would be cheaper by the gallon than powdered. We purchased a second refrigerator for 100 bucks to store extra milk and eggs in. It is in our feedroom. So I buy about 6-7 gallons each week and we have chickens so our eggs are free, so to speak. At our WalMart, they sell organic whole chickens for 1.47 a pound, and they are beautiful. The whole chickens from Pilgrims Pride and other poultry places look abused and overly fat. These are lean and well taken care of. Ground turkey and turkey sausage are cheaper. And you really can’t tell the difference especially in casseroles and dishes with sauces. Thank you for all the ideas and the menus you worked so hard to put together. I will be using these soon!
Great posts! I have been unemployed for a year and am enjoing being a stay at home mom for my family. I am old-fashioned at heart and enjoy cooking and cleaning (most days). The frugal ideas I have read here will make my food budget go further and still be healthy!
I usally stroll past the discount meat bins at the store too. Most days I can find a great deal. My store does not sell discounted produce that I can see. I will ask the produce manager if there are items in the back that I could purchase.
Thank you everyone for your wonderful ideas!
I really like this site. We are two people who love to eat and or food budget has been reduced to 200 hundred a month. My plan is to shop all three of the nearby grocery stores. We live in Vermont and the cost of living is crazy here.
Thank you so much for having this and the updated pricing for 2009. I do get some of the items cheaper than the updated prices and some is a little more so it all averages out:) I like that this is written without assuming that we already have some of the basics on hand. I have never used the complete menu but have used it to help me get ideas for what to add to what we already have on hand. Thanks for including the nutritional content-that has helped me a lot.
Also, my son (he’s 5) doesn’t eat beans or veggies very well. I was thinking that this week was going to be a little hard for him. While not this menu it includes veggie noodle soup (diced potato, green beans, and carrots added to a can of chkn noodle soup) and various bean dishes. He surprised me tonight by eating the soup very well and telling me how great it was. I think that it helped a lot that I let him add lots of crackers (but didn’t let him just fill up on crackers) and didn’t have snacks too close to dinner. I’m thinking this is so doable and my (lack of) food budget is thankful:)
If you will allow your son to cook with you he will eat the food better. He is old enough to do some basics. He can stir ingredients together (say for bread), he can learn to use a vegetable peeler (think carrots).
Also if you have a little space and a flower pot or two he can grow his own tomatoes and a squash or two. Kids will eat what they grow.
I was pleased to see on the menu the hot rice with milk..This has been a favorite of my family for years..We have been known to eat it at other times besides breakfast,often for lunch..My Mom got me into this when i was small.Saves money on the overpriced,oversweetened store bought cereals,too..We also eat grits the same way,with milk and a bit of honey or sugar to sweeten.
Here is another “Emergency Menu Plan” with 2009 costs of US$32. This one is plant-based, which the American Dietetics Association now states is healthy.
http://thefrugalvegan.wordpress.com/2009/04/06/40-32us-vegan-mealplan-is-finally-ready-to-view/
In order to get it to open once you download, you may need to open Adobe Reader and open it from there.
Please make your own ground meat, it is a lot safer and healthier. Get a good grinder that will do meat, grain, etc. and learn how to use it and keep it clean.
4 cents per serving: Here’s a recipe for “spaetzels” or homemade noodles that is tasty, filling, not that nutritious but not bad for you, costs cents to prepare, and takes about 5 minutes start to finish. You can serve it by itself or with anything you use noodles with (spaghetti sauce, butter, oil, soup, etc.) I use white whole wheat flour, which is a little better for you than white flour. It costs me $3.00 for a 5 lb. bag. I’m guessing that if you calculate that you need 1/4 of a cup of flour per serving then it costs about about 4 cents a serving, not including the stuff that you serve it with.
1. Get a pot of water to a rolling boil.
2. Put a few spoonfuls of flour into a bowl, and make a well in the center. Add water to the well and mix from the inside out until it makes a soft ball of dough.
3. Roll the ball into a flattish cigar shape, and then cut pieces of dough into the boiling water. Be careful about splashing, but you should be okay. If you’d like longer noodles, cut it lengthwise.
4. The noodles are done when they rise to the top. Scoop them out, strain, and serve either plain or in some melted butter/margarine, or flavored olive oil or spaghetti sauce. You can also use soup instead of water. I’ve sometimes added onion powder to the flour mixture, and then ground black pepper on top after they’re cooked. I hope this helps someone out there.
I don’t know how much this actually costs, but I’m guessing it’s not much – a few cents per serving.
I need to buy whole grain to grind for my bread flour. Does anyone know a place in Florida to get 50 lb bags.
I make those when I’m making paprikash – you must be Hungarian =)