For reference:
I just started a new job and I'm a bit behind on rent, so most of my money has to go to my landlord for the next couple months. My budget for this coming paycheck is around 100 dollars.
My thought process was to find as much stuff that could work together as possible, with standalone pieces thrown in here and there. Instead of coffee creamer, I opted for just regular milk which could be used in mashed potatoes as well; and the potatoes could also be used in chili fries or just have the chili standalone; both topped with cheese that could also be used in tacos or eggs, with a veggie blend mixed into either. Stuff like that.
I'm not great at this, but I have previously worked in the restaurant business for some time so the biggest thing I learned was utilizing ingredients for multiple recipes.
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I'm going shopping sometime around the 3rd next month. Thanks and God bless. ❤️
by Independent-Debate-6
17 Comments
Is it possible to get whole grain bread for a similar price? Even whole grain toast? I feel like that would have a much bigger nutritional value.
I give you an A+. Bravo 👏
You even managed to get some meat in there. Not an easy thing to do nowadays.
Your macros will be balanced with these groceries 👍
That’s very good. And it will only get cheaper because it looks like it just starting off. Next time you won’t need salt pepper ketchup mustard and mayo bringing ur overall price down more.
Shred your own cheese
Things like spices, sugar, condiments generally won’t be things you have to replace every visit. That means you generally will have a little bit of extra money to play around week to week.
I personally wouldn’t bother with a canned chili. A basic chili is really inexpensive and will make a huge quantity of food that can be refrigerated/frozen for later. It’s a little more work upfront but I think its better value since you can get so many full meals out of one batch.
I think what might be helpful is going through that list and planning out a week worth of actual meals. What meals can *you* actually make with these ingredients? Are you able to get through a whole week or are you constantly missing 1-2 items. You’ve got onions, peppers, and potatoes but do you have enough to get through a week of meals?
Remember there is no need to go out and get an “essential” item this visit if you aren’t actually going to be able to make use of it. If you aren’t planning to make any dishes with mayo this week why bother spending $3 on a jar this visit? Take that $3 and load up on extra vegetables or some other ingredient you can incorporate into a dish immediately. That applies to really anything on your list you can’t get immediate use out of.
you could ditch the bag of sugar, the bacon and the sausage & replace the meats with the chicken you were talking about – processed meats are no bueno.
as for ditching the bag of sugar – unless you’re a baker, i would try to find an alternative. sugar (without fiber) is as close to edible cancer as we can get.
I’d add some frozen veggies
I don’t know where you are at, or if you have access to a car but one thing I’ve noticed where I am, going to the store and getting the groceries yourself is cheaper. If you order online through instacart, or shipt or whatever, they charge you a small amount more for almost everything. Amazon Fresh does too I think but the amazon basics stuff is usually a bit cheaper and it can kinda even out. That isn’t accessible everywhere though I know.
Do you have butter? You will probably need butter for the potatoes and the grilled cheese sandwiches.
You can buy a bag of onions for just a little more
Get a block of cheese instead of pre-shredded. There’s added starch to keep it from clumping. Just shred your own. The block will last longer in your fridge too.
I’d recommend brown rice over white. It’s a complex carbohydrate and will keep you fuller longer.
Instead of the canned refried beans get a couple bags of more inexpensive dried beans and use some to make your own refried beans. Dried beans are very versatile.
If you get the dried beans skip the can of chili and make a batch. A can of tomato sauce and chili powder plus stuff you’ve already got in your cart will get you started on a basic recipe.
Do you have cooking oil at home? You’ll need it.
Your list is ingredients, the way to ecomize for home cooks.
I follow budget cooking creators on youtube for ideas. You are ahead of the curve but with those ingredients you might get additional ideas.
You can freeze diced onions and peppers if you don’t use them up readily.
Garbage in, garbage out.
Your cost will actually go down. There is price gauging on the apps.
Man seeing milk for 1.76USD is wild. Here in Canada same size roughly is easily 5 bucks. Even with the conversion so much cheaper.
Nice work!
I’d stop there if you weren’t specifically asking for constructive criticism, because you are nailing it…but I do see 2 opportunities for improvement
1st, others have already mentioned that you could shred your own cheese for cheaper. There is also cellulose added to shredded cheese to increase the weight as filler, so by shredding your own you can avoid all of that nonsense.
2nd, the canned beans are more expensive than dry because you’re paying the shipping costs of the water weight inside the cans (as well as the metal weight of the can itself). If you can learn to cook from dry, you will save even more (and the flavor is better imo)
Other than that, just generally increasing your volumes will net you some savings in economies of scale(potatoes, spices, rice), but we are talking pennies and I feel I’m just nitpicking at that point.
You need to go to aldis