cheap food
discount groceries
dollar stores food
eating for less
food banks
food budget
stretching dollars
Eating on the cheap
@joyceshookery (2057)
United States
July 8, 2010 1:48am CST
My food budget this month is close to zilch (less than $200 for the month). I’m sure I’m not the only myLotter who is dealing with cash flow challenges so I’d like to share my ideas with you and have you share yours with me.
I bought a 12-pack of Cup o’Noodles for $3.50. That comes to less than 35 cents per meal.
The 99-cent Store is good for fruits, vegetables and canned meals (Spagettios, ravioli, stew, soup, and many other canned meals, vegetables and fruits). You can also buy eggs, bread, bologna, and more. Look for other dollar stores that sell food. One of my favorites is a French bread pizza of garlic and cheese. The selection of cookies and other sweets is also quite appealing.
You might not have a Winco where you live, but perhaps there’s another discount grocery store in your area where you can get Banquet pot pies for 58 cents, TV dinners for 88 cents, chili for 98 cents – whatever’s a dollar or less. I go for it.
My target is food for $5 a day or less. That way I don’t feel deprived and I’ll buy my flavored coffee creamer and a couple other luxury items like apricots. The Cup-o-Noodles at 35 cents makes up the difference.
Locally, we have a place called Hope Food, where you pay $25 and receive groceries easily in the range of $50 or more. You might have something like that in your area. There are also food banks which I think most areas have.
We live in mean, lean times fellow myLotters. Let’s share our ideas and resources.
2 people like this
5 responses
@JOIEMARVIC (2335)
• Philippines
8 Jul 10
I also trying to cut on my food expenses. I usually spend $50 a month for food. I live in the Philippines where food is cheaper than other countries. My groceries includes eggs,meats,canned goods and noodles. I try to reduce my soda consumptions to be able to save. Sometimes I do not eat at night so that I could save some more and lose weight on the side.
@joyceshookery (2057)
• United States
8 Jul 10
I'd love to have US money and spend Philippine prices for food! You're skipping meals plan is too tough for me. When I get hungry my tummy grumbles loudly.
Thanks for sharing.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
8 Jul 10
joyce I did buy stuff from the local 99 cent store but suddenly about three fourths of their packaged goods is stale to just plain spoiled. I think they buy seconds from ordinary grocery stores and pass them off as fresh goods. I got a package of donuts that were starting to mold. thats not saving money at all. but here the food is out of my hands as it was taken out of my social security and ssi checks monthly. When I was in our apt. I had a vons card and saved a lot each week on groceries as you got really great discounts with your card. I like cup of noodles but as I have high blood pressure I should not use them as they are high in salt which
shoves your blood pressure u p way high.
@joyceshookery (2057)
• United States
8 Jul 10
No, it's certainly not a good deal when you buy things that are old or about to mold. So cup o' noodles isn't for all...fortunately high blood pressure isn't my thing. I'd have to choose something else on the cheap side.
Another thing I do when funds are low is eat a lot of bologna and tuna salad sandwiches
@slaveofsensation (348)
• United States
9 Jul 10
You can save so much money if you do EXTREME COUPONING. What you do is save coupons from the Sunday paper every week (I buy them out of a machine and pay for one but grab 3) 
then after about one month you will have enough coupons to save 75% on your groceries. I usually buy about $200 worth of groceries every month but I only spend about $60. I do this by watching couponing websites and they tell you which stores are having sales on the same items that you have coupons for and this makes it very cheap. Like if something is on sale for 99 cents and you have a coupon for 75 cents off you get the item for 25 cents and sometimes things are free. I never pay for body-wash or shampoo and conditioner any more and I save about half on my make-up usually.
then after about one month you will have enough coupons to save 75% on your groceries. I usually buy about $200 worth of groceries every month but I only spend about $60. I do this by watching couponing websites and they tell you which stores are having sales on the same items that you have coupons for and this makes it very cheap. Like if something is on sale for 99 cents and you have a coupon for 75 cents off you get the item for 25 cents and sometimes things are free. I never pay for body-wash or shampoo and conditioner any more and I save about half on my make-up usually. 
@ellie333 (21016)
•
8 Jul 10
Hi Joyce, It is hard at the moment, just this week the ham I usually buy for my sonspacked lunch rose from £1.28 per pack to £1.78 per pack and I also am looking for help with the food shop. I already buy the cheaper no label brands, we don't have food banks and I can't eat too muchpasta which is a cheap meal. Iam finding that I am living on nutrititional shakes a lot of the time as these work out quite cheaply for me and gives my body everythingit needs and may have a sandwich in the evening, sometimes I am lucky and manage to grab something for free at work. My son is my priority so I tend to buy the foods I know he will eat. Haven't got any budgeting ideas I am afraid other than cooking in bulk and freezing into smaller microwavable meals with things like shepherds pie. Huggles. Ellie :D
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
8 Jul 10
Hiya joyce,
Is that your food budget I mean just for you or for more People in your Family? I think that it´s hard anywhere now. Here we are seeing prices shoot up on different things. I am making potatoes a priority in the sense that I use them as wisely as I can. Fried Chips for example are becoming more expensive to cook as you use a lot of Oil. However they are very popular with my Family so I try to switch them around. Mainly lettuce and tomato and red onion and boiled eggs make up a good meal with maybe just one hamburger instead of two it all depends on how hungry they might be. My food budget is basically 300 euros to 400 euros for a month but out of that has to come things like hand soap, toothpaste, shampoo and all of that kind of thing.
I also only buy where the prices are clear on the packet itself as a lot of the Shope have prices on top of the counter say for example ham that someone has mentioned and the price is too far off to read properly as the counters are very wide. You can see the price but not the item it belongs to as that comes in microscopic letters that no one can read hardly and everything the prices and the items don´t coordinate at all. That is where they get you so either the price comes on the packet of ham itself or just below it on the shelf or I just avoid buying it altogether till I get to find out what price it really is. There is a lot of deception in that.
