Budget Pantry Challange

Help, please! DB and I are both dunces with this sort of thing. 

DB and I are sorting out our finances and we're trying to figure out how much we should realistically set aside for groceries each month. We have a Sam's Club membership, so we've been buying a lot of the paper goods and non-perishables there. We've been buying meat there too and freezing it in smaller portions. We'd been spending about $800 a month on food  and we've now gotten it down to about $400, but we're trying $300 to see how it goes. I think we can do a lot better than we've been doing and I'd to get it down even lower if possible.

Does anyone mind sharing approximate budgets that are reasonable for 2 people and foods that can be budget stretchers? We don't want to feel like we're not eating well, but we do want to watch the money. We do eat meat, but I don't mind incorporating more meatless dishes if they will help our budget.

 

While I'm not too much help, I would first assess what kind of convenience foods you are buying-anything from frozen dinners to pre-cut/washed lettuce.  That stuff is much more $$$ than natural, whole foods, in my opinion. Even if you're not into whole foods, even extras like cans of soda versus 2 liter bottles, 100 calorie packs versus a bag you portion up yourself, etc.  Even say like, boneless/skinless chicken breast is way more expensive per pound that a whole chicken.  When I lived with my ex-boyfriend, he loved convenience foods that he could pop in the microwave- chef boyardee, lean pockets, uncle bens rice bowls, frozen pizza, etc.  Talk about $$$.  I got so sick of it, once he moved out, my grocery bill went from about $800/month for two people to only about $150/month for one person- and because most stuff isn't packaged for just 1 person, I have extra food sometimes- so I would say that if I had someone living with me who ate like me, I could spend about $250-$300 on food.  I buy lots of veggies (fresh, frozen, canned), whole grains, some small bits of meat (usually an accent), fruits, not too many sweets or deserts, etc- and make say like my own mac n cheese, rather than from a box, that kind of thing.  You have to like cooking though to go my way. 

I can feed myself and a teen for $250-$300 a month pretty easily. 

Phatbeetle gave some pretty good hints on how to save some money too.  One thing I do, because I like pork chops, is to wait until a half loin of pork goes on sale.  I have it cut into ½" thick chops.  They're the same as what you get in the deli case for $3.99-$4.99 a pound. 

If I want to make a casserole with chicken, the bone-in breasts are cheaper than skinless, boneless.  I put the bone-in breast in a crockpot and both the bones and skin come away easily when done. 

Another thought:  If you post what you've got, maybe someone here can help you create economically-sound recipes with it.  I belong to another forum where we've had a "pantry challenge" thread to help a couple of members who were low on funds for a few weeks.  They got some great ideas that way!

I'm trying to cut down on convenience foods, but I've grown up on them so I'm not really sure what can be made that doesn't come from a box.  I've found recipes for making rice a roni homemade and things like that. I'm sure I could do better, same with portions of what I make. DB eats loads, though, but I think part of the reason he eats as much as he does is because it's there.

Here's what we would typically have on hand:
various kinds of pasta (ziti, spaghetti, macaroni, orzo)
ground beef
pork chops
chicken breasts
bulk mashed potato mix
carrots
red and white potatoes
cans of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce

I like to try to buy fresh veg and fruit, but it can tend to go bad because I'm not good at planning meals yet. When I buy salad stuff I tend to buy the bags of mixed lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes...

I have loads of spices and herbs for flavours.

We have bought a boneless pork loin on sale and DB cut that up. It lasted for a while. I'm not really sure what cuts of meat tend to be cheaper and how to do things like cutting them up on our own to make it cheaper.

We have bought roast chickens before and they do tend to be inexpensive, but we're not sure how to stretch it very well. The only thing I know how to do with the leftovers is make chicken soup.

ETA: If anyone can think of good meals for which we don't have the ingredients on hand, if it's going to help our budget I don't mind trying it out. I'm just not really sure what is out there. Recipezaar helps, but I still need to know what's out there since I can mostly just search for what I think of there.

Use whatever vegetables are in season, use cheaper cuts of meat in the crock pot -they will turn out very tender, use chicken bones and leftover parts to make soup stock. Make a big pot of chili - some ground beef, spices. tomatoes, onions and beans (or whatever else you want to add) and you're set. One thing we do is buy what is on sale and work our menus around that. Sometimes family packs of meat are cheaper and you can freeze any extra. We mainly buy produce as needed - usually on a daily basis.

Roast a chicken and the leftovers can be used for the next night's dinner - fajitas or chicken tacos, chicken casseroles, chicken salad - lots of ways. Ground beef or turkey could be used for chili, burgers, make some meatballs and freeze them, individual meatloafs, ect.

Brown rice is a great filler for meals and not bad for you. Lentils are very good and a bag of dried lentils is pretty cheap - can be used in lots of ways.

Experiment with spices, they can make anything taste wonderful.

The down side is that you may have to do a lot more preparation and cooking to eat cheaper but once you get in the swing of it you may find you like the food a lot better than convenience foods.

Oh,yeah, one more - we've done breakfast for dinner lots of times - couple of eggs and whatever is leftover in the fridge for omelets.

Not knocking convenience foods - we do utilize them maybe more than we should. Hell there are frozen fish sticks and pizza in the freezer now for a day I can't be bothered to cook.

I use the Crock Pot a lot.  I've never been one to cook every night.  You could make chili, soups, stews, spaghetti sauce etc, and freeze it.  Works out cheaper and you've made a few night's meals all at once.

think about eating vegetarian a little more often, it's cheaper if using beans or veg, maybe 1 or 2 nights a week make a bean chili, vegetable stew, macaroni and cheese homemade, vegetable lasagna or just plain spaghetti with garlic bread.

That's how my mom used to save money. OH! Canned tuna is cheap too, tuna noodle casserole, yummy

Me and my husband spend £150 (about $300 I guess, but food is more expensive here) a month on food and I know it could be a lot less if I didn't eat so much seafood.  $800 a month is insane!  Do you eat oysters every night?   

Cooking every meal makes things a lot cheaper in my experience.

Plan your meals. If you're spending that much money and stuff is still going to waste, there's a problem.

Back in the States, there were times where I'd have $150 for the month. With that budget, I'd have good meals every night, stuff for lunches, coffee beans, and beer.

For me, it was all about planning. I knew what every last speck of food in my fridge was going to be and when. Nothing went to waste and everything had a purpose.

Think about other chicken parts (not breasts). We buy packs of thighs and drumsticks for casseroling, which are much tastier, and the bones and skin (which come away in the cooking, as someone else has said) add flavour to the cooking juices.

Buy whole lettuces for salad, and pull off a few leaves to wash when needed. You can get special bags from Lakeland which keep veg fresh for ages and can be reused. Perhaps you can get something similar in the US.

Soak and cook whole bags of pulses (kidney beans, chick peas etc) then freeze in small amounts for use when needed - add to pasta sauces, casseroles etc even if you are using meat to make things go further.

Buy local and seasonal veg (we eat a lot of greens - cabbage, kale etc in winter, which are cheap, nutritious and tasty nice if shredded and steamed with grated lemon rind, or a little ginger, for example). Any leftover cooked greens can be dressed as a salad or incorporated into a pasta or curry sauce the next day.

Drink tap water rather than fizzy drinks or bottled water. Keep a jug in the fridge with a couple of lemon slices.

Our 'convenience' foods when we need them might be: an omelette with salad and potatoes, breaded fish pieces with oven chips and frozen peas, pasta with a sauce made with chopped onion, chickpeas and a tin of tomatoes, a tin of soup bulked out with cooked pulses and left over cooked vegetables and some nice bread.

Also look for value for money.  Cheaper cuts of chicken might be cheaper than boneless skinless chicken breasts, but when you count in the bones and skin that you would otherwise toss, it might come out the same. 

soups, stews, spaghetti sauce, anything you can make in bulk and then freeze.  I also have some really quick and easy pasta recipes that I can make in the time it takes to cook the pasta.  And they're cheap. 

And buy meat on sale, in bulk and freeze.  Beans are cheap as HME said. 

You could try FlyLady's rubber chicken plan:

http://www.flylady.net/pages/FlyingLessons_ControlJournal8.asp

(If it's any cheaper, buy the whole chicken raw & roast it yourself.)

Plus just doing the menu planning in advance -- I've always heard that's good, but I'm rubbish at it!

Mariposa had a great idea...

Name some items in your pantry and give people a go at creating budget meals based on those items.  I know we have some keen cooks and people on a budget so lets give it a go!

 

Hillbilly Housewife has a few low cost menus, but I personally think it's really carby and salty (and there's no way I could deal with powdered milk instead of fresh or tea instead of coffee).  However, if you're in the situation where you have to feed a family on $50 a week, it's a pretty good guide.  There's also an "everyday" menu.  You could get some ideas there.

I agree with both the menu planning and posting what you normally eat/what's in your pantry suggestions.

Wow, 800 pounds a month on food?  That's 100 pounds per person per week!  It's by far more than we pay for rent!

Anyway, HME's suggestions are pretty much what I do. 

Buy whole lettuces for salad, and pull off a few leaves to wash when needed. You can get special bags from Lakeland which keep veg fresh for ages and can be reused. Perhaps you can get something similar in the US.

Soak and cook whole bags of pulses (kidney beans, chick peas etc) then freeze in small amounts for use when needed - add to pasta sauces, casseroles etc even if you are using meat to make things go further.

Buy local and seasonal veg (we eat a lot of greens - cabbage, kale etc in winter, which are cheap, nutritious and tasty nice if shredded and steamed with grated lemon rind, or a little ginger, for example). Any leftover cooked greens can be dressed as a salad or incorporated into a pasta or curry sauce the next day.

Drink tap water rather than fizzy drinks or bottled water. Keep a jug in the fridge with a couple of lemon slices.

You can pick one day a week to cook if that works better than cooking throughout the week, and make loads and freeze into meal-sized containers.  Make enough of each thing to make at least 2 evenings meals.  Your'e cooking anyway--so it takes not much more time to make more of the same.

Another thing I've been doing lately is checking the section at our Morrissons where soon to expire bread is.  I'll buy bread and freeze it and it's fine.  I'll defrost just enough for the next few days so none gets stale or moldy.

There's also the "busted up section" for veggies and fruit--stuff that's just past its prime.  Usually it's fine and I'll steam up veggies and freeze them or know that I'm going to use them very soon.

With very ripe apples and pears I've made the most delicious apple sauces (so easy to make and a very cheap dessert) and frozen the extra.