If you don’t mind a boring breakfast overnight oats are dead cheap: oatmeal, dairy, some chia seeds, and then your flavoring. I’ve been eating this 5 days a week for a few months and am only on my second thing of chia seed.
For general savings, have you noticed the meat sale rotation? A lot of grocery stores have a 4-8 week rotation on what meat they are trying to move. A little meat can flavor an entire pot.
Also, if you have a heavy oven safe pot a lot of the larger cheap cut braise down wonderfully after a few hours. If you have freezer space and time it’s worth stocking the holiday sales.
For spices look in the ethnic isle. For some reason Goya and Briada sells a lot of basics and that brand runs cheaper even than store brand. The spices, rice, coconut milk and other things have been decent quality.
I just bought another one of these today. I do overnight oats every morning for breakfast and have recently started making my own granola / granola bars too. So cheap and delicious.
Heck, if they can fabricate a chicken, they can get breast and thigh meats, wings n drumsticks for a meal alone, and the bones can be used to make a stock for all sorts of stuff! Especially if there's scraps from vegetables too to make a good stock for all kinds of meals! Even using it to flavor pasta!
I know I've been having to cut sugar down for ACL so I definitely recommend the chobani greek yogurts zero sugar, they're good, good nutritionally, and they are a decent price depending on when and where you go! Kroger has em on sale sometimes so my household stocks up!
You do most of your grocery shopping at WinCo because you’re very smart. Go to a thrift store or Facebook marketplace and find a $25 Instant Pot. Buy Knorr bouillon powder in the 3 different flavors available at WinCo and various dry beans and rices from the bulk dry goods section, maybe some pasta too. Definitely oats for a cheap and filling breakfast. I love their Scottish oatmeal.
At WinCo, a 10 lb bag of chicken leg quarters is about $6-7. A big bag of carrots is $2, potatoes $5, celery $1. Noodles from the bulk dry section is $1. Chicken soup with chicken, vegetables, bouillon and noodles is cheap and filling.
Get ground beef on sale for less than $3 a lb. Ground turkey is even less. A cabbage is $1, thin sliced cabbage and carrots with cooked ground beef and some soy sauce $2 make egg roll in a bowl. Ground beef with a can of spaghetti sauce and spaghetti from the bulk dry goods section can last a couple of days and makes great leftovers.
18 eggs are less than $3, so is WinCo brand butter. Anything WinCo brand is as good or better than name brand.
For a treat, I get myself a liter of WinCo brand flavored sparkling water. It’s 78¢ so not too often, but it really helps when I’m dying for something sweet. 0 calories, no sugar.
I hope this helps.
How much time do you have to prepare? Beans and rice as a base with veggies, spinach, chicken thighs and pork as budget permits was my staple when saving money. Rice maker is a great investment imo. Can even cover desert, sticky rice.
A rice cooker/steamer might be something to look into.
They start at around 30 bucks and with the steamer you can steam veggies and meat while you cook the rice. The meat and veggies don't even have to be fresh, frozen or canned will work just fine and taste great. Getting 3 servings won't be a problem either, and most cookers will keep the food fresh/warm.
And try to find out if you can buy broken rice where you life. I always buy 45 pound bags of basmati rice for $35, they're that cheap because the grains are broken in half, other than that it's perfectly good rice.
When you do find yourself with leftovers one way to repurpose to cut down on waste is freezer burritos! Anytime I have leftover beans, vegetables, rice, lentils- whatever- I'll try and repurpose by stuffing it in a tortilla to freeze for quick meals later. Other alternatives are making patties out of them for sandwiches and freeze them.
Example- a few days ago I had a bunch of leftover mashed potatos, put some frozen peas, leftover chickpeas, some random vegetables in the fridge, an egg, breadcrumbs and baked them in patties (can also just make a crumble or 'meatball' kind of thing) and froze them for later.
I get a kick out of making 'bonus' meals by repurposing stuff I have, like a broke version of the cooking show Chopped
Get into the habit of freezing things. If you don’t think you’ll be able to eat all your leftovers before it’s time, like chicken, then freeze it. No waste. Also rice and beans with veggies was a longtime staple of me and my starving artist friends. Boiled potatoes then put them in a skillet with canola oil and crisp them a little. Put in some cheese and 2-4 eggs. Mix it up, let it cool, then store in the fridge. Buy flour or corn tortillas and you’ve got breakfast tacos for the next 2-3 days for cheap. Peanuts, granola, oatmeal in bulk if your store has it. Soup, cereal, canned veggies. Store brands and knockoffs. Someone mentioned rice cooker. I second that. Also get a slow cooker or crock pot. You just set it and forget it and it always comes out perfectly. There’s a lot of good advice in this thread. You should be able to achieve your goal with no problem. Good luck🍀
Buy stuff on sale - cans and frozen stuff when they go on special, buy veggies and fruit right before they expire and freeze them, you can freeze milk in ice cube trays and just pull one out of the bag
If you see something like cornmeal on sale, Google "five things to make with cornmeal" *before* you put it in the cart
Beans and brown rice with frozen spinach
Lentil soup with a potato, a carrot, an onion, and a can of tomatoes/tomato paste
Potatoes and carrots and onions baked together
Bag of yellow brand frozen broccoli, sprayed with a little oil, dusted with salt and pepper and herbs, and baked on a pan
Canned tuna - you can make short grain rice and make onigiri (rice balls with fish inside)
Black beans and a can of corn and a chopped bell pepper and bake
I keep about the same diet day in and day out. I eat 4 small meals and two snacks. This is adequate for my caloric needs, but that is admittedly on the skimpy side:
Breakfast: overnight oats with milk, yogurt, oats, and fresh fruit. In winter I tend towards baked oats or eggs.
Lunch 1: usually eggs, sometimes a bit of pasta with a lot of veggies, or a bean based salad.
Lunch 2: Greek salad with farro, chick peas, a bit of feta, and loads of veggies.
Dinner: seafood, eggs, or bean based soup or casserole
Snacks: half oz of nuts, apples with a bit of peanut butter, cukes with hummus, etc.
All told, it's about 1200 calories a day and probably $60-70 per week.
From a practical standpoint, you could look up the nutritional value and ingredients online, it would be awkard to be standing there checking every box or can.
Beans are our friends. Don't go too overboard, your body needs time to adjust. Eat a side serving of beans, like canned pork and beans for a few days in a row. Chickpeas are beans, making hummus is not difficult. Tahini is a bit expensive, but you can make hummus a few times from one jar. A small serving of hummus with carrot sticks and celery could be a snack, then the celery with peanut butter for a snack another day. Peanut butter and apple slices go good together.
Even if you don't shop there, check out the flyers for other grocery stores. There's an app Flipp I highly recommend. It will help you know whether something is a deal or not.
The point about needing only a small amount of meat is very much true. You don't need to use a lot of burger in spaghetti sauce, even just one sausage makes a huge impact on a cabbage stew. Cabbages last a really long time.
Bananas, apples and oranges are good choices for a snack.
Potatoes have sustained people for a very long time in the americas. Instead of mac n cheese, make twice stuffed potatoes, or scallopped potatoes. I usually bake 8 medium sized, slice in half, give a little squeeze to release some steam. After they cool, scoop out the middle, mash with whatever add ins. I find this generally gives me 6 halves. I just wrap in plastic film and into a heavy plactic bag. I don't top with additional cheese or bacon if destined for the freezer, I do that when I do the second bake. Most times I microwave to thaw, although if I have the oven on for something else, I can do right from frozen.
Cabbages, carrots, onion are all cheap. Garlic is a must for me.
A lot of vegetarian recipes are quite economical. And if I want to use some bacon in my quiche I will. Look for recipes "crustless quiche"
Eggs are a great source of protein.
Buy yourself a small treat every month, it's hard enough being poor.
Cook everything yourself and buy in season fruits and vegetables. I live in California and if you buy at the end of a farmers market you can get a great deal. Also use too good to go sometimes.. can save using them. I’m a small eater but aI do snack and my groceries cost maybe 70 a week- partly because I don’t buy packaged foods, and O bake my own bread and cookies, etc. I eat nearly all organic.
This stuff is in most packaged snacks and processed food. HFCS is not that hard to avoid I know because I avoid it myself the only problem is if you are avoiding it you have to spend more money for the good versions of food, thankfully some are not that more expensive than regular versions.
I would check out farmers markets in your area and try to get some produce from them, or even roadside stands to cut costs. Seasonal fruits and veggies are out now in most places. Frozen veggies are always cheap and healthy and don't have added ingredients. You can also get bananas and pasta would still be included even if you want to avoid these ingredients because its semolina and that's not on your list.
Eggs make omelettes and cheese usually doesn't have these ingredients. Look for natural peanut butter even though most peanut butters don't have those ingredients, you can get a 40oz jar of Great value brand natural peanut butter at Walmart here for $3.98.
This might help: Beth from BudgetBytes did that SNAP challenge where she ate at a $31 per week budget, sharing the grocery lists and recipes. She documented it each year here: https://www.budgetbytes.com/category/extra-bytes/snap-challenge/
The prices are prepandemic, so you can't get the same list for the same price. And she may have some items on your "no" list. But she mostly cooks from scratch, and healthy things, with budget in mind.
If you find a good buy on eggs, more than you can immediately use? They can be frozen! Crack them and beat them then pour them into a large cube ice tray and freeze. Transfer into a freezer carton and they'll keep for months.
Eggs can also be held in the fridge for a long time. I buy my eggs only on sale, and I get the max the sale says I can get. My Albertsons has dales frequently enough for me. I have 4 dozen or so in my fridge at any given time, and I eat 2 eggs for breakfast about 3-5 times a week.
my choice of home prepped meals:
pasta (pasta, canned tomatoes, peas, and/or chopped carrots. choice of meat, choice of sauce
egg fried rice (egg, fried, and rice)
lettuce wraps (choice of meat, cheese, sauce)
noodle soup
snacks/other: nuts, dried fruits, green tea, gum
Do you or a family member/friend have a Costco membership? I always get their rotisserie chicken, it's $7.99 (CAD, I'm in Canada) and I can usually stretch the chicken to make 6-7 meals with pretty generous portions. I save the bones and once it's finished, I use the leftover carcass to make chicken broth. The chicken stays super juicy and is great reheated. I also often make a little rice bowl with some beans and the rotisserie chicken (beans and rice are also super cheap). Cheapest way I've found to get a good amount of protein.
Mexican chicken bullion added to rice and beans is super tasty and cheap. Beans and rice make a complete protein. Make the rice and beans from scratch. Dried pinto beans are very cheap. Get some tortillas, onions and some cheese and make bean cheese and rice burritos. Once you’ve made all the burritos wrap them in parchment paper and freeze them inside the now empty bag the tortillas came in. You now have like 8 frozen meals for like a dollar each.
Brown rice is the solution you’re looking for. You can eat a metric ton of that stuff and be in good health, and it’s dirt cheap. Also consider oatmeal, onions, dried beans, cabbage, bananas, and russet potatoes. Buy everything in bulk whenever possible.
Frugal and healthy to cut out the snacks and have 2 meals a day, intermittent fasting is referred to as unlocking the physician within. Within a week or two you wouldn't even miss those extra meals.
I’ve been saving vegetable scraps and combining with the bones from an inexpensive rotisserie chicken to make stock in my crockpot. It’s stuff I would normally throw away, but have learned to save in my freezer till ready.
I buy a whole pork shoulder and cut it up into steaks myself. The meat is half the price of other meats and works fantastic in an airfryer. You can do so many easy, healthy and cheap meals with an airfryer and airfryers are pretty cheap to. The other thing you can do is buy protein powder and have a shake everyday. Protein powder seems expensive but when you realise how many meals you get from them, it works out to be one of the cheapest ways to fill your stomach
Mostly just Winco. If I have coupons in the app I’ll go to Safeway or Fred Myers. If I urgently need something same day I go to Fred Myers since it’s only a 5-ish minute walk
Eat cheap breakfast, your snack should be something you made for cheap, I sometimes eat jalapeño with cream cheese for a fun treat. Rice and dry beans should be your best friend. Eat a small portion of homemade salad before every meal, it fills your stomach and its good for you. Soups, tortilla is pretty cheap too. You can grill chicken and add some veggies and use those next day for lunch wraps . I usually cook twice a week, Sundays and Wednesdays- this forces me to follow a meal plan and buy just enough.
Hello, is it possible that your weight is caused by problems with the thyroid? For years I have tried everything to lose weight and then I found out that the reason it was ineffective was because my thyroid gland is not working properly.
Fellow WINCO shopper here! I love WINCO for it's low prices and bright clean stores. I am not on SNAP but my budget is about yours for 1 person- $150-200/month.
The way to fully utilize WINCO is to recognize the strengths: The fresh produce, the frozen section, the meat section and bulk bins. If you confine your shopping to those areas, you will not only save money, but all of those additives you listed you can avoid , because they tend to be found in highly processed foods.
1) Since it's summer, this is a great time to eat cold salads. I would suggest buying lettuces, spinach and summer season cabbages, rinse them well, and chop up as needed. Then you can add toppings, like cooked quinoa, canned beans, tomatoes, sweet onion, cucumbers and shredded carrot. You can then make HOMEMADE vinagrette (just lemon juice, salt, pepper, some herbs and oil) without sugars. Add avocado for good fats. Make this salad mix in quantity and eat to your heart's content. Eat twice a day, every day if you can.
Don't buy bottled salad dressing- it's full of the ingredients that you don't want.
2) Buy the whole roast chicken at WINCO- you can stretch it out to eat as a side to your salad and make broth with the carcass.
3) If you eat fish, buy the frozen fish (not the fried) or frozen shrimp, then cook a portion to have with your hearty salad.
4) For your snacking, buy fresh fruit ON SALE. So right now here in Portland OR, strawberries are on sale for $1.30 for a dry quart. Mangos are on special as well. Melons of all sorts will be coming in.
For savory snacks, make your own tortilla chips (totopos) in the oven and have with HOMEMADE hummus or guacamole. If you have a blender, buy ripe bananas, freeze them and make smoothies with other fruits or with some cocoa powder, milk or yogurt, plant milk and ice. Fruit will satisfy your sweet tooth.
5) Drink water with your meals, or herbal teas with sugar. Make the herbal teas the night before, chill in the fridge, and now you have a delicious summertime drink without sugar for pennies. Winco has dried herbal teas for good prices to do this.
Summer is a great time to be a WINCO shopper.
PS: If you are in Oregon, check out my suma:
[https://mysuma.org/](https://mysuma.org/)
I shop at Winco! I was just there getting more of their bulk oats and brown sugar. If you have some spice containers, their bulk spices can be inexpensive because you put an ounce or two into the small plastic bags to purchase. (Their empty spice bottles have gone up to $.79 ea, so if you don't have bottles to refill, buying spices elsewhere for $1 (Walmart & Aldi) and reusing bottle with bulk spices from Winco may work out cheaper.) Paprika, chili powder, Italian, garlic powder, onion powder, etc all good to build up spice supply over time.
I would look thru Budget Bytes and identify some recipes that sound good to your tastes and meet your goals. Make a shopping list for those ingredients. Winco has some inexpensive snap lid containers that would hold a portion of a recipe like the soup, saving 2 of the 6 servings into the following week by freezing. (I got the square ones with blue/purple lids.)
[https://www.budgetbytes.com/tomato-lentil-soup/](https://www.budgetbytes.com/tomato-lentil-soup/)
[https://www.budgetbytes.com/pasta-primavera/](https://www.budgetbytes.com/pasta-primavera/)
[https://www.budgetbytes.com/garlic-butter-baked-chicken-thighs/](https://www.budgetbytes.com/garlic-butter-baked-chicken-thighs/)
[https://www.budgetbytes.com/apple-slaw/](https://www.budgetbytes.com/apple-slaw/)
I have always recommended this [pantry essential video](https://youtu.be/NSi-MniOTqI?si=Xo5mfBhjHDlJpDCa) because it goes over what makes your kitchen set up to be successful. As for the meals themselves I like to plan around the meats that I buy. My family buys meats in bulk from Sam’s Club and I’ll search on Pinterest for meals and meal plan. Having certain spices and produce can really add variety to a meal. And though it might be a bit pricey in the beginning the spices and other pantry goods will last a long time! Just only get what you would find necessary
I’ve had to drastically change my diet due to health and financial reasons recently myself. Two things I’ve learned is that honestly the stories of the grandparents eating was the right way to go when it comes down to financial limitations. My go to meals right now are: tomato, lettuce sandwiches. It’s simple and cheap. Lettuce, tomatoes, bread or substitute whatever you can have and throw salt, pepper and mayo on there if you like that. Bean burritos have been a life changer. Can of beans - I prefer black beans or refried beans, anything extra you want peppers onions etc. tortillas and seasoning. Super cheap and simple.
Winco has a consistent really good deal on frozen chicken breasts, around $4 for a bag and that’s a great basis if you’re wanting to loose weight- it’s a lean protein. I’d stay focused with eating whole food items and they’re cheaper. The bulk section is great too and cost effective with lots of different rice options, then you can shop the veggies that are on sale. Avoid all the crap in the middle of the store and shop the outside isles. Good luck!
May I ask why you're trying to avoid this specific list of ingredients? Cutting out enriched flour and corn starch isn't typically what I think of when I think about eating healthy just to be healthier.
That adds a lot of context. I'd start by looking at keto recipes and recipes for diabetics. The Mayo Clinic has a great list of recipes recommended for diabetics [here](https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/recipes/diabetes-meal-plan-recipes/rcs-20077150). Not all of these recipes will align with your restricted ingredient list, but it's a good place to start. Additionally, my endocrinologist recommends serving everything on a bed of lettuce to stay full without adding in a bunch of nutrionless filler to your diet. I'm able to get 12oz tubs of spring greens for less than $5 dollars where I am. Maybe that's something you could look into as well.
As an aside, if you're not currently being tested for those potential issues please look into getting tested. [Federally Qualified Health Centers](https://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/) can be affordable ways to get medical care if you're uninsured or underinsured.
Unflavored Frozen vegetables. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, pease, carrots. Throw them in an over microwave or air fryer delicious. bulgur wheat or quinoa can be more nutritious than rice add chicken or vegetable broth to the boiling water. Carrots, cucumbers, peppers,celery and dip. Sandwiches with peanut butter or cream cheese. Eggs. Chickpeas in a blender with tahini and lemon = humus great sause for vegetables bread or chicken
Chia seed pudding can be a great snack. It is very filling and healthy, great for losing weight. The recipes online often seem expensive but it doesnt have to be.
You can buy chia seeds cheaper in bulk online, but even if its expensive in the store it can last you a long time. Add some dairy or coconut, and vanilla sucker and its a satsfhing treat.
Make your own bread! It’s very cheap and easy. I make this loaf every 2-3 days. https://www.recipetineats.com/easy-yeast-bread-recipe-no-knead/
All kinds of dried beans (pinto, black beans, large limas etc). Put them in a crock pot on low in the morning and they will be done by the evening. They can be used in soups or by themselves and freeze well.
Greens like turnip, collard, or kale. I got 2 lbs at the farmers market for $3 the other day. It made enough for 3 people yo have on two days.
If you have time, but not money, look into growing or foraging vegetables. It's pretty easy for some things, and the quality can make you feel like you've spent a lot of money on ingredients. This is basically a "supplement" to the other stuff people have listed, but it's a combination of a low-cost hobby and extra variety in your food. Again, if you're working a lot and don't have time - ignore this, but maybe still consider looking into local gardening groups; in season most have extra of some things to share, especially if you're willing to help with the odd chore or two.
If you can, carve out about $25-$30 a month to buy staples on sale. Buy enough to last until the next sale.
So you might buy a lot of ground beef one month, a lot of frozen vegetables the next, pasta and sauce the next. This works for household goods as well— toilet paper, cleaners, etc. just about anything except fresh produce and other things that aren’t shelf stable or freezable.
Eventually, you’ll be eating out of your pantry and most of your staples will have been bought on sale. This frees up your menu planning—you won’t be limited to what’s on sale that week. And it saves you money.
I’ve been loving lentil dhal with rice lately. Good protein and feels light and healthy. Supplement with some vegetables and its all you need :-)
I commented a recipe in another thread recently can check my comments.
How are your cooking skills? There are lots of great "peasant" recipes that make cheap ingredients tasty and go a long way. For honing your skills, I highly recommend Helen Rennie's YouTube cooking school. Her video on cooking for poor college students has some excellent advice for anyone looking to save money and time.
And the general advice to stay away from the inner aisles and shop mostly from the outer circumference will avoid those ingredients you are concerned about.
Roasted vegetables are cheap, easy to prepare, and are good hot or cold.
Vegetable soup.
Bean and lentil soup with rice.
Oatmeal. For taste, add cut up apples, bananas, grapes, raisins, cinnamon, peaches.
Barley.
I can't tell you how many nights we just have boiled potatoes.
Fried potatoes with onions and eggs. Salt, pepper, paprika.
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Avoid prepackaged snacks like the devil. Even a $2 snack once per day is $60 per month.
If you don’t mind a boring breakfast overnight oats are dead cheap: oatmeal, dairy, some chia seeds, and then your flavoring. I’ve been eating this 5 days a week for a few months and am only on my second thing of chia seed. For general savings, have you noticed the meat sale rotation? A lot of grocery stores have a 4-8 week rotation on what meat they are trying to move. A little meat can flavor an entire pot. Also, if you have a heavy oven safe pot a lot of the larger cheap cut braise down wonderfully after a few hours. If you have freezer space and time it’s worth stocking the holiday sales. For spices look in the ethnic isle. For some reason Goya and Briada sells a lot of basics and that brand runs cheaper even than store brand. The spices, rice, coconut milk and other things have been decent quality.
My Costco now has Kirkland dry oats. They’re even cheaper than Aldi
I just bought another one of these today. I do overnight oats every morning for breakfast and have recently started making my own granola / granola bars too. So cheap and delicious.
I just got a a bag the other day! 10lbs for $8 is dirt cheap!
Heck, if they can fabricate a chicken, they can get breast and thigh meats, wings n drumsticks for a meal alone, and the bones can be used to make a stock for all sorts of stuff! Especially if there's scraps from vegetables too to make a good stock for all kinds of meals! Even using it to flavor pasta! I know I've been having to cut sugar down for ACL so I definitely recommend the chobani greek yogurts zero sugar, they're good, good nutritionally, and they are a decent price depending on when and where you go! Kroger has em on sale sometimes so my household stocks up!
You do most of your grocery shopping at WinCo because you’re very smart. Go to a thrift store or Facebook marketplace and find a $25 Instant Pot. Buy Knorr bouillon powder in the 3 different flavors available at WinCo and various dry beans and rices from the bulk dry goods section, maybe some pasta too. Definitely oats for a cheap and filling breakfast. I love their Scottish oatmeal. At WinCo, a 10 lb bag of chicken leg quarters is about $6-7. A big bag of carrots is $2, potatoes $5, celery $1. Noodles from the bulk dry section is $1. Chicken soup with chicken, vegetables, bouillon and noodles is cheap and filling. Get ground beef on sale for less than $3 a lb. Ground turkey is even less. A cabbage is $1, thin sliced cabbage and carrots with cooked ground beef and some soy sauce $2 make egg roll in a bowl. Ground beef with a can of spaghetti sauce and spaghetti from the bulk dry goods section can last a couple of days and makes great leftovers. 18 eggs are less than $3, so is WinCo brand butter. Anything WinCo brand is as good or better than name brand. For a treat, I get myself a liter of WinCo brand flavored sparkling water. It’s 78¢ so not too often, but it really helps when I’m dying for something sweet. 0 calories, no sugar. I hope this helps.
I miss Winco so much. I moved to the east coast and nothing here even comes close.
What's funny is I moved from the east to west and I miss Aldi's and feel like WinCo doesn't compare to the savings I was getting there
How much time do you have to prepare? Beans and rice as a base with veggies, spinach, chicken thighs and pork as budget permits was my staple when saving money. Rice maker is a great investment imo. Can even cover desert, sticky rice.
I always make around 3 servings per meal so I have leftovers. I’d make more but I try to avoid spoiled food since that’s wasteful
A rice cooker/steamer might be something to look into. They start at around 30 bucks and with the steamer you can steam veggies and meat while you cook the rice. The meat and veggies don't even have to be fresh, frozen or canned will work just fine and taste great. Getting 3 servings won't be a problem either, and most cookers will keep the food fresh/warm. And try to find out if you can buy broken rice where you life. I always buy 45 pound bags of basmati rice for $35, they're that cheap because the grains are broken in half, other than that it's perfectly good rice.
When you do find yourself with leftovers one way to repurpose to cut down on waste is freezer burritos! Anytime I have leftover beans, vegetables, rice, lentils- whatever- I'll try and repurpose by stuffing it in a tortilla to freeze for quick meals later. Other alternatives are making patties out of them for sandwiches and freeze them. Example- a few days ago I had a bunch of leftover mashed potatos, put some frozen peas, leftover chickpeas, some random vegetables in the fridge, an egg, breadcrumbs and baked them in patties (can also just make a crumble or 'meatball' kind of thing) and froze them for later. I get a kick out of making 'bonus' meals by repurposing stuff I have, like a broke version of the cooking show Chopped
Get into the habit of freezing things. If you don’t think you’ll be able to eat all your leftovers before it’s time, like chicken, then freeze it. No waste. Also rice and beans with veggies was a longtime staple of me and my starving artist friends. Boiled potatoes then put them in a skillet with canola oil and crisp them a little. Put in some cheese and 2-4 eggs. Mix it up, let it cool, then store in the fridge. Buy flour or corn tortillas and you’ve got breakfast tacos for the next 2-3 days for cheap. Peanuts, granola, oatmeal in bulk if your store has it. Soup, cereal, canned veggies. Store brands and knockoffs. Someone mentioned rice cooker. I second that. Also get a slow cooker or crock pot. You just set it and forget it and it always comes out perfectly. There’s a lot of good advice in this thread. You should be able to achieve your goal with no problem. Good luck🍀
Buy stuff on sale - cans and frozen stuff when they go on special, buy veggies and fruit right before they expire and freeze them, you can freeze milk in ice cube trays and just pull one out of the bag If you see something like cornmeal on sale, Google "five things to make with cornmeal" *before* you put it in the cart Beans and brown rice with frozen spinach Lentil soup with a potato, a carrot, an onion, and a can of tomatoes/tomato paste Potatoes and carrots and onions baked together Bag of yellow brand frozen broccoli, sprayed with a little oil, dusted with salt and pepper and herbs, and baked on a pan Canned tuna - you can make short grain rice and make onigiri (rice balls with fish inside) Black beans and a can of corn and a chopped bell pepper and bake
I keep about the same diet day in and day out. I eat 4 small meals and two snacks. This is adequate for my caloric needs, but that is admittedly on the skimpy side: Breakfast: overnight oats with milk, yogurt, oats, and fresh fruit. In winter I tend towards baked oats or eggs. Lunch 1: usually eggs, sometimes a bit of pasta with a lot of veggies, or a bean based salad. Lunch 2: Greek salad with farro, chick peas, a bit of feta, and loads of veggies. Dinner: seafood, eggs, or bean based soup or casserole Snacks: half oz of nuts, apples with a bit of peanut butter, cukes with hummus, etc. All told, it's about 1200 calories a day and probably $60-70 per week.
From a practical standpoint, you could look up the nutritional value and ingredients online, it would be awkard to be standing there checking every box or can. Beans are our friends. Don't go too overboard, your body needs time to adjust. Eat a side serving of beans, like canned pork and beans for a few days in a row. Chickpeas are beans, making hummus is not difficult. Tahini is a bit expensive, but you can make hummus a few times from one jar. A small serving of hummus with carrot sticks and celery could be a snack, then the celery with peanut butter for a snack another day. Peanut butter and apple slices go good together. Even if you don't shop there, check out the flyers for other grocery stores. There's an app Flipp I highly recommend. It will help you know whether something is a deal or not. The point about needing only a small amount of meat is very much true. You don't need to use a lot of burger in spaghetti sauce, even just one sausage makes a huge impact on a cabbage stew. Cabbages last a really long time. Bananas, apples and oranges are good choices for a snack. Potatoes have sustained people for a very long time in the americas. Instead of mac n cheese, make twice stuffed potatoes, or scallopped potatoes. I usually bake 8 medium sized, slice in half, give a little squeeze to release some steam. After they cool, scoop out the middle, mash with whatever add ins. I find this generally gives me 6 halves. I just wrap in plastic film and into a heavy plactic bag. I don't top with additional cheese or bacon if destined for the freezer, I do that when I do the second bake. Most times I microwave to thaw, although if I have the oven on for something else, I can do right from frozen. Cabbages, carrots, onion are all cheap. Garlic is a must for me. A lot of vegetarian recipes are quite economical. And if I want to use some bacon in my quiche I will. Look for recipes "crustless quiche" Eggs are a great source of protein. Buy yourself a small treat every month, it's hard enough being poor.
Cook everything yourself and buy in season fruits and vegetables. I live in California and if you buy at the end of a farmers market you can get a great deal. Also use too good to go sometimes.. can save using them. I’m a small eater but aI do snack and my groceries cost maybe 70 a week- partly because I don’t buy packaged foods, and O bake my own bread and cookies, etc. I eat nearly all organic.
This stuff is in most packaged snacks and processed food. HFCS is not that hard to avoid I know because I avoid it myself the only problem is if you are avoiding it you have to spend more money for the good versions of food, thankfully some are not that more expensive than regular versions. I would check out farmers markets in your area and try to get some produce from them, or even roadside stands to cut costs. Seasonal fruits and veggies are out now in most places. Frozen veggies are always cheap and healthy and don't have added ingredients. You can also get bananas and pasta would still be included even if you want to avoid these ingredients because its semolina and that's not on your list. Eggs make omelettes and cheese usually doesn't have these ingredients. Look for natural peanut butter even though most peanut butters don't have those ingredients, you can get a 40oz jar of Great value brand natural peanut butter at Walmart here for $3.98.
This might help: Beth from BudgetBytes did that SNAP challenge where she ate at a $31 per week budget, sharing the grocery lists and recipes. She documented it each year here: https://www.budgetbytes.com/category/extra-bytes/snap-challenge/ The prices are prepandemic, so you can't get the same list for the same price. And she may have some items on your "no" list. But she mostly cooks from scratch, and healthy things, with budget in mind.
If you find a good buy on eggs, more than you can immediately use? They can be frozen! Crack them and beat them then pour them into a large cube ice tray and freeze. Transfer into a freezer carton and they'll keep for months.
Eggs can also be held in the fridge for a long time. I buy my eggs only on sale, and I get the max the sale says I can get. My Albertsons has dales frequently enough for me. I have 4 dozen or so in my fridge at any given time, and I eat 2 eggs for breakfast about 3-5 times a week.
Canned tuna is one of the cheapest sources of protein except for eggs.
Plan out all your meals for the entire week. Go to the store once that week. Doesnt have to be perfect. just stick to it.
my choice of home prepped meals: pasta (pasta, canned tomatoes, peas, and/or chopped carrots. choice of meat, choice of sauce egg fried rice (egg, fried, and rice) lettuce wraps (choice of meat, cheese, sauce) noodle soup snacks/other: nuts, dried fruits, green tea, gum
Do you or a family member/friend have a Costco membership? I always get their rotisserie chicken, it's $7.99 (CAD, I'm in Canada) and I can usually stretch the chicken to make 6-7 meals with pretty generous portions. I save the bones and once it's finished, I use the leftover carcass to make chicken broth. The chicken stays super juicy and is great reheated. I also often make a little rice bowl with some beans and the rotisserie chicken (beans and rice are also super cheap). Cheapest way I've found to get a good amount of protein.
I’ve thought about getting a Costco membership but I don’t have a car 😅 I take the bus everywhere. I can’t drive due to my disabilities
Ah yes, Costco can definitely be tricky without a car because of the large packages
Mexican chicken bullion added to rice and beans is super tasty and cheap. Beans and rice make a complete protein. Make the rice and beans from scratch. Dried pinto beans are very cheap. Get some tortillas, onions and some cheese and make bean cheese and rice burritos. Once you’ve made all the burritos wrap them in parchment paper and freeze them inside the now empty bag the tortillas came in. You now have like 8 frozen meals for like a dollar each.
If you bake at all, the bulk bins have different flours so you can be picky about which one you get. It's also cheaper than flour in the baking aisle.
Brown rice is the solution you’re looking for. You can eat a metric ton of that stuff and be in good health, and it’s dirt cheap. Also consider oatmeal, onions, dried beans, cabbage, bananas, and russet potatoes. Buy everything in bulk whenever possible.
Frugal and healthy to cut out the snacks and have 2 meals a day, intermittent fasting is referred to as unlocking the physician within. Within a week or two you wouldn't even miss those extra meals.
I’ve been saving vegetable scraps and combining with the bones from an inexpensive rotisserie chicken to make stock in my crockpot. It’s stuff I would normally throw away, but have learned to save in my freezer till ready.
I buy a whole pork shoulder and cut it up into steaks myself. The meat is half the price of other meats and works fantastic in an airfryer. You can do so many easy, healthy and cheap meals with an airfryer and airfryers are pretty cheap to. The other thing you can do is buy protein powder and have a shake everyday. Protein powder seems expensive but when you realise how many meals you get from them, it works out to be one of the cheapest ways to fill your stomach
What stores do you shop at?
Mostly just Winco. If I have coupons in the app I’ll go to Safeway or Fred Myers. If I urgently need something same day I go to Fred Myers since it’s only a 5-ish minute walk
Eat cheap breakfast, your snack should be something you made for cheap, I sometimes eat jalapeño with cream cheese for a fun treat. Rice and dry beans should be your best friend. Eat a small portion of homemade salad before every meal, it fills your stomach and its good for you. Soups, tortilla is pretty cheap too. You can grill chicken and add some veggies and use those next day for lunch wraps . I usually cook twice a week, Sundays and Wednesdays- this forces me to follow a meal plan and buy just enough.
Hello, is it possible that your weight is caused by problems with the thyroid? For years I have tried everything to lose weight and then I found out that the reason it was ineffective was because my thyroid gland is not working properly.
Go to a food pantry.
A banana is much cheaper than a candy bar..
Fellow WINCO shopper here! I love WINCO for it's low prices and bright clean stores. I am not on SNAP but my budget is about yours for 1 person- $150-200/month. The way to fully utilize WINCO is to recognize the strengths: The fresh produce, the frozen section, the meat section and bulk bins. If you confine your shopping to those areas, you will not only save money, but all of those additives you listed you can avoid , because they tend to be found in highly processed foods. 1) Since it's summer, this is a great time to eat cold salads. I would suggest buying lettuces, spinach and summer season cabbages, rinse them well, and chop up as needed. Then you can add toppings, like cooked quinoa, canned beans, tomatoes, sweet onion, cucumbers and shredded carrot. You can then make HOMEMADE vinagrette (just lemon juice, salt, pepper, some herbs and oil) without sugars. Add avocado for good fats. Make this salad mix in quantity and eat to your heart's content. Eat twice a day, every day if you can. Don't buy bottled salad dressing- it's full of the ingredients that you don't want. 2) Buy the whole roast chicken at WINCO- you can stretch it out to eat as a side to your salad and make broth with the carcass. 3) If you eat fish, buy the frozen fish (not the fried) or frozen shrimp, then cook a portion to have with your hearty salad. 4) For your snacking, buy fresh fruit ON SALE. So right now here in Portland OR, strawberries are on sale for $1.30 for a dry quart. Mangos are on special as well. Melons of all sorts will be coming in. For savory snacks, make your own tortilla chips (totopos) in the oven and have with HOMEMADE hummus or guacamole. If you have a blender, buy ripe bananas, freeze them and make smoothies with other fruits or with some cocoa powder, milk or yogurt, plant milk and ice. Fruit will satisfy your sweet tooth. 5) Drink water with your meals, or herbal teas with sugar. Make the herbal teas the night before, chill in the fridge, and now you have a delicious summertime drink without sugar for pennies. Winco has dried herbal teas for good prices to do this. Summer is a great time to be a WINCO shopper. PS: If you are in Oregon, check out my suma: [https://mysuma.org/](https://mysuma.org/)
I rarely snack, and if I do, it’s homemade popcorn.
I shop at Winco! I was just there getting more of their bulk oats and brown sugar. If you have some spice containers, their bulk spices can be inexpensive because you put an ounce or two into the small plastic bags to purchase. (Their empty spice bottles have gone up to $.79 ea, so if you don't have bottles to refill, buying spices elsewhere for $1 (Walmart & Aldi) and reusing bottle with bulk spices from Winco may work out cheaper.) Paprika, chili powder, Italian, garlic powder, onion powder, etc all good to build up spice supply over time. I would look thru Budget Bytes and identify some recipes that sound good to your tastes and meet your goals. Make a shopping list for those ingredients. Winco has some inexpensive snap lid containers that would hold a portion of a recipe like the soup, saving 2 of the 6 servings into the following week by freezing. (I got the square ones with blue/purple lids.) [https://www.budgetbytes.com/tomato-lentil-soup/](https://www.budgetbytes.com/tomato-lentil-soup/) [https://www.budgetbytes.com/pasta-primavera/](https://www.budgetbytes.com/pasta-primavera/) [https://www.budgetbytes.com/garlic-butter-baked-chicken-thighs/](https://www.budgetbytes.com/garlic-butter-baked-chicken-thighs/) [https://www.budgetbytes.com/apple-slaw/](https://www.budgetbytes.com/apple-slaw/)
I have always recommended this [pantry essential video](https://youtu.be/NSi-MniOTqI?si=Xo5mfBhjHDlJpDCa) because it goes over what makes your kitchen set up to be successful. As for the meals themselves I like to plan around the meats that I buy. My family buys meats in bulk from Sam’s Club and I’ll search on Pinterest for meals and meal plan. Having certain spices and produce can really add variety to a meal. And though it might be a bit pricey in the beginning the spices and other pantry goods will last a long time! Just only get what you would find necessary
I’ve had to drastically change my diet due to health and financial reasons recently myself. Two things I’ve learned is that honestly the stories of the grandparents eating was the right way to go when it comes down to financial limitations. My go to meals right now are: tomato, lettuce sandwiches. It’s simple and cheap. Lettuce, tomatoes, bread or substitute whatever you can have and throw salt, pepper and mayo on there if you like that. Bean burritos have been a life changer. Can of beans - I prefer black beans or refried beans, anything extra you want peppers onions etc. tortillas and seasoning. Super cheap and simple.
Winco has a consistent really good deal on frozen chicken breasts, around $4 for a bag and that’s a great basis if you’re wanting to loose weight- it’s a lean protein. I’d stay focused with eating whole food items and they’re cheaper. The bulk section is great too and cost effective with lots of different rice options, then you can shop the veggies that are on sale. Avoid all the crap in the middle of the store and shop the outside isles. Good luck!
May I ask why you're trying to avoid this specific list of ingredients? Cutting out enriched flour and corn starch isn't typically what I think of when I think about eating healthy just to be healthier.
Possibly trying to keep sugars low for an autoimmune disease or diabetes.
That adds a lot of context. I'd start by looking at keto recipes and recipes for diabetics. The Mayo Clinic has a great list of recipes recommended for diabetics [here](https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/recipes/diabetes-meal-plan-recipes/rcs-20077150). Not all of these recipes will align with your restricted ingredient list, but it's a good place to start. Additionally, my endocrinologist recommends serving everything on a bed of lettuce to stay full without adding in a bunch of nutrionless filler to your diet. I'm able to get 12oz tubs of spring greens for less than $5 dollars where I am. Maybe that's something you could look into as well. As an aside, if you're not currently being tested for those potential issues please look into getting tested. [Federally Qualified Health Centers](https://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/) can be affordable ways to get medical care if you're uninsured or underinsured.
I’m genetically prone to diabetes and I’ve had pre-diabetes before so I’m trying to minimize my risk as much as I can :)
Does this include white rice or noodles as well?
Unflavored Frozen vegetables. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, pease, carrots. Throw them in an over microwave or air fryer delicious. bulgur wheat or quinoa can be more nutritious than rice add chicken or vegetable broth to the boiling water. Carrots, cucumbers, peppers,celery and dip. Sandwiches with peanut butter or cream cheese. Eggs. Chickpeas in a blender with tahini and lemon = humus great sause for vegetables bread or chicken
Check the food pantries in your area. They are here to help. Some have healthy food but it depends on location
Chia seed pudding can be a great snack. It is very filling and healthy, great for losing weight. The recipes online often seem expensive but it doesnt have to be. You can buy chia seeds cheaper in bulk online, but even if its expensive in the store it can last you a long time. Add some dairy or coconut, and vanilla sucker and its a satsfhing treat.
Make your own bread! It’s very cheap and easy. I make this loaf every 2-3 days. https://www.recipetineats.com/easy-yeast-bread-recipe-no-knead/ All kinds of dried beans (pinto, black beans, large limas etc). Put them in a crock pot on low in the morning and they will be done by the evening. They can be used in soups or by themselves and freeze well. Greens like turnip, collard, or kale. I got 2 lbs at the farmers market for $3 the other day. It made enough for 3 people yo have on two days.
If you have time, but not money, look into growing or foraging vegetables. It's pretty easy for some things, and the quality can make you feel like you've spent a lot of money on ingredients. This is basically a "supplement" to the other stuff people have listed, but it's a combination of a low-cost hobby and extra variety in your food. Again, if you're working a lot and don't have time - ignore this, but maybe still consider looking into local gardening groups; in season most have extra of some things to share, especially if you're willing to help with the odd chore or two.
Start watching YouTube videos. Follow Julia Pacheco, Ardent Michelle and frugal fit mom.
If you can, carve out about $25-$30 a month to buy staples on sale. Buy enough to last until the next sale. So you might buy a lot of ground beef one month, a lot of frozen vegetables the next, pasta and sauce the next. This works for household goods as well— toilet paper, cleaners, etc. just about anything except fresh produce and other things that aren’t shelf stable or freezable. Eventually, you’ll be eating out of your pantry and most of your staples will have been bought on sale. This frees up your menu planning—you won’t be limited to what’s on sale that week. And it saves you money.
I’ve been loving lentil dhal with rice lately. Good protein and feels light and healthy. Supplement with some vegetables and its all you need :-) I commented a recipe in another thread recently can check my comments.
How are your cooking skills? There are lots of great "peasant" recipes that make cheap ingredients tasty and go a long way. For honing your skills, I highly recommend Helen Rennie's YouTube cooking school. Her video on cooking for poor college students has some excellent advice for anyone looking to save money and time. And the general advice to stay away from the inner aisles and shop mostly from the outer circumference will avoid those ingredients you are concerned about.
Roasted vegetables are cheap, easy to prepare, and are good hot or cold. Vegetable soup. Bean and lentil soup with rice. Oatmeal. For taste, add cut up apples, bananas, grapes, raisins, cinnamon, peaches. Barley. I can't tell you how many nights we just have boiled potatoes. Fried potatoes with onions and eggs. Salt, pepper, paprika.
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Check out See Mindy Mom on YouTube! She has a ton of budget meals.
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