Eating Well on a Budget

[mizducky]

Sometimes I think I need to go groceryshopping, but then I don't, and just make dinner with bits and pieces from the fridge, freezer and pantry. Use your kitchen as a supermarket! Some of these dinners have turned out so great that they became regulars.

Although it's a good thing to have a shoppinglist (to prevent impulse-buys), I don't think you should stick to the list no matter what. If you have zucchini on your list but the eggplants look better and are cheaper, be flexible and change your menu.

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Y'know, these points brings up something I forgot to say earlier. Ditsydine, in your initial post you observed: "If I shop for just a receipe--my budget is blown." I have noticed a similar syndrome: somehow my grocery bill almost always gets way out of hand if I am shopping for specific ingredients to follow a specific recipe to the letter. Inevitably there are some ingredients that just don't happen to be at a good price that week, and others which are specialty items, which, even if each is cheap individually, start to add up. I noticed this, for instance, during the Pad Thai cookoff--it was nice to augment my pantry with a whole bunch of new ingredients, and each of them individually were pretty reasonably priced, but ya spend a little here and a little there, and suddenly you're talking significant money (to borrow an old political saw...)

Whereas if I shop flexibly, being guided by what looks good and is priced right in the market that day and what I already have at home, rather than a predetermined goal of "I want to make such-and-such a dish and nothing else," my grocery bill stays much more under control. This does require a little pre-planning in terms of taking inventory of the pantry and fridge before I shop. It also helps that my cooking skills have improved significantly in recent years in terms of understanding general techniques as opposed to blindly following recipes by rote (I have Alton Brown to thank for helping me make that transition). I still do the occasional splurge on a totally-new recipe that requires purchase of lots of new-to-me ingredients, but I have also learned to find the creativity of taking whatever's available and cheeeeep and making it work. That's pretty much traditional cookery in a nutshell any way, innit?

[Carrot Top]

Good point, mizducky.

I find the absolutely best way to save on buying groceries (and save on the endless time it seems to take to go the grocery store, too!) is to take everything that is in my freezer, and everything that is in my fridge and lay it out on the counter. . .there generally is much more stuff in there than I ever would have thought. . .and start "mixing and matching" to create meals.

There is not a single time in my memory that I can come up with where, "just what was in the fridge" (and cupboards, etc.) could not yield a good four meals!

There is always something to make into some sort of generalized Mexican main course. . layering things with tacos and baking. There is usually something that can be stir-fried and served with a fried rice. There is usually something that can be made into a sauce for pasta. . .and always something that can be made into a hearty soup!

The added bonus, besides the thrifty side of it, is the sheer fun of being creative with what you've got! Great fun!

(And I seem to remember a thread that covered times like this. . .people would post "what can I make with this, that and the other thing" and others would post responses, but I don't remember the name of it. . .maybe someone else does?)

It's all in how you look at it, so often, isn't it. What might appear to be a difficulty can really be an opportunity (oh please I do not want to sound like a dreadful self help book so I will stop!).

Karen

[MelissaH]

I find the absolutely best way to save on buying groceries (and save on the endless time it seems to take to go the grocery store, too!) is to take everything that is in my freezer, and everything that is in my fridge and lay it out on the counter. . .there generally is much more stuff in there than I ever would have thought. . .and start "mixing and matching" to create meals...

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We've actually gone a step further, and started keeping a freezer inventory. We have a small whiteboard with a listing of freezer contents and sometimes a date when it went in, and every time we put something in or use something from the freezer, we update the list. This way we don't need to open the freezer to know what we have. Sure it takes some organization on our part, but I like having a list to plan my meals.

Now, if I were really organized, I'd have this list in a database on the computer, so I'd know the exact specifics of everything and I'd be able to port the list to my PDA or print it out before going shopping! (And yes, my husband has been known to call me anal at times. )

MelissaH

[rooftop1000]

reading about the pantry/fridge/freezer thoughts made me remember what grandma always said...

If you have milk bread and eggs you can always find something to make...

T

[Susan in FL]

This is so interesting, and so true. When I go to the store with a list, from a certain menu with recipes that I'm shopping for, and shop for the wine and all the perfect go-withs, I spend fifty to sixty dollars easily. On the same night, I could not go to the store, look at what we have in the house, make do with that, and be thrilled with the outcome. Lessons to be learned, over and over....

[fiftydollars]

This is so interesting, and so true.  When I go to the store with a list, from a certain menu with recipes that I'm shopping for, and shop for the wine and all the perfect go-withs, I spend fifty to sixty dollars easily.  On the same night, I could not go to the store, look at what we have in the house, make do with that, and be thrilled with the outcome.  Lessons to be learned, over and over.... 

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Yes!

And recipes can be ridiculously expensive sometimes. Until my spice rack and pantry had a chance to mature, following almost any recipe meant spending a whole lot of money. It certainly contradicted the popular notion that it is cheaper to cook than to eat out. I was easily dropping $50 or more on just dinner for two. Nowadays my ripe little pantry is getting out of control. All that investment is paying off somewhat. There are a lot of things I can make without buying more than a protein and vegetable. But now I also have to start tossing out old spices and other pantry items that are passing their peak. These days I try to pay more attention to what’s in my pantry before deciding on a recipe and I’m finally seeing how this cooking thing can save you some money.

[Chufi]

I find the absolutely best way to save on buying groceries (and save on the endless time it seems to take to go the grocery store, too!) is to take everything that is in my freezer, and everything that is in my fridge and lay it out on the counter. . .there generally is much more stuff in there than I ever would have thought. . .and start "mixing and matching" to create meals.

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in our house this is called "iets uit niets" meals " - Dutch for "something out of nothing"!

I also find, when I do go grocery shopping, that it helps to think: do I need this? (that helps to control any kind of shopping actually ) If the recipe calls for shallots but you have onions in the house, you really don't need to get the shallots. Unless you're preparing a grand classic dinner where every nuance matters.

edited because it seems I can't do english today!

Edited July 22, 2005 by Chufi (log)

[Chris Amirault]

As someone who buys in bulk, freezes, and then a year later tosses out packages of that "great deal" on meat X, I gasped when I read this idea:

We've actually gone a step further, and started keeping a freezer inventory. We have a small whiteboard with a listing of freezer contents and sometimes a date when it went in, and every time we put something in or use something from the freezer, we update the list. This way we don't need to open the freezer to know what we have. Sure it takes some organization on our part, but I like having a list to plan my meals.

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This is brilliant. So simple, yet so useful!

[ditsydine]

You might look & see if you have a Grocery Outlet in yor area. (store that sells gently dented cans, overstocked items etc.  don't worry they can't sell you food that's expired or gone off)  When I was young these were a great way for me to occasionally find splurge foods at budget prices, and often regular foods for practically nothing...

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You know I'll shope the hell out some Big Lots, American General, etc, but I know packaging has changed, but I still have the anti-dented can gene in my blood from my mom.

[ingridsf]

I'm chiming in on the pork shoulder, pork steak, and chicken thigh posts. And don't forget soft polenta, my favorite with saucy meats.

One of my favorite soups is a non-dairy potato that I start with bacon fat and chicken bones ($1 for 5 lbs.). Cheap, cheap cabbage, tons of it, is what makes the soup great, along with potatoes (duh) and onions. If you can afford it, fresh sage as well. Serve it with a few croutons, which you make with stale bread. It's the combination of the crunchiness of the croutons, the soft potato, and the broth that makes a single bowl of soup a satisfying meal for me.

My best advice is to plan your meals around textural contrast as much as flavors. I have friends who live happily on beans-and-rice, lentils, oatmeal, etc. -- which is great -- but I would be very unhappy with the unremitting mushiness of it all, no matter what they taste like. A sprinkle of chopped raw onion can add so much more than a boost of flavor.

[ninetofive]

Great ideas here. At times in my life I've had limited funds for food. Here are some hints, many of which I still use today:

1. Make your own staples. Bread, for example, is ridiculously easy and cheap to make, and whatever comes out of your kitchen tastes far better than most of what you can buy at the supermarket. On the weekends, we make a few batches of pizza dough around here, portion them into freezer bags, and stick them in the freezer for quick weeknight meals. I make pizza sauce from on-sale canned tomatoes in the winter, which is then frozen in 1-cup containers. During the summer, I can tomato sauce from tomatoes I get from my small garden, as well as from friends and family. This canned sauce usually gets us through the early part of winter. Our pizza is so good we never get takeout anymore. Today, with a bigger budget, I still make my own yogurt, using nothing more than a Mason jar wrapped in a dishtowel (along with organic milk) because I can't stand spending $1 for an itty-bitty carton of yogurt.

2. Buy spices at ethnic markets. Those little itty bottles of spice you get at the supermarket are a ripoff. For example, a jar of 10 or 12 cinnamon sticks might run me $5, but I can go across the street to the indian market and get a bag of 50 sticks for $2.99. (And it tends to be fresher.)

3. Forage. OK, it's a little offbeat but I started doing it when I noticed Whole Foods was selling organic dandelion greens for something like $2.99/pound. Hey, we've got a huge lawn and we don't use chemicals -- free dandelions, as well as lamb's quarters, purslane, and a bunch of other yummy greens, not to mention raspberries and elderberries growing nearby (jam!). There are lots of books, Internet resources, and classes with experts to teach you more. (I just joined a mycological society to learn about mushrooms, yikes!)

4. Do your own canning/preserving. I admit, this takes time, but if you get a free or cheap bushel of tomatoes or cukes, knowing how to put them up will save you some money. Also, the equipment is pretty cheap -- try tag sales or eBay -- you can even jerryrig a stockpot for water bath canning.

5. I agree with the crock pot/pressure cooker recommendations. If you are in a place where there are yard/tag sales, you will always find crock pots for sale. But even if you have to pay retail, they're pretty cheap. I prefer pressure cooking -- I have a Kuhn Rikon and love it, but it was expensive. However, I can with it, save energy with it, make cheap beans with it, and cook inexpensive cuts of meat with it, so I'm sure it has paid for itself. Perhaps put it on your birthday list?

6. Use everything. For example, if I'm cutting veggies up for a dish, any scraps, bits and pieces go into a freezer bag for stock -- onion skins, carrot tops, etc. (Thomas Keller would barf, oh well.) Same with chicken. No piece goes to waste. Shrimp shells get saved for stock.

7. Scan the front page of the sale fliers. That's where supermarkets advertise their loss leaders, the stuff they price so cheap just to draw you into the store. They also put this stuff on the endcaps (5 boxes of Barilla pasta for $1, for example.) I used to use coupons, but they seem so geared toward overprocessed food, I now skip them.

8. Garden or make friends with a gardener. I'd add join a CSA, but a season's share can run from $300 to $800 and up.

That's all I can think of now ... good luck!

[marlena spieler]

I remember hearing someone ask The Late Totally Great Julia Child about how to eat well on a budget, and she answered:

"learn to cook well".

the postings by all of you guys, above are such good examples of that! as posting after posting illustrates, if you understand what flavours go into a dish, what can substitute for a different (expensive) ingredient, and also to cook in the seasons.

once i wrote a book which was alas not published in the usa, only in the uk, and quickly went out of print, again how sad i was: because it was all about feeding ones family and friends really well, on a budget (often very strenuous, as being a freelance, budgets can get verrrry tignt inbetween assignments) and also i LOVE to entertain, and have to keep it under control pricewise. so i had lots of hints in the book in that direction.

what is important to remember is how different foods are either cheap or expensive in different places. and buying in season is always cheapest (and tastiest and no doubt more healthy too). and i try to keep a windowsill filled with herbs in pots, as fresh herbs can be expensive, and having them right there on the windowsill adds to my own creativity too, i'm not so reigned in by what i shop for.........

sometimes i like the challenge of feeding people on a small tiny skinflint of a budget, and other times I love to splash out, cloak it all with truffles, say what the hell lets just enjoy enjoy enjoy......

oh, but i like to keep my freezer tidy and eat stuff pretty quickly, not letting it linger too long. i can't stand throwing stuff out, so i keep it rotating, and frequently check freezer to see: what can i take out and cook today. its more frugal financially in the long run, too.

x

marlena

Edited July 23, 2005 by marlena spieler (log)

[jackal10]

I'm not that convinced that growing your own is cheaper. Better quaility perhaps, and a sense of pride, but not nescessarily cheaper than a farmers market or a sale item.

What you are doing is putting in time instead of cash. OK if you enjoy it, but on an hourly rate you'd be better doing something else. Even worse if you buy in plants, fertilisers etc.

The other problem with growing your own is that you need to be able to deal with the surplus. Plants and trees tend to produce in flushes, so when you have, say, zucchini or apples, then so does everyone else. Also you don't have one or two, but enough to feed the neighborhood. You can't even give them away.

[Carrot Top]

The idea of "stratas" just popped into my mind.

Usually served for breakfast, but just as good at any time.

A strata is a casserole (or a timbale, if one wants to sound elegant!) of layered bread, beaten eggs, and other savory ingredients such as ham, cheese, veggies of all sorts. . .almost any good combination of tasty odds and ends can be used.

Very filling. Comfort food. Very inexpensive.

[Jaymes]

I just spent about $40 at Rancho Gordo on beans.  They are, of course, premium beans with a  big shipping added.  But most of those beans originated from the poor and for the poor.There is also many,many, different meals in those bags with just about anything I candream up to throw in with them.

I've also managed to pony up for some RG beans. And while they may be more expensive than what I've bought at my local super, for me, it's been worth it for several reasons.

They are NEVER old or stale. Often I've thought I'm saving money buying beans in bulk at my local discounter. It's no savings to have to throw them out because they never softened during the cooking process. It's bad enough when you're on a budget, but to have to either eat inedible food, or throw it away, doesn't help.

Also, RG has an amazing selection. As I said, it's bad enough when you're on a tight budget. But pound for pound, bite for bite, beans are among the most least-expensive things you can buy. No matter how tight my grocery budget is, I feel like I'm a real high-roller selecting from such exotic-sounding items as Yellow Indian Woman beans.

Most beans expand to three times their size during cooking. So one cup of beans winds up to be at least three cups of the final product at your dinner table. Four cups or more, if you've made a saucy version and you add the cooking liquid, as for Mexican pinto beans. And they are nutritious enough that you could live on beans alone, if you had to.

They truly are a gift from Mother Nature.

[Rachel Perlow]

And once your done, you can pick all the meat off the bones and you have about 2lb of good quality chicken meat, perfect for making a soup out of.

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Just remember to pick the meat off the bones as soon as it is cooked, or it'll be flavorless mush. About 40 minutes into the simmering if you are using whole chickens or parts. Probably 10-15 minutes into the simmering if you are using carcasses or bones where most of the meat was already removed.

[Rachel Perlow]

re: Gardening. An herb garden is definitely worth it. Tomatoes, especially plum, too, if you have too much, make some sauce for the winter. But I'm getting really sick of cucumbers. I need to make some pickles, I think. I've alread started giving to neighbors and family.

[Carrot Top]

I'm not that convinced that growing your own is cheaper. Better quaility perhaps, and a sense of pride, but not nescessarily cheaper than a farmers market or a sale item.

What you are doing is putting in time instead of cash. OK if you enjoy it, but on an hourly rate you'd be better doing something else. Even worse if you buy in plants, fertilisers etc.

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Mmm. When I admired my neighbor's garden the other day, he grumbled that for the $3000. annual taxes that he was paying on that piece of land, they had to be some of the most expensive vegetables in the world!

But of course, he has been doing this every year for forty-five years, growing veggies in that lot. . .so there must be something more to it than the money for him. . .

[racheld]

One of the nicest compliments I ever received was after church one Sunday morning when a friend came up to me in the parking lot and said, in front of several of the other ladies, "We had the most delicious Stroganoff the other night. I had the beef all cooked and tender, and the noodles ready, and we were out of sour cream. I poured in some buttermilk, let it simmer a few minutes, and it was Scrumptious! All I did was think 'What would Rachel do?'"

Make-do has probably engendered some of our greatest recipes.

[Jaymes]

With luck, your budget may have eased by next fall, but if not (and assuming you live in the US), here's my best tip for eating well while broke.

'Round about Thanksgiving, most of the large grocery chains put their turkeys on sale as a "loss leader." I've seen them as low as 33 cents a pound. And even free, if you buy $25 worth of groceries.

At that time of year -- in addition to the one I buy for our holiday dinner -- I usually purchase at least two more. Butchers have meat saws that can saw these frozen birds in half, which I have them do. Then I wrap them well, and store them in the freezer.

These turkey halves offer many GREAT and very economical dinner options later in the year. I frequently will BBQ one or two on the backyard grill in the summertime. Make up some cole slaw, bake some beans, and throw a few cobs of corn onto the fire, and that's good (and cheap) eating.

The turkeys are always good roasted. You can make an inexpensive bread dressing/stuffing, pile it onto a cookie sheet, and then lay the turkey half over it before you bake.

You can make turkey soups and stews, using inexpensive stretchers such as rice, potatoes, noodles.

Use the meat for Turkey a la King, Turkey Spaghetti, King Ranch Turkey, Turkey Sloppy Joes, Turkey Cacciatore, curries, and any other casserole or dish that calls for chicken.

I could get my family of five through an entire week with a turkey half and a sack of potatoes.

Edited July 23, 2005 by Jaymes (log)

[Carrot Top]

This thread (along with a recent trip to Florida where I had some great tacos at a taqueria) was really making me hungry for some good simple home foods of the sorts mentioned by everyone.

Yesterday I picked up an el-cheapo pork shoulder at the grocery store. And a can of chipotle chilis in adobo. And some sweet potatoes. Total cost about $14.

This morning the pork shoulder went into a tightly covered pan, topped with the chilis in adobo. . .and it was placed in the oven at 325 degrees. (Yes, it is hot outside, but it didn't seem to heat the place up too much.) Two hours later the scrubbed sweet potatoes were placed in the oven on the rack.

In three and a half hours time, it was done. The pork was shredded with two forks, the sweet potatoes were lightly salted and buttered then topped with a bit of the pork and juices.

And you can not imagine how good it tasted!

And now, done with this meal that I could not wait to gobble down, I am off to pack up and freeze the seeming ton of shredded yummy pork that will make tacos and whatever else comes to mind for a looooong time ahead. (The juices in the pot will go into the fridge till solid, to remove the fat, then they'll be reduced for a spicy sauce). Almost no work at all, to do all this, really!

My mouth and my pocketbook are very happy that you started this thread!

[maui420]

hmm, food for 40$ a week?

lets see,...

eat everything with white rice

omeletts + vegies is good

roasted chickens at sams club or bj's cost about 5$ and is good for at least 2-3 meals

canned goods can sometimes be bought for 2 for 1$. and each can of vegies can go with at least 2 meals.

buy tilapia at the chinese/korean groceries...real cheap there.

hmmm

Edited July 24, 2005 by maui420 (log)

[Susan in FL]

I have thought of this thread several times when planning and fixing our dinners recently, especially last night. It was a nice dinner, full of flavors, and not too expensive. ...Asian food. Except for sushi, when we have Asian, it's usually Thai or Vietnamese. Here's what we had. Out of last night's dinner, the most pricey (overpriced) food was the mixed baby greens. The cut of beef was very inexpensive. The rest of the salady stuff was standard. The herbs for salad were from our garden, as was the lemongrass for the beef. Rice noodles are cheap, and so are bottles of great-tasting fish sauce when you buy it from an Asian market.

I could eat rice noodles with good fish sauce on it, or could dip sticky rice balls in fish sauce really frequently and not get tired of that. I love it.

You might want to take a look at the Thai Cooking at Home thread for some ideas. Most Thai dishes, including Larb that so many of us are crazy about, don't have big portions of meat in them, which can cut expenses.

[SarahD]

Excellent, excellent topic! I'm also single and on a reduced budget for the time being, and am always on the lookout for things to try while I eat out of my freezer and cupboards with judicious additions.

I've a question about kasha varnishkes ... what does it traditionally accompany? Some sort of legume dish to complete the protein?

Anyone have any good ideas about what to do with amaranth (as I explore other grains)?

I've been pondering taking the leap into home yogurt making ... what kind of yeald to you get per quart of milk?

... I'm thinking as soon as this heat breaks there's some pork butt and sweet potatoes in my future!

[Bond Girl]

I think yogurt contract only slightly when you make them at home....so you should get most of what you put in, or at least the way I make it.