How I spend $50 per MONTH on GROCERIES

[PeteLife]

So a couple of days ago I was made aware by a few members on this forum that I spend considerably less that the average person on groceries (by a lot), which I had no idea. I was very surprised people spent hundreds of dollars per WEEK ...

So to those who have been asking what do i eat, how do I do it...etc etc ... I decided to go to the grocery store today to give you an exact idea of what my shopping cart looks like ...(This is out of my regime since I usually do grocery shopping the first week of every month smh).

So here is what I got today which is somewhat typical of what I usually get on a regular basis:

Here's my grocery list:
1 Dozen eggs: $1.99
Whole Milk (1 Gallon): $2.99
Deer Park Water (28 Pack): $3.99
Split Chicken Breasts (3.25/lb): $5.02
Chicken Drumsticks (12 legs): $5.99
Sirloin Tip Steak (3.49/lb): $4.72
85% Lean Ground Beef: (2 lbs): $6.99
Turkey Bacon (12oz): $2.49
Potato Hotdog Rolls: $1.79
Hotdog (8 pack): $0.99
Wheat Bread: 2 for $3.99
Apple Juice (64 fl oz): 2 for $4
Cereal: 2 for $5
Pancake Mix (32 oz): $1.79
Brownie Cake Mix (18 oz): $1.29
Rice (10 lb): $5.79
Lasagna Pasta (16 oz): $1.79
Tomato Sauce (24oz): $1.49
Spaghetti (16oz Box): 2 for $1.98
Baked Beans (28oz can): $1.29
Ripe Bananas ($0.49/lb): $1.22

Grand total . . . $66.59 :fireworks:excluding taxes ... :fineprint:
(my real bill actually totaled $93 but thats from buying bunch other stuff that arent related to groceries)

YES I KNOW I DID NOT MAKE THE $50 mark but I felt like being greedy today lol. But ill be sure to let this extra $16.59 last me an extra week since I technically bought grocery a week earlier than usual.

Please note that this list doesn't include stuff like seasoning, ketchup, and other condiments since they aren't necessarily needed on every grocery shopping visit. (In my case I already had these in the kitchen).

But back to the point at hand.
I live ALONE :great:so that decreases the amount of food that gets devoured in my apartment.

Everything I buy already fits into a meal plan I have. So spaghetti goes with meat sauce, rice goes with chicken, ground beef goes with lasagna etc.

Cooking Time!!! :smx7:

Pasta make excellent meals because you can make a huge variety of meals that are all fast and easy. In my house growing up, we had this thing called "one-pot" meal. It was filling, delicious, and requires little to no effort.
Simply one pot that includes your meat choice (for me it could be either sliced chicken breasts or ground beef based on my shopping list), angel hair spaghetti, and veggies if you so choose... and they all cook together in one pot, and the best thing about it is that since pasta is boiled into the sauce, the flavor soaks right into everything. Simple but I love it and it makes a huge serving.

And a part from that you know the traditional stuff like pasta and meatball (my ground beef rolled into meat balls is perfect for this) and other popular pasta meals, etc. But here is another favorite of mine that requires no meat and is just as filling. I dont know what its called but I think its popular among kids but I love it - Pasta with tomato sauce and cheese. The melting sensation is Delicious lol ... Comes in handy when you have no meat or you just running low on meat ...

Rice ... I make it like any other ... you know, with my meat choice on the side. No explanation needed. I sometimes like to do friend rice, seasoned rice, sometime including diced chicken breasts etc or even baked beans. Endless possibilities.

Baked Beans ... Theres alot you can do with a big a$$ can of baked beans... I wont say anymore!

Chicken, I like to do a variety of different things to chicken since thats what i mostly eat of all meat groups. So, to not get tired of it, ill sometime make curry chicken, fried chicken, brow stew chicken, barbecue, etc ... typical stuff, but I do get creative with it though some times inventing different recipes.

Lasagna, i love it!!! make it once per month. Generally about 15 huge slices are made which does me good!!!

BREAKFAST generally include the regular stuff. eggs, bacon, bread, cereal, left overs sometimes... doesnt matter ... Im not a big breakfast person.

I think my short grocery list lasts a long time because of the way my meals are prepared. Eating one chicken breast alone is generally one serving of food. Dice it up into the meal itself and it makes about 3 plates.

Using 2 pound of ground beef makes about 15 slices of lasagna, or a million different meals with pasta (its easy to get creative with ground beef).

12 chicken drumsticks (legs) is sold as a pack in every grocery store for cheap (under $6 bucks) and depending on how much you eat, makes up to 12 meals (considering you have one leg per serving)...

Steak is on the grocery list but I dont ever buy it so i have no idea what Ill be doing with it... (I just bought it to impress my fastlane family so they think Im ballin ...shhh :smx1

p.s. my grocery lists does not include any veggies/greens because to be honest...i hate it. uke:

------------------------------
Basically, I just want to say that for many of you who are on a strict budget (and Im sure many of you are/should be) if you want to fund your start-ups etc ... This is an easy way to save. Cut back on the grocery!

Simply buy and prepare meals in ways that they will last. This is also very important to college kid who are spending the same, if not more, on noodles and pre-packaged microwavable food, easy mac etc... which all only last one serving! ... which makes you buy atleast 10 of them so you have enough for the week.

Doesnt make much sense when there is much more fulfilling options that can last a lot longer and cheaper.. Not to mention the fact that its healthier (forget the preservatives and the fake pre-cooked crap).

And to the guys, a girl love a man that can cook :groove: ... it works for me everytime... Just a hint/motivation ...

p.s. Please keep in mind that this is not me sacrificing anything to save..
its actually not even a method of savings for me. This is just how I am naturally. I just dont spend alot on food.

 

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[Lights]

too much work

I rather just buy like 40 eggs = $4, spend 16 dollars or so for the month. good source of protein, fat, and some vitamins,. I'll worry about the health complications when I'm rich lol. too much cholesterol, just eat the egg whites. scramble, boiled, and more. add mushrooms taste really good. this is my binge food by the way lol i ate like 12 eggs in one day which was all I ate too

add a $5 pizza from Little Caesars, last you 2 days. i been eating pizza the past month.

this is my diet; eggs, pizza, pizza, pizza,fast, fast, fast, fast pizza, starve, pizza, fast, pizza.

when I eat I will eat the whole pizza, like binge attack, then I'll tell myself no from food for 2-3 days. then binge again. It works for me, and I enjoy my food.

and eat Ramen noodles if you're bored with eggs. (I don't eat this, it's not healthy.... but I would if had too)

 

[The-J]

I live in Canada, so all that stuff would be over $100... and would last me three weeks.

Good job on being able to live on $70* a month in food.

 

[Thrive]

Are you saying thats your grocery list for the whole MONTH? Cause I could go through that in a week.:coco:

 

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[fpena911]

this is my diet; eggs, pizza, pizza, pizza,fast, fast, fast, fast pizza, starve, pizza, fast, pizza.

I'm sorry but your diet had me literally laughing out loud. Not because you have to starve but just the way you worded it!

 

[Steele Concept]

Are you saying thats your grocery list for the whole MONTH? Cause I could go through that in a week.:coco:

Damn aren't you starving? Not to mention it isn't the healthiest with a lotta white and wheat carbs and virtually no veggies in the mix? You are what you eat man, get in some greens and better carbs. My minimalist menu would look like:

Carbs - Rice, oatmeal, potato
Veggies - spinach, broccoli, artichoke, avocado, garlic, onion
Protein - chicken, eggs, sardines, tuna, lean grass fed animals
Fruit - apples, bananas, berries, grapes

I'm sure it costs way more than $50/month but if you eat good you can prevent bad stuff from happening to you down the line. Take care man.

 

[1PercentStreet]

No way I could eat like that and remain healthy.
That's probably 1 week max. I need to eat 5-6 meals a day.

 

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[PatrickP]

So that is enough for 1 month?

That is below 800 calories a day unless I am not remembering how many calories per item correctly.

 

[1PercentStreet]

So that is enough for 1 month?

That is below 800 calories a day unless I am not remembering how many calories per item correctly.

Yeah, I eat a 2,000 to 2,500 per day. Not sure how you're not malnourished.

 

[The-J]

So that is enough for 1 month?

That is below 800 calories a day unless I am not remembering how many calories per item correctly.

Not true. 10 lbs of rice is a LOT of rice.

 

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[PatrickP]

Not true. 10 lbs of rice is a LOT of rice.

naw you don't get off that easy. :eusa_naughty:

You going to say I am wrong then tell all of us how many calories it is per day?

Do you even know how many calories are in 10lbs rice?

I will give you that one it is only 5100 - 5500 calories

 

[Emo6126]

It all depends on where you live,

In NY Its near impossible! But I have done it, and doing it just to be able to pay for my business

I stick to basics like pasta, rice and potatoes. I get my fill of dried beans and veggies and I always buy the unpopular cuts of meat. I really like chicken thigh. I stick to all generic brands too.

A little note to everyone concerned about diet.......my degree is in nutrition......a chicken thigh has not much more fat than a breast and it taste way better. Consider all the crap you add to chicken breast to make it tastier, it adds up to more fat than if you just had the thigh. Plus if you cook it on the bone with the skin and then remove the skin and bone............all flavor......no fat transfer from skin to meat.

Back to eating cheap

I stick with one pot dishes like lasagna and stews and rice and beans. I love peasant foods

I prefer to eat this way rather than Ramon noodles.....sodium death!!............ Before I figured out eating this way, I lived off of pasta and hotdogs with ketchup...ewwww

I just hope that eating this cheap one day pays off, when I can walk through 14th street green market and buy that $10 a pound grass fed beef and that organic broccoli and not have to check my bank account or not pay rent!! And when I can spend the entire day there on a Wednesday when its quite instead of rushing in and out on a Saturday when you can't even see your own feet cause its so crowded.

another side note, eating this way sux when you are working out, since you freaking starve all day!!

 

[AgonI]

OP, Are you from Nigeria or something? If yes, that makes sense

 

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[Steele Concept]

I hear ya Emo. Grab a fat sack of black or brown rice and throw a chili, stew etc. on it. That's a cheap meal for the better part of a week. I get pissed when I'm working out and don't have a full belly afterwards.

 

[biophase]

So that is enough for 1 month?

That is below 800 calories a day unless I am not remembering how many calories per item correctly.

Years ago I had a personal trainer and she asked me to write down what I ate each day for a week. When I gave her my dairy she said, you eat around 1200 calories a day. That's what most women who are trying to lose weight here try to eat. And I was trying to gain muscle at the time! LOL

I used to eat pretty much just protein and I got my grams of protein in daily, but not much of anything else. I felt pretty good most of the time but I did feel tired when playing softball or basketball. I think that if you eat good dense proteins, your calorie count will always be low because they just aren't high calorie foods.

Anyway, looking at the OP's list, at first I thought it was also too little food, but until you break it all out, it's hard to say. There looks like there is enough protein in there for an average person. Keep in mind the average person probably only gets 50g of protein a day. And if you are a small person and don't work out you may not even need that much.

 

[socaldude]

Or you can spend $23 a month eating 3 of these a day at 25 cents a piece if you are hardcore.

 

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[The-J]

naw you don't get off that easy. :eusa_naughty:

You going to say I am wrong then tell all of us how many calories it is per day?

Do you even know how many calories are in 10lbs rice?

I will give you that one it is only 5100 - 5500 calories

According to this bag of long-grain white rice that I have here, 45 grams (dry) is 160 calories. Therefore, 10 lbs of rice is actually nearer to 16000 calories. (EDIT: After googling it, it seems that a 10 pound bag is around 15000. Win kitty.)

I have in my hand a 2kg bag of rice since I take the bus to go grocery shopping and am so not willing to carry 8 kg or more of rice home with me.

I'm a little guy so my average daily intake of rice is about a 3/4 cup, or 135 grams dry (I only eat rice once a day, almost every day but today I had noodles). This is 480 calories just of rice. 10 lbs lasts me, therefore, about 33 1/3 days.

So that's half of your 800 calories a day right there. (Lol the silly things I do to argue with a retired ol fart from Florida over the Internet)

I'm going to wager, without actually doing the rest of the math (lazy zzzz), that this guy eats nearer to 1600-1800 kcals/day, much like me. But I definitely eat healthier than he does (I didn't see a single fresh, canned or frozen vegetable on his shopping list) and since veg/fruits don't have much by way of caloric intake (unless you count beans and the like as a veg, which I personally don't but that's for you to decide), I end up spending much more money per calorie than he does. (Also the whole living in Southern Ontario thing doesn't help matters much)

My numeric estimate is probably pretty wrong but we'll leave that to Pete to estimate for himself.

As for myself: Today, I ate about 2200 kcals at an expense of about $5.24 for the day. Breakfast was about 120 grams of granola w/ almond cereal, 108 grams of sugar-laden discount yogurt, and frozen strawberries. Lunch was Thai coconut curry with pork (cheap chow mein noodles, coconut milk, chicken broth, pork, spices, frozen veg). Dinner was frozen tortellini with italian veg and tomato pasta sauce.

DISCLAIMER: I'm no nutrition expert by any means, just a kid who is very, very cheap

 

[theag]

What I eat on practically every day:

- 1-2 scoops of whey
- 2 big chicken burgers (0,33lb bons, 0,55lb chicken, some ketchup, 2-4 slices of onion, 2 slices of tomato)
- 1,1lb cottage cheese with 0,22lb berries and 0,44lb banana
- some vitamins and a fishoil capsule

Sometimes I replace the burgers with ground beef, rice, some chopped onions and other veggies all just mixed together and roasted (approx. same macros, a bit fattier).

Comes out to about 1500 calories (I'm on a harsh deficit right now to lose bodyfat). My macro ratio for this diet is 50%protein/40%carbs/10% fat. I usually eat all of this within 1-2 hours, most times between 1pm and 3pm. I fast for the rest of the day and only drink water. Costs me about $10-15 per day, mostly depending on deals on the chicken or beef. Can't go any lower than that.

 

[1PercentStreet]

Years ago I had a personal trainer and she asked me to write down what I ate each day for a week. When I gave her my dairy she said, you eat around 1200 calories a day. That's what most women who are trying to lose weight here try to eat. And I was trying to gain muscle at the time! LOL

I used to eat pretty much just protein and I got my grams of protein in daily, but not much of anything else. I felt pretty good most of the time but I did feel tired when playing softball or basketball. I think that if you eat good dense proteins, your calorie count will always be low because they just aren't high calorie foods.

Anyway, looking at the OP's list, at first I thought it was also too little food, but until you break it all out, it's hard to say. There looks like there is enough protein in there for an average person. Keep in mind the average person probably only gets 50g of protein a day. And if you are a small person and don't work out you may not even need that much.

Average is only 50?!!?!!?! Wow, didn't know that.
I consume 200g to 250g per day. (goal weight is 250lbs @ 10% bodyfat)

 

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[mayana]

50 grams of protein a day is probably almost enough for someone who doesn't work out... I've read that it should range from .5 - 1.5 per pound of body weight depending on how active the person is.

To get extra protein and not spend a bunch of money, you could buy dried beans. They are SUPER cheap and can add some variety. Plus, they have a lot of protein! One cup of cooked black beans has more than 14 grams

 

[Djs87]

I eat 3000+ cals per day. I try to buy everything I can in bulk. I'd say I spend around $250-300 per month. Yikes. I've always been lookin for ways to limit this, but working out an hour per day makes me hungry.

 

[CTamme]

range from .5 - 1.5 per pound of body weight

Really the number is 1-1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass.

 

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[splok]

This thread makes me super sad. I'm trying to eat a primal diet in Norway... not exactly the cheapest way to live ><

 

[prime]

Yeah, that's not going to work for me.

I eat 120 eggs a month to start (protein source). I eat strictly paleo diet. The eggs have to be organic/cage free due to the fact that I eat eggs raw, no cooking, and buying eggs from malnurished/caged chickens is something I don't want to risk.

So a break down of my diet is:
- eggs
- steak (once a week)
- chicken (1-2 a week)
- vegetables (kale, baby bok choy, carrots, cucumber, spinach, brocoli)
- almonds
- butter (2 sticks of butter a week)
- mct-oil
- coconut oil
- frozen berries


Some stuff organic, some not. The two people I follow for my nutrition/health in eating is Mark Scisson and Dave Asprey. I literally mixed their methods together and WHAM! super charged diet that makes you stay lean and feeling awesome! Both guys are definitely worth checking out.

Links:
Mark's Daily Apple
The Bulletproof Executive

 

[JAJT]

I live in Canada, so all that stuff would be over $100

I hear ya. Most of those items listed I couldn't find at that price even on sale. Some of the items are double that price as well. A dozen eggs here is normally $5, for example.

 

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[Lights]

I hear ya. Most of those items listed I couldn't find at that price even on sale. Some of the items are double that price as well. A dozen eggs here is normally $5, for example.

omg... that's depressing. But what is minimum wage there?

 

[The-J]

I hear ya. Most of those items listed I couldn't find at that price even on sale. Some of the items are double that price as well. A dozen eggs here is normally $5, for example.

$5?! Geez, Ottawa has it bad. Unless you're talking about organic, if so I have no sympathy lol

I generally pay $2-3 for a dozen.

 

[FastNAwesome]

Edit: recommended my diet from low budget days, but then realized it's not good recommendation at all.

If on low budget try to cut down on other things first, health is extremely important, so eating healthy is a sure investment, better dress worse, than eat worse.

 

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[mayana]

f on low budget try to cut down on other things first, health is extremely important, so eating healthy is a sure investment, better dress worse, than eat worse.

Sound advice!

I love Mark's Daily Apple.... Paleo rocks, actually. But yes, it IS expensive

I try to eat as much greens as I can and then fill up on meat. I used to eat way too much meat (like not eating carbs was an excuse to eat 20 ounces of steak

 

[mrsilva]

LOL... I spend so much more!

It all depends of my level of stress. But when I'm calm I eat a lot and every 2-3 hours. I spend around $200 in groceries plus all the money eating out. Food here in Miami is pricey!