Author Topic: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget  (Read 430143 times)

HipGnosis

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1824
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #300 on: March 10, 2018, 01:00:59 PM »
I refined and perfected my recipe for ground turkey (with a bit of pork sausage) chili.
Now I'm working on ground turkey lasagna.  It's taking longer as I don't like to buy ingredients for a single dish, like;  italian turkey sausage, tomato paste, ricotta cheese.  I'm trying to adapt what I do buy and have, but not sure I can make it work...

Lkxe

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 135
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #301 on: March 10, 2018, 08:12:21 PM »
I refined and perfected my recipe for ground turkey (with a bit of pork sausage) chili.
Now I'm working on ground turkey lasagna.  It's taking longer as I don't like to buy ingredients for a single dish, like;  italian turkey sausage, tomato paste, ricotta cheese.  I'm trying to adapt what I do buy and have, but not sure I can make it work...

Do you eat cottage cheese? My children dislike ricotta so we have used cottage. Now that they are older I mix half cottage and half ricotta and I make 2 full lasagnas and then freeze three halves ( there are only 4 of us)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Bicycle_B

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1809
  • Mustachian-ish in Live Music Capital of the World
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #302 on: March 11, 2018, 09:53:01 PM »
Like Monkey Uncle, amazed at many of the prices.  Inspired, though... so started keeping spreadsheet of my grocery expenses this year.  Started out just over $6/day for one person.  Now $5.13/day cumulative 2018.

Have built up some reserve of certain items that were on sale, mostly canned fish.  Made a few changes in the small amount of meat purchases that I make.  Got better at cooking rice, mostly by learning to flavor it better, hence using rice and beans a bit more often.  Learned simple version of bean tacos that I like - cheap delicious ecologically sound staple, added to my meal rotation! 

Did learn to price some items more accurately (tomatoes, avocados, spice) and as a result am using them more, not less... a health win.  Thanks for the inspiration, modest though my steps may be.

PS.  The big win is that I have enough food on hand that can be shared, hence I am now sometimes spontaneously treating guests to impromptu meals, or using "meal at my place" as part of a day plan with friends.  A wonderful plus, added to the routine even while total cost is going down.    :)
« Last Edit: March 11, 2018, 09:55:20 PM by Bicycle_B »

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #303 on: March 12, 2018, 06:53:42 AM »
Saturday was leftovers for dinner, so nothing exciting there.

Sunday, SO wanted me to try this recipe for kidney bean curry. It came out really good, actually. I totally spaced and didn't snap a picture for y'all, sorry :(.

Rice: $.85
Onion: $.40
Ginger: ~$.40?
Garlic: $.10
Tomato sauce: $.25
Kidney beans: $.50
Oil: $.35
Tomato: $.22

Total dinner cost = $3.07. This would work really well to freeze and reheat to serve over rice for an easy dinner. Making from scratch, start to finish, it took me about an hour. I could probably whip it up faster if I was cooking freehand instead of following a recipe, but I wanted to make sure I got it right at least the first time, before I start introducing variations. Also, we had friends over tonight (vegan, so this recipe was perfect!), so in addition to feeding the normal four of us, I also fed the drywall guy + helper, and two more adults-- six adult portions plus the kids. I ended up with two servings of rice leftover and only one serving of curry. I would have doubled the curry recipe, but I only had two cans of kidney beans.

Kiddo didn't like it-- I think it was too ginger-y for him. I thought it was amazingly delicious, so I'm going to try it again, with some variation that hopefully will be more accepted by Kiddo.

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #304 on: March 12, 2018, 06:58:25 AM »
Saturday, we were invited to a dinner party (taco menu). I signed us up to bring chips/salsa; I knew there was going to be quite a few people, so I stopped in Costco and picked up a big bag of tortilla chips:



$3.89

It turned out that someone else also brought chips and salsa, so we didn't even end up opening the bag. Now it's back home in the pantry. Likely it will get used to be packed as school snacks for the kids and SO.

Roadrunner53

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3570
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #305 on: March 12, 2018, 07:00:04 AM »
Anyone use canned kippers? They are supposed to be really good for you and are pretty inexpensive. I have not figured out very many ways to use it. I have mixed with mayo and put on crackers and have put them on a grill cheese sandwich. Anyone have any ideas? I suppose you could throw them into a salad.

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #306 on: March 12, 2018, 01:09:53 PM »
Like Monkey Uncle, amazed at many of the prices.  Inspired, though... so started keeping spreadsheet of my grocery expenses this year.  Started out just over $6/day for one person.  Now $5.13/day cumulative 2018.

Have built up some reserve of certain items that were on sale, mostly canned fish.  Made a few changes in the small amount of meat purchases that I make.  Got better at cooking rice, mostly by learning to flavor it better, hence using rice and beans a bit more often.  Learned simple version of bean tacos that I like - cheap delicious ecologically sound staple, added to my meal rotation! 

Did learn to price some items more accurately (tomatoes, avocados, spice) and as a result am using them more, not less... a health win.  Thanks for the inspiration, modest though my steps may be.

PS.  The big win is that I have enough food on hand that can be shared, hence I am now sometimes spontaneously treating guests to impromptu meals, or using "meal at my place" as part of a day plan with friends.  A wonderful plus, added to the routine even while total cost is going down.    :)

Those are great wins! You're both making healthier food, AND being more hospitable to your friends! That is happiness increasing in the world, just due to a little more efficiency in the grocery budget. Way to go!

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #307 on: March 12, 2018, 01:13:30 PM »
Anyone use canned kippers? They are supposed to be really good for you and are pretty inexpensive. I have not figured out very many ways to use it. I have mixed with mayo and put on crackers and have put them on a grill cheese sandwich. Anyone have any ideas? I suppose you could throw them into a salad.

I'm not sure I even know what kippers are....so, no? I feel like I should know about them if they'd fit in my budget, but I can't even recall seeing the in the grocery store, so maybe they're more common in your area. Or maybe I just don't happen to walk down that aisle in the store very often.

Roadrunner53

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3570
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #308 on: March 12, 2018, 01:19:54 PM »
They are herring that are smoked and canned typically in oil.

Read the comments, they are very well liked and have omega 3.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Polar-Kipper-Snacks-Canned-Naturally-Smoked-Boneless-Fillets-of-Herring-3-53-Oz/19276169


APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #309 on: March 12, 2018, 02:36:26 PM »
They are herring that are smoked and canned typically in oil.

Read the comments, they are very well liked and have omega 3.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Polar-Kipper-Snacks-Canned-Naturally-Smoked-Boneless-Fillets-of-Herring-3-53-Oz/19276169

That looks interesting. I'd have to be able to find them for cheaper than $1.40/can, though-- that's over $6/lb, which is more than I'm willing to spend for meat.

mm1970

  • Senior Mustachian
  • ********
  • Posts: 10880
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #310 on: March 12, 2018, 03:04:27 PM »
They are herring that are smoked and canned typically in oil.

Read the comments, they are very well liked and have omega 3.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Polar-Kipper-Snacks-Canned-Naturally-Smoked-Boneless-Fillets-of-Herring-3-53-Oz/19276169

That looks interesting. I'd have to be able to find them for cheaper than $1.40/can, though-- that's over $6/lb, which is more than I'm willing to spend for meat.
I occasionally find them or sardines for 0.99/ can, and stock up when I do.  It's cheap-ish omega 3's.  I put them in a different category than "meat".  And I eat them about once a week.  For me it's a balance between cheap, easy, healthy.  Wild fish is healthy, so I work it in, but not at the recommended 3x a week.  That's for sure.

I have no pictures, but this weekend I made:

Homemade rosemary olive oil bread (whole wheat flour, dried rosemary, sugar, yeast, water, salt, olive oil)
Chicken & brown rice soup (canned chicken from Costco - EASY and on sale for 6 cans/ $6.99) - chicken, carrots, onion, brown rice, peas, stock (0.40), parsley (freezer), lemon
Roasted carrot & onion curry soup
Instant pot mac & cheese (gluten free)
Granola
Mushroom barley "risotto"

Roadrunner53

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3570
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #311 on: March 12, 2018, 04:15:36 PM »
The can says two servings on the kippers so that would be about $0.72 a serving. Fish is not cheap in any form. I think this is a real good deal. It is portable and you can eat it at room temp or heat it up. A while back I bought a case at Walmart and I think 18 are in a case. They are good to have on hand and taste good. They say that this fish is very clean and not like swordfish that picks up mercury.

StarBright

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3270
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #312 on: March 12, 2018, 07:52:05 PM »
Anyone use canned kippers? They are supposed to be really good for you and are pretty inexpensive. I have not figured out very many ways to use it. I have mixed with mayo and put on crackers and have put them on a grill cheese sandwich. Anyone have any ideas? I suppose you could throw them into a salad.

I don't use mayo, but use cream cheese and hot sauce on crackers (with a cold beer in the summer) and it is absolutely divine!

And while kippers aren't quite the same as sardines the following will apply:

https://www.chowhound.com/food-news/47126/7-things-to-do-with-canned-sardines/

and I have made this with kippers, tuna, or sardines and I make it several times a year:

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/04/lidia-bastianichs-farro-with-tuna-and-tomatoes.html



Chippewa

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 725
  • Location: Grilled cheese, animal style
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #313 on: March 12, 2018, 09:13:55 PM »
kippers are so good. growing up I ate them straight out of the can during our family road trips.

Chippewa

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 725
  • Location: Grilled cheese, animal style
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #314 on: March 12, 2018, 09:33:38 PM »
btw, that curry recipe looks good. i would make the green chili a serrano (for spice) and increase the ginger and garlic quantity. Also throw in a good heaping of garam marsala. I always double the herbs and spice when I cook.

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #315 on: March 12, 2018, 10:09:08 PM »
Dinner tonight was pasta. Technically it's Potato night, but I'm currently at a zero-potato state, so it had to be something else; I just finished the last of the lentils leftovers for lunch today, we had rice and beans for the last couple days, and I have no bread for sandwiches.

Kiddo brought his plate of seconds over: "Dad, can you take a picture of mine?" ... So here you go:


Pasta $1.00
Sausage: $1.00
Onion: $.40
Garlic: $.10
Celery: ~$.20
Green pepper: $0 (leftover)

Total dinner cost = $2.70 plus a bit of BBQ sauce for the kids.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2018, 11:56:45 AM by APowers »

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #316 on: March 13, 2018, 11:48:44 AM »
Coupons in the mail! Now to wait for a good sale at King Soopers to use them.



This is the first time I've gotten this kind of thing in the mail since we moved to CO. Maybe it took them this long to figure out my purchasing history? Regardless, I will be happy to get 25% off, just cross my fingers for a sale on something non-perishable.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2018, 11:56:11 AM by APowers »

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #317 on: March 13, 2018, 11:54:23 AM »
Safeway errand today:



Onions: $1.98 (two 3lb bags)
Potatoes: $1.98 (two 10lb bags)
Frozen veggies: $3.40 ($.85/bag)

Total receipt = $7.36. I am so glad to have potatoes again. The kids will be ecstatic to be able to have oven fries again; it will be a nice change from beans and lentils. I wasn't planning on picking up onions, but they came out to 33˘/lb, which is quite a bit cheaper than my normal "buy-it" price of 50˘/lb for onions.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Discount store:



Total receipt = $1.98

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #318 on: March 13, 2018, 11:59:37 AM »
btw, that curry recipe looks good. i would make the green chili a serrano (for spice) and increase the ginger and garlic quantity. Also throw in a good heaping of garam marsala. I always double the herbs and spice when I cook.

Agreed that some more heat would have been nice, but I have to remember to keep it reasonably toned down for the kids. The ginger was a little strong-- probably would have been tempered perfectly by a pepper; I likely could have doubled the garlic and other spices and had it come out even more better than it did the other night.

kaypinkHH

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 907
  • Location: North by North East (CAN)
    • My first Journal!
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #319 on: March 13, 2018, 01:30:21 PM »
$1/12 EGGS! Amazing!

We go through a ton of eggs and the lowest price I seem to be finding is $3/dozen.

I really like your "buy it" price methodology. I need to figure out what good prices are for my area for my staple items.

Bicycle_B

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1809
  • Mustachian-ish in Live Music Capital of the World
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #320 on: March 13, 2018, 03:20:51 PM »
$1/12 EGGS! Amazing!

We go through a ton of eggs and the lowest price I seem to be finding is $3/dozen.

I really like your "buy it" price methodology. I need to figure out what good prices are for my area for my staple items.

Factory farms make a big difference.  Does your province also eggs from them to be sold?

Where I live (think home of G.W. Bush), anything the mind can conceive, the marketer can achieve its sale.  My grocery has "cage free" eggs at $3/dozen and factory-style eggs about $1/dozen, right on the same shelf.

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #321 on: March 13, 2018, 09:35:31 PM »
Finally, I can make potatoes again! Yay! I probably should have bought more than two bags, lol.



Potatoes: $.45 (4.5lbs)
Oil: ~$.15
Brussels sprouts: $.85
Pulled pork: $1.15

Total dinner cost = $2.60 plus some mayo/ranch. Safeway gave me an online "personalized coupon" for frozen veggies at $.85/lb-- I'd never tried brussels sprouts as a frozen veggie, and at that price point, it's cheaper than I can find fresh. Turns out they're pretty good from frozen, so I probably should have bought more than just the two bags of them. Oh well. Lesson learned-- get a bigger freezer, so I can stock up to my heart's content.


HipGnosis

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1824
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #322 on: March 14, 2018, 12:22:00 PM »
I refined and perfected my recipe for ground turkey (with a bit of pork sausage) chili.
Now I'm working on ground turkey lasagna.  It's taking longer as I don't like to buy ingredients for a single dish, like;  italian turkey sausage, tomato paste, ricotta cheese.  I'm trying to adapt what I do buy and have, but not sure I can make it work...

Do you eat cottage cheese? My children dislike ricotta so we have used cottage. Now that they are older I mix half cottage and half ricotta and I make 2 full lasagnas and then freeze three halves ( there are only 4 of us)

I do eat, and used, cottage cheese.
I often eat it with my home-made salsa that has chipotle peppers.

HipGnosis

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1824
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #323 on: March 14, 2018, 12:27:21 PM »
Fish is not cheap in any form.
Canned mackerel use to be cheap.  I used it with canned salmon recipes, but the price has tripled in the last yr or so.

MicroRN

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1042
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #324 on: March 14, 2018, 01:42:23 PM »
Finally, I can make potatoes again! Yay! I probably should have bought more than two bags, lol.
Potatoes: $.45 (4.5lbs)
Oil: ~$.15
Brussels sprouts: $.85
Pulled pork: $1.15

Total dinner cost = $2.60 plus some mayo/ranch. Safeway gave me an online "personalized coupon" for frozen veggies at $.85/lb-- I'd never tried brussels sprouts as a frozen veggie, and at that price point, it's cheaper than I can find fresh. Turns out they're pretty good from frozen, so I probably should have bought more than just the two bags of them. Oh well. Lesson learned-- get a bigger freezer, so I can stock up to my heart's content.

Those potato wedges look great.  I'm also a huge fan of frozen veggies.  Some of them take an adjustment for cooking, but it's so easy and quick.  I try to add vegetables wherever possible, and we just wouldn't eat nearly as much without frozen.

Roadrunner53

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 3570
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #325 on: March 14, 2018, 04:10:58 PM »
Companies that grow vegetables typically pack them where they pick them. For instance, tomatoes in CA are packed right from the fields. I used to work for a R&D company and they sent some of our team members out to CA to pack off (can) tomatoes in the summer months. Other veggies are taken from field to be prepped for frozen conditions. You are getting very 'fresh' veggies whether canned or frozen.

the_fixer

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1252
  • Location: Colorado
  • mind on my money money on my mind
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #326 on: March 14, 2018, 04:11:02 PM »
The King Soopers coupons are amazing I wish I could score like that.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #327 on: March 15, 2018, 10:30:02 PM »
Yesterday, I had too many things to do, so I was glad I had jambalaya in the freezer. The kids REALLY wanted to help paint (primer) in the basement, so having a quick dinner helped a lot in making that possible.

Total dinner cost = $0

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Today, I cooked up a pot of beans and the kids ate leftovers, so not much to report for dinner cost tonight either.

Beans: $.84
Chips: $0 (free friday)
Tomato: $.20

Total dinner cost: $1.04. Lots of beans leftover-- I'm planning to try that curry recipe again and see how a pinto bean substitution will work out, since I don't have any more kidney beans.

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #328 on: March 15, 2018, 10:33:27 PM »
Got the King Soopers ad today, and....Cheese is on sale, people!!!! Seriously, you have no idea how exciting this is, lol! I can get 2lb blocks for $4, and corned beef for $2.50/lb; if I use the 25% off coupon they also sent me, that works out to $1.50/lb for cheese, and <$2/lb for beef. Those are "stock up" prices right there.

couponvan

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8670
  • Location: VA
    • My journal
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #329 on: March 16, 2018, 05:53:36 AM »
CHEESE!!!

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #330 on: March 16, 2018, 06:43:23 AM »
Groceries yesterday:

Safeway:



Total receipt = $1.99

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sprouts:



Asparagus (2.14lb): $1.65
Brussels sprouts (1.26lb): $1.23
Celery: $1.00
Tomatoes (3.39lb): $2.61
Ginger: $1.50

Total receipt = $7.99. Veggies were all really good prices, so that was nice. I picked up the ginger, so I can make that curry again-- hopefully I'll remember to take some pictures for y'all.
« Last Edit: March 16, 2018, 10:46:47 AM by APowers »

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #331 on: March 17, 2018, 09:48:15 PM »
Dinner yesterday was leftovers, so not much to tell there. Maybe $.50 in ancillary ingredients.

----------------------------------------

Dinner tonight was sandwiches. With CHEESE. Lol!

Bread: $.99
Cold cuts: $1.67
Cheese: $.75
Onion: $.40
Pickles: $.60
Tomato: ~$.38
Green pepper: $.50
Lettuce: ~$.20

Total dinner cost = $5.49 plus mayo/mustard/bbq/sriracha. I put my portion of fruit (pineapple!) in my sandwiches, with a little bbq sauce-- yum! I am a huge fan of condiments and *everything* in my sandwiches, so mine were pretty dagwood style tonight. So. Delicious. And still cheaper than buying a SINGLE sandwich at Subway.

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #332 on: March 17, 2018, 09:55:21 PM »
Cheese! Went to King Soopers this morning on the way home from Home Depot (kitchen cabinets!).



Corned beef (7.5lb): $18.84
Cheese (10lb): $19.95
Cabbage (5.45lb): $1.58

Coupon: -$10

Total receipt = $30.37. If I ignore the cabbage (which was $.29/lb, so ridiculously cheap), I can split the value of the coupon between the beef and the cheese; that's cheese for $1.50/lb, and beef for ~$1.85/lb! Those are prices that are too good to pass up, especially on foods that we wish we could have more of, like CHEESE. Have I raved enough about cheese? Nope. Don't think I have, lol!

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #333 on: March 18, 2018, 08:30:03 PM »
Corned beef and cabbage for dinner!



Beef: $8.86
Bread: ~$1.15
Cabbage: ~$.50

Total dinner cost = $10.51. We ate about half the corned beef, and I thinly sliced the other half and tucked it in the freezer-- it was just the right amount to make a dinner's worth of sandwiches someday in the future. We hadn't had corned beef in ages (years, literally), and either I managed to cook it particularly well this time, or my mother consistently overcooked it when I was a kid (entirely probable).
« Last Edit: March 20, 2018, 08:03:23 AM by APowers »

shipright

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 11
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #334 on: March 19, 2018, 07:38:10 AM »
I started parting whole chickens instead of buying the prepared trays.Sold side by side for almost the same cost:

Two 1000g whole chickens = 3.500BD

vs

One 1000g tray skinless/boneless breasts = 3.75BD

With the two whole chickens and ten minutes of time ended up with almost twice the meat and also got 1.) two chickens worth of skin I turned into crackling as a special snack and 2.) two chicken carcasses I turned into three liters of chicken stock (30 minutes of my time). That stock would have cost roughly 4.000BD at the store, and is much better quality than the box/canned stuff. I spent about .250BD on onions/carrots/celery for the stock.

I live in Bahrain so food is expensive and what is costly and cheap varies quite a bit from the US, but the way I figure it I saved 8.50 BD ($21.20 USD). Bird carcasses are an excellent money saver. I turn every chicken/duck/turkey I eat into gallons and gallons of stock. I find stock is a ready component of a lot of frugal recipes so it is always in demand in my house.
« Last Edit: March 19, 2018, 07:43:58 AM by shipright »

couponvan

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 8670
  • Location: VA
    • My journal
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #335 on: March 20, 2018, 05:45:11 AM »
I started parting whole chickens instead of buying the prepared trays.Sold side by side for almost the same cost:

Two 1000g whole chickens = 3.500BD

vs

One 1000g tray skinless/boneless breasts = 3.75BD

With the two whole chickens and ten minutes of time ended up with almost twice the meat and also got 1.) two chickens worth of skin I turned into crackling as a special snack and 2.) two chicken carcasses I turned into three liters of chicken stock (30 minutes of my time). That stock would have cost roughly 4.000BD at the store, and is much better quality than the box/canned stuff. I spent about .250BD on onions/carrots/celery for the stock.

I live in Bahrain so food is expensive and what is costly and cheap varies quite a bit from the US, but the way I figure it I saved 8.50 BD ($21.20 USD). Bird carcasses are an excellent money saver. I turn every chicken/duck/turkey I eat into gallons and gallons of stock. I find stock is a ready component of a lot of frugal recipes so it is always in demand in my house.

That is some expensive chicken!  Wow.  Costco here in the US sells large whole roasted chickens for $6.  I have a hard time justifying baking my own at those prices.  At your prices, I'd totally be parting them.

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #336 on: March 20, 2018, 08:01:32 AM »
Yesterday for dinner was the other corned beef roast, only with potatoes this time. I was installing tile in my shower all day up until 9pm, so I ate quickly and went right back to work...so no pictures. I sure am glad for the set-and-forget ability of my instant pot!

Corned beef: $9.98
Potatoes: ~$.50
Cabbage: ~$.50

Total dinner cost = $10.98. I also fed my remodeling helper, and still had lots of leftovers.

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #337 on: March 20, 2018, 08:34:34 PM »
Leftovers for dinner tonight, so dinner cost is $0.

Probably going to do leftovers again tomorrow night, as the fridge is WAY too full of food to be making more.

---------------------------

Allso, I got an email from Chase saying that grocery stores are their 5% reward category this quarter, so at $200/mo, thats $10 that will trickle into our "travel money" rewards points tally. So yay!


shipright

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 11
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #338 on: March 20, 2018, 11:23:45 PM »
I started parting whole chickens instead of buying the prepared trays.Sold side by side for almost the same cost:

Two 1000g whole chickens = 3.500BD

vs

One 1000g tray skinless/boneless breasts = 3.75BD

With the two whole chickens and ten minutes of time ended up with almost twice the meat and also got 1.) two chickens worth of skin I turned into crackling as a special snack and 2.) two chicken carcasses I turned into three liters of chicken stock (30 minutes of my time). That stock would have cost roughly 4.000BD at the store, and is much better quality than the box/canned stuff. I spent about .250BD on onions/carrots/celery for the stock.

I live in Bahrain so food is expensive and what is costly and cheap varies quite a bit from the US, but the way I figure it I saved 8.50 BD ($21.20 USD). Bird carcasses are an excellent money saver. I turn every chicken/duck/turkey I eat into gallons and gallons of stock. I find stock is a ready component of a lot of frugal recipes so it is always in demand in my house.

That is some expensive chicken!  Wow.  Costco here in the US sells large whole roasted chickens for $6.  I have a hard time justifying baking my own at those prices.  At your prices, I'd totally be parting them.

Its an island. In a desert. So everything is imported.

I so miss Costco. When we discovered we were going overseas every option available still had one (Japan, Spain) EXCEPT the one I eventually got. BLAHarain.

ohsnap

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 330
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #339 on: March 21, 2018, 03:45:16 PM »
Groceries!

Safeway for ham and pasta sauce + the Discount Store for bread. Ham is $.87/lb at Safeway, so I decided to get one and slice it up for sandwiches, then eat the parts that don't slice so well for a dinner, then use the bone to make broth for beans/rice/lentils.

Ham: $10.38


APowers, I know this was from a couple of months ago, but...is this a decent ham?  The "Cook's" brand is on sale this week for $.99/#, so I'm thinking of buying one instead of the one I usually get at Costco (which I think is $2.49/# this year).   I serve it sliced for Easter dinner, and then we eat leftovers for sandwiches, pea soup, etc for a week or so.

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #340 on: March 21, 2018, 08:21:28 PM »
Groceries!

Safeway for ham and pasta sauce + the Discount Store for bread. Ham is $.87/lb at Safeway, so I decided to get one and slice it up for sandwiches, then eat the parts that don't slice so well for a dinner, then use the bone to make broth for beans/rice/lentils.

Ham: $10.38


APowers, I know this was from a couple of months ago, but...is this a decent ham?  The "Cook's" brand is on sale this week for $.99/#, so I'm thinking of buying one instead of the one I usually get at Costco (which I think is $2.49/# this year).   I serve it sliced for Easter dinner, and then we eat leftovers for sandwiches, pea soup, etc for a week or so.

It's decent, I guess. It's no Super Premium ham, and I'm sure you could taste the difference in a side-by-side taste test vs. something like Boar's Head or Costco's. But for me, I'm okay with eating a ham that's 85% as good for 2/5 the price. YMMV.

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #341 on: March 21, 2018, 08:24:54 PM »
Dinner tonight was leftovers again-- corned beef, mashed potatoes, cabbage + brussels sprouts. Nothing exciting here, lol.

Dinner cost = $1.23 for the brussels sprouts.


I just got the grocery ads, and Sprouts has some really good produce sales this weekend! Oranges for $.33/lb and avocados for 3/$1.

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #342 on: March 22, 2018, 08:52:48 PM »
Finally finished up all the critical leftovers tonight. The last of the corned beef, the leftover cabbage/brussels sprouts, and the last potatoes.

Cooked some rice: $.31
Pulled out a little bit of ham from the freezer for corned beef objectors: ~$.75

Total dinner cost: $1.06. Now, I can get back on track with the regularly planned schedule. Lentils tomorrow. The fridge is starting to look a little less chaotically packed. The only major leftover is the giant pot of chicken/beef broth, but that will end up in the lentils, so even it will be gone tomorrow. Hooray!

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #343 on: March 23, 2018, 02:21:59 PM »
Finally got around to consolidating all my rendered pork fat. I have just shy of a quart of greasy goodness.



This will probably last me a good long while. Likely well past the time I pick up another ham or pork roast. So delicious to fry stuff up with. Mmm.
« Last Edit: April 01, 2018, 08:33:52 PM by APowers »

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #344 on: March 23, 2018, 02:31:18 PM »
Also today went to do an estimate for some repair on a vacation rental, and they were cleaning out the fridge and I got to bring home a bunch of goodies!



~16oz sour cream
Cheese dip/salsa (two different kinds)
~2lbs french fries
~4.3lb chicken breast
4 tubs of ice cream (who leaves a partial tub of ice cream in the freezer? Not me!)
~˝cup almond milk
6 eggs.

Probably $8 worth of food if I were to find it on sale and/or make it myself. Likely $30-40 worth of food at regular retail prices. This is an unexpected win for the food budget.
« Last Edit: March 23, 2018, 06:45:17 PM by APowers »

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #345 on: March 23, 2018, 06:44:25 PM »
Lentils for dinner:



Lentil soup: $1.20
Asparagus: $.83
Corn tortillas: $.40

Ice cream for dessert: $.65

Total dinner cost: $3.08. The ice cream cost is the portion of non-dairy "ice cream" (sorbet) for Kiddo. The rest of us got to enjoy the freebie I picked up earlier today.

Stachetastic

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 769
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #346 on: March 23, 2018, 07:44:16 PM »
PTF. I find this thread to be endlessly fascinating! We keep our grocery budget around $400 for 2 adults, one 6 year old, and a part time 9 yr old. This includes toiletries and dog food. Our people food comes almost exclusively from Aldi.

Love the pics, too.  Thanks for giving us a peek at your family’s food habits!

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #347 on: March 23, 2018, 10:01:59 PM »
Also stopped at the discount store today for bread.



$2.97

APowers

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Colorado
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #348 on: March 24, 2018, 09:02:39 PM »
Sandwiches for dinner.



Cold cuts: $1.66
Lettuce: $.20
Cheese: $.75
Bread: $.99
Onions: $0 (leftover)
Green pepper: $0 (leftover)
Tomatoes: $.20
Pickles: $.30

Total dinner cost = $4.10 plus mayo/mustard.

eliza

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 377
Re: Have a sub-$200/month Grocery Budget
« Reply #349 on: March 25, 2018, 05:17:54 PM »
Thanks for continuing this thread - it's very inspirational. 

My grocery win today was a pound of Sweet Italian Sausage for $1.  I wish I had produce prices like yours near me, but I'm very lucky to often be able to find meat marked down because it is near it's sell-by date.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!