Right now I'm the only one in the home. I shop at Aldi for my groceries. Spend $10 to $15 every week max. So around $60 is my budget. I don't eat outside very much...may be once in few months.
Wow. This is the lowest budget I've heard of -- good for you. (I've done thought experiments where I think I could get it to $20 just for myself, but $10 to $15 would be a stretch for me.) Do you mind me asking what you typically eat to keep costs so low? Not buying much meat I am guessing . . . Are you raising your own food?
Thanks.
Mornings are Bread or Banana with coffee.
Lunch & Dinner is usually the same- Rice with Veggies like cabbage/cauliflower/carrots or proteins like eggs/chicken/tilapia.
I'm from India. So I cook an Indian style gravy (veggie or meat or fish) and keep it for 2 days (4 meals)....sometimes 3 days (6 meals). But I cook rice in a pressure cooker every day (keep it for 2 meals). To keep it interesting or manageable, I change the sides every day making egg omelet (a lot of varieties), potato fry etc.
Except for Rice, I buy most of them from Aldi. I get rice from Indian stores. $13.99 for 20 lbs which usually comes for 60 days for me.
Ah, Indian recipes may have the best price to deliciousness ratio.
Most recently I've been making a tomato/coconut milk/butter sauce but the coconut milk isn't cheap. Any suggestions on the cheapest of cheap sauces? Or just anything good for that matter.
I don't use coconut milk very much at all. My base for the gravies is mostly red onions & tomatoes. It goes like this.
Oil -> when heated up add sliced onions -> when golden, add tomatoes -> when mushy, add vegetables or meat or fish -> add turmeric, chili powders -> add curry powder based on what kind of gravy is that * -> then salt and when it boils, it is done.
* Indian stores will have different curry powders for veg, fish, chicken etc. One packet will come for many days.
Most of the gravies/sauces are done in this manner. But you can always add a few things to enhance it. Example, adding garlic/ginger paste along with onions will be great for chicken or shrimp masala. Adding a bit of tamarind paste will be great for fish masala.
This along with a good amount of rice and egg omelet is heaven for me :) :)