Living alone. Foooood!

StriderXg2 · Post by **StriderXg2** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 11:05 am

I figure my budget religiously. After nearly a year of living alone, i found the best cheap foods for great $$$dollars$.any suggestions welcome!

Peanut butterJif, 1.50.
Bread, 1.00
Cans of ravioli cheap kind, 2.00 for 4.
Cheap ragu for the ravioli, 1.00
Ramen, durr.
Vienna sausages! 44cents each.
eggs, 1.00
yogurt, 2.00 for 4.
popcorn!2.00
cheap chips 1.25 and salsa, 2.25

for around 20$, ive got a weeks worth of food, well, with some more stuff added, its a little more and still lasts.

Anything else have their budget down?

Veggita2099 · Post by **Veggita2099** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 11:41 am

Since I have been on a diet my living costs have went up. Apparently there is no such thing as a CHEAP healthy food.

Chicken Pot Pies are usually about .50 cents each, can't forget about the cheap tv dinners either. Frozen Burritos are another cheap item. Certain no-name brands of soup is pretty cheap as well.

Id say by far the cheapest food ever would have to be the Ramen noodles though.

S. Thompson · Post by **S. Thompson** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 2:21 pm

Veggita2099 wrote:Apparently there is no such thing as a CHEAP healthy food.

Maybe fruits and vegetables...

- Fuzmeister

bizzle · Post by **bizzle** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 2:56 pm

S. Thompson wrote:
Veggita2099 wrote:Apparently there is no such thing as a CHEAP healthy food.
Maybe fruits and vegetables...

- Fuzmeister

Fruit isn't cheap unless you have a produce outlet in your area. At the supermarket they're quite expensive.

TyBO · Post by **TyBO** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 3:34 pm

Well, every time I come into work I get a free meal. Working in the kitchen of a restaurant saves you a bit on groceries.

I know it's obvious, but it's always smart to buy in bulk. You save a lot in the long run.

ace · Post by **ace** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 4:38 pm

TyBO wrote:I know it's obvious, but it's always smart to buy in bulk. You save a lot in the long run.

Only if you'll actually consume the food. If you buy a huge bag of Cheetos, for example, get sick of them and never finish them, it's a waste.

Lartrak · Post by **Lartrak** » Sun Mar 04, 2007 8:38 pm

Xylene wrote:
S. Thompson wrote:
Veggita2099 wrote:Apparently there is no such thing as a CHEAP healthy food.
Maybe fruits and vegetables...

- Fuzmeister
Fruit isn't cheap unless you have a produce outlet in your area. At the supermarket they're quite expensive.

Depends on the fruit. At 45 cents a pound I'd have to call bananas cheap. Anything under $2 a pound, really, is quite cheap.

Ramen and rice in bulk are definetly among the cheapest as well.

AuroEdge · Post by **AuroEdge** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 12:22 am

I eat tuna and vegetables 5 days a week and spend less than $15 a week on food. Throw in eating out a couple times and that's another $15 maybe.

ninja · Post by **ninja** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 1:40 am

Ramen - Dirt cheap and can be used in a variety of ways.

Macaroni + Cheese (Can be cheaper to buy box / bag of the Macaroni Noodles, and then a container of cheese sauce)

Potato's - Mashed / Baked / Boiled / Etc...

Banquet TV Dinners (Usually a buck a piece)

Totino's Pizza - Around .99 to $1.09

Also doesnt hurt to shop around for fruits and vegetables. If you have a farmer's market anywhere nearby, go there, it WILL be cheaper. You can also sometimes find meat and poultry items as well.

Sir Slash · Post by **Sir Slash** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 2:51 am

well yogurt really isnt that cheap when you consider the amount you get

anyway this is my 3rd year livin on my own, here some tips

all ways check for sales

dollar stores usally have great deals on batteries, laundry soap etc(just remember just cause its a dollar doesnt mean its a good deal)

Get fruits when they're in season only , they're usually almost giving them away

bisquick (the wonder mix, rolls, pancakes waffles, all out of one box) also if cooking is something you like to do, make a bunch at once and freeze the rest, basiclly making you own eggo waffles

bulk ramen (the big multi packs are awesome)
mac and cheese for sure
pasta in general is cheap
store brand soda (2 liters are always the better buy)
Cereal store brand
whole chickens (sometimes you can find them for like $4 or less)
i dont know if you like hummus, but if you make your own its dirt cheap
also buy one get one deals on bread are great cause you can freeze bread
some stores have bakerys in them, day old stuff is a lot of times cheaper

i live in an apartment and some utlities are paid for, so take advantage of those.

candles are a lot cheaper then lights(only use lights when you need to)

wireless internet also is great if you can leach off of a neighbor

i also don't have a house phone, just a cell, since house phones really arent needed

why drive if its in walking distance?, walking to the store is great way to save some gas.

why get cable TV when you get netflix cheaper, and you can choose what you want to watch

those are my tips

Sir Slash · Post by **Sir Slash** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 3:00 am

oh yeah if stuff like cereal and other long lasting goods are cheap, horde them, give yourself extra spending money later

SuperMegatron · Post by **SuperMegatron** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 6:40 am

If your budget is really that low I can help you. We refer a lot of our clients to this site.
http://www.angelfoodministries.com anyone qualifies and you get a months worth of food for 25 dollars.

StriderXg2 · Post by **StriderXg2** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 6:45 am

Sir Slash wrote:well yogurt really isnt that cheap when you consider the amount you get

anyway this is my 3rd year livin on my own, here some tips

all ways check for sales

dollar stores usally have great deals on batteries, laundry soap etc(just remember just cause its a dollar doesnt mean its a good deal)

Get fruits when they're in season only , they're usually almost giving them away

bisquick (the wonder mix, rolls, pancakes waffles, all out of one box) also if cooking is something you like to do, make a bunch at once and freeze the rest, basiclly making you own eggo waffles

bulk ramen (the big multi packs are awesome)
mac and cheese for sure
pasta in general is cheap
store brand soda (2 liters are always the better buy)
Cereal store brand
whole chickens (sometimes you can find them for like $4 or less)
i dont know if you like hummus, but if you make your own its dirt cheap
also buy one get one deals on bread are great cause you can freeze bread
some stores have bakerys in them, day old stuff is a lot of times cheaper

i live in an apartment and some utlities are paid for, so take advantage of those.

candles are a lot cheaper then lights(only use lights when you need to)

wireless internet also is great if you can leach off of a neighbor

i also don't have a house phone, just a cell, since house phones really arent needed

why drive if its in walking distance?, walking to the store is great way to save some gas.

why get cable TV when you get netflix cheaper, and you can choose what you want to watch

those are my tips

very true, especially the netflix part, cable has nothing i wanna see, and with DSL i can watch whatever however i feel like. Also since im in a studio my utilities are paid for, but theres one thing i hate in it:the refridgerator is small, like those you see in retail stores, for campers. Mine has this huge block of ice covering the entire freezer, and makes the door hard to close, but it does. ive tried defrosting it, that took forever and made a complete fucking mess, and ive notified the landlord and its basically a problem with those, and every single one they have does the same thing. and yes, store brand soda is cheap and lasts 2liter wise!

The thing about pasta is true, ive even felt like making my own pizza, itd only be 2.99 for the dough, 1.00 for the sauce, 3.00 for pepperoni, and 2.00 for the cheese. of course i love anchovies so id need those too.

pavelbure · Post by **pavelbure** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:00 am

StriderXg2 wrote: The thing about pasta is true, ive even felt like making my own pizza, itd only be 2.99 for the dough, 1.00 for the sauce, 3.00 for pepperoni, and 2.00 for the cheese. of course i love anchovies so id need those too.

i've been making my own pizza for years. it would be a lot cheaper if you just bought the flour to make the dough. i have a few dough recipes, if you want them just let me know. paying 2.99 for dough is a lot, you can buy a bag of flour and a jar of yeast for a little more than that and get many pizza crusts out of it.

gamedudex2 · Post by **gamedudex2** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:16 am

beans

u can make red beans and rice fo 1 person to last maybe 3-4 days for about $2-3 which includes rice for several more uses.

Lartrak · Post by **Lartrak** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 11:57 pm

pavelbure wrote:
StriderXg2 wrote: The thing about pasta is true, ive even felt like making my own pizza, itd only be 2.99 for the dough, 1.00 for the sauce, 3.00 for pepperoni, and 2.00 for the cheese. of course i love anchovies so id need those too.
i've been making my own pizza for years. it would be a lot cheaper if you just bought the flour to make the dough. i have a few dough recipes, if you want them just let me know. paying 2.99 for dough is a lot, you can buy a bag of flour and a jar of yeast for a little more than that and get many pizza crusts out of it.

Depending on how you make it, pizza by hand isn't that much cheaper than good prices at stores.

Flour and yest: $.35
Cheese: $1.50
Sauce: $1.50 (though the way I make the sauce, it'll be good for about 5 pizzas)
Pepperoni: $1
Olive oil: $.05

At over $4 for a pizza, and frozen ones costing like $2 on sale, making them at home isn't cheaper. If you know what you're doing, they're better than frozen, of course.

Prophet][ · Post by **Prophet][** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 12:39 am

Lartrak wrote:
pavelbure wrote:
StriderXg2 wrote: The thing about pasta is true, ive even felt like making my own pizza, itd only be 2.99 for the dough, 1.00 for the sauce, 3.00 for pepperoni, and 2.00 for the cheese. of course i love anchovies so id need those too.
i've been making my own pizza for years. it would be a lot cheaper if you just bought the flour to make the dough. i have a few dough recipes, if you want them just let me know. paying 2.99 for dough is a lot, you can buy a bag of flour and a jar of yeast for a little more than that and get many pizza crusts out of it.
Depending on how you make it, pizza by hand isn't that much cheaper than good prices at stores.

Flour and yest: $.35
Cheese: $1.50
Sauce: $1.50 (though the way I make the sauce, it'll be good for about 5 pizzas)
Pepperoni: $1
Olive oil: $.05

At over $4 for a pizza, and frozen ones costing like $2 on sale, making them at home isn't cheaper. If you know what you're doing, they're better than frozen, of course.

Homemade ones can be much more healthier for you though especially if you make wholemill dough. If you make extra and freeze them you have a good lunch for a few days.

impetus · Post by **impetus** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 2:18 am

Spaghetti and subs are quick and easy. Also check out the skillet meals in the freezer section. There are quite a few options. Personally I have a hard time being creative with veggies (um, looks like salad again) so the skillet meals are nice.

I have a Foreman grill, fairly painless to throw on a couple burgers. Turkey burgers are actually not too bad for ya; I make those every now and then.

Another quick easy meal is pulled pork sandwiches. This has become one of my favorites lately. You can get BBQ pulled pork in a tub or bagged for pretty cheap. I was amazed that the fat content is not nearly as much as I expected (I try to be wary of that). Just skillet up and make a sandwich. Add a side of soup or salad.

There are a few things I try to always have around for a quick bite: bread, cheese, lunchmeats, lettuce, Nutella, cabbage slaw, frozen french bread pizzas, Chef Boyardee, canned soups, Korean frozen dinners.

I realize finances can be tight, but try to pay more attention to how balanced your diet is, rather than how much it costs. That cheap ramen is terrible for you. Find an Asian market and try some of the "good" ramen.

ace · Post by **ace** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 2:55 am

Bulk barn. I know I spoke against bulk earlier, but bulk barn and it's competitors sell knock-offs of name brand items and you control the quantity of what you want/need. If you want a pound of frosted flakes, you can have a pound of it. It costs next to nothing to get a bunch of filler food from there. The absolute best thing you can do is get different kinds of filler food (peanuts, peanut butter, granola) and mix it all together for mass quantities of cheap, somewhat health snacks. They usually sell ramen noodles and chicken stock really cheap. Just buy a little of both and mix it together. Not good for you, but a decent snack if you have additional stuff to put in with it.